Drama Kindergarten to Grade 12 Objectives

Organizer	Objective
Exploration and Imagination	Students explore, express, and reflect on their thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and imaginative ideas through individual and group participation in drama.
Drama Skills	Students learn to use body and voice expressively, maintain concentration and focus while in role, develop the facility to move between the concrete and the abstract within a dramatic context, and apply technical skills and knowledge to enhance dramatic communication.
Context	Students experience, respond to, and reflect on the aesthetic, cultural, and historical contexts of drama.

Classroom Considerations

Determine the purpose of each lesson and exercise. All students in the class should know why a particular activity or game is being used and should be aware of the goals of the program.

• Develop routines for beginning and ending lessons (e.g., warmup, cooldown).
• Establish methods for getting students' attention (e.g., key word, arm signal).
• Form partners, groups, or working buddies, and make transitions between groupings. (Note: Be aware of cultural taboos and personal discomfort with boy and girl partnerships and touching.)
• Consider noise management and productive sound issues, and the effect of selections and playing of music (including consideration of more than one piece of music playing at the same time).
• Wear clothing and footwear appropriate for the given activity.
• Ensure safe use of personal and general space.
• Distribute and collect props, tools, and materials.
• Ensure that all students are engaged in some way at all times (e.g., when students are acting as audience members, provide a structure for response).
• Determine appropriateness of artistic choices (e.g., for props, costumes, music).
• Provide constructive criticism and respect the contributions of others.

Although some components of the curriculum can take place in regular classrooms, drama requires some special facility considerations. When choosing or designing a facility for teaching drama, consider the following questions:

• Is the space open and unobstructed?
• Is there adequate heating and ventilation?
• Is the lighting adjustable?
• Do you have access to props and costumes?
• Do you have access to storage (for equipment, costumes, scripts)?
• Do you have access to video equipment, an adequate sound system, and music?
• Can you make modifications to the presentation area (e.g., using simple risers, benches, flats, boxes, tables)?

Some teachers might want to include an emphasis on multimedia productions. Those who are unable to purchase all the required equipment may be able to access specialized equipment from other schools in the district (e.g., high-school fine arts, technology education, or business education departments), as well as from local colleges, television and radio stations, studios, and businesses. This equipment includes:

• video recording equipment (camera and batteries, VCR, lighting kits, tripods, filters)
• video editing systems (mixer, titler, edit controller)
• still cameras with lenses, flash equipment, and filters
• computers with imaging, multimedia presentation, and animation capabilities (including Internet access, CD-ROM, video capability, MIDI capability, digital camera, scanners, colour printers)
• appropriate software
• sound production and mixing equipment (tape decks, CD players, microphones and amplifiers, headphones, mixing board, synthesizers, piano, percussion instruments)

Safety Considerations

• Are students aware of established rules and procedures for safety (e.g., moving in the designated space with control and with respect for others, hearing conservation, health procedures when sharing costumes)?
• Is the activity suitable to each student's interest, confidence, ability, and physical condition?
• Has the instruction been sequenced progressively to ensure safety?
• Are students being properly supervised?
• Have students been given specific instruction about how to use the facilities, equipment, and their bodies and voices appropriately (e.g., safe use of equipment, proper physical and vocal warmup)? Do they fully understand the instructions?
• Are the facilities and equipment suitable and in good repair?
• Are students wearing clothing and footwear appropriate for the activity?

In addition to physical safety, teachers should consider the emotional safety of students when planning a drama program. Be sensitive to individual students; be prepared to respond to unique situations; and develop creative strategies to deal with rivalry, stress, fear of failure, stage fright, and so on. As well, be aware of activities that may cause emotional or psychological stress for individual students (e.g., blindfolding, working in closed environments, solo presentations, body contact), and be prepared to offer alternative strategies as necessary.

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