DRAMA
Overview Of The Subject
Drama is an exciting, ever emerging subject which helps builds self-confidence, the ability to speak in public and develop inter-personal skills. We allow students to become someone they have never been before; to experiment with their own creative ideas and explore their imaginations. We encourage students to be brave and bold and be willing to make mistakes. They should be prepared to listen to and co-operate with a wide variety of different students.
Students study drama in Year 7 and then can opt to study it in Years 8 & 9. GCSE Drama is offered in Years 10 & 11. We explore a variety of styles and genres from Naturalism to Physical theatre and many of our schemes are heavily influenced by practitioners such as Stanislavski, Brecht and Frantic Assembly. There will be an opportunity throughout all Key Stages to watch a live performance on stage.
Over the two years of the GCSE course students will further develop and hone their use of drama techniques as well as deepening their understanding of theatrical conventions.
Aims Of The Curriculum/Curriculum Intent
Our Key Stage 3 curriculum builds on the knowledge learnt at Key stage 2. We have analysed the knowledge and skills learnt in Year 6 in Drama and the English Key stage 2 curriculum. We have analysed skill and knowledge learnt across their primary education, and those required for GCSE and beyond, so that our broad programme of study in Drama builds on and prepares pupils for the next stage of their education, training and employment, whilst also building their confidence in all areas of Drama.
In studying Drama students develop skills in speaking, listening, reading, writing and working as part of a team. Student gain confidence in performance and speaking in public which will support them students in society, future endeavours and employment.
Lessons at Key Stage 3 teach, develops and builds upon the key drama skills to:
be able to devise and create work from a stimuli
to evaluate performances of your own and of others
to perform in front of an audience
to develop characterisation physically and vocally
to learn a script and perform this
to understanding stage types
Pupils who need support are encouraged to take part in extra-curricular opportunities such as The School Production either on stage or back stage to develop their understanding of performance. They are also given guidance through teacher and pupil verbal feedback.
Baseline tests take place in Year 7. Pupils are assessed practically as well as an evaluative task, reflecting the written expectation throughout the entire KS3 syllabus and then onto KS4. Students are given a stimuli to devise from and then assessed practically. They are then asked write an evaluation analysing and evaluating their performance focussing on their strengths and weaknesses with clear examples. This, combined with their KS2 SATs grade, is used to populate their Drama Target Grade.
Curriculum Content KS3
The KS3 drama curriculum is designed to give students a strong foundation in the skills of drama as well as allowing them to experience various theatrical genres and the key components which are required in GCSE drama.
Year 7
Term 1A: Basic Skills. In this first term we prepare the students for the type of work they will study throughout the year focussing on basic skills such as speech, facial expressions and physicality in acting. They are also introduced to the basic staging and stage directions.
Term 1B: Pantomime. Within this scheme we focus on comic-timing and begin to explore staging for traditional forms of theatre. They are given the task to devise a scene including key stock characters from Pantomime. Year 7 students then have the opportunity to go and watch a Pantomime at the Thameside Theatre.
Term 2A: Childline. This scheme explores SMSC subject matter such as cyber-bullying, victimisation and the struggles of starting at a new school. The scheme follows a fictional character Sam and her experiences at school. Students develop devising, characterisation when applying vocal and movement skills.
Term 2B: Greek Theatre. We focus on choral movement and speech developing the skills of working within a group. The students also research Greek Theatre in detail looking at the historical background and performing extracts from Greek Mythology such as Theseus and the Minotaur performing extracts exploring the stage type ‘in the round’.
Term 3A & 3B: Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. Students will be introduced to script work and will develop characterisation, learn a script and perform this. They will develop stereotypes and stock character stances and a more detailed exploration of staging.
Year 8
Term 1A & 1B: Melodrama and Commedia Dell’Arte. Year 8 students build upon the skills learnt in Year 7. We study aspects of drama and Theatre history through Melodrama & Commedia Dell’ Arte and students the concept of stock characters. This develops the skill of physicalising characters and slap stick comedy. Students will be assessed on performance as well as a written evaluation task on a performance of Melodrama.
