Prescribed Learning Outcomes
It is expected that students will:
- demonstrate a willingness to participate in drama activities that explore the roles of community members
- demonstrate an awareness of drama from a variety of cultures
- demonstrate appropriate audience skills
To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Context in other grades click on an icon below.
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Suggested Instructional Strategies
- Invite students to create a role play that focusses on a journey (e.g., people who work at night and take the all-night bus). Ask them to prepare for the role play through activities such as discussing and miming the occupations and duties of people who work at night, then discussing and miming getting ready for work (e.g., waking up, eating supper, getting dressed). The teacher then role-plays the bus driver and works with students in role to create a sequence such as the following:
- walk to the bus stop; wait for the bus in pairs
- board the bus and choose seats, answering questions from the bus driver about their jobs
- get off the bus at their workplaces; work at their jobs
- board the bus for home; get off the bus at their homes; get ready for bed
The teacher may introduce a problem that students need to solve (e.g., flat tire, bus is late). Other examples of journeys to role-play include settlers on a stagecoach, astronauts in a space ship, and crew on a pirate ship.
- Invite students to examine the customs associated with particular cultural celebrations, using a variety of print and non-print resources (e.g.,
CD-ROMs, videos, guest speakers). In a class discussion, help students identify how the customs are expressed in drama (e.g., parade, dance drama). As a class, choose one of the customs to explore using a variety of drama structures.
- As a class, discuss community helpers, listing their special equipment, clothing, and specific functions or duties. Have students mime the tasks of various community helpers.
- Prior to students presenting their work, ask them to suggest appropriate audience etiquette. Following the presentations, have students describe how they behaved as an audience.
Suggested Assessment Strategies
- As students engage in drama and other activities, look for evidence that they are:
- interested in stories and dramas from a range of cultures
- willing to participate in activities that are unfamiliar to them
- able to find similarities in activities from a variety of cultures, including their own
- aware of the role of drama in their own cultures
- respectful of cultural and other differences
- As students develop and talk about the roles of community helpers they play, note the extent to which they:
- are willing to take on roles
- respond to questions in role
- volunteer ideas in role that help to sustain or advance group activities
- After students have participated in drama activities related to a cultural celebration, ask them to write or draw their responses to one or two prompts such as:
- Today we celebrated ---------- .
- One of the most interesting parts was when
---------- .
- Something I did to add to the celebration was
---------- .
- I liked ---------- .
- When students mime the actions of community helpers, note and encourage evidence that they are able to:
- sustain their attention when others are taking turns
- show interest and curiosity in a variety of roles
- use movement to interpret roles
- remember, recognize, and use attributes or movements they have seen adults display in specific roles
- After students view a performance, ask them to draw and label characters or scenes that stand out in their minds. Provide opportunities for them to share their work and their memories of the performance.
Recommended Learning Resources
Print Materials
- Building Plays
- Center Stage
- Christmas On Stage
- Drama Guidelines
- Dramathemes
- Readers Theatre for Beginning Readers
- Story Drama
