Drama

Autumn
Students start the autumn term exploring the topic of Storytelling. They will learn and develop core techniques such as narration and still image as well as what it means to perform for an audience whilst using their vocal skills.  

In the second half of the autumn term, students will continue to develop their storytelling techniques with an original story entitled The Holiday that Went Wrong. Students will continue to develop their still image and vocal skills and will begin to explore thought-tracking and physicality to show a clear character 

Spring
Students will move on to reading the play Ernie’s Incredible Illucinations whilst considering how they could apply previously taught skills and techniques. They will explore how power can be shown on stage with the introduction of levels.  

Students will complete the Drama part of the carousel by exploring Mime and how communication can happen without the use of words, relying completely on physical skills. 

Summer
There is no Drama for Year 7 in the Summer Term. 

Year 7 Assessment 

All assessments in Key Stage 3 are 2-fold. Students are initially assessed every week on their group work skills, including how they communicate and listen to ideas as well as how dedicated they are to creating an outstanding performance. Students will then perform at the end of each topic as their opportunity to demonstrate skills and techniques learnt in that half term. The breakdown of half termly assessments is as follows: 

Autumn 1 – Storytelling 

• A performance that tells a clear story, including a clear beginning, middle and end. Students must include narration, still image and vocal skills (volume, pitch, pace and tone) 

Autumn 2 – The Holiday that Went Wrong 

• A created performance that shows the end of a 5-part story, including still image, thought-tracking, vocal and physical skills. 

Spring 1 – Ernie’s Incredible Illucination 

• Students will create and perform their own scene in the style of the play. They will include levels, narration, still image, thought-tracking, vocal and physical skills. 

Spring 2 – Mime 

• A performance that follows a given story performed without words. 

Autumn
There is no Drama for Year 8 in the Autumn Term. 

Spring
Students will begin Year 8 Drama by exploring the build-up of tension, students will be taken on a journey through Darkwood Manor – a haunted house with a disturbing past, present and future. Students will build on their understanding of core techniques as well as being introduced to how the stage space can be used through proxemics. 

In the second half of the Spring term, students will explore the play text Noughts & Crosses. The focus of this topic is to consider how clear themes of racism, social class and heroism are communicated through theatre whilst applying their knowledge of previously taught skills and techniques. 

Summer
Students will explore how to make puppets and how to combine both puppetry and human acting in a performance.  

The final topic is Devising. Students are given freedom to create their own pieces based on a given stimulus whilst including a wide variety of taught techniques. 

 Year 8 assessment 

All assessments in Key Stage 3 are 2-fold. Students are initially assessed every week on their group work skills, including how they communicate and listen to ideas as well as how dedicated they are to creating an outstanding performance. Students will then perform at the end of each topic as their opportunity to demonstrate skills and techniques learnt in that half term. The breakdown of half termly assessments is as follows: 

 Spring 1 – Darkwood Manor 

• A created performance that shows the end of a 5-part story, including soundscape, proxemics, vocal and physical skills. 

Spring 2 – Noughts & Crosses 

• A scripted performance of a given section of the play. Students will include levels, proxemics, 1st person narration, characterisation skills. 

Summer 1 – Puppetry 

• Students will perform in groups whilst combining the management of a puppet per group (3 people to control) as well as ordinary acting utilising taught skills and techniques. 

Summer 2 – Devising 

• A performance that links to a given stimulus. Students will select from a variety of techniques to include in their work. 

Autumn
At the start of Year 9, students will be transported to the year is 2121. Students will explore the world of the future whilst building a family unit (characterisation) and making their way through a 5-part story. Students will be writing and performing their own monologues throughout the topic, using their knowledge and understanding from previous years.  

Students will then explore mask work using Trestle theatre masks. They will create performances that rely on both spoken word and on physicality whilst showing a court room murderer mystery. 

Spring
Students are given freedom to create, rehearse and perform their own pieces based on the stimulus “Leaving home”. They will explore the idea of Naturalism whilst linking to the theatre practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski and will consider how character and storyline can be made as clear and realistic as possible. 

The play text for Year 9 is Blood Brothers by Willy Russel. Students will explore this text and create scripted performances. Elements of study will include social class, superstition, inequality and fate. 

Summer
There is no Drama for Year 9 in the Summer Term. 

 Autumn 1 – 2121 

• A created performance that shows the end of a 5-part story, including monologue, detailed characterisation techniques and a combination of previously taught techniques. 

Autumn 2 – Mask Work 

• A combined performance of mask and spoken word. 

 Spring 1 –Devising 

• A performance that links to a given stimulus. Students will select from a variety of techniques to include in their work whilst considering Naturalism. 

Spring 2 – Blood Brothers 

• A scripted performance of a given section of the play. Students will include, alongside characterisation skills, a variety of taught techniques since the start of KS3 and add them to the text. 

GCSE Drama is a valuable subject choice for any student. It combines creating, performance, theatre reviews and analytical written work to form a qualification. It builds on the transferrable skills developed throughout Key Stage 3 and helps to open many employability options in the future. 

Autumn
Students will start the Autumn Term by exploring different theatre practitioners and styles, including Bertolt Brecht – Epic Theatre, Konstantin Stanislavsky – Naturalism, and Frantic Assembly – Physical theatre. Students will select one style and create their own work. 

In the second half of the term, students will work on a mock scripted performance using extracts from given plays. 

Spring
Students will work on their Devised performance for Unit 1 of the qualification. Creating their own work from a given stimulus, rehearsing and performing at the end of the term. Students will have the opportunity to see live theatre during this term. 

Summer
Students will start the term by completing the Devising assessment by writing a reflection on the process of creating, rehearsing and performing. Students will then read and explore the play “I Love You Mum. I promise I won’t Die” by Mark Wheeller as the GCSE set text for the written exam. Students will utilise this time to explore the text in a practical way and will study how to answer GCSE style questions, ahead of their end of year exam. 

Autumn
Students will revisit the set text and will complete a series of practice questions as well as looking at the Live Theatre Review part of the written exam ahead of their first mock exams. Alongside exam practice, students will also be developing their externally assessed scripted performance. 

Spring
Students will continue to work on their scripted performance to focus on whilst exploring the written exam. 

Summer
The start of the Summer term will be centred around revision in preparation for the public exams. 

Assessment 

EDUQAS GCSE Drama 

Students will complete 3 units of study. 

Unit 1 – Devising 

Creating their own group performances from a stimulus provided by the exam board. Students will then write reflective logs of the creating, rehearsing and performing elements of the process. This unit is internally assessed by the subject teacher and is externally moderated by the exam board. 

Unit 2 – Scripted Performance 

Students will learn and perform 2 extracts from a published text. This unit is externally assessed by the exam board. 

 Unit 3 – Written exam  

The exam paper is split in two sections.  

Section 1 analyses the set text, “I Love You Mum. I promise I won’t Die” by Mark Wheeler whilst considering how vocal and physical skills would be used to perform specific sections and characters alongside writing detailed descriptions of design choices. 

 Section 2 is a Live Theatre Review where students will analyse the effectiveness of a performance they have seen. 

BBC Bitesize – Drama