Key Stage 3 Drama

Drama enables pupils to explore, develop and express ideas and concepts which will help them make sense of reality.

Drama is a life skill and a creative art form. It helps pupils develop their ability to use voice, movement, gesture and facial expression, in acting, mime, dance drama and improvisation. They can express and manage their thoughts and feelings – shared and experienced – while working in a safe and controlled environment. The development of these skills encourages self confidence and self awareness. It promotes the development of the individual in a group context: roles and ideas are negotiated, problems solved and decisions made together. Drama often leads to performance for a wider audience.

The curriculum for Key Stage 3 is set out in nine Areas of Learning comprised of subject strands. Each subject strand is defined as a minimum requirement and is structured to facilitate more collaborative learning. Drama falls under ‘The Arts’ and is recognised as a separate subject strand where pupils are required to have the opportunity to:

 

Further information can be found at:

http://www.nicurriculum.org.uk/docs/key_stage_3/areas_of_learning/statutory_requirements/ks3_drama.pdf

and on the CCEA Arts Resource page:

http://www.nicurriculum.org.uk/microsite/the_arts/drama/keystage_3/index.as

 

It is the intention that each of these statutory requirements be met during the 40 minutes of contact time per week in Junior Drama, but also that pupils would be given the opportunity to apply these skills across the curriculum. It is for this reason that the Drama Department is committed to facilitating collaboration across departments and encourages a range of staff to deliver these key skills.

 

Junior Drama is currently delivered in Year Eight and Year Nine and is broken down into three, termly, units in each year group.  The pupils should have a sense of developing knowledge and skills and will be given the opportunity for self-assessment at the end of each unit.

 

The Junior Curriculum is designed to allow the pupils as broad an experience of drama as possible and should build competences in the key skill areas across the two years; beginning with the acquisition of basic skills and, finally, culminating in the use of those skills to create a sustained piece of drama for performance.

 

 

TERM	Year Eight	Year Nine
1 Sept/Dec	•       Grounding of Basic Strategies •       Personal Identity •       Media Awareness, PU, MU	•       PSHE •       Internet Safety •       CEOP- Lifeskills
2 Jan/Mar	•       Historical Theatre •       Create and appraise	•       Script work •       Slavery/Rough Crossings •       Citizenship
3 Apr/Jun	•       Behind the Scenes •       WWO, MI, Employability	•       Devised Performance   •       Create an abridged version of  your favourite movie