Freeze, Focus, Perform

Overview

In this Year 7 Summer School lesson, students develop focus, spatial awareness, vocal clarity and ensemble skills through four progressive warm-up games. They then apply these skills in a short group performance, considering how movement, positioning and alternative staging communicate meaning to an audience.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• develop concentration, physical awareness and confidence in performance;
• use voice, facial expression, gesture and movement purposefully;
• collaborate to create and rehearse a short performance;
• explore how staging choices can change an audience’s interpretation.

Success criteria

• I can stay focused and respond quickly during drama games.
• I can use my body and voice clearly to communicate an idea.
• I can contribute positively to my group’s performance.
• I can explain how one staging choice affects the audience.

Curriculum links

• Understanding how the work of dramatists is communicated effectively through performance and how alternative staging allows for different interpretations of a play.
• Developing resilience to write at length through planning, drafting and refining.
• Writing accurately, fluently and effectively for information and creative purposes.
• Planning, drafting, editing and proofreading notes and polished scripts for talks and presentations.

Lesson structure (62 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome and expectations. Teacher welcomes students, establishes a safe working space, explains that drama requires focus, listening and respectful feedback, and displays the learning intentions using the opening and learning intentions slides. Students enter the performance space, spread out safely and practise freeze, neutral and ready positions.

2. 5–11 min · Game 1: Change Places. Teacher asks students to stand in a circle with one person in the centre; the centre player calls, “Change places if…” and gives a neutral prompt such as “you are wearing trainers”, while the caller tries to take an empty place. Students change places safely, observe others and avoid pushing or running. Repeat with prompts linked to drama, such as “you enjoy performing” or “you have watched a play”.

3. 11–17 min · Game 2: Name Game. Teacher models saying a name with a clear gesture, then leads the circle as each student says their name with an action; the group repeats each name and action together. Students project their voices, watch carefully and remember names, with the aim of making every participant feel included.

4. 17–23 min · Game 3: Pointing Game. Teacher explains that students must point quickly and accurately when a named person is called, then vary the pace and occasionally point to a place or object instead. Students remain alert, point without touching others and return to neutral; challenge them to make the response precise and silent. Pause briefly to ask how focus and eye contact help an ensemble.

5. 23–30 min · Game 4: Zombie. Teacher selects one or two “zombies” and explains that they walk slowly with arms extended while the other students avoid being tagged; tagged students become zombies. Students move safely, use peripheral vision and freeze immediately on the teacher’s signal. Teacher stops the game if the pace becomes unsafe, then asks students to identify useful performance skills: awareness, commitment, control and reaction.

6. 30–36 min · Introduce and plan the performance. Teacher displays the task and success criteria using the performance task and success criteria slides and places students in five groups of five. Each group creates a 60–90 second scene titled “The Unexpected Change”, showing a familiar situation that changes suddenly. Groups must include a clear beginning, a visible change and an ending; at least one freeze frame, purposeful use of levels or space, and a line or sound repeated with different emphasis. Students record a brief plan on the group performance planning sheet, assigning roles and deciding how the scene will be staged.

7. 36–62 min · Rehearse, perform and reflect. Teacher circulates, coaches voice, spacing, timing and inclusion, and gives a halfway reminder using the rehearsal prompts and performance reminders slides. Students rehearse, refine and perform for the class; after each performance, the audience gives one specific positive observation linked to the success criteria and one question about staging. For the final comparison, one group changes a staging choice—such as performing in a line, circle or with the audience surrounding them—and briefly discusses how the meaning or audience response changed. Students complete the reflection section of the group performance planning sheet before leaving.

Resources

• the drama warm-up and performance deck
• the group performance planning sheet
• Open, clear performance space
• Timer or visible classroom clock
• Whiteboard and pens
• Optional soft boundary markers
• Water access
• Register and group list

Assessment

• During the games, observe concentration, safe movement, listening, reaction time and willingness to participate; address unsafe movement immediately.
• During rehearsal and performance, assess clarity of communication, vocal and physical choices, collaboration, use of space and response to feedback.
• Use the final worksheet reflection to check whether students can explain how an alternative staging choice changed meaning or audience interpretation.

Differentiation

• Provide dyslexia-friendly versions of the worksheet: clear sans-serif font, generous spacing, short instructions, bold keywords and the option to record ideas through labelled sketches or bullet points rather than extended prose.
• Give students who need support sentence starters such as “Our scene changes when…”, “We will show this through…”, and “The staging makes the audience feel…”. Model freeze frames, levels and vocal projection before rehearsal.
• Offer a non-speaking role, sound or movement role, observer-director role, or a quieter position within the group for students who are anxious, have speech and language needs, or are not yet ready to perform alone.
• Use mixed-support groups, demonstrate safe routes and boundaries, and allow students with mobility or sensory needs to adapt movement while remaining fully involved.
• Extension: advanced learners should create two contrasting versions of the same scene using different audience layouts or staging conventions, then justify which version communicates the intended meaning most effectively.