Learning Cycle 1

Learning Cycle 2

Learning Cycle 3

Year 7

Exploring Dramatic Techniques:1

A range of drama games and activities will be explored in a collaborative manner

Short presentations to peers demonstrating how techniques are put into practice and begin to be able to give and receive constructive feedback

Shakespeare In Performance

The opening of range of Shakespeare’s plays will be explored.

Students will have the opportunity to perform extracts or to support within a design capacity

Critical reflection of their own work, and the work of their peers, will be part of the feedback process.

Exploring Dramatic Techniques:2

The work in this LC will focus upon group collaboration techniques and the understanding of what ‘devised’ drama is.

The theme will be ‘Travel’. 

Devised work based on ‘The Sinking Of The Titanic’

Students to explore the background to the historic event and share ideas/thoughts.

Short extracts of the film ‘Titanic’ to be observed with focus on the different social classes/crew. 

Exercises to be carried out to reinforce the need to use accurate posture; dialogue; facial expression; physicality.

Whole group performance to be devised incorporating clear direction student/teacher led, music; basic set; lighting; costume.

Critical reflection and evaluation of performance in regard to of their own work, and the work of their peers, will be part of the feedback process.

Exploring Dramatic Techniques:3

The work in LC3 will focus on study of an entire set text. This will complement the learning that will be taking place in English lessons but will be a different text.

Set Text – ‘War Horse’ by Nick Stafford (based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo

Students will be introduced to this fantastic storyline and more specifically, the play, which ran for many years at both the National Theatre and the New London Theatre. They will be directed to carry out research on the play. There are numerous opportunities for both performance and design aspects within the play and this will be a great culmination of the work carried out in Y7.

Again, critical reflection and evaluation of performance in regard to of their own work, and the work of their peers, will be part of the feedback process.

Year 8

Exploring Dramatic Techniques

The techniques will focus upon suspense, tension and atmosphere in performance. 

Short improvisation tasks will enable students to put into place how they might utilise the above techniques, constantly reflecting upon their work and the work of their peers.

Set text ‘The Woman In Black’ by Stephen Mallatratt (based on the novel by Susan Hill)

As a class, students will read the text as a whole. They will be directed to short video extracts where they can see how the actors transform this well-known work from multiple characters to just two actors. This idea of communicating multi-role characters is very important and will be instilled within the way in which the students approach this text. 

Students to work in pairs and present a chosen extract from ‘The Woman In Black’. They must consider technical aspects such as sound and lighting in addition to the techniques explored. 

Critical reflection and evaluation of performance in regard to of their own work, and the work of their peers, will be part of the feedback process.

Relationships in Performance

Improvisation and devising skills will be the focus of this LC.

Students will be presented with a range of starting points and they will be supported through tasks to produce performances of their own creation.

Starting points will include:

Scenarios (given to them be the teacher)

Images

Lyrics

Poetry

Newspaper Headlines

Sculptures/Art

Music

Historic moments in time

The idea of collaborative work is very much at the heart of this LC, as with other work students will have explored. The fact that the stimulus/starting point is not rooted in published text will allow different challenges.

As with other learning, critical reflection and evaluation of performance in regard to of their own work, and the work of their peers, will be part of the feedback process.

Of Mice And Men

Study of this iconic work, in collaboration with the English Department (this text is a focus of LC3 in Y8 English). Students will explore the characters, themes, issues, concepts, emotions and staging of this work. 

Techniques to be considered:

Hot-seating/Thought-alley’ and the impact they can have on an audience. The interaction with the audience in these situations can also be incredibly powerful.

Students will be assigned groups and will present extracts from the work. There is a great deal of maturity that is required within this text and the students will be supported in the way that they will be expected to deal with these topics/issues. 

Following the text study, students will create a ‘what happened next’ scenario and ‘characters’ will be expected to demonstrate their actions through a hot-seat task or ‘thought-alley’ 

Learning Cycle 1

Learning Cycle 2

Learning Cycle 3

Year 10

Component 1 and Component 2 are taught in correlation with each other (i.e. they run across the whole of Y10 LCs

During Component 1, you will: 

• explore performance styles, creative intentions and purpose 

• investigate how practitioners create and influence what’s performed 

• discover performance roles, skills, techniques and processes. 

