Sexting Drama – Lesson Plan 2

Target Audience

Key Stage 3 & 4

Lesson Aim

Pupilsexplore and develop an understanding of the play and the function of the characterswithin 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.

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. / Additional time

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?
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 their friendship. Think about how they met and how long have they known each other. Where do they like to go? etc
Pairs should include:
  • Amanda & Jono
  • Steve & Jono
  • Carli & Leila
  • Amanda & Toni
  • AJ and Kyle
/ ACTIVITY 4 ROLE PLAY AND IMPROVISATION
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 in 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.
  • Amanda 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 Steve on Steve’s way to the bus stop.
  • Amanda and Toni after they have been sent the pictures of Jodi.
  • The conversation between Steve and his mum after she has found out about what has happened.
  • Carli offering Jodi support.
  • Jodi and Greg’s first meeting.
  • Steve 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 evolving chaos. Create a medley of laughter, whispers, pointing, staring and name calling. This can be achieved in a number of ways:
  • Vocals only. Recording a soundscape to create 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 alone on stage.

Teachers note

The Law on Sexting: Sexting is defined as taking a sexually explicit or partially nude image of yourself and sending it on to someone else, usually a boyfriend or girlfriend but sometimes potentially done as a dare. For anyone under the age of 18 the act of sexting is illegal under the Protection of Children Act 1978. This states that if a young person under the age of 18 takes an image of this nature of themselves then the law has been broken as they have created an indecent image of a child, even though the image is of themselves. By sending this content on to another person, they have distributed an indecent image of a child. By receiving content of this kind and having it on your device then someone would be in possession of an indecent image of a child.
The National Police Chiefs' Council of England, Wales and Northern Ireland (NPCC) have stated that young people engaging in sexting should not face prosecution as first time offenders, but the situation will be investigated to ensure the young people involved are not at any further risk and that they have understood the consequences of their actions. Therefore, incidents of sexting involving young people will primarily be treated as a safeguarding issue. Repeat offenders and more extreme cases have the potential to be reviewed differently but still with a focus on avoiding prosecution unless absolutely necessary.
Schools may respond to incidents without involving the police however, the police may need to be involved in cases to ensure thorough investigation including collection of all evidence. In these cases they are obliged, under the Home Office Counting Rules and National Crime Recording Standards, to record the incident on their internal police crime system. The incident will be listed as a ‘crime’ and the young person involved will be listed as a ‘suspect.’ This is not the same as having a criminal record but the record will be accessible by all forces so that they can be aware if the crime is a repeat offence.
As of January 2016, the Home Office launched a new outcome code (Outcome 21) to help formalise the discretion available to police when handling crimes such as sexting. Even though a young person has broken the law and police could present evidence to support this, the police can record that they chose not to take further action as it was not in the public interest. For more information please read the UKCISS sexting guidance for schools:
‘Revenge Porn’: This is a term often used to describe sexually explicit media that is publicly uploaded by someone without the consent of the person in the image. It may be by an ex-partner or friend and is shared with an intention to shame or embarrass an individual, linking content to the persons other online content, eg social media accounts or emails. The act of sharing someone else’s private image without consent is illegal under the Criminal Courts and Justice Act 2015, dubbed by the media as the ‘revenge porn’ law. Whilst the sharing of any sexually explicit image of another person without their consent is wrong, if both children are under 18 the person sending the image may not be charged under this law as the Protection of Children act mentioned above would apply. For further information and practical assistance in reporting and removing content online:
How to handle a disclosure: All members of staff (including non-teaching) should be made aware of how to recognise and refer any disclosures of incidents involving sexting and young people. This should be covered within staff training and within the school or college’s child protection policy. If a child in your care discloses something to you, related to the internet and the use of technology, then the same reporting procedures used for incidents offline can and should be followed in a workplace environment. It is important for all staff to be aware of who the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) is within the school and that any incidents of sexting should be reported to them immediately. There is no expectation for all staff to investigate and resolve the incident and the DSL will have specialist advice for handling such a disclosure in an appropriate way. For more information:
The Professionals Online Safety Helpline (POSH) provides support to all professionals working with children and young people. The helpline provides free, independent, expert advice on all aspects of digital and online issues. For more information:

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