Back to Basics

Year 9 Foundation course for GCSE students

Congratulations!• You have all selected to study GCSE drama for

the next 3 years! Over the course of this time you will explore many new skills as well as developing your existing drama skills

• You are joining a very successful department who will support your progress in the subject and help you to achieve the best possible GCSE grade on the condition that you work hard in lessons and respect your teacher!

• Each and everyone of you has been selected for this course and you are all here because we believe that you have great potential in this subject

What will I be doing?• The course content for the next year

looks a little something like this:Term One•Back to Basics

•Exploratory

Techniques

Term Two•Study of a

complete play (Blood

Brothers)•‘Teechers’

Term Three

Murder Mansion•Brecht

The skills that you develop during this unit will help you to become a

better•Creative thinker•Reflective learner•Effective participant•Self-manager•Independent enquirer •Team worker

Time to make some friends!• The class that you are now in will be the same

one that you will be in for the whole of the GCSE course so it’s time to get to know each other

• Speed befriending!You have 3 minutes to go and talk to as many people as possibleYou must tell them your name, why you’ve chosen Drama and something interesting that you did over the summer

• What have you found out?

Games that you like

•Your very lovely teacher will now let you play a selection of your favourite games from year 7 and 8 that you LOVE but never had enough time for

•Your first choice please….

Today’s Focus

• We will be starting off with a few exercises to get you thinking about the skills that you need to succeed in drama and to make you consider what you need to work on to improve your ability in the subject

ENJOY….

Vocal Expression• ‘Yes’ and ‘No’

The whole group is to stand in a circle. The aim of this game is to say the word ‘yes’ in as many different ways as possible. Each person should have a turn and ensure their version of ‘yes’ sounds nothing like what has been said before! Repeat the exercise with the word ‘no’

• PersuasionIn pairs A has to persuade B to let them do something e.g. borrow their car, lend them some cash, let them stay out late etc. B can only answer ‘no’ so A will have to see how persuasive they can be!

Q: Why is it important to consider your vocal expression in acting????

Spontaneous ImprovisationSpontaneous ImprovisationFreeze!Freeze!

Two people start in the centre of the Two people start in the centre of the circle. They are given a setting and circle. They are given a setting and have to ‘spontaneously’ improvise a have to ‘spontaneously’ improvise a scene. When the teacher decides scene. When the teacher decides they have improvised for long they have improvised for long enough, they shout ‘Freeze!’ and the enough, they shout ‘Freeze!’ and the next person steps in to start a new next person steps in to start a new scene. scene.

Q: What are the challenges of Q: What are the challenges of spontaneous improvisation?spontaneous improvisation?

• What are you doing?This game aims to test your mime skills and your use of gestures!

• Why are you late?You’re late for work and your boss isn’t pleased! Luckily your co-workers think up 3 excuses and mime them to you to give to the boss. Will you keep your job?

Q: Why do we need to consider our gestures and use of mime in drama?

Mime and Gestures

StrengthsStrengthsUse the suggestions below to think about what Use the suggestions below to think about what you do well in drama. There are many other you do well in drama. There are many other strengths that you will have, so don’t feel limited strengths that you will have, so don’t feel limited to the ones below! to the ones below!

I work well in a groupI work well in a groupI bring lots of ideas to lessonsI bring lots of ideas to lessons

I use my voice effectively in dramaI use my voice effectively in dramaI create clear charactersI create clear characters

I use eye contact effectivelyI use eye contact effectivelyI am an effective directorI am an effective director

I always try my hardest in lessonsI always try my hardest in lessonsI am focused in lessonsI am focused in lessons

I use gestures and movement appropriatelyI use gestures and movement appropriately

I think I could improve on…

• my confidence in performance• listening to other peoples’ ideas• projecting my voice• directing scenes• my focus in lessons• my use of movement and gestures• sharing my ideas• my directing skills• creating clear characters

And so as our first lesson draws to a close…

• Why is vocal expression important in Drama?

• What are the challenges of spontaneous improvisation and why is it important to be able to do it?

• How can mime and gestures help us in Drama

• How have you improved your drama skills this lesson?

• WELL DONE!