Mask Making Magic

Unit: Theatrical Journey with Pigs

Lesson 2 of 5

Duration: 45 minutes
Class size: 26 students (Year 1-2)
Subject: Drama

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WALT (We Are Learning To)

• Develop character masks and puppets that express unique traits.
• Explore and describe the characters' personalities through mask-making and role-play.

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Success Criteria

• Students can identify and describe specific character traits of the pigs and the wolf.
• Students demonstrate creativity and cooperation in completing their masks and puppets.
• Students participate in drama activities using their created masks to embody characters.

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Victorian Curriculum Links

Content Descriptions (Years 1-2 Drama)

• AC9ADR2D01: Use elements of drama and imagination in dramatic play and/or process drama.
• AC9ADR2P01: Share their drama in informal settings such as retelling familiar stories through acting and frozen images.
• AC9ADR2D01_E4: Taking part in purposeful dramatic play focusing on creating roles and situations using stories or images.
• AC9ADR2D01_E3: Use drama terminology including role, situation, language, and movement to describe their work.

Achievement Standard Highlights

• By the end of Level 2, students make and present drama using the elements of role, situation and focus in dramatic play and improvisation.
• Students describe what happens in drama they make, perform and view.

Differentiation Focus

• Support for fine motor skills during mask and puppet construction activities.
• Use of simplified verbal instructions and peer support during drama activities.

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Lesson Overview and Timing

Time	Activity	Description
0-5 mins	Warm-up Game: "Character Charades"	Quick, fun game to get students moving and thinking about character traits. Students act out either a pig or the wolf without speaking while others guess.
5-15 mins	Story Recap: The Three Little Pigs	Teacher reads or recounts key scenes focusing on characters. Emphasise voices, traits (brave, clever, cautious), and relationships. Question: "How does each pig act? What makes the wolf tricky?"
15-35 mins	Mask and Puppet Creation	Students work on finishing their masks and puppets. Emphasise using colours, shapes, and materials to express unique traits (e.g., wise pig, mischievous wolf). Teachers and aides assist those needing help with cutting, gluing, or detail work.
35-43 mins	Drama Exploration: Role-play in Masks	In small groups, students use their masks and puppets to act out simple scenes, focusing on expressing their character’s traits through movement and voice. Teacher prompts ideas like “How does your pig move?” or “What does your wolf say?”
43-45 mins	Reflection and Sharing	Groups briefly share their characters with the class. Teacher asks students to describe one trait of their character and how their mask shows it. Positive feedback and encouragement given.

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Detailed Activity Descriptions

Warm-up Game: Character Charades

• Purpose: Activates imagination and reinforces understanding of character traits.
• Procedure: One student at a time acts out either a pig or the wolf. The rest guess the character.
• Teacher prompts: “Show me how a scared pig looks,” or “Pretend to be the wolf sneaking.”
• Keeps energy up but controlled for Year 1-2 attention spans.

Story Recap: The Three Little Pigs

• Use expressive reading or storytelling with props/masks made in previous class.
• Encourage children to observe and comment on character traits.
• Connect story to students' own mask and puppet creation.

Mask and Puppet Creation

• Materials: Paper plates, coloured paper, feathers, glue sticks, crayons, craft sticks, elastic, old magazines for collage.
• Goal: Complete unfinished masks and puppets from last lesson, emphasizing individual character traits.
• Support: Provide pre-cut shapes or helpers for students with fine motor challenges.
• Encourage students to think: "If I were this pig or wolf, what would I look and sound like?"

Drama Exploration with Masks

• Groups of 4-5 students act out parts of the story or create new scenarios involving their characters.
• Emphasise movement, facial expression with mask, and voice changes based on character.
• Teacher circulates asking prompts such as “What is your pig afraid of?” or “How does your wolf try to trick the pigs?”

Reflection and Sharing

• Gather students for a quick “gallery walk” where each group shows their masks and names one character trait.
• Use questions like “What do you like best about your character?” or “How does your mask help you tell the story?”

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Differentiation Strategies

• Provide adapted tools (e.g., scissors with easy grip, thicker crayons).
• Use peer buddies to model or assist mask details.
• Offer step-by-step visual cue cards for mask assembly.
• Encourage verbal expression for students who find physical manipulation challenging by focusing on describing mask traits.
• Allow extra time or partial completion if needed, focusing on drama participation over finished product.

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Resources Needed

• Copies or large print of The Three Little Pigs storybook
• Pre-made mask templates from Lesson 1
• Craft supplies (paper plates, glue, scissors, crayons, coloured paper, elastic bands, craft sticks)
• Drama space for role playing

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Notes for Teachers

• Emphasise language around character traits to build literacy connections (“brave,” “sneaky,” “clever”).
• Encourage students to use their voices and body language with masks to deepen engagement.
• Maintain a playful, supportive environment to foster confidence especially for shy students.
• Use formative assessment through observation — note how students embody and describe traits for feedback in later lessons.

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References to Victorian Curriculum Drama Standards

• This lesson addresses AC9ADR2D01 (using elements of drama in play), specifically through elaborations such as using dramatic play with familiar stories and props (e.g., masks, puppets).
• It also supports AC9ADR2P01 by having students share drama in informal settings and describe characters and story events.
• These align with the Level 1 and 2 achievement standards for making and presenting drama using role, situation, and focus, and describing what happens in drama they make and view.

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This accessible, curriculum-aligned plan supports young students’ imaginative drama and artistic skills development with the fun, familiar context of "The Three Little Pigs," providing hands-on mask making integrated with role-play and character exploration.