Term 2A & 2B: Theatre in Education. Our Year 8 students will have the opportunity to learn key skills in delivering current key issues to targeted audiences. They will be required to devise and create their own TIE performance and celebrate their work by performing their final pieces to a local primary school.
Term 3A: William Shakespeare. This term we explore such plays as Macbeth and Twelfth Night focussing on ways to make Shakespeare fun! Students develop their understanding of the Shakespearian language through practical tasks and are assessed on a practical devising task requiring students to learn an extract of text and create a performance piece around this.
Term 3B: Duologues. We ask them to work in pairs to independently direct and stage duologues for performance. They are required to learn the script, develop the characterisation physically and vocally and stage this performance. This mirrors the requirements of the GCSE drama component two exam.
Year 9
Term 1A & 1B: Blood Brothers. Within this scheme students study the script by Willy Russell and develop characterisation focussing on voice, physicality and character motivation. Students are required to learn and perform a piece of text to the class in preparation for GCSE.
Term 2A: Mask. Students use the Trestle masks and learn and develop core skills of the genre. Students develop their movement and mime throughout this scheme. They are taught the rules of mask and skills such as leading from the body, passing the focus and clocking the audience. This is a development of the practical skills learned in year 8 when studying Commedia Dell’Arte.
Term 2B: Theatre Practitioners. This scheme is catered for soon to be GCSE Drama students. We look closely at the work of Le Coq and contemporary practitioners featured on the GCSE syllabus; such as Emma Rice and Artaud. We use script and devised work and apply the skills learnt about the particular drama Practitioner and apply this to a devised scene from a stimuli which mirrors the requirements of the GCSE drama component one exam.
Term 3A & 3B: Girls Like That. We finish the year with a mock GCSE unit focussing on the requirements of component two GCSE. Students study the play Girls Like That by Evan Placey and are asked to perform part of the script and are assessed using the GCSE marking criteria. Students will then complete a written exam which mirrors component three GCSE focussing again on the script Girls Like That.
Assessment
Formative assessment: this will involve verbal feedback from class teacher and peer review. This may then lead to an opportunity to refine and improve performance based on feedback.
Throughout the year there will be three progress checks. This will be a holistic mark that will reflect the practical work explored in all schemes as well as any written tasks.
Summative assessment: Summative assessment occurs at the end of the year. Your daughter will be given an average ‘working at grade’ based on all of the practical and written tasks set throughout the year.
Curriculum Organisation
Pupils are taught in their form classes in year 7 and mixed ability from years 8-11. Within their lessons pupils will be set differentiated tasks depending on their ability to ensure good progress.
Mixed groupings are encouraged in drama to develop team work and working with all students of varied abilities.
Drama GCSE
Aims Of The Curriculum/Curriculum Intent
Year 10
GCSE Drama is an exciting and dynamic course which builds on the creative and inter-personal skills developed at Key Stage 3 using the WJEC/ Eduqas syllabus. The skills learnt in drama are highly valued in any walk of life including teamwork, creativity & imagination and being able to confidently present yourself in front of others.
Students will develop their use of drama techniques and deepen their understanding of theatrical convention and styles.
In Year 10 the components studied will introduce students to the conventions, forms, techniques, strategies of drama as well as the written skill. Through a range of workshops and explorations they will learn:
how drama is created, including all the acting and staging skills that are needed to realise a piece of drama in performance
how to create a character focussing on voice and physicality and maintain it in a performance
how to analyse and evaluate their own work in performance
how to document research taken for a devised performance
exploration of Theatre Practitioners and how to apply their techniques to performance
how to document developments that were made during rehearsal for a devised performance
Year 10 will complete a number of opportunities to devise work, experience more detailed and written evaluation, practice supporting evidence and component one performances. They will explore the set text DNA and have the opportunity to watch live theatre to help prepare them for their final exam.
