Character Through Performance

Overview

Lesson 3 of 6 continues our unit Exploring the Life of Jesus by focusing on developing believable characters from Gospel accounts. Students practise reading for character details, then create and perform short character portrayals that communicate purpose, emotion, and relationships.

Learning intentions

• WALT develop a character profile using evidence from a Gospel passage.
• WALT make character choices (voice, pace, gesture, posture) to show emotion and motivation.
• WALT rehearse and refine a short performance in pairs, responding to feedback.
• WALT reflect on how performance choices affect audience understanding.

Success criteria

• I can identify key traits, goals, and relationships for my character using notes from the passage.
• I can portray my character with clear voice and physical choices that match the emotion in the moment.
• I can contribute to a pair performance plan with a beginning, middle, and ending moment.
• I can give and act on constructive feedback to improve performance.

Curriculum links

• Drama: Explore, develop, and communicate ideas through role, voice, movement, and performance.
• English (working with texts): Share thoughts about texts by making meaning from details and evidence.
• Key competencies: Communicating ideas, thinking critically about character choices, and collaborating in rehearsals and performances.

Lesson structure (55 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Starter: Freeze-frame. Teacher sets a quick “freeze” scenario: Someone hears surprising news (teacher models one human statue). Students suggest one character feeling and one body/voice change, then take turns demonstrating a 2-second freeze.

2. 5–12 min · Text-to-character mini teach. Teacher revises what we mean by “character evidence”: a character’s words/actions, what others say about them, and what changes in the situation. Students read a short Gospel excerpt (teacher-selected for this lesson’s focus) in pairs and highlight: goal, emotion, and relationship to Jesus or another figure.

3. 12–25 min · Pair work: Build the character profile. Students in pairs complete a character profile sheet for their assigned figure. Teacher circulates using guiding prompts:

• What does your character want in this moment?
• What is your character afraid of, hopeful about, or refusing to face?
• How does your character respond to Jesus or the scene? Students add 3–5 key words/phrases and annotate one specific line or action they will perform.

4. 25–37 min · Rehearse: Micro-scene (35–60 seconds). Teacher explains the structure: begin with intention → show a turning point (emotion shifts) → end with a clear outcome. Students rehearse their micro-scene using:

• voice (volume, pace, tone)
• movement (posture, gesture, stillness)
• interaction (distance, eye-line, responding to the other character)

5. 37–47 min · Perform and observe (feedback loop). Pairs perform one at a time for the class. Audience members use a simple observation focus: “What emotion and motivation did you understand from their choices?” and “One specific thing that helped (voice/movement/interaction).” After each performance, the performing pair chooses one feedback point to try immediately in a second take.

6. 47–55 min · Reflection and exit ticket. Students complete an exit ticket:

• One character choice I used (voice/movement/gesture) and why it matched the Gospel moment.
• One improvement I will make next lesson.

Resources

• Short Gospel excerpts for student use (print or shared copies)
• Character profile sheet (traits, goal, emotion, relationship, evidence line/action)
• Observation feedback slips (emotion/motivation understood + one specific help)
• Highlighters or sticky notes
• Performance space markers (tape for “audience” and “stage” area)
• Optional: simple props (cloak/cloth, chair as “setting”) and character cue cards
• Timer for micro-scene rehearsals and performances

Assessment

• Teacher checks during pair profile work for evidence use (goal/emotion/relationship supported by a line/action).
• Formative performance feedback: students can name what the audience understood and identify which choice caused it.
• Exit ticket to assess understanding of the link between character evidence and performance choices.

Differentiation

• Support: Provide sentence starters for the profile (e.g., “In this moment, I believe my character wants…”, “My emotion changes when…”, “I show this by…”). Offer a model character profile and a brief teacher demonstration of voice and gesture choices.
• Support: For students needing more structure, give a fixed script outline with three beats (begin/turn/end) while still allowing expression.
• Extension: Challenge students to add an additional internal conflict in their performance (e.g., a hope versus a fear) and show it through two distinct physical/voice shifts.
• EAL/SEN: Allow annotations using images or icons (heart/fear/lightbulb) alongside words; encourage rehearsal in quieter ways first (voice alone, movement alone) before full interaction.