Weekly Drama Plan Term 2 (Foundation & Years 1-2)

A 5-week program integrating drama activities with The Three Little Pigs and The Gruffalo, tailored for Foundation and mixed Grade 1/2 classes in Victoria, Australia.

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Alignment to Victorian Curriculum

Foundation Level

• Achievement Standard: Students make and perform drama communicating ideas and stories.
• Discuss characters and situations in drama they make, perform, and view.
• Use play, imagination, arts knowledge, and processes to discover possibilities and develop ideas【0:AC9ADRFD01.md】【0:AC9ADRFP01.md】【1:AC9ADR2D01.md】.

Level 1-2

• Achievement Standard: Students make and present drama using elements of role, situation, and focus in dramatic play and improvisation.
• Students describe drama they make and view; identify drama elements and where/why drama occurs.
• Use elements of drama (role, situation, focus) in dramatic play and process drama【5:AC9ADR2D01.md】【6:AC9ADR2P01.md】.

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Weekly Lesson Structure (45-60 mins)

• Warm-up Game / Brain Break (10 mins)
  Active and fun drama games (eg. Charades, voice warm-ups) to engage focus and imagination.

• Story Reading & Discussion (10-15 mins)
  Read a familiar story emphasizing characters and situations. Identify characters, their voices and emotions.

• Drama Activity (15-20 mins)
  Role-play scenes, mask-making, simple sets, or group drama improvisations related to the story.

• Group Performance and Reflection (5-10 mins)
  Groups present drama pieces. Teacher and peers provide simple feedback focused on success criteria.

• Closure (5 mins)
  Recap learning, feelings, and what was enjoyed.

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Weekly Detailed Plan

Week 1: Introduction to Drama and The Three Little Pigs

WALT: We are learning to use our voices and bodies to show who characters are.
Success Criteria:

• I can describe who the characters in the story are.
• I can use different voices for each character.

Warm-up:
Charades — Students mime simple animals or animals from the story, peers guess.

Reading & Discussion:
Read The Three Little Pigs. Talk about pigs and wolf. Discuss how characters might move and sound.

Activity:
In small groups, students create simple masks of characters using paper plates and craft. Practice using voices for the wolf and pigs.

Differentiation:

• Support students with simplified characters or just one voice.
• Challenge others to add emotions or gestures.

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Week 2: Dramatic Play - Role and Situations in The Three Little Pigs

WALT: We are learning to create and act out scenes from a story using our bodies and voices.
Success Criteria:

• I can work with others to act out a scene.
• I can stay in character during the drama.

Warm-up:
Voice Mixer — Call out emotions and characters for students to express quickly.

Reading & Discussion:
Brief recap of story. Identify roles (pigs, wolf) and situations (houses being built). Discuss pig houses (straw, sticks, bricks).

Activity:
Groups act out scenes building houses and wolf blowing them down using simple props (boxes, sticks, etc.). Use role cards if needed.

Differentiation:

• Provide visual cues and props for EAL or neurodiverse learners.
• Encourage imaginative extensions for advanced students (eg. imagining new endings).

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Week 3: Exploring The Gruffalo Characters and Voices

WALT: We are learning to explore characters and use voice and movement to show who they are.
Success Criteria:

• I can identify different characters in The Gruffalo.
• I can use voice and body to show character feelings.

Warm-up:
Animal Walks — Students move like different animals (mouse, owl, fox).

Reading & Discussion:
Read The Gruffalo. Discuss mouse and other animals. Identify distinctive voices and movements.

Activity:
Create masks representing the Gruffalo and animals using coloured card and feathers. Practice character movement and voice in pairs.

Differentiation:

• Use mask templates for simplicity.
• Offer role swaps or narration roles for diverse learning participation.

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Week 4: Acting Out The Gruffalo - Role and Setting

WALT: We are learning to create scenes using roles and simple settings.
Success Criteria:

• I can work in groups to act out part of the story.
• I can use the space to show different settings (forest, mouse’s home).

Warm-up:
Mirror Game — Students pair up and mirror each other’s movements.

Reading & Discussion:
Review story and identify key scenes to act (mouse meeting owl, fox, snake, and Gruffalo). Discuss settings.

Activity:
Groups create a simple setting using classroom space and props. Act out scenes focusing on clear roles and interactions.

Differentiation:

• Provide visual story maps for students needing structure.
• Encourage more expressive interpretation for confident speakers.

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Week 5: Performance and Reflection

WALT: We are learning to share our drama and talk about what we enjoyed and did well.
Success Criteria:

• I can perform my role clearly for others.
• I can say one thing I liked or did well in the drama.

Warm-up:
Emotion Charades — Students act out emotions from the stories, others guess.

Activity:
Groups perform short scenes from The Three Little Pigs or The Gruffalo to the class. Class provides positive feedback using sentence stems (“I liked when you...”, “You used your voice to...” etc.)

Reflection Discussion:
Teacher facilitates questions: “What was fun?”, “What was hard?”, “What did you learn about acting?”

Differentiation:

• Use paired ‘audience buddies’ for shy performers.
• Encourage use of puppets or props for students less confident with direct acting.

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Additional Notes and Differentiation

• Class Sizes: Foundation (20 students), 1/2 mixed (25 students). Use small groups of 4-5.
• Support: For learners who need assistance, assign peer buddies, allow alternative roles like narrator or prop handler.
• Extension: Encourage imaginative extensions: changing character endings, improvising new voices.
• Assessment: Informal observation of participation, ability to stay in role, use of voice and movement, and reflection ability align to Victorian standards【0:AC9ADRFD01.md】【5:AC9ADR2D01.md】【6:AC9ADR2P01.md】【9:AC9ADRFC01.md】.

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Teaching this plan provides a rich, story-driven drama experience aligned directly with the Victorian Curriculum foundation and Level 1-2 drama achievement standards. It builds creativity, collaboration, and understanding of drama elements suited developmentally for young learners.