Dramatic Expressions

Lesson Overview

Year Level: Year 6
Duration: 50 minutes
Class Size: 20 students
Curriculum Links:

• AC9ADR6C01: Develop characters and situations, and shape and sustain dramatic action to communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning in improvised, devised and/or scripted forms
• AC9ADR6E02: Explore the ways that First Nations Australians use drama to continue and revitalise cultures

Objectives

1. Students will develop and sustain characters and situations in dramatic action.
2. Students will explore and understand the use of drama by First Nations Australians to continue and revitalise cultures.

Materials Needed

• Whiteboard and markers
• Copies of Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime stories
• A range of simple costumes/props
• Paper and pencils

Lesson Structure

Introduction (10 minutes)

1. Welcome and Roll Call: Greet students and take attendance.
2. Learning Intentions: Outline the objectives of the lesson.
   • Explain that students will develop characters and situations in dramatic action.
   • Introduce the concept of how First Nations Australians use drama as a tool to continue and revitalise cultures.
3. Warm-Up Activity:
   • Group Freeze Frames: Divide the class into five groups of four. Each group will create a freeze-frame (still image) that represents a scene from everyday Australian life. Give them 2 minutes to prepare and then view each group's freeze-frame.

Main Activity (30 minutes)

Part 1: Character and Situation Development (15 minutes)

1. Introduce Dramatic Task:

   • Explain that each group will now revisit their freeze-frame but transform it into a short improvisational scene where they develop the characters and situation further.
   • Each group will think about the character's backstory, their motivations, and their relationships.

2. Development Phase:

   • Give each group 5 minutes to develop their characters and situations. Encourage them to think about how their characters interact and what dramatic action can be sustained.

3. Performance Phase:

   • Each group will perform their improvised scene for the class. After each performance, allow for a brief discussion on what dramatic actions were used and how the characters were developed.

Part 2: Exploring First Nations Drama (15 minutes)

1. Introduction to First Nations Drama:

   • Provide a brief introduction to how First Nations Australians use drama. Discuss the role of storytelling in their culture and how it helps in preserving and revitalising their heritage.

2. Storytelling Activity:

   • Hand out copies of a short Dreamtime story. Assign each group a different part of the story.
   • Each group will create a short devised piece based on their part of the story, incorporating any symbolic actions or choreography relevant to First Nations performance traditions.

3. Performance:

   • Groups perform their devised pieces in sequence to put together the entire Dreamtime story.
   • Facilitate a discussion on the cultural significance of the story and how drama played a role in its telling.

Conclusion and Reflection (10 minutes)

1. Class Discussion:
   • Discuss what students have learned about developing characters and situations.
   • Reflect on how drama can be used to communicate cultural stories, particularly focusing on First Nations Australians.
2. Feedback Activity:
   • Ask students to share one thing they enjoyed and one thing they found challenging.
3. Closing Remarks:
   • Summarise the key learnings of the lesson and preview what will be covered in the next class.

Assessment

Formative:

• Observing student participation in activities.
• Assessing the development of characters and situations during the improvisational tasks.
• Evaluating understanding through performances of Dreamtime stories.

Summative:

• A short reflective journal entry on their experience of the lesson and what they learned about using drama to tell stories.

By structuring the lesson in this way, educators will provide a rich, culturally integrated, and engaging drama experience that aligns with the Australian Curriculum and showcases the dramatic traditions of First Nations Australians.