S1 Drama

 

Learning and Teaching 

All S1 classes will get one period of Drama every week.

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The main focus in S1 will be on cultivating their Drama skills through various units of work including:

 

‘Back to School’

Friendship and Bullies

Mime

Pantomime

Characterisation

Podcast

Socio-Drama

Scripted performances

Media/ Television/ Advertising

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The young people will be issued with a pupil assessment feedback sheet performance achievement record in which their progress will be regularly tracked.  This will encourage them to get into reflective routines where they will develop their skills and have a clearer understanding of what they need to do to achieve the next attainment level.

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Studying Drama will enhance their life skills as it requires them to use the following:

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communication and literacy, problem solving and creativity, teamwork, negotiating and decision making, enthusiasm and use of initiative, time management and organisation, integrity, personal presentation, use of IT, focus,  enabling a growth mindset through persistence, resilience and taking responsibility.

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The young people will learn about the various genres, styles and forms of Drama as well as the various ways of improving their voice and movement skills to help develop their character. They will also be encouraged to explore the technical aspect of the course; looking at lighting, sound, props, costume, set and hair and make-up so they are able to further enhance their performances.

 

 

Homework in S1 Drama

All S1 classes will be allocated to a Google Classroom area which can be accessed online.  Homework tasks will mainly be issued on these classrooms and will include a variety of short tasks involving researching and learning lines, as well as design tasks.  Some of these can be completed on smartphones if they have internet access.  If any of the young people do not have access to a computer or internet, they are more than welcome to use the computers in the department at lunch times or after school to complete homework tasks.

How you can help

You can help the young people to make the most of their learning in Drama by encouraging them to regularly check in with their Google Classroom to see if they have any homework due in, and making sure that they submit it on time.  A free app for Google Classroom can be downloaded onto most smartphones so you can ask the young people to get this and set it up to receive notifications.  This way reminders of homework tasks can be sent out.  You can also remind them to ask their Drama teacher if they have any problems with or questions about homework or work in class.

 

Young people should try to engage with Drama by going to performances where possible. This could include the annual performance festivals that happen in Aberdeen, or theatre performances seen at HMT, the Aberdeen Arts Centre or the Lemon Tree. Encouraging a discussion of their thoughts on the performance with you will help them to develop their evaluative skills.

You can ask them to show you some of their performance pieces they have done in class or help by running lines with them if they have a scripted piece they are doing in class. We would advise running over their lines for around 15 -30 minutes per week where possible.

If they have the ability to join a Drama group outside school this could be an opportunity for them to develop and consolidate their Drama skills further.​

There are also many apps now available where young people can edit movie clips they have filmed to create their own projects (these could be animated), so you can encourage them to have fun with these and enjoy all aspects of Drama.  Finally, please have a look at the materials attached to this page so you can see what the young people will be learning in Drama.