Curriculum: Performing Arts - Drama
Drama - Music
Contact Name: Mrs H Lambert
Who's who: (list of staff) Include areas of responsibility e.g. 2nd in Department
| Mrs H Lambert |
Head of Department |
| Miss K Hewitt |
Full time Drama tutor |
| Mr P Gray |
Part time Drama tutor |
| Mr C Stevenson |
Part time Drama tutor |
| Mr S Downes |
Part Time Drama tutor |
Details of KS3:
Year 7 Drama: During Term 1 you will look at the following skills:
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Working in role
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Basic Improvisation
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Hot seating
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Thought tracking
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Still image
By exploring these skills you will learn:
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About the concept of being in a role
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How to identify and develop your physical and vocal communication skills.
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How to participate in peer assessment and self evaluation
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To work cooperatively in groups
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To engage imaginatively with a given stimulus
During Term 2 you will look at the following skills:
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Working in role
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Improvisation
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Sound tracking
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Mime
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Narrative state 1
During Term 3 you will look at the following skills:
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Building a character
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Script work
During your final term's work we will expect you to contribute regularly to the development of work and to have an understanding of the difference between role and character. The work in this term may be selected to be part of "A Slice of the Action", our Drama showcase which is part of the Garforth Arts Festival
Drama photos
Year 8 Drama
During Year 8 you will consolidate skills and conventions learnt in Year 7 and learn:
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To work productively in groups with increasing independence
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To develop your vocal and physical skills
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To begin to structure your work with understanding
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To have a greater understanding of both role and character and to apply them appropriately in your work
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To develop more perceptive peer assessments and self evaluation with correct usage of drama terms
During Term 1 you will look at the following skills:
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Character
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Role
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Improvisation
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Extended role play
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Debate in role
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Forum theatre
During Terms 2 and 3 you will look at the following skills:
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Monologue
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Script
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Mask
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Genre/style
The work in the final term may be selected to be part of the "A Slice of the Action", our Drama showcase which is part of the Garforth Arts Festival.
Year 9 Drama
During year 9 you will consolidate skills and conventions learnt in year 7 and 8 as well as develop the skills needed for your GCSE/BTEC course. We will be working towards you being able to:
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Work autonomously on an extended task towards a specific outcome
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To have a personal understanding of the world through drama and to question, explore and reflect the situations of others
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To be able to work creatively and independently in mixed groups for extended periods
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To be able to develop and sustain an appropriate character
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To be able to extrapolate information and facts and create a dramatic response
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To be able to use dramatic conventions confidently and sensitively within work
During Terms 2 and 3 you will start to prepare for the structure and content of your GCSE/BTEC course by looking at performance skills in particular:
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The concepts of polished improvisation
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Extracts from a full script
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Experimentation with physical and vocal expression in a meaningful way
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Working with initiative and focus on an extended project
By Term 3 you should be able to:
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Consider alternatives and choose an appropriate interpretation of character
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Understand and experiment with the relationship between audience and actor
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Understand the different uses and styles of staging
The work in the final term may be selected to be part of "A Slice of the Action", our Drama showcase which is part of the Garforth Arts Festival.
Details of KS4:
What is GCSE Drama all about?
GCSE Drama is all about understanding what it is like to put yourself in somebody else's shoes. You will play many parts in different imaginary situations. You will have the opportunity to create your own work as well as look at plays written by other people.
The course is in three parts:
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In part one of the course you will use drama to express your feelings and ideas about a range of issues
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In part two of the course you will look at a play to see how a playwright expresses their ideas about a theme or topic and explore ways of making the play work on stage
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In part three of the course you will have the choice of being involved in the performance of a play from an existing script or one you can create yourselves
Will I enjoy this course?
You will enjoy this course if you want to study a subject that is both practical and creative. You may have done some acting before or helped out backstage on a production. You may have always wanted to have a go at making a play, performing, making costumes, building a set or operating the lights but never had the chance. You will enjoy this course if you enjoy working as part of a team as Drama involves a lot of group work.
