KS3 Curriculum Summary
Drama can be one of the most powerful mediums for students to explore and analyse life in a safe environment. Drama helps to develop language and reasoning, improves confidence and social skills.
All year 7, 8 and 9 students have a double lesson of Drama once a fortnight. Students work on developing their theatrical skills focusing on voice, movement and characterisation creating a necessary foundation for them to pursue Drama at GCSE and A Level by mastering their designated year group KPIs.
KS3 Schemes of work
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Year 7
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Title of SOW
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Description
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Introduction to Drama
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A sequence of exercises to:
- Establish ground rules and expectations
- Introduce and instil the basic skills necessary for drama to take place
- Provide opportunities for diagnostic work and assessment of individual and group strengths and weaknesses
- Introduce students to the concept of individual target-setting
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It Was Terrifying
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A template using a text as stimulus to:
- Facilitate understanding of how space, body language and expression communicate meaning
- Use still image to structure, edit, and select narrative
- Introduce monologue as a dramatic technique, a means of revealing character and point of view
- Develop basic group work and presentation skills.
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Haunted & Hunted
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A sequence of work to introduce:
- Use of picture stimulus
- Story-telling
- Ways of creating atmosphere and communicating without dialogue
- Understanding and application of soundscapes
- Movement and mime skills as a form of communication
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The Tempest by William Shakespeare
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A template to provide practical ways into dramatic text which:
- Consolidates and extends previous work on use of space, movement and sound
- Develops understanding of character and point of view
- Explores dramatic structure
- Offers a range of whole group, small group, pair and solo work to consolidate basic skills.
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Comedy & Tragedy
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A sequence of work to introduce:
- Where comedy and tragedy originated
- Some of the key features of Greek tragedy
- How tragedy developed over time
- The skills required to stage a believably tragic moment
- How to create an appropriate mood and atmosphere on stage
- Whether tragedy is any different today than it was in the past
- The skills needed to create a believably tragic moment
- What is meant by the term tragic hero and attempt to create an appropriate central character
- The origins and early development of comedy
- What is meant by the term lazzi and how to use the comedy rule of three
- Some of the basic ideas behind slapstick comedy
- How to put together a short physical sequence.
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Year 8
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Title of SOW
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Description
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A Journey Through Theatrical Time & Space
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A sequence of work to introduce:
- Where western theatre originated from and some of the key features of Greek theatre
- Where and how mystery plays were performed
- The importance of status in playing character and ow to perform some of the key commedia characters
- The key design elements of Kabuki theatre and the relevance and role of make-up in Kabuki theatre
- The development of the theatre building
- The development and purpose of naturalism and to develop a believable character
- The impact Brecht had on the development of theatre.
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Jo
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A mystery to be solved is the stimulus for process and performance work, in order to:
- Focus on whole group work and the skills necessary for this to succeed
- Introduce teacher in role and hot seating
- Develop analytical and empathetic skills
- Develop the ability to respond and reflect in role
- Make non-naturalistic techniques and conventions explicit.
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Status
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A mixture of solo, pair, small and whole group work, moving from spontaneous improvisation exercise to analysis of duologues from plays designed to:
- Make the concept of status explicit
- Provide opportunities for students to understand and apply status to improvised work and to text
- Develop spontaneous improvisation skills and an understanding of the principles which facilitate effective improvisation work
- Consolidate understanding of how movement, space, expression, posture, convey meaning.
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Old Man
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A sequence exploring different approaches to characterisation in order to:
- Develop understanding of the use and limitations of stereotype
- Enable students to speak in a variety of contexts, using language appropriate to character and situation
- Develop character through observation, physicalisation and through an emotional and empathetic approach.
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Reportage
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A template using reportage as stimulus for selection and application of performance skills to develop:
- The ability to create and structure an effective dramatic presentation
- A basic understanding of the rehearsal process as a means of discovery and exploration
- The negotiation skills which underpin effective drama work
- An understanding and application of characterisation and status
- An awareness of configuration (how different spatial relationships between performance and audience create different meanings).
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Year 9
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Title of SOW
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Description
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Know Thy Neighbour – Devising around the theme of community in preparation for AQA GCSE Drama Component 2: Devising Drama
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By the end of this scheme of work students will have:
- Developed and structured ideas for a piece of devised drama based on the theme of ‘Community’
- Explored ways to combine pieces of script with their own improvisations
- Experimented with using Verbatim Theatre within their work.
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An exploration of the play adaptation of Noughts & Crosses adapted from Malorie Blackman’s novel by Dominic Cooke, in preparation for AQA GCSE Drama Component 1: Understanding Drama
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By the end of this scheme of work students will have:
- Developed knowledge and understanding of the characteristics and context of play adaptation of Noughts & Crosses adapted from Malorie Blackman’s novel by Dominic Cooke
- Explored ideas for how the play may be interpreted practically and theoretically.
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Key Stage 4
Information on the Key Stage 4 course is available on Page 18 of the Options Booklet, please click here to download >>>
Key Stage 5
Key Stage 5 course details are available from the Sixth Form page, click here >>>