Story Structures Unfold

Drama — Year 4

Duration: 45 Minutes
Class Size: 18 students
Unit Focus: Introduction to Filming — Storytelling Foundations

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✳️ Australian Curriculum Alignment

Learning Area: The Arts — Drama
Achievement Standard (Year 4 — ACARA):
By the end of Year 4, students "devise, perform and respond to drama using story structures, dramatic action, and tension in dramatic forms."

Content Descriptions:

• ACADRM031: Explore ideas and narrative structures through roles and situations and use empathy in their own drama
• ACADRM032: Use voice, body, movement and language to sustain role and relationships and create dramatic action with a sense of time and place
• ACADRM034: Plan and rehearse drama, exploring ways to communicate ideas and dramatic meaning to an audience

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🎯 WALT — We Are Learning To:

• Develop original story ideas and basic plot structures
• Plan scenes using simple storyboard panels
• Collaborate with peers to develop visual storytelling elements
• Add dialogue or action notes to build filming-ready scripts

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🧠 Warm-Up (10 mins)

Activity: “Freeze Frame Foundations”

• Students split into groups of 3
• Teacher provides a broad scenario (e.g. "Lost in the jungle", "A surprise birthday", “Alien at school”)
• Within 2 minutes, each group must create three frozen images (like snapshots) to tell the beginning, middle, and end of their story
• After groups show their freeze frames, the teacher asks:
  • What story did this group tell?
  • What clues helped you understand it?

Purpose: Ease into narrative structure visually and physically — encourages physical engagement and rapid group ideation.

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🧰 Main Learning Activity (30 mins)

🔷 Step 1: Introducing Storyboards (5 mins)

Teacher-led explanation and demonstration:

• What is a storyboard?
• Why do filmmakers use them?
• Show a simple example on the board or projector: 4–6 panels, with stick figures and short captions/dialogue lines
• Explain how each panel shows an important part of the story

Key Vocabulary: Panel, Dialogue, Action, Scene, Shot

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🔷 Step 2: Create Your Story! (10 mins)

Students work in groups of 3 (same freeze frame teams)

• They brainstorm a simple 4-part story idea
  Structure guide:
  1. Introduction of characters and setting
  2. A problem arises
  3. Tension builds or something unexpected happens
  4. Resolution or ending

Teacher circulates to prompt with guiding questions:

• Who is your main character?
• What do they want?
• What challenge do they face?

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🔷 Step 3: Storyboard Creation (15 mins)

Materials Provided: A3 storyboard sheets with 6 panels, pencils, speech bubble templates
Instructions:

• Draw each scene in the panel (stick figures are great!)
• Under each panel, write:
  • A brief description of the action
  • Any dialogue/sound effects
  • What will the camera see/hear

Encourage the use of arrows or short stage directions
Example for a panel:
"Tom hides behind the box. ‘Shhh!’ he whispers."

Teacher Tips:

• Play gentle background music to stimulate creativity
• Use timer to manage pacing (i.e. 5 mins for first 3 panels, quick check-in, then 10 mins for the last 3)

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🔄 Wrap-Up and Reflection (5 mins)

Quick Class “Gallery Walk”

• Groups lay out their storyboards on tables
• Students walk around quietly and view others’ boards
• Use “Two Stars and a Wish” feedback sticky notes:
  • 🌟 One thing they liked
  • 🌟 Another strength
  • 💭 One suggestion for next steps

Teacher wraps up with class discussion:

• What made a storyboard clear or exciting?
• How did creating it help you plan your filming?

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✅ Success Criteria

By the end of the lesson, students should:
✔ Have collaborated to develop a simple story with 3+ clear scenes
✔ Have created a storyboard including visual and written elements (action/dialogue)
✔ Have demonstrated understanding of basic narrative structure
✔ Have participated in giving and/or receiving constructive feedback

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🔀 Differentiation Strategies

For diverse learners:

• Provide pre-drawn icons or character cut-outs for students with fine motor difficulties
• Offer sentence starters for scripts/dialogue (e.g. “Look out!” - “What’s happening?”)
• Pair EAL/D learners with supportive peers and provide visual vocabulary cards
• Allow verbal storytelling for students who need support writing

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🧠 Extension Activities

For fast finishers/advanced learners:

• Add extra panels to include a twist ending
• Begin blocking out camera angles (e.g. close-up, wide shot) with symbols
• Draft a short shot list for filming
• Challenge: Add music/sound effect cues for each scene

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💡 Teacher Wow-Tip

Consider assigning each group a production "role" next lesson (director, writer, actor, designer), rotating roles to deepen understanding of filmmaking choices. Use this storyboard as their pre-production plan moving into rehearsals and filming.

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Prepared by: Curriculum-Aligned Planning Specialist
Version: Term 2, Week 3 – Filmmaking Foundations in Drama