Engaging Young Minds

Year 6 Drama Class - 50 Minutes

Curriculum Area: The Arts (Drama)

Level: Year 6

Lesson Objectives:

• Develop students' confidence and self-esteem
• Enhance concentration, observation, and spatial awareness
• Understand the elements of drama: time, mood, place, atmosphere, and relationship
• Practice using freeze frames to tell a story and convey emotions

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Warm-Up Activity: 10 Minutes

Drama Game: "Mirrors" (5 mins)

Instructions:

1. Students pair up and face each other.
2. One student in each pair is the "leader," and the other is the "follower."
3. The leader performs slow, simple movements, and the follower mimics these movements precisely.
4. Switch roles after 2.5 minutes.

Purpose: To build concentration, observation skills, and spatial awareness.

Introduction to Focus Questions (5 mins)

• Discuss the significance of using time, mood, place, atmosphere, and relationship in drama.

Focus Questions:

1. How can we use freeze frames to tell a story?
2. What do the elements of drama add to our performance?

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Main Activity: 30 Minutes

Reading Pre-text and Freeze Frame (10 mins)

Pre-Text:
Excerpt from "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis (stop after 3 pages).

Activity:

1. In groups of 3 or 4, students create a single freeze frame based on the scene described in the pre-text.

Developing the Story (10 mins)

Activity:

1. Groups develop two additional freeze frames imagining what happened before and after the scene.
2. Emphasize the use of space, levels, and character relationships.

Incorporating Movement and Dialogue (10 mins)

Activity:

1. Groups add simple movement and dialogue to their freeze frames.
2. Use voice modulation to convey different emotions and characters.

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Cool Down and Reflection: 10 Minutes

Sharing and Presenting (5 mins)

1. Groups present their freeze frames with added movement and dialogue to the class.
2. Discuss how they used elements like time, mood, and space.

Reflection and Feedback (5 mins)

Key Questions:

1. What did you find challenging about creating freeze frames?
2. How did you use the elements of drama to enhance your performance?

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Visualisation Activity: 10 Minutes

1. Invite students to sit on the floor and close their eyes. Play some quiet music.
2. Ask them to imagine being somewhere on the boat from the scene in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." They are invisible.

Prompts:

• Imagine what you can see on the boat.
• Imagine what you can hear on the boat.
• Imagine what you can smell on the boat.
• Imagine what you feel on the boat.

3. Tap each student on the shoulder.
4. They will share a phrase starting with:
   • "On the boat I can see …"
   • "On the boat I can hear …"
   • "On the boat, I can smell …"
   • "On the boat, I feel …"

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Linking to the 8 Ways Pedagogy (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives)

Community Links:

• Use symbols to represent students' ideas about the boat and the elements of drama.
• Encourage stories and narratives that capture cultural perspectives and communal experiences.

Non-linear Learning:

• Allow creative flexibility within the freeze frames to encapsulate the non-linear nature of storytelling found within Aboriginal cultures.

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By engaging students with hands-on activities, group collaboration, and embracing cultural perspectives, this drama lesson not only adheres to the Australian Curriculum standards but also provides an enriching, imaginative, and meaningful learning experience.

Note: All instructions and activities are tailored to align with the Australian Curriculum: The Arts.

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© Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority