Creating Exciting Plays

Year Level

Year 6

Duration

30 minutes

Number of Students

31

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WALT (We Are Learning To)

• I can work with others to create props and settings that make our play exciting.
• I can speak clearly and share my ideas during group work.
• I can use recycled materials to design simple, suitable props and backdrops.

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Success Criteria (Student Speak)

• I use a clear voice when I speak.
• I share my ideas and listen to my friends.
• I help make props and backdrops that match our story’s setting.
• I work well with my team to prepare a short scene.

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Curriculum Alignment

This lesson closely follows the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh, specifically targeting oral language and The Arts learning areas for Years 5-6:

English (Oral language)

• Present ideas clearly with introduction and conclusion.
• Use voice tone, volume, and pace effectively to engage the audience.
• Share ideas collaboratively, listen actively, and respond thoughtfully in group situations.
• Use clear descriptive and narrative language to enhance storytelling.
• Understand and meet audience needs and expectations through adapting presentation content and style.

The Arts (Drama)

• Explore and communicate ideas using role-taking and collaboration.
• Design and create simple props and settings that contribute to drama presentations.
• Understand and use non-verbal communication, including body language and facial expression, to enhance meaning.

These align with the NZ Curriculum English strands of "Communicating Ideas and Information" and "Presenting to Others," and The Arts Drama strands of "Developing practical understanding and skills for drama" and "Responding to drama" (Years 5–6).

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Lesson Breakdown

Time	Activity	Description
0-5	Introduction & WALT	Explain learning goals in student-friendly language. Discuss success criteria. Outline teamwork expectation. Explain oral presentation focus.
5-10	Scene Selection & Group Formation	In groups of 5-6, students choose a short familiar scene to rehearse (e.g., a short play excerpt or scripted dialogue provided by teacher). Assign roles.
10-15	Designing Props & Backdrops - Brainstorming	Each group discusses what props and settings their scene needs to bring the story to life. Encourage use of descriptive language to explain ideas.
15-25	Creating Props and Backdrops	Using recycled materials, groups collaboratively create simple props and a backdrop that reflect their scene’s setting. Teacher circulates, supporting language use and collaboration.
25-28	Presenting Scenes	Groups present their scenes to the class using their props and backdrops, focusing on clear voices and expression.
28-30	Peer Feedback & Reflection	Class gives positive feedback on how props and settings helped bring the plays alive. Use shared success criteria and encourage respectful listening and sharing.

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Differentiation

• Support for diverse learners:

  • Provide visual aids and sentence stems for expressing ideas (e.g., “Our prop is … because…”).
  • Offer paired or triad groupings for students needing closer peer support.
  • Use dyslexia-friendly reading: large font scripts, clear print, and oral reading opportunities for scene lines.
  • Demonstrate use of voice modulation and body language explicitly.
  • Have key vocabulary and terms on chart paper for reference.

• Extension for advanced learners:

  • Encourage advanced learners to design more complex props or multiple setting changes.
  • Assign roles such as director or stage manager to help coach voice projection and pacing.
  • Challenge them to adapt or extend the short scene to include an additional character or twist.

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Resources Needed

• Short scenes/scripts (age and culturally appropriate, ideally with NZ context).
• Recycled materials—boxes, paper, fabric scraps, cardboard tubes, markers, tape, glue.
• Visual aids with simple scaffolded scaffolds for oral language prompts.
• Space for performance and setup.

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Assessment

• Formative assessment through teacher observation of group collaboration and oral language use during presentations.
• Peer feedback evaluating how well props and settings contributed to making the play exciting.
• Self-reflection prompt asking students to identify one way they helped their team and one way the props improved the story.

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Teaching Tips

• Model speaking clearly using different volumes and expression before students rehearse.
• Use think-aloud to demonstrate planning the content of their presentation for the audience.
• Reinforce sharing and listening skills to ensure all group members contribute.
• Celebrate creativity in prop making rather than perfection.
• Encourage imagination and cultural connections in settings and props.

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This lesson gives students hands-on experience with drama through collaboration, creative arts, and effective oral communication, fully aligned with New Zealand Curriculum Refresh aims for oral language and drama in years 5 and 6.