Drama Unit Planner

Year 5 & 6 Teacher Syndicate Senior Suggested Duration 3 x 45 mins

Unit/Topic/Theme

Disasters – Napier Earthquake 1931. / / /

The Big Question

How does a community react to a natural disaster.

Achievement Objective

Level

/ / /

Elements

Role

Practical Knowledge

Students will use elements and techniques of drama to explore dramatic conventions

/ /

Time & Space

Action

Developing Ideas

Students will initiate and develop ideas with others and improvise drama in a range of settings

/ /

Tension

Focus

Communicating & Interpreting

Students will present and respond to drama, identifying ways in which elements of drama combine to make meaning.

Techniques

Understanding & Context

/ / / /

Voice

Movement
/

/ / /

Gesture

Learning Outcomes

Students will explore the feelings, motives, attitudes and qualities of a character through role on the wall, hot-seating and spoken thoughts (PK)
Students will use and develop the conventions of freeze frame, chorus of movement, slow motion, mimed action, to explore events and characters in the unit. (PK, DI).
Students will present their drama work to the class and give feedback on their own and other presentations. (CI). / /

Facial Expression

Conventions

Chorus of movement

Role on wall

Hot seating

Spoken thoughts

Freeze frame image

Mimed action
Slow motion

Summative Assessment Opportunities

Children’s individual entries to role on the wall. SLO 1
Video presentations of drama work to class and children’s responses to their own and on others’ presentations. SLO 1,2,3
Photographs of freeze frame. SLO 2 / /

Essential Skill Development

Communication

Some strategies

Social

Problem solving

Self management

Collaboration with Other Learning Areas

Dance : exploring movement and space
Visual Art :visual presentations
Music: chorus voice
Other Essential Learning Areas
This unit would be taught largely in collaboration with a Social Studies unit.
Science: How earthquakes happen.
Literacy: Diary entry or postcard of a surviving child… /

Resources / Materials

“The Great Quake” by Robert McGregor
“Earthquake Kit” – good ideas in action, by Jeannie McCafferty
“Quake- Hawkes Bay 1931” by Matthew Wright.
Video Camera. Camera for taking still photographs.

Teaching Learning Sequence

Key questions to guide formative assessment and/or develop the Drama

Warmup – Grannies footprints
Introduce earthquakes and review past learning on how they happen (e.g in a previous science lesson).
Discuss cities in New Zealand in 1931 and what life was like for people.
Read “A bolt from the blue” from “Quake” pg 7-9.

Ritual chant

Split class into groups to represent the societal groups that are illustrated in the reading above. The five groups are- doctors and patients in surgery; Navy coming into port; men going to work; mothers doing housework; children at technical school.
Children to create a ritual chant and accompanying actions (representing their group) to welcome the Prime Minister into Napier. Each group performs their ritual chant one by one to the class, and on the teacher’s instructions all groups perform together in front of the Prime Minister
Exploring conventions when earthquake hits
Give each group an excerpt to read. Groups to show three movements to freeze frame and use slow motion in between each freeze frame, to be presented to the class.
When tapped on the shoulder, individuals give their spoken thoughts.
Conclusion.
Circle of thought.
Children to say how they would feel when an earthquake hits. Review past learning on earthquake frequency and risk. / Remind children about conventions of freeze frame and slow motion.
Children need to be told what a technical school is.
Move around groups while they are rehearsing their ritual chant and encourage contrasts in sound and movement for dramatic effect. Look for opportunities to develop their ideas, and for children to comment on each other work.
In a freeze frame image, action and expression are frozen to capture the essence of an idea, theme or moment. The freeze is held for several seconds to give the moment significance and display tension. Take still photos of each freeze frame for assessment. Remind children of drama techniques to convey meaning e.g gesture, movement, facial expression.
Children will need to be told what the convention of spoken thoughts involve.
Children need to be de-briefed so that the fear of an imminent earthquake is not foremost in their minds.

Teaching Learning Sequence

Key questions to guide formative assessment and/or develop the Drama

Lesson 2

Warm-up- Blind line up

Setting the problem

There are a group of about 5 children trapped underneath some rubble at a school. Everybody in town wants to be present at the rescue. Groups must decide what they have to offer the rescue process. At the community meeting are parents, reporters, doctors, firemen. Teacher takes the role as town mayor.
Read except from page 12 of “Quake” see attached.

Hotseating

Split children into groups, and children discuss their reasons, and think of questions to ask other groups. Groups to select a spokesperson to represent their group for hotseating.
Town mayor hotseats spokesperson, and other members of groups may question hotseatee.
Town mayor decides parents are too emotionally involved to be present at the rescue (the children who given the role of parents assume the role of trapped children).

Role on the wall

While in groups, children explore the inner feelings and outer physical qualities of the trapped children. Children to move around other groups roles on the wall to share ideas. Display in classroom.
Using conventions.
In groups children are to practice their roles in the rescue operation and join with trapped children to give performance. The performance must include slow motion, mime, chorus chant and movement. Children must also have identified a thought that could be spoken.
Children present to class. Video each performance and watch.

Conclusion

Revisit role on the wall. Add another entry to describe how freed children are now feeling. / Warm-up encourages communication skills for this lesson.
Children to use this time to discuss and brainstorm ideas. Teacher can facilitate is children struggling.
Teacher to illustrate when they are in the role, by use of a hat, or scarf. Teacher to draw out and guide some improvisation of ideas through questioning.
Have children name entries on role on wall for assessment purposes.
The trapped children group can work on their reactions and emotions during and after being rescued.
Children to self-assess their performances. E.g what worked really well, what needs more attention. What worked well in other groups etc.
Children will hopefully reflect a new depth of understanding on the rescued children’s thoughts, feelings and attitudes, which has been explored through their drama work.

Teaching Learning Sequence

Key questions to guide formative assessment and/or develop the Drama

Lesson 3

Warm up. ‘Mime a saying’- children to mime a common saying in small groups
Brainstorm on whiteboard- “What do you think you should do during an earthquake?”
Read pg 13 of “Earthquake Kit” which describes what they should do, and what they might experience.
Mime and spoken thought.
Split class in two. Direct half of the class to perform while the other half views and evaluates effective use of techniques. Swap over.
Students to mime the experience when the teacher calls “Earthquake!” Mime to take place at normal speed, and freeze frame to be called by teacher at different moments. Tap children to hear spoken thoughts.
Students back to seats. Children to try another strategy for safety they didn’t choose last time, and enhance their movements, gestures and facial expressions for maximum effect.

Conclusion

Teacher to explain to class that the children of 1931 were not as well equipped as they are for earthquakes these days. Tell children that nowdays there are plans and procedures to minimise the risk of injuries and death for people during an earthquake. Their task, in groups, is to write a letter to a child in 1931 who will receive the letter a week before the Napier earthquake. Give children a risk and asssesment guidelines from “Earthquake Kit” to work from. Display letters on class wall. / Remind children about techniques such as movement, gesture and facial expression while miming.
Focus on techniques such as voice, movement, gesture and facial expression to convey tension and fear.
Children to identify students work which illustrates effective use of techniques.
Teacher to identify an excellent example of use of techniques.
Teacher to rove and offer help with creating the letter.

Teaching / Learning Reflection

What went well

What needs to change

Where to next