How does it follow on from what I have learned before?
GCSE Drama follows on from drama work that you will have done at Key Stage 3
(years 7-9). You will develop your improvisation and acting skills to a higher level.
You will also look at plays in more detail and look at different ways of bringing a script alive on stage.
What about exams?
The examination for GCSE Drama is a practical performance. It is worth 40% of the marks. You will take part in a play that you have created as a group or rehearsed from a script. You can either be examined on your acting skills in the performance or on your design and technical skills (stage design, costume, masks and makeup, lighting or sound). You will perform the play in front of an audience and the examiner will be
present at one of the performances.
Is there any coursework?
The 60% coursework part of the GCSE Drama course consists of practical performance work and a written notebook of evidence. During your course you will take part in 2 different workshops that will be marked by your teacher. In one of the workshops you will use all that you have learnt about Drama to explore your responses to a range of material presented to you by your teacher. In the other workshop you will explore
a play and show your understanding of drama by taking part in a number of exercises based on the play. You will be assessed on your practical work and on the supporting notes you keep during the workshops.
What about my results?
You can achieve grades A* to G in GCSE Drama. The final grade is reported in August.
What other skills mightI develop?
As well as acquiring the skills involved in creating and performing Drama, you will also be able to acquire skills in working with others, problem solving and communication. You will find that Drama will help you feel more self-confident and prepare you to deal with a range of different situations and people.
What could I do next with GCSE Drama?
There are many things you can go on to do with a GCSE in Drama. If you are unsure about what to
do next, the best thing to do is to speak to your Drama teacher who will know about the choices on offer.
You could go on to take an AS or A level in Drama and Theatre Studies, or a Vocational A level in Performing Arts or a BTEC National Certificate or Diploma in Performing Arts or Performance Design and Technology.
You may wish to take a GCSE in Drama for its own sake, perhaps to form the basis of a future
interest or as part of a range of other subjects. Or you might wish to go into a job where it is useful to have had experience of Drama, or where you will need to use some of the skills developed during this course. These might include careers in such fields as retail, travel and tourism, sales and marketing or any career that involves meeting people face to face. The study of Drama can help you develop transferable skills
which you can take into any career or job.
Details of KS5:
Summary of the Drama AS/A2 Content:
Unit 1: Exploration of drama and theatre
This unit forms an introduction to the detailed study of two plays from the point of view of performers, designers and directors. Centres can select their own published texts for study within a specified selection framework (see Pathways, on pages 12 - 15). Students demonstrate their interpretation and understanding of the two texts by exploring them in practical workshops and completing a set of "Exploration Notes". The "Exploration Notes" may include drawings, diagrams and conclusions drawn from practical work and discussion work. This unit will also introduce students to a basic vocabulary of drama and theatre to be applied throughout the qualification.
The assessment evidence for this unit will be carried out under coursework conditions and each student and the teacher will be required to authenticate that the work submitted for assessment is the student's own unaided work.
The coursework portfolio will be marked by the teacher and externally moderated (60 marks) (15%).
Unit 2: Text in performance I
In this unit students will undertake a role within the production of a play. The text must be different from those studied in any other unit. Students will be assessed on the effective use of performing or design skills as applied to the text and the way in which they communicate their interpretation of a play to an audience. A visiting examiner will assess this unit. The performance should last between 30 and 60 minutes. The number of performers should be between three and nine (see Group sizes on page 8). In addition up to three students, each offering a different design skill, can be included in the group. It is expected that the students
will work as part of a production team and that the students will work with a director. The performance will be externally assessed by the visiting examiner (80 marks) (20%).
Unit 3: Text in context I
This unit requires students to demonstrate their understanding of the play studied and performed in Unit 2 and their understanding of a play seen in performance. Students will need to keep "Context Summary Notes" that will record their ideas about the social, cultural and/or historical influences on the play performed in Unit 2. Students will also need to keep "Performance Analysis Notes" of a "live" theatre production they have seen. The "live" production can be of any play except that studied for Unit 2.
