Who Am I?

Lesson 2 of 4 in the unit: Drama Playtime Adventures

Year Level: Years 0–6
Duration: 45 minutes
Class Size: 25 students
Curriculum Area: The Arts – Drama | Level 1–2 of the New Zealand Curriculum

---

🎭 Big Idea

“Titiro whakamuri, kokiri whakamua” – Drama is influenced by whakapapa and is a way to respond to and share identity, culture, and perspectives.
This lesson supports ākonga (students) in exploring their identity, imagination, and relationships through character creation by embodying imagined roles in dramatic play.

---

🎯 Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lesson, students will:

• Create and describe a simple character using their imagination.
• Explore how body language, voice and movement communicate traits and feelings.
• Work collaboratively to stay in-role and respond as their character.
• Demonstrate whanaungatanga (relationship building) and manaakitanga (care and respect) through positive interaction.

---

📦 Resources and Equipment

• Name tag stickers and coloured pencils
• Character Creation Cards (simple prompts, e.g., “Job?”, “Favourite Food?”, “Walks like…”, “Talks like…”)
• Floor space for moving safely
• Music speaker (instrumental background for transitions optional)

---

⏰ Lesson Breakdown

✅ Warm-Up – “Move Like…” (8 minutes)

Purpose: Get students physically prepared and focused.

Instructions:

1. Ask students to spread out safely.
2. Call out everyday characters or animals: e.g., “Move like a sleepy cat”, “Walk like a pirate”, “Skip like a fairy”.
3. Use expressive voices: students echo key sounds (e.g., “Yarrr!” for pirate, “Poof!” for fairy).
4. Add variety: movements should shift between high energy and slow pace.

Link: Encourages physicality in character and builds group kotahitanga (unity).

---

🎨 Character Creation Station (15 minutes)

Purpose: Support students to develop an original character using creative prompts.

Instructions:

1. Set students into pairs or small groups with Character Creation Cards.
2. Each student chooses or invents a character (e.g., a dragon chef, underwater explorer).
3. Students respond to the following questions on their stickers or in shared discussion:
   • Character Name?
   • Favourite thing to do?
   • How do they walk and talk?
   • Where do they live?
   • One fun fact about them?

Teacher Note: Circulate and support younger ākonga with vocabulary or writing if needed. Encourage use of te reo Māori where possible (e.g., “He taniwha ahau!” – I am a taniwha).

---

🚶 Character Walks (15 minutes)

Purpose: Give students a chance to embody and explore their characters in role.

Instructions:

1. Students put on their name tags and become their characters.
2. Start music to cue movement. Students walk around the space as their character.
   • Prompt: “How would your character walk if they’re nervous? Excited? Lost?”
3. Call “Freeze!”. Students stop, teacher picks pairs to meet and interact:
   • “What is your name?”
   • “Where do you live?”
   • “What do you do for fun?”
4. Repeat with different partners.
5. For older students, add new contexts: “You’re all on a treasure hunt. Greet each other!”

Values Connection: Encourage manaakitanga in peer interactions (gentle voices, listening respectfully, eye contact).

---

🌀 Reflection Circle (7 minutes)

Purpose: Reflect on learning and deepen understanding of characterisation.

Instructions:

1. Come together in a circle.
2. Ask students questions:
   • “What was fun about being someone else today?”
   • “How did your character feel when meeting others?”
   • “Did anyone’s character surprise you?”
3. Invite 2–3 students to show how their character moves or speaks to the group.
4. Briefly connect to real-world application:
   • “Actors use their imaginations and bodies to show different types of people – just like you!”

---

🌱 Differentiation Strategies

• Junior/early years: Support oral storytelling with visual cards, simpler prompts, and buddy scribing.
• Senior/extended learners: Challenge them to add more depth (e.g., character motivation, a secret).
• Neurodiverse: Offer options for movement vs. seated interaction; clear cues for transitions and turn-taking.

---

🧭 Teacher Reflection & Next Steps

Teacher Prompt for Planning Next Lesson:

• Who remained in role consistently?
• Which ākonga showed connection to their character’s point of view?
• Were students able to adapt their movement and voice?

Next Lesson (Lesson 3 Preview):

Students will collaboratively devise short scenes using their characters, responding to a simple dramatic situation (e.g., “There’s something lost in the forest”, “The spaceship has broken down!”).

---

🧩 NZ Curriculum Links

Curriculum Level 1–2: The Arts > Drama

Strands Covered:

• Developing Ideas: Share imaginative responses and create characters and simple stories.
• Communicating and Interpreting: Use voice, movement, and space to present characters and interact in role.
• Understanding the Arts in Context: Begin to understand that drama can express ideas about ourselves and the world.

Key Competencies Integrated:

• Thinking: Imagining, creating, making decisions in-role.
• Participating and Contributing: Sharing ideas in groups and interactive play.
• Relating to Others: Role-playing and emotionally engaging with fictional counterparts.

---

📘 Māori Concepts in Practice

• Whanaungatanga: Fostering connections through shared play and support.
• Manaakitanga: Valuing and uplifting classmates’ contributions and reciprocal respect in-role.
• Mātauranga Māori: Inviting students to bring characters inspired by whakapapa, myths, or te taiao (the natural world).

---

This lesson encourages curiosity, empathy, and creative self-expression — all rooted in a uniquely Aotearoa drama experience.