Story Characters Drama

Year Levels

• Foundation and Year 1/2 mixed group

Duration

• 45 minutes

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Victorian Curriculum Alignment

Foundation Level:

• Achievement Standard: By the end of Foundation, students make and perform drama that communicates ideas and stories. They discuss characters and situations in drama they make, perform and view.
• Content Descriptions:
  • AC9ADRFD01: Use play, imagination, arts knowledge, processes and/or skills to discover possibilities and develop ideas.
  • AC9ADRFC01: Create arts works that communicate ideas, including dramatic play based on literature and imagination.
  • AC9ADRFE01: Explore how facial expressions, gestures and voice communicate emotions and feelings in arts works.

Years 1 and 2:

• Achievement Standard: By the end of Level 2, students make and present drama using elements of role, situation and focus in dramatic play and improvisation. They describe what happens in drama they make, perform and view; identify and use some elements in drama.
• Content Descriptions:
  • AC9ADR2D01: Use elements of drama and imagination in dramatic play and process drama, e.g., role, place, situation, language, movement.
  • AC9ADR2D01_E4: Taking part in purposeful dramatic play focusing on creating roles and situations from children’s literature.
  • AC9ADR2D01_E5: Taking turns in offering ideas and staying in role during improvisation.
  • Use appropriate drama terminology when discussing drama experiences.

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Learning Objectives (WALT)

• WALT:
  • Identify characters and their emotions in familiar stories.
  • Express character emotions using facial expressions, body language and voice.
  • Create simple masks and settings to support drama.
  • Work collaboratively to perform short drama scenes based on stories.
  • Use mirrors to practise matching voices and expressions.

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Success Criteria (We Can…)

• Recognise and name characters from the stories “The Three Little Pigs” and “The Gruffalo”.
• Use facial expressions and body language to show character feelings.
• Perform simple dialogue improvisations with a group.
• Take turns and listen to others during drama activities.
• Create and wear masks representing characters.
• Show awareness of narrator and character voices.

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Resources Required

• Copies or big book version of The Three Little Pigs and The Gruffalo
• Handheld mirrors (one per pair or small group)
• Materials to create simple masks (cardboard, elastic bands, colouring tools)
• Props and recycled materials for simple settings (boxes, fabric, paper)
• Space for movement and performance
• Charades prompt cards with character emotions and actions

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Lesson Structure and Timing

Activity	Time	Description
1. Warm-up Game: Drama Charades	5 mins	Quick game where students guess emotions or characters acted out by peers using body language.
2. Story Reading & Character Talk	10 mins	Teacher reads aloud “The Three Little Pigs” or “The Gruffalo”, pausing to discuss characters.
3. Exploring Emotions with Mirrors	8 mins	In pairs/small groups, practise facial expressions matching characters’ feelings seen in story.
4. Voice Practice & Narrator Role	5 mins	Discuss narrator’s voice vs character voices, practise with simple lines or sounds.
5. Creating Masks and Simple Settings	10 mins	Small groups create masks and simple setting elements to represent parts of the story.
6. Group Drama Performance	7 mins	Groups perform short improvisations or acted scenes using masks and settings in front of class.

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Detailed Activity Overview

1. Warm-up Game: Drama Charades (5 minutes)

• Teacher explains the class will play “Drama Charades” focusing on expressing different character emotions and animals from the stories.
• Students take turns silently acting emotions (happy, scared, angry) or animals (wolf, mouse, pig) while classmates guess.
• Keeps students physically active but focused, warming up their expressive skills.

2. Story Reading & Character Talk (10 minutes)

• Read “The Three Little Pigs” or “The Gruffalo” aloud with enthusiasm.
• Pause at key points to identify characters: pig, wolf, mouse, Gruffalo, narrator.
• Ask questions: “How do you think this character feels?”, “What voice might the wolf have?”
• Link to drama vocabulary: narrator, character, role, voice.

3. Exploring Emotions with Mirrors (8 minutes)

• In pairs or small groups, give each student a hand mirror.
• Teacher calls out an emotion from the story (e.g., scared, proud, sly).
• Students practice making matching facial expressions and body postures while checking themselves in the mirror.
• Then practise saying a short line or sound representing the character’s voice matching that emotion (e.g., “I’m the big bad wolf!” in a scary voice).
• Encourage attention to eyes, mouth shape, posture.

4. Voice Practice & Narrator Role (5 minutes)

• Talk about the difference between narrator’s voice (calm, telling story) and character voices (loud, gruff, squeaky).
• Practice as a whole class or in small groups saying simple short lines or describing actions as the narrator or a character.
• Example: Narrator says “The wolf huffed and puffed…”; a student makes a wolf voice and action.

5. Creating Masks and Simple Settings (10 minutes)

• Divide class into groups of 4 - 5 students.
• Provide cardboard, markers, and elastic bands for making character masks like the wolf, pig, mouse, or Gruffalo.
• Use recycled boxes, fabrics or drawn backdrops to suggest simple settings like the pig’s house or forest.
• Students decorate and prepare props collaboratively.

6. Group Drama Performance (7 minutes)

• Groups use their masks and props to act out short, improvised scenes from the stories or simple invented dialogue in character.
• Encourage using voices and expressions practised earlier.
• Teacher may prompt the narrator in between groups to maintain story flow.
• Keep performances short, lively, and encourage positive audience feedback.

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Differentiation Strategies

Learner Need	Strategy
Younger or Foundation Students	Provide more scaffolded roles (e.g., only use masks without dialogue), use simpler lines or sounds.
Students with Speech/Language Needs	Focus on non-verbal expression (facial, body movement), allow use of whisper or gesture rather than speaking.
EAL Learners	Use visual supports, simple key vocabulary, model lines clearly, pair with buddy for support in activities.
High Engagement Learners	Encourage adding extra sound effects or movements, create variations in mask design, lead groups as narrators.
Students with Movement Needs	Adapt movement games and acting with seated options or focus on voice and facial expression work.

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Notes for Teacher

• Keep the lesson playful and supportive with positive reinforcement.
• Emphasise the importance of listening to peers and taking turns during drama games and group work.
• Reinforce drama vocabulary clearly and link back to story context frequently.
• Use the mirrors carefully to ensure each student gets to participate and observe themselves and others.
• Adjust timing slightly based on group focus and energy, keep transitions smooth.

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This plan balances story exploration, expressive drama skills, and creative group performance — offering an engaging, curriculum-aligned foundation for young drama learners in Victorian schools.

If continued across weeks, the structure can easily rotate the two featured stories and build on mask and setting complexity, along with voice and role development, supporting progressive skill growth as per the Victorian Curriculum expectations.