Bunny Drama Time

Curriculum Area

The Arts – Drama
Curriculum Level: Level 1 of The New Zealand Curriculum (suitable for Year 2 students)

Big Idea from Drama Matrix

"He rite te ao hōu ki ngā tapuwae o nehe – Drama helps us explore relationships and ways of being through imagined worlds."
This lesson supports students in exploring collaboration and empathy through imaginative play and character development.

Key Competencies Integrated

• Participating and Contributing – Working respectfully with others, taking turns, and sharing ideas.
• Thinking – Developing simple narratives and responding to creative ideas in role.
• Relating to Others – Demonstrating empathy and understanding others’ points of view through character role-play.

Values Highlighted

• Manaakitanga – Caring for others and sharing resources (i.e., the carrots).
• Whanaungatanga – Building relationships through working together in drama.

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Lesson Overview

Focus:
Support four Year 2 learners in using drama to explore turn-taking and collaboration through the creation of a short script featuring bunnies learning to share carrots.

Learning Intention:
We are learning to take turns and make decisions together as we imagine and act out a story.

Success Criteria:

• I took turns speaking and listening to others.
• I shared ideas for our bunny story.
• I helped act out our bunny script.
• I used kind words and actions in my group.

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Materials Needed

• Bunny ears headbands or paper bunny templates with elastic
• Laminated carrots or real carrot props
• A large sheet of paper and markers for script planning
• Floor space or open classroom corner for performance
• Soft calming background music for transitions (optional)

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45-Minute Lesson Breakdown

⏱️ 0–5 Minutes: Warm-Up – Bunny Body and Voice

Purpose: Get into character and physical space.

Activity:

• Gather students in a circle.
• Say: "Let’s wake up our bunny bodies! Let’s hop gently into our circle. Feel your soft feet, wiggle your nose, and listen for sounds like a bunny."
• Lead students through simple bunny movements: hopping, sniffing, twitching ears, soft ‘thumping’ with their feet.
• Voice warm-up: Squeaky "Eep, eep!" and whispery "Who took my carrot?" Get them giggling and engaged.

📌 Kaiako Tip: Keep it playful and encourage each child to deepen their character voice and movement.

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⏱️ 5–15 Minutes: Drama Game – Carrot Shuffle

Purpose: Build listening, turn-taking, and anticipation.

Activity:

• Sit in a circle. One child leaves the circle for a moment (the “Bunny Detective”).

• Hide the carrot behind one child.

• The child who hid it leads the group in patiently passing the carrot behind their backs as everyone chants rhythmically:
  "Pass the carrot, pass it low,
  Sharing carrots helps us grow."

• Bunny Detective returns and guesses who has the carrot.

❤️ Builds in elements of turn-taking, sharing, patience.

📌 Kaiako Tip: Everyone gets a turn to be the Detective. Praise listening and gentle hands.

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⏱️ 15–25 Minutes: Creating the Bunny Script

Purpose: Collaborative storytelling and emergent script creation.

Activity:

• Sit together as a bunny planning team.
• Question prompts guided by teacher:
  • “Why do our bunnies need carrots?”
  • “What happens when one bunny takes them all?”
  • “How could the bunnies learn to share?”
• Co-construct a short story with a Beginning, Problem, Solution.
• Scribe the story as a basic script with spaces for each child to have lines:

  BUNNY 1: I love carrots! I’ll take them all!
  BUNNY 2: Wait! That’s not fair.
  BUNNY 3: Let’s share them, one for each!
  BUNNY 4: Great idea! Sharing makes us happy!
  (All bunny friends hop in a circle together.)
  

• Encourage tamariki to help you build dialogue. Keep it short, clear, and fun.

📌 Kaiako Tip: Introduce simple dramatic structure vocabulary – beginning, middle, end.

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⏱️ 25–35 Minutes: Rehearsal Time

Purpose: Practice the bunny script with roles and gentle guidance.

Activity:

• Assign each child a bunny role (ensure this rotates weekly or in the next lesson).
• Give them a prop carrot.
• Rehearse slowly, pausing for encouragement and cueing.
• Encourage expressive voices and hopping movements.

📌 Kaiako Tip: Speak gently to coax shy learners: “Would you like to be the narrator or a kind bunny today?”

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⏱️ 35–43 Minutes: Mini Performance

Purpose: Sharing learning and celebrating participation.

Activity:

• Invite students to perform their bunny script for each other or a soft toy audience (use classroom toys or even a teacher aide).
• Quick 2-minute run-through. Celebrate each other's acting!
• Option: Film it as a reflection to view later or share with whānau.

🎉 Emphasise celebrating each attempt, no matter how small.

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⏱️ 43–45 Minutes: Cool-Down & Reflection

Purpose: Return to calm, check in on learning.

Activity:

• Lie down or sit calmly as “sleepy bunnies”.
• Ask quiet reflective questions:
  • "What did your bunny learn today?"
  • "How did you share with your friends?"
• Allow tamariki to share “one kind thing they noticed” in another bunny.

📌 Kaiako Tip: Simple affirmation: “I noticed you waited so kindly for your turn.”

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Assessment Opportunities

Formative Observations:

• Is the student taking turns in movement, speech, and ideas?
• Do they respond constructively to group decisions?
• Are they confident showing empathy through their character?

🌱 You may collect anecdotal notes or photos of group work for portfolio evidence.

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Extensions & Next Steps

• Integrate literacy: Write and illustrate the bunny story for the class library.
• Extend social learning: Explore drama with tidy-up robots or penguins sharing fish.
• Whānau connection: Send home a prompt to retell the bunny play at home with siblings or caregivers, encouraging tamariki to lead the play.

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Te Ao Māori Integration

• Include te reo Māori vocabulary:

  • P engari ("carrot")
  • Rāpiti ("rabbit")
  • Tukua mai! ("Pass it here!")
  • Tohaina! ("Share it!")

• Incorporate values of manaakitanga and kotahitanga by discussing the bunnies caring for one another and working as a group.

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Final Thoughts

This creative drama session supports social-emotional growth, imagination, and early collaborative skills through guided storytelling. With only four learners, the teacher can give personal prompts while ensuring learners feel supported and seen. The bunny world becomes a gentle springboard for deeper learning.

✨ Let the bunnies lead the way – together!