This component is internally assessed and is worth 30% of the overall course.

Aim: You will get a taste of what it’s like to be a professional actor, musical theatre performer or designer/production role. 

During Component 2, you will: 

• take part in workshops, classes and rehearsals

 • gain physical, interpretative, vocal and rehearsal skills

 • apply these skills in performance 

• reflect on your progress, your performance and how you could improve.

This component is an internally assessed unit and is worth 30% of the overall course. 

Aim: develop skills and techniques in the chosen discipline(s) of acting, musical theatre or a chosen design focus. 

In LC 1, you will study NATURALISTIC theatre (Set text ‘Sparkleshark’ by Philip Ridley)

Component 1 and Component 2 are taught in correlation with each other (i.e. they run across the whole of Y10 LCs

During Component 1, you will: 

• explore performance styles, creative intentions and purpose 

• investigate how practitioners create and influence what’s performed 

• discover performance roles, skills, techniques and processes. 

This component is internally assessed and is worth 30% of the overall course.

Aim: You will get a taste of what it’s like to be a professional actor, musical theatre performer or designer/production role. 

During Component 2, you will: 

• take part in workshops, classes and rehearsals

 • gain physical, interpretative, vocal and rehearsal skills

 • apply these skills in performance 

• reflect on your progress, your performance and how you could improve.

This component is an internally assessed unit and is worth 30% of the overall course. 

Aim: develop skills and techniques in the chosen discipline(s) of acting, musical theatre or a chosen design focus. 

In LC 2, you will study MUSICAL THEATRE (this text will vary from year to year. Past choices have been ‘Blood Brothers’ by Willie Russell; ‘Grease’ by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey; ‘We Will Rock You’ by Ben Elton/Queen)

Component 1 and Component 2 are taught in correlation with each other (i.e. they run across the whole of Y10 LCs

During Component 1, you will: 

• explore performance styles, creative intentions and purpose 

• investigate how practitioners create and influence what’s performed 

• discover performance roles, skills, techniques and processes. 

This component is internally assessed and is worth 30% of the overall course.

Aim: You will get a taste of what it’s like to be a professional actor, musical theatre performer or designer/production role. 

During Component 2, you will: 

• take part in workshops, classes and rehearsals

 • gain physical, interpretative, vocal and rehearsal skills

 • apply these skills in performance 

• reflect on your progress, your performance and how you could improve.

This component is an internally assessed unit and is worth 30% of the overall course. 

Aim: develop skills and techniques in the chosen discipline(s) of acting, musical theatre or a chosen design focus. 

In LC3, you will study THEATRE IN EDUCATION (set text ‘Too Much Punch For Judy’ by Mark Wheeller) The specific techniques linked to this text will be challenging but will provide a fantastic insight into this style of theatre.

Year 11

This Component is an externally assessed task, where you will work in groups of between 3 and 7 members to create a performance or a design based on a set brief, provided by Pearson. 

This Component is worth 40% of the overall course.

The component is released to centres in January of Year 11. 

During Component 3, students will:

Use the set brief and previous learnings to generate creative ideas.

Build on your skills in classes, workshops and rehearsals.

Review the process using an ideas and skills log.

Perform a piece to your chosen audience. 

Reflect on their performance in an evaluation report.

Learning and exploration will continue in the same way as described in LC1.

During Component 3, students will:

use the set brief and previous learnings to generate creative ideas

Build on your skills in classes, workshops and rehearsals.

Review the process using an ideas and skills log.

Perform a piece to your chosen audience 

Reflect on their performance in an evaluation report.

During LC2, it is anticipated that the students will complete their performance and present it, according to Pearson’s exam conditions. They will also complete the evaluation log/

All work will be collated and each student will have their own unique digital folder. 

It is anticipated that by 15 May of Y11, all work will be completed and with the exam board.