Teamwork in Drama

Overview

Lesson 2 of 12 in “Creating Together: Drama Skills” focuses on group dynamics through collaborative drama games and short performance tasks. Students practise listening, turn-taking, and supporting others, building skills needed for inclusive performance.

Learning intentions

• WALT collaborate in a drama group using clear roles and respectful listening.
• WALT use supporting behaviours (accepting ideas, responding to cues, and encouraging others) during drama activities.
• WALT reflect on how well our group communicated and worked as a team.

Success criteria

• I can follow group roles and stay focused during the activity.
• I can listen actively and respond appropriately to my group members’ ideas and cues.
• I can show support (e.g., encouraging words, respectful attention, and giving others space to speak/perform).
• I can explain one thing we did well and one specific next step to improve teamwork.

Curriculum links

• Oral Language (Listening and responding: Group discussions): contribute during group discussions using roles to keep conversation inclusive, focused, and respectful.
• Oral Language (Listening and responding: Group discussions): use listening and responding skills to support group participation.
• Communicating and Presenting: Presenting to others — consider purpose and audience when sharing drama ideas.
• Communicating and Presenting: Presenting to others — vary pace, volume, and tone to keep the audience engaged.
• Civics and Society (for example): value freedom of speech and inclusion by recognising and engaging with diverse perspectives through dialogue.

Lesson structure (total minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome and focus. Teacher greets students, shares the lesson goal (“Teamwork in Drama”), and reminds them of respectful group expectations; students do a quick non-verbal check-in (show one thumb: ready/OK/not yet).

2. 5–15 min · Warm-up: Mirror & Listen. Teacher models the rules (eyes on partner, move on cue, no laughing at mistakes), then runs 2–3 rounds of “Mirror” with partner A leading and partner B responding; students practise active listening by copying actions smoothly and responding to the leader’s pace.

3. 15–28 min · Team game: Pass the Movement. Teacher explains: in groups of four, one person starts a movement for 2 seconds; the next person “passes” it by changing it slightly, and the final person freezes with a clear shape; students work as a unit, taking turns and using supportive behaviours (quiet attention, encouragement, and clear cues).

4. 28–40 min · Strategy teach: Roles for teamwork. Teacher introduces simple roles for drama collaboration: facilitator (keeps timing), speaker (shares group decision), listener/questioner (asks “What do you mean by…?”), and summariser (states the group’s next step); students rotate roles in their group, practising how roles help keep discussions inclusive and respectful.

5. 40–55 min · Group task: Mini-scene with support. Teacher gives a short scenario prompt relevant to Year 7 (e.g., “A group project where everyone has an idea, but someone feels ignored”); students create a 30–45 second mini-scene using teamwork supports: accept others’ ideas, use respectful interruptions (“Can I add…?”), and respond to physical/action cues.

6. 55–70 min · Share and feedback: Two Stars and a Step. Teacher sets up viewing expectations (only supportive feedback, use “I noticed…”), then each group performs; students give feedback using sentence starters and one “next step” linked to teamwork (listening, turn-taking, support).

7. 70–80 min · Exit reflection. Teacher displays a reflection prompt and collects quick written responses; students complete an exit ticket: “One way we showed teamwork was… / One way we can improve our listening/support next time is…”

Resources

• Timer (projected/visible) and bell/soft chime for transitions
• Role cards (facilitator, speaker, listener/questioner, summariser)
• Scenario prompt cards (teacher-made for Year 7)
• Reflection slips / exit ticket sheets
• Space for groups with clear boundaries
• Optional: whiteboard for success criteria and feedback sentence starters

Assessment

• Observation checklist during games: active listening, role-following, supportive responses to cues.
• Formative feedback during mini-scene creation: teacher checks that groups use supportive dialogue and collaborative decision-making.
• Exit ticket: identifies one team strength and one specific improvement related to listening/support.

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters for feedback and discussion (“I noticed…”, “Can I add…?”, “Next, we will…”); assign roles with clear, simple responsibilities at first.
• Support: allow students to rehearse with lower complexity (fewer movement changes) before adding emotional or dialogue elements.
• Extension: challenge groups to vary pace, volume, and tone intentionally when sharing the mini-scene (to keep the “audience” engaged), and to add one moment where they visibly include a new idea.
• EAL/SEN: offer role-specific prompts (e.g., summariser uses a template: “Our group decided… because…”); permit non-verbal contributions for some students while they still participate in roles.

Extension (optional)

• SKIP