Drama Curriculum Intent
Students explore creativity, self-confidence, performance skills, live theatre analysis and personal evaluation during KS4. The drama department use baseline assessments (a short-scripted scene) at the start of Year 10 to support and adapt learning to the individual needs. Students will investigate a practitioner or genre of drama, work collaboratively to develop ideas to communicate meaning and experiment with dramatic conventions, forms and techniques to produce and realise a piece of original theatre. Students will also have the opportunity to participate in the performance of an extract from a published performance text. Learners will demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of drama, including their ability to interpret texts for performance, in a written examination.
Students develop subject specific vocabulary by way of teacher use, peer evaluations and through key words focussed on within lessons. Students will develop self- confidence and a personal skill of being self-aware in the creative process by way of watching their performances back, receiving peer to peer feedback and final assessment feedback.
Drama practitioners and genres are selected to reflect student’s interests, current issues and theatrical methods that would make their performances have real meaning and impact. The course allows for a contrast in both modern and historical playwrights to show the breadth of work and range of styles and characters within the world of theatre.
Drama enables students to access a wide variety of careers in the arts which are in rich abundance throughout the Greater Manchester area; from World Class Theatres such as The Royal Exchange Theatre, Culturally Important Museums and Galleries such as The Whitworth Art Gallery and the world of Sports, Media and Entertainment at the BBC and ITV at Salford Quays.
Students are supported in their written work to use key drama terminology and to write in full, coherent sentences using high level vocabulary.
Home learning in Drama reflects the need to develop roles or deepen understanding of themes/characters in full detail. Line learning and character/theme research allows students to take ownership of their work at home and allows their ideas to blossom further in class time.
