Playing with Time

Overview

Duration: 40 minutes
Year Level: Year 2
Subject: Drama
Victorian Curriculum Alignment:

• Drama – Level 2 (The Arts – Drama, Level 1 and 2)
  • Making and Performing: Use role, voice, movement and focus to create dramatic action (VCADRD017)
  • Exploring and Responding: Respond to drama, identifying aspects they enjoy and why (VCADRR018)

Learning Intentions

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Recognise and explain the role of time (rhythm and pace) in drama.
• Use body movement and gestures to demonstrate different paces and rhythms in familiar stories.
• Respond reflectively to how pacing and movement affect drama and storytelling.
• Collaborate in small groups to create and perform simple dramatic scenarios where time plays a key role.

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Success Criteria

Students will:

• Identify time as an element of drama and explain how it impacts meaning.
• Collaborate with others to perform a short scene where time is a dramatic element.
• Reflect on others’ and their own work, commenting on timing, tension, gestures and movement.

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Materials Required

• A device to project and play The Little Shoemaker video (preloaded)
• Open space for movement
• Printed cards with dramatic scenarios where time plays a role
• Printed prompt cards for observers (e.g. “What did you notice about how they moved?” “Was the pace fast or slow?” “Did it build drama?”)
• Visual “Time in Drama” concept map for display

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Lesson Structure

1. Warm-Up: Time in Our Bodies (5 minutes)

Activity Name: “Fast, Slow, Freeze”

Students spread out in the drama space. Teacher leads a movement game where students walk, run, tiptoe, jump, swirl, etc. using different tempos and rhythms dictated by the teacher. Introduce the key word: Time.

🎯 Purpose: To physically explore how pace and rhythm impact movement.

Teacher Questions:

• What happens when we change the speed of our movement?
• How does a fast pace feel different to a slow pace?

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2. Concept Exploration: What is Time in Drama? (5 minutes)

Mini-Lesson & Class Discussion

Using a visual display or drawing on the whiteboard, introduce the term Time as a key element of drama.

Time = The speed, rhythm and structure of how things happen in a story.

Discuss examples:

• In a race – fast and exciting
• In a sad moment – slow and thoughtful
• During a surprise – sudden speed change

Then, briefly review previously studied elements:

• Tension – the build-up of excitement or worry
• Contrast – differences in characters, pace, or emotion
• Symbol – when something stands for an idea

🎯 Purpose: To connect prior learning and situate the new concept.

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3. Viewing and Responding: The Little Shoemaker (7 minutes)

Play the short film The Little Shoemaker to the class (stop at roughly 3:50 if time-constrained). Before playing, ask students to watch out for:

• Fast and slow parts
• Gestures and facial expressions
• How movement helps the story

After viewing, lead a short discussion:

Teacher Prompts:

• Which parts were very quick? Why?
• Which parts were slow? What did that do for the story?
• Did any changes in pace make you laugh or feel excited?

🎯 Purpose: To observe time in a professional-level performance and reflect on its impact.

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4. Group Task: Create a Timed Drama (15 minutes)

Students in groups of 4 (pre-selected to ensure balance of ability). Each group receives a scenario card with a familiar dramatic moment where time affects the action. Examples:

• A race between a kangaroo and a wombat
• Trying to sneak past someone who is asleep
• Playing a prank that backfires slowly
• Getting ready for school in three minutes
• A slow robot and a fast alien meeting

Instructions:

• Rehearse a 20–30 second scene showing time as a key dramatic idea.
• Consider: When should movements be fast? Slow? Stop/Start?
• Emphasise gesture and pace over dialogue.

Teacher Role:
Circulate and guide questioning:

• How will you show the tension through timing?
• Can you contrast movement speeds in your group?
• What would happen if suddenly time sped up or slowed down?

🎯 Purpose: For students to apply drama elements with emphasis on time.

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5. Quick Performances & Peer Feedback (6 minutes)

Each group performs. The audience watches with observer prompt cards. After each performance, a few students give quick comments:

Possible Questions:

• What pace did they use?
• How did changes in time affect the story?
• What did you feel watching it?

🎯 Purpose: Foster peer reflection and appreciation.

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6. Cool Down & Wrap-Up Reflection (2 minutes)

Activity: “Time Zone”

Students sit in a circle. Teacher calls out scenes or situations. Students vote with hand gestures:

• 🐢 Slow
• 🐇 Fast
• ❄️ Freeze

Prompt Examples:

• Chasing a dog
• Waiting for cake to bake
• Laughing with a friend
• Sneaking up on someone

Ask the class:

• Which moments in drama work best when they’re slow?
• Which moments work better when fast?
• What happens when we speed up too much? What might we lose?

🎯 Purpose: Reinforce understanding with a fun reflective activity.

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Differentiation Strategies

• Support: Provide visual cue cards demonstrating movement speeds (e.g. stopwatch, snail, lightning bolt) for EAL or learning support students. Allow dramatic scenes to have less speaking if needed.
• Extension: Ask advanced students to manipulate time creatively (e.g. rewinding, slow-motion highlights, time loops). Encourage use of symbol with gesture (e.g. tapping a watch = running out of time).
• Inclusion: Ensure all tasks are safe for students with movement limitations — offer seated or hand-gesture versions.

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Assessment (Formative)

• Observation of group work – Collaborative use of timing, tension and movement
• Performance reflections – Insightful peer comments highlighting understanding of drama elements
• Teacher questioning – Student ability to articulate how time affected their performance

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Teacher Notes

This lesson situates Time as a critical but accessible drama element for Year 2 through movement, storytelling and simple performative work. Using established stories and playful scenarios allows Year 2 students to build on narrative understandings.

Encouraging active reflection at each step supports the Appreciating strand and develops early critical literacy in drama.

This structured approach enhances engagement while leaving room for imaginative exploration – ideal for schools fostering creativity and collaboration.

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Extension Opportunity for the Week:
Invite students to 'Spot Time' in TV shows/stories they watch at home with family. Ask:

“Was that moment fast or slow? Why do you think the character moved like that?”

This develops continuing awareness of drama elements beyond the classroom.