In the examination students will be required to answer two questions. Section A will test their understanding of the way in which the play performed in Unit 2 was influenced by social, cultural and/or historical conditions. Section B will test their understanding of the ways in which playwrights, directors, designers and/or performers have used drama to create theatre within the context of a live theatre performance.
This unit will be marked by an external examiner (60 marks) and is an externally examined written paper (2 hours) (15%)
Unit 4: Devising
For this unit, students work on the process of devising an original piece of drama for presentation to an audience. This can be based on a suitable stimulus set by the centre and/or created for a specific audience. Within the process and performance, students will be assessed on their individual contribution. Each student will keep a "Structured Record" that enables him or her to reflect upon and analyse the process. Students may use ideas, genre, forms or techniques explored in other units as the basis for their work. The work must be performed from a script or a set of written instructions created by the group. Whilst there may be elements of the performance that are planned to be spontaneous, the structure of the piece and the roles within in it should be pre-determined.
The teacher will provide a mark for the Structured Record, and a mark for the performance. The mark will reflect the student's achievement both during the process and in the final performance.
This unit is internally assessed and externally moderated (20%).
Unit 5: Text in performance II
This unit focuses on the in-depth study of one further play studied from the point of view of a director, designer or performer. Students will explore the chosen play and select an appropriate scene or montage of scenes to demonstrate the essence of their interpretation in a workshop performance. Students will work in a group of between three and six students (see Group sizes, on page 8) on a presentation lasting between 15 and 30 minutes. Students can be assessed on their contribution to the performance as a performer, designer or as a director. This unit will be marked by a visiting examiner (60 marks) and is an externally examined
Practical test (15%). This unit forms part of the synoptic assessment.
Unit 6: Text in context II
This unit requires detailed study of two prescribed plays. In Section A, one play from a choice of two is studied from the point of view of a director and students will be required to develop and shape their ideas for a fully thought through production. The choice in this section for 2003 and 2004 is either The Beggar's Opera by John Gay or The Trojan Women by Euripides. In Section B students are required to study and research the production history of a play written and performed between 1575 and 1720 and to evaluate the ways in which directors, designers and performers have used the medium of drama to interpret the chosen play. This should include a contemporary production of the play seen at first hand.
Section A (10%) will require students to relate their ideas for the whole play to an extract set in the examination and to articulate their knowledge and understanding of the social, cultural and/or historical contexts of the play.
Section B (5%) will require students to compare two productions of the play that they have researched and to evaluate the effectiveness of the way in which the medium of drama has been used to create the performances.
This unit will be marked by an external examiner (60 marks) and is an externally examined written paper (2 hours) (15%). This unit forms part of the synoptic assessment.
BTEC NATIONAL PERFORMING ARTS: ACTING
Entry Guidance:
Appropriate prior experience will be necessary to gain a place on this course. Suitability of students will be assessed by course tutors during the application process.
Syllabus Outline:
This two year course consists of six complementary units of work, focusing on vocational aspects of Performing Arts.
The National Award (equivalent to 1 A level) is designed to:
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Develop learners' practical ability through effective use and combination of the knowledge and skills gained from the course
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To develop understanding and gain experience of performing arts in a broader context
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Provide specialist studies directly relevant to the performing arts profession in which learners are working or intend to seek employment
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Develop a range of skills and techniques, personal qualities and attitudes essential for successful performance in working life
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Provide a pathway into Higher Education
Methods of Assessment
Year 12
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Unit A3 Theatre for Children - All modules assessed through
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Unit A5 Contemporary Theatre Performance - Practical assignments (internal)
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Unit A15 Film and TV Acting - Written assignments including research
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Unit A16 Mime and evaluation (internal)
Year 13
General Comments:
This course is designed to prepare students wishing to enter the Performing Arts Industry, and provides an ideal grounding for students wishing to pursue further studies at a higher educational level.
Forthcoming Events: