Grade 7 Dance & Drama 2015

Class Team: Grade 7 Dance and Drama

Unit: Drama/Improvisation
WALT:
o

We are learning to develop improvisation

Duration: 4 lessons
TIB:
o

Teacher: Mr Sam Parry (with Mr Matthew Johns)

Class Information: 7E rotation
WILF:

This is because improvisation invites

What Im looking for is a positive

skills culminating in performance and the

students to use their imagination and gives

attitude and willingness to participate in

elements of drama used in improvisation

them freedom to explore within the drama

drama activities. I am looking for

of devised works while maintaining a

environment to find their best fit.

students to show a respectable level of

positive and enjoyable atmosphere.

effort and commitment to the class and

provide solid contributions to class
activities..

Curriculum:
DRAMA:
-

Perform devised and scripted drama maintaining commitment to role (ACADRM044)

Develop roles and characters consistent with situation, dramatic forms and performance styles to convey status, relationships and intentions
(ACADRM041)

LESSON 1 - DRAMA

START OF
LESSON
(WHOLE)

INTRODUCTION:
-

Attendance
Expectations and Class Rules
o Drama should be fun, but fun can only happen if you listen closely to instructions and give everything a go.
o The stage is off limits unless you are performing
o I will not talk if you are talking, so please use your best listening skills
o When walking up to drama, stay together and line up at the dance studio door
o Have a quick look at yourself in the mirror as you go in to the middle room and sit in a circle
o Drama is weird, and sometimes an activity might seem very strange, but give it a go! You might surprise
yourself.
Walk up to drama

WARM UP ACTIVITY:
-

Name Alliteration
o What is the first letter of your name?
o What is a word that starts with the same letter that describes you? (e.g. serious Simon, crazy Charlie)
o Go around the circle with each student saying their name and their describing word. The whole class repeats it.
o Going around the circle again, trying to remember the name without the student having to tell.

LEARNING INTENTIONS:
-

Students participation in improvisation games should lead to a basic understanding of the concepts of improvisation.

THE HOOK:
-

What are you doing?

o In the circle, one student (or teacher) volunteers to go into the middle and starts an action (e.g. mowing the
o
o
o
o

lawn)
Another student goes in and asks What are you doing?
The student doing the action must say something completely different to what they are doing.
The student asking takes on this action.
Repeat around the circle.

MODELLING
(WHOLE)

TEACHER INPUT:
Introducing VOCAB: Improvisation
Does anybody know what type of drama we just participated in?
-

Have a list of different synonyms of improvisation printed on separate sheets of paper

o ad-libbing
o improvisation
o inventing
o winging-it
o devising
Ask students to identify what they think is the correct one in a lolly scramble type format
TRICK: They are all correct!!

Improvisation means coming up with something on the spot, without any warning or rehearsal. An everyday conversation is
improvised, as you dont really know what the other person is going to say to you at any given moment.
CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING
What does improvisation mean?
VIDEO:
Thank God Youre Here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sI7NaiDo-k

PRACTICE
(SMALL)

DEVELOPMENT AND ENGAGEMENT:

The KEY to good improvisation is learning to say yes.
Yes Lets!
-

INDEPENDEN
T

Pick a situation for the whole group to participate in. (e.g. birthday party, shopping trip, holiday etc.)
One person starts a scene doing something relating to the topic
A person comes in to the scene and says Freeze! Lets do this (insert action here)
The person in the scene says Yes, lets! and they both do the activity.
More and more students enter.

APPLICATION:
The Magnet

PRACTICE
(SMALL)

In groups of two, one student becomes a statue in any sort of pose they like. The other student closes their eyes and traces the
other person. The tracer must then try to become the same statue.
Human Knots
Join three groups together and form a circle. Step in and reach out both hands, each hand being held by someone different.
Once you are in your knot, try to release into a circle without letting go of hands.

REFLECTION

REFLECTION:

AND REVIEW

What did you learn about yourself today? What did that last activity teach us?

(WHOLE)
REVIEW:
What was the word for the style of drama were exploring over the next few weeks?
-

Walk back to Grade 7 Block

LESSON 2 - DRAMA

START OF
LESSON
(WHOLE)

INTRODUCTION
-

Attendance
Walk to drama

WARM UP ACTIVITIES
Touch All of the Things!
-

Touch something (insert colour) with your (insert body part)

Monkey off the back.

-

Students associate a sound to an action one at a time. The whole class copies around the circle as quickly as they can
until it reaches the next student who comes up with a new sound and movement.

Wink Murder (depending on the vibe, if they are well focussed, move to the hook)
o
o
o
o

One student exits the room

A murderer is selected who must wink at one student at a time.
The student who is winked at must die a dramatic death
The student who exited the room must try to identify the murderer before the whole class have been killed.

