Express and Tell

Overview

Today’s lesson builds basic drama skills—using voice, facial expression, movement, and simple storytelling—so students can perform short role-play scenes with an audience in mind. Students will plan, practise, and perform a brief “story moment” that includes a beginning, problem, and ending.

Learning intentions

• WALT use role-play to show a character’s feelings and actions.
• WALT communicate meaning using voice (volume, pace) and expression (facial and body).
• WALT tell a short story in sequence using clear beginning, problem, and resolution.
• WALT reflect on our own and others’ performances using kind, specific feedback.

Success criteria

• I can stay in role for at least 30–45 seconds while my scene is happening.
• I can show at least two feelings through facial expression or body language.
• I can use my voice (loud/clear, suitable pace) to help the audience understand.
• I can perform a short story moment with a clear beginning, problem, and ending.

Curriculum links

• The Arts (Drama): students learn to create and perform in drama by using role, expression, and voice; they practise communicating ideas and feelings through performance.
• Key competencies: Communication (sharing ideas and meaning through performance), Self-management (preparing and trying), Relating to others (listening, taking turns, giving supportive feedback).
• Oral language through performance: planning and adapting content for an audience and setting by rehearsing how the story is delivered.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Warm-up routine. Teacher leads a quick “mirror” warm-up (teacher does a movement; students copy) and reminds students to use safe space and listen for instructions; students participate and practise controlled movement and stillness.

2. 5–15 min · Drama skills sprint (role, voice, expression). Teacher introduces three micro-skills with quick modelling:

• Role: “Freeze in role” when the teacher points.
• Voice: “Say it like…” (happy, worried, excited) focusing on volume and pace.
• Expression: “Make your face show the feeling” using close-to-natural expressions. Students rotate through stations in pairs/small groups for 1–2 minutes each, then do a short whole-class share.

3. 15–25 min · Story seed and modelling (beginning–problem–ending). Teacher shows a simple teacher-made story moment on one slide or board in three beats (e.g., “At the playground… then something goes wrong… then we fix it / it turns out okay”). Teacher demonstrates two versions: one with weak delivery and one with strong expression and clear sequencing. Students practise the three beats silently (gesture only), then say the beats as a group.

4. 25–40 min · Plan in notes (reduce to key actions). Teacher explains that groups will create a 60–90 second role-play based on one prompt card: “Lost item”, “New student”, “Storm problem”, or “Team game trouble”. Groups choose one prompt and complete a simple plan:

• Beginning (who/where/what is normal)
• Problem (what changes?)
• Ending (how does it end?)
• Two feeling choices and one key line of dialogue each Students work in groups of 3–4 to make short note cards (key words and action verbs only), not full scripts.

5. 40–50 min · Rehearsal and feedback (performance practice). Teacher circulates using a quick coaching focus: “Are you staying in role?”, “Can the audience understand the feeling?”, “Is the order clear?” Teacher gives one “glow and grow” to each group at least once. Students rehearse and adjust: they practise voice, add one gesture cue for feeling, and check that the order is clear (beginning → problem → ending).

6. 50–58 min · Perform and respond. Teacher sets expectations: respectful audience, clap/thank performers, and feedback uses “I noticed…” and “Next time…”. Groups perform in turn. If time runs short, teacher chooses the strongest full performances and uses a quick “best moment” performance from remaining groups. Students perform their story moments and give one short feedback comment to another group.

7. 58–60 min · Exit reflection. Teacher asks students to complete a quick spoken or written exit prompt: “One drama skill I used today was… because…” Students respond independently and hand in or share with a partner.

Resources

• Prompt cards (lost item, new student, storm problem, team game trouble)
• “Story beat” planning sheet (Beginning / Problem / Ending)
• Feeling word bank (e.g., excited, worried, surprised, relieved, frustrated)
• Space markers (cones/tape) for safe performance areas
• Timer for rehearsal and performance slots
• Feedback sentence starters (“I noticed…”, “Next time…”)

Assessment

• Observation checklist during rehearsals and performances: staying in role, clear feelings, voice clarity, story sequence.
• Teacher “spot check” questions while groups rehearse: “What is the problem in your story?” “How does your character feel here?”
• Exit reflection showing evidence of at least one successfully used drama skill.

Differentiation

• Support: Provide sentence starters for the key line of dialogue and a reduced plan template with more prompts; allow role cards (e.g., “You are the worried character”) so students don’t have to invent everything.
• Support for confidence: Offer a “pair role-play” option where students perform together while one student is the narrator/voice helper.
• Extension: Challenge groups to add a silent moment (no talking) where facial expression and body language communicates the problem; or include a character choice that changes the ending.
• EAL/SEN considerations: Encourage students to focus on expression and actions first; accept non-verbal communication and short dialogue lines; pre-teach feeling vocabulary using gestures and examples.