Creating Our Skit

Overview

This final unit lesson helps students bring together ideas from previous drama learning to create and perform a short, shared skit. Students will use simple drama techniques (role, voice, body movement, timing, and basic stage directions) to show a family’s experience after losing their whare during the eruption period.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• work collaboratively to plan a beginning, middle, and end for a short skit
• use drama techniques to communicate feelings and important events
• practise and perform with clear voices and actions
• give and respond to kind, specific feedback to improve performance

Success criteria

I can…

• contribute an idea for my family’s skit (what happens first, next, and last)
• show my character clearly using voice and body (e.g., looking, gestures, moving as a family)
• use simple words and actions to show feelings and actions
• listen to feedback and try one improvement in rehearsal

Curriculum links

• Drama (Arts): creating and presenting performances using drama conventions and simple stagecraft
• Speaking and Listening: expressing ideas clearly and participating appropriately in class discussions and performance
• Key competencies: Communication (sharing ideas and performing), Critical thinking (choosing and improving), Personalising learning (trying feedback), Participating and contributing (group planning and roles)
• Values: respect during others’ performances and responsibility in group work

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Warm-up “Erupting Freeze.” Teacher leads quick “freeze” prompts: “heat,” “running,” “hiding,” “sadness,” “hope.” Students copy the freeze with a clear facial expression and strong body pose; they practise projecting their voice when prompted.

2. 5–12 min · Plan the skit (storyboard in 3 beats). Teacher shows a simple planning template: Beat 1 (first), Beat 2 (next), Beat 3 (last). Models one example: “We run,” “We lose the whare,” “We help each other.” Students in groups of 4–5 use picture cards or sentence strips to choose 3 main moments and assign roles (e.g., parent, child, helper, narrator). Teacher circulates to support groups to keep it short and clear.

3. 12–20 min · Rehearse with drama cues. Teacher introduces three performance cues: “Voice volume,” “Show feelings,” “Where are we on stage?” and gives a 60-second rehearsal goal. Students rehearse each beat, swapping roles if needed. They use stage markers on the floor (tape) to show “home area” and “safe area.” Teacher prompts groups to add one improvement (e.g., louder voice, clearer movement).

4. 20–27 min · Perform: “Family Moments” skits. Teacher sets expectations: audience shows respect, watches closely, and claps at the end only. Groups perform their skit (about 45–60 seconds each). After each performance, teacher invites one “Glow and Grow” comment from an audience member using a sentence starter: “I noticed… I wonder if you could…”

5. 27–30 min · Exit reflection (quick circle share). Teacher asks: “What part of your skit did you help make? What will you do next time?” Students share one sentence with a partner, then one student per group reports to the class.

Resources

• Floor tape or cones for simple stage zones (home area / safe area)
• Picture cards and sentence strips for: first / next / last, feelings (sad, worried, brave, relieved), actions (run, hold hands, hide, help)
• Role cards (parent, child, helper, narrator)
• Simple storyboard template (3 boxes: beginning/middle/end) per group
• Clipboard or small feedback cards with “Glow and Grow” sentence starters
• Timer (phone/tablet or classroom timer)
• Printed or digital rehearsal checklist (optional): voice, feelings, stage position

Assessment

• Teacher observation during planning and rehearsal: participation, clarity of roles, use of drama techniques
• Formative check: “Beat 1/2/3 are clear?” during group rehearsal (teacher marks quickly on a checklist)
• Quick exit evidence: each student states one contribution and one learning or goal for next time

Differentiation

• Support:
• Provide sentence starters and picture cards so students can choose without having to write
• Assign roles that match confidence levels (e.g., movement/pose roles for quieter learners, narrator for students needing structure)
• Use “first–next–last” support with colour coding on the storyboard
• Scaffold group success:
• Limit skit length to 3 beats and 3–5 lines total (or no lines—movement only—when needed)
• Offer a “model skit” demo for students who need to see a complete structure
• Extension (advanced learners):
• Create a short dialogue that connects the beats (2–3 exchanges total), or add a brief narration explaining what happened before the main moments
• Add an extra drama technique: a “thought voice” (inner feeling spoken quietly) or a symbolic prop action (e.g., holding a scarf as “whare” while it “falls away”)
• EAL/SEN considerations:
• Allow key phrases to be spoken from a word bank; do not require full sentences
• Focus feedback on actions and feelings (not perfect pronunciation)
• Pair students strategically so each group has a confident speaker and a supportive peer

Extension

• Optional “Erupting Stories” Performance Reflection: Students create a 2–3 sentence retell of their skit as a class oral report (no writing required for all students). Advanced learners can attempt adding an extra event leading up to the loss of the whare (still in simple past tense with a familiar sentence structure).