Drama in Schools (Second Edition)

Complete Drama KS3 meets the recommendations of Drama in Schools (Second Edition) (Arts Council England, 2003) as follows. Some Drama in Schools strands are covered across all projects, rather through any particular one. Such strands have been marked ‘All projects’ in the list below.

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	Drama in Schools (Second Edition)

Level 3

Making

Project	Strands
Year 7: Bullying	Devise plays from a range of stimuli Respond to the use of drama techniques to deepen the role or understanding of the situation, eg hot seating
Year 7: Circus	Select appropriate lighting or simple symbolic props, sets or costumes, and understand their effect
Year 7: Tinsel truths	Choose vocabulary and movement to match the person, place and time required by their story or situation

Performing

Project	Strands
Year 7: Character	Act out improvised dramas and existing scripts, creating characters that are clearly different from themselves, and experiment with voice, gesture, costumes and staging
Year 7: Text	Communicate their work as part of a group, learning lines and sharing the different functions needed to present the play, eg making and using props effectively, creating sound effects or operating simple lighting effects, for instance, with torch light

Responding

Project	Strands
Year 7: Storytelling	Discuss their work and the work of others, showing understanding of different forms and making use of some specialist terms, eg pantomime, melodrama and shadow puppets
Year 7: Circus	Understand how meaning can be shown through the simple use of symbol, metaphor or imagery, eg using height and distance to indicate status and relationships
Year 7: Character	Both in and out of role, comment thoughtfully on the drama and suggest ways of improving it
Year 7: Bullying	Reflect on the action taken by characters in the drama and consider alternative responses

Level 4

Making

Project	Strands
Year 8: Shoplifting	Work confidently in groups using a range of drama techniques to explore situations and devise dramas for different purposes
Year 7: Circus Year 8: Slapstick	Plan and structure plays that make use of a range of techniques and forms to express their ideas, eg narration in story theatre, mask work, and mime in physical theatre
Year 8: Script	Actively interpret the work of playwrights Write and perform their own simple scripts, demonstrating an understanding of some correct theatre conventions
Year 7: Character	Establish a character, with control over movement and voice

Performing

Project	Strands
Year 8: Pantomime	Select and operate a range of simple theatre technologies to create the right space for their drama and to enhance their work
Year 7: Text Year 8: Script	Learn lines, collaborate with others and organise simple presentations
Year 7: Storytelling Year 8: Script Year 8: Pantomime Year 7: Character	Experiment with their voices and movement, to create or present different characters in performance

Responding

Project	Strands
Year 8: Slapstick Year 8: Pantomime Year 8: Script Year 9: Commedia Year 9: Shakespeare	Demonstrate an awareness of some theatre traditions from different times and places, eg Kathakali dance drama, Greek or Tudor theatre
Year 7: Bullying Year 7: Tinsel truths Year 8: Shoplifting Year 8: Peer pressure Year 9: Secret annexe	Discuss the themes or issues in the drama and the way they were presented
All projects	Reflect on and evaluate their own and other pupils’ work, suggest improvements and use correct basic theatre terminology
All projects	Comment on how intended effects have been achieved, eg the use of silence

Level 5

Making

Project	Strands
Year 8: Shoplifting Year 8: Peer pressure Year 9: Departure Year 9: Pop culture Year 9: Secret annexe	Explore and interpret ideas, issues and relationships in their drama work, and structure it using appropriate dramatic forms, eg documentary drama, and conventions such as the use of the aside
Year 9: Performance	Combine their skills and knowledge of drama to devise plays of different types for different purposes
All projects	Sustain a defined character for a reasonable amount of time
Year 8: Pantomime	Select and use a range of available technical resources for dramatic effects, eg a CD player, an overhead or data projector and lights
Year 8: Script Year 9: Secret annexe Year 9: Shakespeare	Interpret and rehearse extracts from a range of scripted plays
Year 9: Secret annexe	Write scripts or short plays based on devised work, using appropriate theatre conventions

Performing

Project	Strands
All projects	Organise a short, clear and coherent performance for an audience
Year 8: Battle cries Year 9: Departure	Use an increasing range of different drama techniques, effects and theatre conventions in the plays they present
Year 8: Pantomime Year 9: Performance Year 9: Pop culture	Improve and refine their acting, directing or technical contribution through the rehearsal process

Responding

Project	Strands
Year 8: Slapstick Year 9: Commedia Year 9: Shakespeare Year 9: Pop culture	Relate, compare and contrast their work with drama from other times and cultures
All projects	Discuss the way that ideas are presented and represented, how plots are developed and characters portrayed
Year 9: Shakespeare Year 9: Secret annexe	Compare different interpretations of the same text, eg extracts from two videos of the same play
All projects	Use technical terms when talking or writing about dramas they have seen or participated in

Level 6

Making

Project	Strands
Year 9: Secret annexe Year 9: Departure	Devise dramas in various forms, based on a range of challenging issues and themes
Year 9: Performance Year 9: Pop culture	Give and accept suggestions and ideas during the rehearsal process
Year 9: Pop culture	Make plays which employ symbolic representations or effects to communicate meaning
Year 9: Shakespeare Year 9: Secret annexe	Create and represent clearly defined characters from the written work, add depth and consider motivation

Performing

Project	Strands
All projects	Organise and present performances to a range of audiences for different purposes and in a range of styles
Year 9: Pop culture Year 9: Performance	Make good use of available technology to enhance and support their productions
All projects	Select and control appropriate vocal and movement skills, with some subtlety and develop them in rehearsal

Responding

Project	Strands
Year 9: Commedia	Discuss and give reasons for their preferences in drama, based on their knowledge of theatre past and present, eg the use of stock characters drawn from commedia dell’arte
Year 9: Shakespeare Year 9: Performance	Use correct terminology to describe their own work and begin to analyse how actors, technicians and directors have achieved specific effects or communicated ideas, emotions and feelings