Drama
Introductory Statement
This policy is a record of the teaching and learning of Drama in our school.
The policy was originally formulated by the staff of Cloughduv N.S in 2009 following various in-service planning days and much consultation. It was reviewed and it is now being updated to keep it in line with our SSE PLAN and many staff changes. (January 2020)
It was informed by the Primary School Curriculum, support from the PDST, the needs of the children and the experience and expertise of the teaching staff.
Rationale
This policy was devised:
Vision and Aims:
Our school recognises that Drama education is part of a broad and balanced curriculum which aims to develop the whole spectrum of the child’s intelligence. We also seek to develop the child’s aesthetic, intellectual, emotional, creative and cultural development through engagement in positive drama experiences.
School Vision Statement:
We aim at Cloughduv N.S. to nurture the holistic development of every pupil and we strive to provide a happy and productive learning environment for all our pupils.
The school aims:
Aims of the Drama Curriculum:
Prerequisites for making drama
Elements of drama
Belief - Time -Role and character - Tension -Action -Significance -Place -Genre-Use of Script
Curriculum Planning:
Drama has ONE strand at each class level, further divided into 3 strand units. (1999)
Strand: to explore feelings, knowledge and ideas leading to understanding
Strand Units:
Exploring and Making Drama
Junior & Senior Infants
1st & 2nd Class
3rd & 4th Class
5th & 6th Class
Reflecting on Drama
Junior & Senior Infants
1st & 2nd Class
3rd & 4th Class
5th & 6th Class
Co-Operating and Communicating in Making Drama
Junior & Senior Infants
1st & 2nd Class
3rd & 4th Class
5th & 6th Class
Children with Different Needs:
In line with the underlying principles of the Revised Primary School Curriculum, we believe that Drama is for all children and all teachers. Therefore, each child in the school will be involved in drama lessons. Drama activities may be differentiated in order to meet the needs of each child.
Linkage and Integration:
Approaches and Methodologies:
Belief is central to all drama and should be characterised by a willingness to believe in the drama itself, sincerity in playing roles and characters, a willingness to accept fictional consequences of drama and a willingness to explore. Each year the teacher will agree the ground rules with the class, so as to ensure:
A safe space must be provided with the rules of trust agreed upon by all.
Content for drama must come from life experiences. It may come from ideas and suggestions by the children themselves or it may be an issue the teacher would like them to work on. Teachers will carefully select a fictional lens for their chosen content. Warm up games may be used, in order to build up the skills necessary for the drama process. Stimuli will usually be the starting point for the creation of the drama eg -stories-poems-newspapers-pictures-paintings-photos-objects
Reflection by the children is key throughout the drama process. (cf. Appendix 1 for Reflection)
Teachers employ a range of methodologies
.(cf. Appendix 3 for description of these methodologies).
For example:
Equality of participation and access:
All children in Cloughduv National School have equal access to Drama within the school.
Some annual drama events will be held in the school e.g. Christmas Shows or visiting companies.
Assessment and Record Keeping:
We recognise the importance of assessment and record keeping in the delivery of the Drama Curriculum. Teachers will be encouraged to use teacher observation when assessing drama work in class. Recordings (including video) of children’s work may occasionally be made. These may be published on the school website, blog or twitter.
Timetables:
All classes will have 45mins to one hour of formal drama instruction each week (depending on the length of the school day). In addition to this, Drama is integrated into the curriculum in English, Irish, History, R.E. and S.P.H.E. Teachers may choose to block times for drama if working on a project. Discretionary time may also be used.
Resources (cf. Appendix 2)
Health & Safety
As with all curricular areas, Health and Safety will be a priority in organising all aspects of Drama. Central to this will be the use of possible contracts for older children, the use of child-friendly props, the careful use of space and the removal of obstacles such as furniture etc.
Individual Teacher’s Planning and Preparation
Teachers will prepare a yearly plan based on the strand units that relate to their class along with drama resources and materials that are available in the school. Fortnightly plans will include a section on Drama and progress will be recorded at the end of each month. Thematic approaches at certain times of the year are suggested e.g. Halloween, Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day.
Parental Involvement
The school always welcomes parental involvement and many parents have supported the school in a variety of ways. Parents will support the Drama programme by:
Community Links:
Success Criteria:
Review
This policy will be reviewed if the curriculum changes or when necessary to ensure optimum implementation of the Drama Curriculum.
We will
Those involved in the review will be: Principal & all teachers
This review was done in March 2020
Ratification
This plan was ratified by the Board of Management.
This policy is a record of the teaching and learning of Drama in our school.
The policy was originally formulated by the staff of Cloughduv N.S in 2009 following various in-service planning days and much consultation. It was reviewed and it is now being updated to keep it in line with our SSE PLAN and many staff changes. (January 2020)
It was informed by the Primary School Curriculum, support from the PDST, the needs of the children and the experience and expertise of the teaching staff.
Rationale
This policy was devised:
- To provide clear guidelines for teachers
- To insure consistency throughout the school
- To comply with legislation
Vision and Aims:
Our school recognises that Drama education is part of a broad and balanced curriculum which aims to develop the whole spectrum of the child’s intelligence. We also seek to develop the child’s aesthetic, intellectual, emotional, creative and cultural development through engagement in positive drama experiences.
