Performance Elements Comparison

Unit: Exploring Performance Elements (Lesson 2 of 4)

Year Level: 13
Class size: 20 students
Duration: 50 minutes
Learning Area: Drama
Curriculum alignment: The Arts in the New Zealand Curriculum — Drama Level 3

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Lesson Overview

Building on the previous lesson’s foundation, students will work in pairs to analyse and compare a Te Ao Haka performance and another performance from a different art form. This will deepen their understanding of performance elements by focusing specifically on how three selected elements are expressed differently or similarly across distinct cultural and artistic forms. Guided worksheets and class discussion will structure comparative analysis and encourage critical thinking around performance interpretation.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Identify and describe three specific performance elements in both a Te Ao Haka performance and a contrasting art form performance.
• Compare and contrast the expression of these elements, recognising cultural and artistic variations.
• Reflect on how performance elements communicate meaning and engage audiences differently across art forms.
• Develop collaborative skills through paired work leading to shared analysis.

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Curriculum Links

The New Zealand Curriculum — The Arts (Drama) Level 3

• Learning Area Statement:
  Drama supports students to use language and movement creatively to express ideas, feelings, and stories and respond critically to their own and others’ work.
• Achievement Objective:
  Develop ideas in drama and use the elements of drama to express meaning (Level 3)
• Key Competencies addressed:
  • Thinking — Analyzing and interpreting performance.
  • Participating and contributing — Engaging collaboratively in pairs.
  • Using language, symbols, and texts — Using drama terminology to describe performance elements.
• Values integrated:
  • Community and participation (working collaboratively).
  • Excellence (aiming for thoughtful, perceptive analysis).
• Te Tiriti o Waitangi implications:
  Valuing te ao Māori through the study of Te Ao Haka enhances equitable outcomes for Māori students and enriches all students’ cultural understanding by foregrounding mātauranga Māori (knowledge) and tikanga Māori (customs) as part of the curriculum intent .

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Materials Needed

• Video or live recordings of a Te Ao Haka performance
• Video or live recordings of a contrasting performance from a different art form (e.g., contemporary dance, theatre, or kapa haka fusion).
• Comparative analysis worksheets tailored to identify and describe performance elements (space, voice, movement, tempo, rhythm, gesture, facial expression, interaction, use of props, etc.)
• Pens, whiteboard/chalkboard for whole-class discussions

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Lesson Plan Breakdown

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

• Recap: Briefly review last lesson’s focus on identifying performance elements in drama. Remind students of the importance of observing how elements are used to convey meaning.
• Set the focus: Explain that today’s task is to compare a Te Ao Haka performance with another different performance, looking specifically at three performance elements they will identify together.
• Cultural context: Reinforce the significance of Te Ao Haka as a living cultural performance art integral to Māori identity and heritage. Emphasise respecting cultural protocols and understanding context when analysing this art form.

2. Paired Viewing and Identification (15 minutes)

• Students pair up and watch the selected Te Ao Haka performance first.
• Using the worksheet, each pair selects three performance elements that stand out to them and briefly describe how these appear in the Haka.
• Next, watch the contrasting performance. Pairs use the same three elements to describe how they appear in this second performance.
• Teacher circulates, offering guidance, clarifications on terminology, and cultural context where necessary to deepen understanding.

3. Comparative Analysis and Discussion (15 minutes)

• Pairs complete the comparative section of the worksheet, noting similarities and differences in how the three performance elements are expressed in the two performances.
• Facilitate a whole-class discussion:
  • Ask selected pairs to share their findings.
  • Encourage students to consider aspects such as cultural significance, stylistic choices, and audience impact.
  • Prompt with questions:
    • How does the use of movement differ in each performance?
    • In what ways does voice convey emotion or meaning differently?
    • How do costume, props, and space support the performance elements?
  • Highlight the diversity of interpretation and performance style, while respecting the mana of Te Ao Haka.

4. Reflection and Wrap-up (10 minutes)

• Students reflect in their drama journals or on the worksheet about what they learned about comparative performance analysis and the expressive power of performance elements.
• Summarise key insights from the class discussion.
• Connect this analysis to the unit’s overall goal of exploring performance elements deeply to build their own skills as performers and creators.
• Preview next lesson focus (preparing to apply insights into practical drama creation or performance critique).

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Assessment and Feedback

• Informal assessment through observation and listening during pair work and class sharing, focusing on the quality of description and insight.
• Collect worksheets to check for clear identification of performance elements and thoughtful comparison.
• Provide oral feedback highlighting critical thinking, cultural understanding, and use of drama terminology.
• Encourage students to self-assess their understanding and set a goal relating to analysing or using performance elements effectively, aligned with the Key Competency of Managing Self.

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Notes on Differentiation

• Provide vocabulary lists and examples of performance elements for students needing additional scaffolding.
• Encourage more advanced students to explore subtle elements like rhythm, pacing, or emotional undertones in performance.
• Offer bilingual support or cultural guidance in relation to Te Ao Haka to support Māori and all students.

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This lesson design ensures engagement with the New Zealand Curriculum’s focus on biculturalism, inclusion, and critical exploration of performance arts, fostering a rich understanding of dramatic arts in a local and global context while grounding learning in mātauranga Māori as embodied in Te Ao Haka .

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If you would like, I can also help create the worksheets or suggest specific performances fitting for this lesson.