Key Stage 3 Drama
Curriculum Overview
| | Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | Term 5 | Term 6 |
|---|
| Year 7 | Introduction to Drama Skills | 18th Century Melodrama & Pantomime | Greek Theatre | Shakespeare- The Taming of the Shrew | Multidisciplinary week & End of year assessment | Pick ‘n’ mix to recap all units and skills |
| Year 8 | Brecht- political theatre | 16th century Commedia D'ell Arte | Theatre in Education | Production Review- acting & technical theatre | Scripted- Blood Brother by Willy Russel | Working with a stimulus- 'The Identification' |
| Year 9 | Stylised Realism | Verbatim Theatre | Production design | Physical Theatre | Scripted performances | Production review & GCSE exam style questions |
Year 7
Students receive one lesson per week, through which they are introduced to the key drama skills and techniques, including Still Images, Thought Tracking, Hot-Seating, Monologues, Cross Cutting, Narration and Role play. Students develop their team-work skills and work both independently and as part of a larger group as they explore a range of themes and issues in Year 7, including joining a new school, Greek Theatre and The Tempest.
Year 8
Students receive one lesson per week, through which they develop the key drama skills, including Still Images, Thought Tracking, Hot-Seating, Monologues, Cross Cutting, Narration and Role Play. Students develop their team-work skills and work both independently and as part of a larger group.
Students explore a range of themes and issues in Year 8, including bullying and peer pressure, as well as exploring different approaches to building and developing a character.
Year 9
Students receive one lesson per week, exploring a ‘big question’ which provides a focus for the unit and the opportunity for personal enquiry. Students will use their Drama skills acquired throughout the course to create and perform a devised piece of theatre. In year 9 students will also explore more theatrical styles to offer breadth of performance. Embedded within the course is the development of thinking skills. Much of what we do in Drama utilises and supports the development of independent thinking skills and we are able to make the development of these skills explicit in the teaching of Drama.
Assessment
Drama is a practical subject and, alongside the school assessment guidelines assessments will be made of the pupils’ performance and written skills as we move through the year. Frequent constructive verbal feedback will be given to pupils throughout lessons from the teacher and through peer assessment. In addition to this pupils will be expected to display their knowledge and understanding in reflective discussions and extended writing opportunities at key moments. Pupils will also be encouraged to assess their own and others’ work in performance using a common set of criteria, as well as develop their critical and reflective skills in response to performance.
Further Reading/Resources
