Exploring Performance Styles

Overview

This 60-minute lesson is the second in a 16-lesson unit titled "Exploring Love Through Drama" for Year 7 students. It focuses on discovering and categorising performance styles, specifically comedy and Shakespearean drama. The lesson supports varied student abilities through multimodal resources like video clips and summaries, and encourages interactive conversation-based learning, playing to the teacher’s strength in creating a lively, fun classroom environment.

Curriculum Alignment

Australian Curriculum: The Arts - Drama (v9) Year Levels: 7 Relevant Content Descriptions and Achievement Standards:

AC9ADR8D01: Develop performance skills relevant to selected drama styles and/or forms (exploring conventions of forms/styles, voice, movement).
AC9ADR8C01: Improvise and devise drama/interpreted scripted drama by manipulating elements relevant to the style/form.
AC9ADR8E01: Investigate how elements and conventions are used across cultures and times.
AC9ADR8D02: Reflect on performances to inform artistic choices and deepen understanding.

Learning Objectives (WALT)

WALT: Discover different performance styles, focusing on comedy and Shakespearean drama.
Understand key features of comedy and Shakespearean drama as distinct performance styles.
Categorise examples of performance styles based on characteristics and conventions.
Use collaborative discussion to communicate insights.

Success Criteria

Students will be able to:

Identify and describe at least two distinct performance styles: comedy and Shakespearean drama.
Categorise given examples of drama into the correct style based on characteristics discussed.
Participate actively in group discussion to share observations and ask questions.
Show understanding of how elements (voice, movement, language) vary in these styles.

Differentiation Strategies

Provide dyslexia-friendly summaries of each style (simple font, clear layout).
Use short video clips illustrating each style with visual and auditory cues to support comprehension.
Offer peer support and small-group discussions to scaffold understanding.
Allow students to express learnings verbally or through simple written notes depending on preference.
Engage more confident students in facilitating group reflections or summarising ideas.

Resources

Dyslexia-friendly handouts summarising comedy and Shakespearean drama features.
Curated video clips (2-3 minutes each) illustrating:
A short comedic sketch (physical comedy and situational humour).
A brief scene from a Shakespeare play (highlighting language, character, style).
Whiteboard or interactive display for listing and categorisation.
Style feature charts for visual reference.

Lesson Structure

Time	Activity	Description	Focus / Notes
5 min	Introduction and Context Setting	Brief recap of previous lesson’s theme "Exploring Love Through Drama." Introduce today’s WALT. Activate prior knowledge by asking: "What types of plays or performances do you know? What is comedy? Have you heard of Shakespeare?"	Sets context, primes curiosity, friendly conversational tone.
10 min	Exploring Comedy Style	Show video clip of a short comedic performance. Distribute dyslexia-friendly summary and go through key features (e.g., humour, exaggerated characters, physical comedy, fast pace). Group discussion: What did you notice about how actors performed?	Visual and verbal material support; teacher to guide conversation that encourages observations.
15 min	Exploring Shakespearean Drama	Show a brief scene from a Shakespeare play (e.g., Romeo and Juliet or A Midsummer Night’s Dream), focusing on language, gestures, and stylised acting. Review summary of Shakespearean drama style (formal language, rhyming, soliloquies). Group discussion: How is this different or similar to the comedy clip?	Enables recognition of distinct conventions; link to historical context briefly for engagement.
10 min	Categorising Activity	Using prepared examples (written or video excerpts), students work in small groups to categorise scenes/performances into 'Comedy' or 'Shakespearean Drama', providing reasons based on features discussed. Teacher circulates, supporting and prompting critical thinking.	Collaborative learning, activates analytical skills, differentiation by mixed-ability grouping.
10 min	Class Sharing and Reflection	Groups share their categorisations and reasoning. Teacher facilitates a brief plenary discussion, asking: "What did you find easy or tricky? How do these styles affect how a story is told or how you feel about it?"	Encourages verbalisation and metacognition; feeds into assessment of understanding.
5 min	Conclusion and Success Criteria Review	Revisit WALT and success criteria. Invite students to reflect verbally or via thumbs-up/down on their confidence in identifying styles. Assign a light reflective 'think-pair-share' question for next lesson: "How might actors prepare differently for these styles?"	Consolidates learning, sets up curiosity for Lesson 3.

Assessment

Formative: Observation of group discussions and categorisation activity contributions.
Informal questioning during plenary to gauge understanding.
Self-assessment through success criteria reflection.

Additional Notes for Teachers

Engage students’ love for conversation by encouraging open-ended questions and peer dialogue.
Use humour and enthusiasm when showing video clips to keep atmosphere light and inviting.
Monitor group dynamics to ensure all voices, including quieter or less confident learners, are included.
Highlight links between performance styles and the unit theme of exploring love — for example, comedy often explores relationships through humour; Shakespeare’s plays often explore love with rich language and emotional depth.

This lesson plan is designed with the Australian Curriculum (v9) Drama standards for Year 7, encouraging students to manipulate dramatic elements and conventions relevant to performance styles, reflect on meanings, and develop foundational skills in analysing drama forms. It incorporates multimodal learning, differentiation, and collaborative discussion to cater to a variety of learner needs and teaching preferences.

Teaching Instructions