Overview of Year 7, 8 & 9

In year 7, 8 & 9, Drama study focuses on developing students’ confidence, public speaking skills, teamwork & communication skills and performance ability. Each lesson, students will develop the ability to discuss current affairs with sensitivity, develop and demonstrate the skill of empathy and explore what it means to be human. Students will be assessed on a different element of Drama and Theatre once per term.

Year 7 Units of Study

  • The Drama Toolkit: Students create, explore, rehearse and perform their own character monologues, developing their confidence and public speaking skills.
  • The 12 Days of Christmas: Students continue to develop their performance ability with a focus on improvisation, character exploration and performance intention.
  • Page Meets Stage: Students study extracts from a published play, interpreting character to create meaning onstage, learn lines off by heart and perform and work together in groups.
  • Commedia Dell’ Arte: Students explore the techniques involved in creating comedy, communicating meaning through exaggerated physicality and Body Language and gain an understanding of Stock Characters.
  • Devising: Students work in groups to devise their own performances using a variety of stimulus, creating performance that is impactful, effective and sensitive to its topic.

Year 8 Units of Study

  • Theatre in Education: Students work in groups to devise their own informative performances, based on current affairs, which raises awareness of their chosen topic.
  • Physical Theatre: Students explore, interpret and create physical theatre performances as a means of communicating stories to an audience.
  • Masked Theatre: Students experiment with creating performance without language, using mask to communicate meaning and tell stories on stage through their physicality.
  • Devising from a stimulus: Students work in groups to devise their own performances using a variety of stimulus, creating performance that is impactful, effective and sensitive to its topic.
  • Scripted: Students study extracts from a published play, interpreting character to create meaning onstage, learn lines off by heart and perform and work together in groups.
  • Technical Theatre: Students explore and experiment with the technical side of theatre, learning the roles and responsibilities of theatre makers, explore staging configurations and consider costume, sound, set, lighting and props for performance.

Year 9 Units of Study

Key Skills & T.I.E:

Students focus on the 4 key skills of Collaboration, Communication, Confidence and Organisation whilst working in groups to devise their own informative performances, based on current affairs, which raises awareness of their chosen topic.

From Page to Stage:

Students explore character, performance genres, technical theatrical elements and performing published plays with the development of analysing Live Theatre Productions

Careers in theatre:

Students will explore all career aspects of a theatre company in depth and specialise in one element in response to a brief.

Parents can find more information on the specific topics covered in each unit by looking at student learning journeys

GCSE DRAMA Components

  1. Devising Theatre – Practical & Coursework – 40% of overall Grade
  2. Performing from a Text – Practical – 20% of overall Grade
  3. Interpreting Theatre – Study of a Set Text – 40% of overall Grade

Overview of Year 10

Year 10 continues to develop skills in performance and theory.

Students begin their study focusing on practitioners and Devising, where students will work in groups to create a 20-minute performance. Students will also complete a portfolio of supporting evidence that documents and analyses the development of their performance.

Students then study their GCSE Set Text “I Love You Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die” (Mark Wheeler) which they will continue through to the end of year 11 to sit their end of year written exam paper.

Topics:

COMPONENT 1:

  • Devising Theatre: Creating performance (10 % of overall grade)

A 20 minute performance is created and performed in Year 10 – assessed internally through live performance with a submitted recording to Eduqas exam board for moderation

Begin Devising Portfolio (30% of overall grade) written and assessed in Year 10 – assessed internally and submitted to Eduqas exam board for moderation in Year 11

COMPONENT 3:

  • Begin Study of a Set Text: I Love You Mum (40% of overall grade)

Studied across Year 10 & 11 – assessed at the end of year 11 through a written examination

Year 11

In year 11, students continue to develop skills in performance and theory in preparation for their mid and end of year assessments. Students continue their study of I Love You Mum (GCSE Set Text) and develop their written exam technique.

Year 11 focuses on Component 2, Performing From a Text where students will work in groups to rehearse 2, 10 minute performances.

Students finish the course with a 1 hour 45 minute written paper.

Topics:

COMPONENT 1:

  • Complete Devising Theatre Portfolio

Coursework is completed and assessed internally and submitted to Eduqas exam board for moderation

COMPONENT 2:

  • Performing From a Text; (20% of overall grade)

Students learn lines for, rehearse and perform 2 x 10 minute extracts from a published play to an external visiting examiner.

COMPONENT 3:

  • Complete Study of a Set Text: I Love You Mum

Study is completed – assessed at the end of year 11 through a written exam paper

We follow the Eduqas specification at GCSE. A comprehensive overview of the GCSE course curriculum can be accessed

https://www.eduqas.co.uk/umbraco/surface/blobstorage/download?nodeId=11625