School Vision Statement:
We aim at Cloughduv N.S. to nurture the holistic development of every pupil and we strive to provide a happy and productive learning environment for all our pupils.
The school aims:
- to create a safe, secure, caring environment where the child can feel happy and confident and where he/she can embrace change in a positive way
- to recognise each child as an individual and to celebrate difference and promote tolerance
- to promote a natural learning spirit and curiosity of life, where the child is encouraged to reach his/her true potential
- to educate the child holistically, teaching a broad curriculum that focuses on cognitive, emotional and spiritual needs
Aims of the Drama Curriculum:
- to enable the child to become drama literate
- to enable the child to create a permanent bridge between make-believe play and the art form of theatre
- to develop the child’s ability to enter physically, emotionally and intellectually into the drama world in order to promote questing, empowering and empathetic skills
- to enable the child to develop the social skills necessary to engage openly, honestly and playfully with others
- to enable the child to co-operate and communicate with others in solving problems in the drama and through the drama
- to enable the child to understand the structures and modes of drama and how they create links between play, thought and life
- to enable the child to acquire this knowledge of drama through the active exploration of themes drawn from life (past and present), whether they have their source in other curriculum areas or in general areas relevant to the child’s life
- to enable the child to begin the process of translating a knowledge of drama into the active exploration of life themes from drama literature, leading to the appreciation of world drama culture
Prerequisites for making drama
- Content
- The fictional Lens
- Creating a Safe Environment
Elements of drama
Belief - Time -Role and character - Tension -Action -Significance -Place -Genre-Use of Script
Curriculum Planning:
Drama has ONE strand at each class level, further divided into 3 strand units. (1999)
Strand: to explore feelings, knowledge and ideas leading to understanding
Strand Units:
- Exploring and making Drama
- Reflecting on Drama
- Co-operating and communicating in making Drama
Exploring and Making Drama
Junior & Senior Infants
- develop the instinct for make believe play into Drama
- develop the ability to play in role as an integral part of the action
- experience how the use of space and objects can help to create the reality of the make-believe world
- Experience how the fictional plast and the desired fictional future influence the present Dramatic Action
- Develop an awareness of how he/she, as part of a group, helps to maintain focus in the Dramatic Action
- Develop an awareness of tension in Drama
1st & 2nd Class
- Use the ability to play at make-believe to enter fully into participation in Drama
- Use his/her emerging awareness of the differences in people in order to begin to develop an understanding of the relationship between role and character
- Experience how context is built and a Drama reality created through the use of space and objects
- Experience how the fictional past and the desired fictional future influence the present Dramatic action
- Develop the ability to help maintain the focus in the Dramatic action
- Begin to see how tension adds to Drama the suspense that ensures the interest of the participants
3rd & 4th Class
- Enter into the fictional Dramatic context with the same spontaneity and freedom that he/she has earlier applied to make-believe plan
- Understand the relationship between role and character and develop the ability to hold on to either role or character for as long as the Dramatic activity requires
- Discover how the use of space and objects can help in building the context and in signifying Dramatic these
- Explore how the fictional past and the desired fictional future influence the present Dramatic action
- Begin, as a member of a group, to include in Drama activity the elements of tension and suspense
- Begin the process of using script as a pre-text
5th & 6th Class
- Enter appropriately and with the facility, whether watched or unwatched, into the fictional Dramatic context
- Extend playing in role an in character to include the ability to accept and maintain a brief that has been decided on by either the teacher, the group or himself/herself
- Discover how the use of space and objects helps in building the context and in signifying the Drama theme
- Explore how the fictional past and the desired fictional future influence the present Dramatic action. Become adept at implementing the ‘playing rules’ that maintain focus in Dramatic action
- Help to plan Dramatic activity to include the particular tension and suspense appropriate to the theme being explored
- Distinguish between various genres, such as comedy, tragedy and fantasy
- Become comfortable with scripts and understand the basic processes by which script becomes action
Reflecting on Drama
Junior & Senior Infants
- Develop the ability to reflect on the action as it progresses
- Experience the relationship between story, theme and life experience
- Share the insights gained while experiencing the Drama
1st & 2nd Class
- Use reflection on a particular Dramatic action to creative possible alternative courses for the action
- Experience, through Drama, the relationship between story theme and life experience
- Share insights while experiencing Drama or insights that arise out of Drama
3rd & 4th Class
- Use reflection on and evaluation of a particular Dramatic action to create alternative courses for the action
- Learn, through Drama, the relationship between story, theme and life experience
- Use the sharing of insights arising out of Dramatic action to develop the ability to draw conclusions and to hypothesise about life and people
5th & 6th Class
- Reflect on a particular Dramatic action in order to create possible alternative courses for the action that will reflect more closely the life patterns and issues being examined
- Learn, through Drama, the relationship between story, theme and life experience
- Use the sharing of insights arising out of Dramatic action to develop the ability to draw conclusions and to hypothesise about life and people