LEARNING INTENTION
-

Students should be able to use stimulus provided to create semi-improvised works based on a central theme

ACTIVATE
-

What was the key word we introduced in the last lesson?

MODELLING

THE HOOK

(WHOLE)

Death by
-

In pairs
Death by ice cream etc.
One person offers a line, the other reacts and dies dramatically.

TEACHER INPUT
Death in a Minute activity
-

Ask for three volunteers

Give the students a scenario (e.g. a wedding)
The objective is to die within a minute of the scene starting
Its important to say yes when a character offers an idea or the scene will drop.

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING

What are the instructions for this activity?
PRACTICE
(SMALL)

DEVELOPMENT AND ENGAGEMENT

In a group of three or four (carefully designed), devise a short scene where someone dies within a minute. You have 5-10
minutes to prepare. The topic is a wedding. The most creative death wins a chocolate each.

INDEPENDEN
T PRACTICE
(SMALL)

EXTENSION:
Life in a Minute (time permitting)
In the same group, you are still at a wedding. Within one minute, someone needs to come to life. You have 5-10 minutes to
prepare. The most creative birth wins a chocolate each.

REFLECTION

REFLECTION:

AND REVIEW

What surprised you about your drama ability today?

(WHOLE)
REVIEW:
What part of the lesson was your favourite?
-

Walk to Grade 7 Block

LESSON 3 - DRAMA

START OF
LESSON
(WHOLE)

INTRODUCTION:
-

Attendance
Walk to Drama

THE HOOK:
Count to 20 Focus Exercise
Sculpt me!
-

In pairs, using the person next to you in the circle, as an A and B, take turns in sculpting each other into the following
shapes
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

Fork
Monkey
Bear
Dog
Banana
Spoon
Toaster
Chair

WARM UP ACTIVITY:
Walking around the space, wait for instructions as to group size and object and make the following objects
-

Car
Train
Bus
Cup and Saucer
Knife and Fork
Teacher and Student
Tractor

MODELLING
(WHOLE)

TEACHER INPUT
Master Sculptor
-

Asking for 5-6 volunteers, include Anwar as a volunteer, model the tableaux of a wedding. Bring it to life with the
Death By activity.

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING

What is the purpose of the activity?
PRACTICE
(SMALL)

DEVELOPMENT AND ENGAGEMENT

In small groups, develop your own wedding tableaux. Bring it to life by deciding on the murder weapon and adding appropriate
dialogue to make the scene as believable as you can. Try to make the death as dramatic as you can.

INDEPENDEN
T PRACTICE
(SMALL)

APPLICATION
When happy with scene, show the scene to the class. The death judged the most creative by the impartial judge (relief teacher?)
will win chocolates for the group.

REFLECTION

REFLECTION

AND REVIEW

What surprised you about your dramatic ability today?

(WHOLE)
REVIEW
How well do you think you improvised your scene?
Walk back to Grade 7 Block.

LESSON 4 - DRAMA

START OF
LESSON
(WHOLE)

INTRODUCTION
-

Attendance
Walk to Drama

THE HOOK
Thank God Youre Here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sI7NaiDo-k
ACTIVATION
How did the actors create the scene for Hamish to walk into?
Do you think Hamish had any idea what to expect?
How did they keep the scene going if they didnt know what Hamish was going to say?
WARM UP ACTIVITY
Creeping Statues the purpose of this warm up is generally for energy and warmth, not any particular skill
-

One person at one end of the room

The others try to creep up on them to touch them on the shoulder
If the person up front turns around and sees someone moving, that person has to move to the back and try again
The person who tags becomes the person up.

MODELLING
(WHOLE)

TEACHER INPUT
Space Jump
With four volunteers, model the Space Jump activity. One person starts the scene doing something of their choice. When the 2 nd
person says Space Jump, that person freezes, the second person enters and completely changes the scene depending on the
body position of the first actor. This continues until all 5 people are in a scene together. Then, when Space Jump is called again,
the last person to enter leaves and the actors play the scene that came before it, and so on until only the first person is left doing
the first activity.
CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING
What is important about being open to ideas in this activity?

PRACTICE
(SMALL)

DEVELOPMENT AND ENGAGEMENT

In small groups, create your own Space Jump sequence, performing them one at a time to the class.

REFLECTION

REFLECTION

AND REVIEW

What was the idea behind the Space Jump activity?

(WHOLE)
REVIEW
What was your favourite part of improvisation so far?
This is my last lesson with you guys. As a way of saying goodbye and good luck, have a chocolate of your choice and say what
you hope to get out of Dance and Drama with Mr. Johns.
Walk to Grade 7 Block.