Sexting Drama – Lesson Plan 2

Target Audience

Key Stage 4/5

Lesson Aim

Pupilsexplore and develop an understanding of the play and the characters function within the story.

Learning Objectives

  • Pupils will gain an understanding of the key themes and issues raised throughout the play.
  • Pupils will explore the characters and develop an identity for each.
  • Pupils will differentiate between the characters’ objective and their function in the story.

National Curriculum Links

Please see curriculum grid: England: PSHE, Citizenship, Literacy, ICT, and Religious Education

Scotland: Health and Wellbeing, Literacy, Christianity, Social sciences, Technologies.

GCSE Exam links:AQA GCSE Drama specifications – June 2011 onwards: This lesson can be used to support Unit 2: practical work, supplementing devised thematic work, acting, improvisation and theatre in education options. Part 2 (options 1-5) can also be used for EDEXCEL GCSE Drama. Meets AO1:practical exploration and Unit 3 Drama performance.

Timing: 60 minutes (excluding plenary exercise) / Key Vocabulary:objective, function, theme, issue, archetypes
Preparation:Print out scenario/ role play cards for exercise 4. / Organisation:In pairs and small groups within a hall or classroom setting. This lesson plan works best in space that allows enough room to freely move around.
Resources:Whiteboard. Pens and paper. Recording equipment (optional).

Lesson Outline Minutes

Starter / Re-cap from previous session.
Activity 1 / Discuss and record the key themes and issues addressed in the play. / 10 minutes
Activity 2 / Understanding why and how archetypes make up a story. / 10 minutes
Activity 3 / Pupils bring the characters to life by creating a back story. / 20minutes
Activity 4 / Role play and improvisation. / 20minutes
Plenary / Pupils create a sound and movement piece to insert in the last scene.

Lesson

ACTIVITY 1 WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?
Group discussion - record answers
Discuss the difference between THEME and ISSUE
Apart from depicting an episode of sexting what other themes crop up throughout the play? Try and sum this up in one sentence.
What issues are covered in the story? (think along the lines of, betrayal, peer pressure, low self esteem, partner pressure, carelessness, jealousy, irresponsibility, consequence)
At what point in the story does it become sexting? When the image is taken, when it is sent or when it is shared with one or more people?
Who do you think is responsible or to blame and why? / ACTIVITY 2 WHO’S WHO?
During this exercise ask your pupils to thinkabout character archetypes; to consider different archetypes and how these combine to form a play.
Within the play, who do they consider to be the:
  • Protagonist
  • Antagonist
  • Best friend
  • Love interest
  • Confidante
  • Partner
  • Catalyst
  • Mentor
  • Comic relief

ACTIVITY 3 CHARACTER WORK
Part 1)
If ready, cast the play. Alternatively, assign roles and write a biography for that allocated character.(REMEMBER - THIS IS JUST ABOUT THEIR CHARACTER AND NO ONE ELSE AT THIS STAGE) For example:
Jodi – what kind of person is she? What’s her home life like? What hobbies does she have? etc
Part 2)
Each character to thenconsider:
  • Their function in the story
  • Their objective in the story
  • The result of their actions in the story
Part 3)
Discuss friendships. Separate into pairs or groups and create background stories to the friendships. Think about how they met? How long have they known each other? Where do they like to go? etc
Pairs should include:
  • Amanda & Jono
  • Ste & Jono
  • Carli & Leila
  • Amanda & Toni
  • PJ and Kyle
/ ACTIVITY 4 ROLE PLAY AND IMPROVISATION
This exercise focuses on improvisation and role play.
Part 1)
Stepping into the shoes of their character, invite pupils, one at a time, to a “hot seat”. For the duration of their time in the hot seat, they must remain in character at all times and answer questions about their character and their actions within the story.
Part 2)
As an additional exercise, ask your pupils to improvise and prepare a short scene thatreveals what happens directly before or after a scene from the play.
  • Amada finding out about Jono and Carli.
  • Jodi & Steve’s conversation during Leila’s party.
  • Leila and Carli’s conversation when they leave Jodi’s house.
  • The conversation between Jono and Ste on Steve’s way to the bus stop.
  • Amanda and Toni after they have been sent the pictures of Jodi.
  • The conversation between Ste and his mum after the police have left.
  • Carli offering Jodi support.
  • Jodi and Greg’s first meeting.
  • Ste and Greg’s first meeting.

PLENARY
Scene 12 of the play depicts the moment when Jodi finds out that her pictures have been circulated. This exercise is to create a movement and sound piece that symbolically represents her drowning in the spreading chaos. Create a medley of laughter, whispers, pointing, starring, name calling. This can be achieved in a number of ways:
  • Vocals only. Recording a soundscape tocreate an anonymous and eerie mood.
  • Create a movement piece using all cast members.
  • Merge both of the above.
Whichever you choose, let it build to a crescendo around Jodi, halt the sound abruptly, leaving her all alone on stage.
TEACHER’S NOTE
Teachers should note that it is illegal to take, make, possess or share indecent photos of anyone under the age of 18 in the UK (section 1 of the Protection of Children Act 1978 as amended by Section 45 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003)
Guidance from the Association of Chief of Police Officers (ACPO) recommends police deal with cases of children creating self taken images and distributing them electronically, a form of sexting, on a case by case basis. Any intervention should have the welfare of the child at its heart and ACPO does not support the prosecution or criminalization of children for taking indecent images of themselves and sharing them.To access the full guidance from ACPO Child Protection and Abuse Investigation (CPAI) Group, ACPO CPAI Lead’s Position on Young People Who Post Self-Taken Indecent Imagessee:

Handling disclosures: As a result of the discussions held on sexting, some students may disclose incidents of a sensitive nature, such as having taken, sent or received messages or images of a sexual nature. These may be about themselves or someone they know. Further information on disclosure and reporting can be found and downloaded from the sexting resource page.