Curriculum

PERFORMING ARTS Drama

|Education|Curriculum|Performing Arts – Drama
The Academy’s Performing Arts curriculum gives pupils the opportunity to engage in creative self-expression through Drama.

Performing Arts can have a profoundly positive impact on pupil’s emotional well-being, offering them a respite from the rigors of academia, whilst still encouraging them to develop vital soft skills.

Through Performing Arts, pupils are encouraged to connect with their audience, inspiring them to feel and challenging them to think. They also become well-versed in conveying their messages through verbal and non-verbal communication, whilst considering how their work can be perceived from a variety of different perspectives. All of these skills are vital to becoming an effective and respected leader.

Curriculum Overview
Year 7 Year 8

KEY CONCEPTS

Autumn One

Develop skills centred on:

  • Non-verbal communication
  • Tableau
  • TIR
  • Rehearsal
  • Spontaneity
  • Hot Seating
  • Thought track
  • Improvisation

Autumn Two

Use strategies such as:

  • Spontaneous improvisation
  • Response to Stimulus using a range of strategies
  • Tableau
  • Use of empathy, perspective and impact to develop realistic and naturalistic response

Spring One

Develop knowledge of:

  • Scripting
  • Devising
  • Structuring
  • Performance Skills
  • Movement and Line Memory
  • Spontaneous Improvisation

Spring Two

  • Understand story and structure (Prologue)
  • Key themes explored and exploration of scripts
  • Students extend own knowledge through in role writing

Summer One

Understand and demonstrate in performance:

  • Creative demonstration of the Magical
  • Creative transition
  • Tableau
  • Line Learning
  • Hot seating
  • Thought track
  • Mime
  • Improvisation

Summer Two

Develop understanding and demonstrate the following skills:

  • Monologue
  • Devising

All underpinned by:

  • Facial expression
  • Gesture
  • Body Language
  • Use of Voice (tone, pitch, tempo, level of projection)

THEMES/ TOPIC

Autumn One

Storytelling and Problem Solving:

  • ‘The Apothecary’

Autumn Two

People and Places:

  • ‘Evacuees’

Spring One

Script and Devising:

  • ‘Smugglers’

Spring Two

Shakespeare:

  • ‘Romeo and Juliet’

Summer One 

Set narrative and script work:

  • ‘James and the Giant Peach’

Summer Two

Devising and presenting:

  • ’Dragons Den’

ENGLISH CURRICULUM LINK LESSONS THEMES/ TOPIC

Autumn One

Lessons composed from Whole Class reading:

  • Boy’ by Roald Dahl

Autumn Two

Lessons composed from Whole Class reading:

  • Oliver Twist’ by Kathleen Olmstead

Spring One

Lessons composed from Whole Class reading:

  • ’Merchant of Venice’ by Andrew Matthews

Spring Two

Lessons composed from Whole Class reading:

  • Focus on short stories

Summer One

Lessons composed from Whole Class reading:

  • ’Trash’ by Andy Mulligan

Summer Two

Lessons composed from Whole Class reading:

  • ’The Play of Room 13’ by Joe Standerline

SPEAKING AND LISTENING

Autumn One

  • Improvisation
  • Group work

Autumn Two

  • Thought Tracking
  • Hot Seating
  • Improvisation

Spring One

  • Improvisation
  • Group work
  • Peer Assessment

Spring Two

  • Improvisation
  • Group work
  • Peer Assessment

Summer One

  • Discussion Tasks
  • Development of creative and abstract response.

Summer Two

  • Peer Assessment
  • Performance Response

KEY ASSESSMENT FOCUSES AND SUGGESTED ASSESSED PIECES

Autumn One

  • Non-verbal communication skills
  • Collaborative learning
  • Use of voice to show character and commitment shown through a final performance following the group decision on how the narrative should end.

Autumn Two

  • Naturalistic and realistic responses
  • Mature committed performance underpinned by facial expression, body language, gesture and use of voice with confidence

Spring One

  • Demonstrating understanding of the key drama terminology
  • Improvise using a range of dramatic strategies and techniques
  • Work effectively as a group to develop final piece of performance

Spring Two

  • Show understanding of Shakespearean narrative through use of script, line learning and characterisation
  • Engaging with dramatic content to demonstrate understanding of pace, tension and status

Summer One

  • Following chronological narrative reflecting text based events through considered rehearsed and spontaneous improvisation
  • Creative response to show magical elements of the text
  • Use of conventional format (news broadcast) to share information

Summer Two

  • Rehearsed Improvisation based around the Dragons Den format. Pupils invent a product, which they then sell to the audience in role as the dragons
  • Focus on vocal work including projection, pace, tone and undulation
  • Confidence and commitment in small group work

KEY CONCEPTS

Autumn One

Develop skills centred on:

  • Voice/Movement
  • Characterisation
  • Narrative
  • Pace/Tension
  • Script
  • Archetype
  • Mime
  • Exaggeration

Autumn Two

Understand and demonstrate in performance:

