1. Chapter 7, MMADD about the Arts
Teaching DRAMA
in the
K-6 Classroom
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 Words Dramatic 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 SYMBOL Drama can use 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. Space can enhance or limit what occurs in the drama
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 Warm ups, discussion and games
LESSON PLANNING for DRAMA
Warm ups, discussion and games
Focused learning experiences
Closure activities

30. K-6 DRAMA Education Using themes Music Developing a skill or activity
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