Year 11
Year 11 Drama students will complete all components over the course of this year and will be well prepared for this from the work completed in Year 10.
Term One is usually focussed on Component 1 (devising a piece of original drama from a stimuli with supporting evidence and an evaluation).
Term Two focusses on Component 2 (performing from a script to a visiting examiner).
The latter part of Term Two and Term Three prepares the students for the written exam (Section A: re-visiting the set text DNA & Section B; analysing and evaluating live theatre)
Students will develop the skills learnt in Year 10 & KS3 and will be able to apply them to performance and written tasks for each component.
Specification:
Exam Board: EDUQAS (part of WJEC)
The assessment for Drama is divided into three Components:
Components
Marks
Weighting
Assessment
C1
60
40%
Non-examined assessment
C2
60
20%
Practical exam to outside examiner
C3
60
40%
Written exam
Component 1: Students will produce a piece of devised theatre (using the key techniques of a theatre practitioner or a genre) in response to stimulus set by the exam board. They will create a portfolio of supporting evidence to accompany this which will document the research, practitioner used and development in the rehearsal process. After their performance of the devised piece created they will write a written evaluation of the performance under controlled assessment conditions. This component is internally assessed. The timings for the performance have now been reduced due to the amendments made to the syllabi.
Component 2: Students study one extract of published text and participate in a performance creating character using voice and physicality which is externally assessed by a visiting examiner through filmed recording of the component two performance. The timings for the performance have now been reduced due to the amendments made to the syllabi.
Component 3: Students will answer questions on a studied set text (DNA by Dennis Kelly) and write a review of a live theatre performance they have seen during the course.
Curriculum Content KS4
Year 10
Topics explored in Year 10:
Childhood
Theatre Practitioners
Behind Closed Doors
Drama genres
DNA
Students will explore drama through play texts such as Two by Jim Cartwright and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time by Simon Stephens.
Throughout the course of year 10 students will complete mock coursework in component one to prepare them for Year 11.
They will also practically study DNA by Dennis Kelly and learn how to structure answers for component three. Students will have the opportunity to watching and review at least one live Theatre Performance over the course of Year 10 to prepare them for the component three written paper. A walking talking mock will be completed in the summer term.
Year 11
Component One: The practical performance, portfolio of supporting evidence and evaluation will be completed by the end of the autumn term. These are assessed internally and the provisional marks are given to students prior to submission.
Component Two: This will be completed in the spring term and will be assessed by an outside examiner through filmed recording of performance. Students will be given script extracts and work on character development throughout lessons to prepare for this exam. They will also outline artistic intentions which offer the examiner and insight into their extracts and what they intend to achieve in performance.
Component Three: Students will prepare for this exam revising their work from Year 10 as well as re-reading the play and tackling questions from the exam given them further opportunities to practise and develop skills required for the examination.
Assessment
Pupils are assessed throughout the drama GCSE course so their class teacher can monitor progress. Through component one mock performances and coursework attempts in Year 10 as well as component three written mock exam students will be given a holistic grade which will take all of the work completed into account. Year 10 acts as a ‘mock’ for two key components of the GCSE course for students to experience them prior to undertaking them in year 11. At the start of Year 11 class teachers will have an idea of what students should achieve by the end of Year 11. This will be even more accurate after the completion of component one in the autumn term.
Curriculum Organisation
Pupils are taught in mixed ability classes at GCSE; within their lessons pupils will be set differentiated tasks depending on their ability to ensure good progress. Mixed groupings are encouraged in drama to develop team work and working with all students of varied abilities.
After KS4
Beyond GCSE, most schools and colleges will offer a course in drama. It could be a BTEC in performing Arts or an A-Level in Drama and Theatre Studies.
Drama students may continue to study the subject at University or at an accredited drama school. Students that graduate in drama typically enter careers in acting, directing, presenting, stage managing and further educational teaching. There are also a range of careers that a drama degree would be useful for that may include; drama therapist, arts administrator, choreographer, talent agent, theatre manager, media researcher, PR, advertising, sales law, and hospitality.