  • Symbolism
  • Tension
  • Tableau
  • Line Learning
  • Hot seating
  • Thought track
  • Mime
  • Improvisation

Spring One

Use strategies such as:

  • Spontaneous improvisation
  • Response to Stimulus using a range of strategies
  • Tableau
  • Use of empathy, perspective and impact to develop realistic and naturalistic response

Spring Two

Develop skills centred on:

  • Voice/Movement
  • Realistic Characterisation
  • Structure
  • Pace/Tension
  • Abstract dramatic strategies to add meaning and impact
  • Commitment to role

Summer One

Develop understanding and demonstrate the following skills:

  • Monologue
  • Multirole

All underpinned by:

  • Facial expression
  • Gesture
  • Body Language
  • Use of Voice (tone, pitch, tempo, level of projection)

Summer Two

Understand and demonstrate in performance:

  • Understanding of playwrights intention
  • Use of dramatic style and explorative strategies to create innovative incarnation of script.
  • Creative transition
  • Tableau,
  • Line Learning
  • Mime

THEMES/ TOPIC

Autumn One

Style and Genre:

  • ‘Melodrama’

Autumn Two

People and Places:

  • ‘Anne Frank’

Spring One

Issues:

  • ‘Conflict’

Spring Two

Lessons composed from Whole Class reading:

Historical Significance:

  • ‘Inspirational People’

Summer One

Social response and consequences:

  • ‘The Stones’

Summer Two

Set narrative and script work:

  • *‘Shrek’

ENGLISH CURRICULUM LINK LESSONS THEMES/ TOPIC

Autumn One

Lessons composed from Whole Class reading:

  • ‘Unique’ by Alison Gray

Autumn Two

Lessons composed from Whole Class reading:

  • ‘Oliver Twist’ by Kathleen Olmstead
  • ‘A Christmas Carol’ (abridged version)

Spring One

Lessons composed from Whole Class reading:

  • ’Keeper’ by Mal Peet

Spring Two

Lessons composed from Whole Class reading:

  • ‘Welcome to Nowhere’ by Elizabeth Laird

Summer One

Lessons composed from Whole Class reading:

  • ‘Merchant of Venice’ by Andrew Matthews

Summer Two

Lessons composed from Whole Class reading:

  • Poetry through the ages on the theme of attachment

SPEAKING AND LISTENING

Autumn One

  • Improvisation
  • Group work

Autumn Two

  • Discussion
  • Development of empathy

Spring One

  • Improvisation
  • Group work
  • Thought Tracking
  • Hot seating

Spring Two

  • Discussion Tasks
  • Development of empathy
  • Group work
  • Summer One
  • Summer Two

Summer One

  • Discussion Tasks
  • Performance response
  • Peer Assessment

Summer Two

  • Group work
  • Line learning

KEY ASSESSMENT FOCUSES AND SUGGESTED ASSESSED PIECES

Autumn One

  • Non-verbal communication skills

  • Stylistic understanding

  • Use of voice to show character and commitment shown through a final performance following the archetypal structure for melodramatic performance

Autumn Two

  • Following chronological narrative reflecting factual events through considered rehearsed and spontaneous improvisation

Spring One

  • Naturalistic and Realistic responses
  • Mature committed performance underpinned by facial expression, body language, gesture and use of voice with confidence.

Spring Two

  • Improvisation centred around each key historical figure
  • Must show awareness of accurate historical facts as well as the use of and understanding of a range of dramatic strategies

Summer One

  • Improvisation based around the imaginary outcome of the narrative shared. This must demonstrate the key skills and strategies

  • Must incorporate perspective, empathy, impact and tension

  • Status to be discussed and demonstrated

  • Empathetic responses that demonstrate understanding of consequences

Summer Two

  • Scripted performance which fits effectively within wider context of whole class production

  • Use of dramatic and non-verbal communication strategies developed over 2 year PA course of learning

  • Summative project at the end of mandatory performing arts lessons.

 

 

 

 

 

Assessment

At Key Stage 3, assessments take place at the end of each term. 

Enrichment Offer

The Performing Arts Department offers subject-specific enrichment clubs and organises a range of educational visits and theatre trips throughout the year. Pupils who join our Nasheed Choir benefit from regular rehearsals and have the opportunity to perform during school and community events. Intervention sessions to consolidate prior learning and ensure maximum progress are at the heart of our delivery model.

BBC Bitesize KS3 English Literature – Shakespeare https://www.bbc.com/education/guides/zxqsgk7/revision

BBC Evacuee search: https://www.bbc.com/teach/class-clips-video/history-ks2-an-evacuees-adventure/zk7hy9q

Designed for Schools https://burtsdrama.com/2015/07/20/melodrama/

Anne Frank – The Holocaust Explained https://www.theholocaustexplained.org/responses-1933-1945/palestine/anne-frank-the-words-of-a-resistor/

Visits to places that can help my learning:

  • Theatres
  • Imperial War Museum
  • Library
  • Jewish Museums

FBV include:

  • Mutual respect
  • Democratic decision making