Chapter 7, MMADD about the Arts

1. Teaching DRAMA in the K-6 Classroom Chapter 7, MMADD about the Arts Deirdre Russell-Bowie

2. K-6 DRAMA Education • Elements of DRAMA • Effective Drama is an integration of: • Thought • Action • Emotion

3. K-6 DRAMA Education • In DRAMA • Children explore an imaginary world they create by interacting with others as they take on a role that is different from their ‘real’ life and communicate using their • Emotions • Body Language • Vocal Expression • Symbols and • Gestures

4. Primary Creative Arts Elements of DRAMA Tension Focus Mood Time Contrast Symbol Space Performance elements of Drama

5. K-6 DRAMA Education TENSION The creation and controlled use of energy throughout a dramatic experience that culminates in a climax and resolution.

6. K-6 DRAMA Education TENSION Can be created by the use of: • The unexpected • Mystery • Unresolved conflict • Mime instead of words • Contrasting music • Lighting and actions • By the constructing of parameters, such as • Space Pace or Time

7. K-6 DRAMA Education • FOCUS • Focus is used to draw specific attention to certain themes, issues, characters or actions as portrayed in the drama. • Through the use of : • Body language, Words, • Actions, Vocal expression, • Careful staging Gestures • Use of lighting, props or costumes and so on. • If there is an audience, children should also direct the focus of the audience to specific themes, issues, characters, action, plot and so on being portrayed in the drama.

8. K-6 DRAMA Education • MOOD • Children can touch people emotionally using drama • Mood can be changed or enhanced through: • Vocal expression, Body language, • Pace, Actions, • Staging, Use of space, • Sound effects, Lighting, • Costumes, etc.

9. K-6 DRAMA Education • TIME • Time sets the drama in its context. • ie, past, present or future. • Time conveyed through: • Costumes Staging • Props Actions • Pace of WordsDramatic Action

10. K-6 DRAMA Education • CONTRAST • Contrast can enhance dramatic meaning and enjoyment through contrasting opposites, eg. • Stillness after movement; • Sound followed by silence; • Contrasting size, shapes & levels of movement; • Contrasting emotions portrayed through: • Gestures, • Facial and vocal expressions, • Posture, etc.

11. K-6 DRAMA Education • SYMBOLDrama canuse symbols and metaphors. • Drama uses objects or people to represent meaning beyond the literal; • Objects can be given a specific meaning, • A symbol can give different messages in different cultures and contexts, • Certain gestures and movements can be symbolic.

12. K-6 DRAMA Education • SPACE • Space can enhance or limit what occurs in the drama • Space can significantly shape a performance. • Children need to make informed choices about: • Size and shape of the space • Use of different levels • Relationships with the audiences within the context of the space, • Their use of common and personal space

13. K-6 DRAMA Education • AUDIENCE SKILLS • Children learn to be an actively engaged audience through: • modelling, • observation, • discussion and • specific instruction. • Being part of an audience involves: • Listening carefully, • Analysing what is being performed in relation to the language of drama, • Observing peers and others share themselves through drama, • Enjoying the performance, • Encouraging the performers through clapping and positive, constructive comments and feedback.

14. K-6 DRAMA Education • PERFORMANCE ASPECTS OF DRAMA • Staging and sets • Lighting • Costumes and make-up • Masks and props • Sound effects • Music

15. K-6 DRAMA Education • TYPES of DRAMA Drama Games Improvisation Storytelling Readers’ Theatre Choral reading and speaking Movement and Mime Playbuilding Scripted Dramas Puppets and Masks Video-Audio Drama

16. K-6 DRAMA Education • DRAMA GAMES • Children learn interactively with those they do not normally play • Used for warm ups, to focus minds and bodies at the start of the lesson • Introduce theme or learning experiences • Introduce skills to be learned in lesson

17. K-6 DRAMA Education • PROCESS DRAMA • Focuses on the PROCESSES involved in exploring and making drama • Teacher and children work together on improvising dramatic events that are created and developed over a period of time • ‘Allows teachers to wrok alongside children to explore where learning may go rather than teachers determining wher it will go’. (Aitkin, 2007)

18. K-6 DRAMA Education • IMPROVISATION/ PROCESS DRAMA Spontaneous Improvisation • ｷWhere is the scene set? • ｷWhat is happening? • ｷWhen did it happen? • ｷHow did it happen? • ｷWho is involved? • ｷWhat are they doing? • ｷWhat are they feeling? • ｷWhat motivates them? • ｷWhat is at stake? • ｷHow will it start? • ｷHow will it end?

19. K-6 DRAMA Education • IMPROVISATION/ PROCESS DRAMA Role Improvisation • Children portray real or imagined people • They are encouraged to ‘become’ another character • They talk, act, move and think like this other person • They take on their values, attitudes and actions • They learn to ‘step into another’s shoes • They explore their real-life issues and attitudes • Can extend further into characterisation and acting • Can lead into a performance

20. K-6 DRAMA Education • DEVELOPING IMPROVISATION Through: Barrier Games Sculptues Still images / Freeze Frames Hot seating Questioning in role Tapping - in Liquid pictures Teacher-in-Role Mantle of the expert Vocal Collage

21. K-6 DRAMA Education • STORYTELLING Children can tell real or imagined stories They can tell them individually or in a group as a circle story Children can explore the roles characters and situations they have created Stimuli for storytelling: • Picture cards • Graphic Score • Storyboard • Photos

22. K-6 DRAMA Education • READERS’ THEATRE Allows hesitant readers to practise text and read it aloud with confidence May use: Gestures, Facial and vocal expression, Simple movements, Props Sound effects

23. K-6 DRAMA Education • CHORAL READING AND SPEAKING Uses vocal and facial expression and gestures Requires little space Can enhance children’s diction, enunciation and creative use of voices Techniques: Unison (all together) Two groups in different parts Cumulative reading Solo / Chorus readings

24. K-6 DRAMA Education • MOVEMENT and MIME • Exploring drama without speech or sound effects • Children make exaggerated movements to audiences can understand clearly the message conveyed • Focus on clarity of detail and accuracy in depicting message, action or emotion • Can be in response to a narrated story, poem, piece of music or theme

25. K-6 DRAMA Education • PLAYBUILDING Children work together to create a dramatic work about a selected topic or issue which generally develops over several weeks. Teacher scaffolds learning through planned frameworks Play is built on: Discussion Negotiation Improvisation Rehearsal Reflection Refining Create a finished product to share

26. K-6 DRAMA Education • SCRIPTED DRAMA Ensure scripts are appropriate for their purpose Achieve drama outcomes May be commercial or created by children Time required for planning, rehearsing and presenting play to audiences Process is as important as the product

27. K-6 DRAMA Education • PUPPETS and MASKS Help children focus on and understand a character Children can show what they know about the character through their puppet’s or mask’s: • Features • Costumes • Expressions Use a variety of types of puppets: • String Glove • Sock Finger • Shadow Rod • Use different masks • Full-face masks Half masks

28. K-6 DRAMA Education • VIDEO-AUDIO DRAMA Used when plays or other drama products are created with the intention of being recorded on video or audio equipment.

29. K-6 DRAMA Education • LESSON PLANNING for DRAMA • Warm ups, discussion and games • Focused learning experiences • Closure activities

30. K-6 DRAMA Education • STIMULI for DRAMA • Using themes • Music • Developing a skill or activity • Artworks • Literacy texts • Objects

31. K-6 DRAMA Education For further information, see Chapter 7 in MMADD: About the Arts: An introduction to Primary Arts Education by Deirdre Russell-Bowie, published by Pearson Education Australia