Co-Operating and Communicating in Making Drama
Junior & Senior Infants
- Develop the ability, out of role, to co-operate and communicate with others in helping to shape the Drama
- Develop, in role, the ability to co-operate and communicate with others in helping to shape the Drama
1st & 2nd Class
- Develop the ability, out of role, to co-operate and communicate with others in helping to shape the Drama
- Develop, in role, the ability to co-operate and communicate with others in helping to shape the Drama
- Develop fictional relationships through interaction with the other characters in small-group or whole-class scenes as the Drama text is being made
- Re-enact for others in the group a scene that has been made in simultaneous small-group work
3rd & 4th Class
- Develop the ability, out of role, to co-operate and communicate with others in helping to shape the Drama
- Develop, in role, the ability to co-operate and communicate with others in helping to shape the Drama
- Develop fictional relationships through interaction with the other characters in small-group or whole-class scenes as the Drama text is being made
- Enact spontaneously for others in the group a scene from the Drama, or share with the rest of the class a scene that has already been make in simultaneous small-group work
5th & 6th Class
- Develop the ability, out of role, to co-operate and communicate with others in helping to shape the Drama
- Develop, in role, the ability to co-operate and communicate with others in helping to shape the Drama
- Develop fictional relationships through interaction with the other characters in small-group or whole-class scenes as the Drama text is being made
- Enact spontaneously for others in the group a scene from the Drama, or share with the rest of the class a scene that has already been made in simultaneous small-group work
Children with Different Needs:
In line with the underlying principles of the Revised Primary School Curriculum, we believe that Drama is for all children and all teachers. Therefore, each child in the school will be involved in drama lessons. Drama activities may be differentiated in order to meet the needs of each child.
Linkage and Integration:
- Linkage is inherent to the Drama process.
- Drama can be integrated with many curricular areas e.g. English, Religion, Gaeilge, History, SPHE etc. to maximise children’s learning
- Linkage occurs naturally throughout the 3 strand units. Each lesson will include aspects of exploration, reflection, co-operation and communication.
Approaches and Methodologies:
Belief is central to all drama and should be characterised by a willingness to believe in the drama itself, sincerity in playing roles and characters, a willingness to accept fictional consequences of drama and a willingness to explore. Each year the teacher will agree the ground rules with the class, so as to ensure:
- A desire to work with others in sincerity and respect
- A willingness to explore together situations which may arise.
- A willingness to enter into the drama
A safe space must be provided with the rules of trust agreed upon by all.
Content for drama must come from life experiences. It may come from ideas and suggestions by the children themselves or it may be an issue the teacher would like them to work on. Teachers will carefully select a fictional lens for their chosen content. Warm up games may be used, in order to build up the skills necessary for the drama process. Stimuli will usually be the starting point for the creation of the drama eg -stories-poems-newspapers-pictures-paintings-photos-objects
Reflection by the children is key throughout the drama process. (cf. Appendix 1 for Reflection)
Teachers employ a range of methodologies
.(cf. Appendix 3 for description of these methodologies).
For example:
- Still Image
- Thought-Tracking
- Still image
- Mime
- Narration
- Hot-Seating
- Caption-Making and Headlines
- Conscience Alley
- Defining Space
- Sound tracking
- Living Picture
- Briefing
- Small – group Play-Making
- Flashback Flash forward
- Ritual
- Teacher-In-Role
Equality of participation and access:
All children in Cloughduv National School have equal access to Drama within the school.
Some annual drama events will be held in the school e.g. Christmas Shows or visiting companies.
Assessment and Record Keeping:
We recognise the importance of assessment and record keeping in the delivery of the Drama Curriculum. Teachers will be encouraged to use teacher observation when assessing drama work in class. Recordings (including video) of children’s work may occasionally be made. These may be published on the school website, blog or twitter.
Timetables:
All classes will have 45mins to one hour of formal drama instruction each week (depending on the length of the school day). In addition to this, Drama is integrated into the curriculum in English, Irish, History, R.E. and S.P.H.E. Teachers may choose to block times for drama if working on a project. Discretionary time may also be used.
Resources (cf. Appendix 2)
- A halla with stage and ample space for movement and group work
- Gross motor room also with space for activities
- We sometimes invite touring companies to visit the school
- We may call on the services of a Drama Specialist to assist for one term
- A selection of Drama books is available in the school.
- Teachers will source and maintain a variety of props that can be used in their class.
- There are lots of costumes in storage, especially for Christmas show use
- We have 2 microphones and an amplifier for use in the Halla
Health & Safety
As with all curricular areas, Health and Safety will be a priority in organising all aspects of Drama. Central to this will be the use of possible contracts for older children, the use of child-friendly props, the careful use of space and the removal of obstacles such as furniture etc.
Individual Teacher’s Planning and Preparation
Teachers will prepare a yearly plan based on the strand units that relate to their class along with drama resources and materials that are available in the school. Fortnightly plans will include a section on Drama and progress will be recorded at the end of each month. Thematic approaches at certain times of the year are suggested e.g. Halloween, Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day.
Parental Involvement
The school always welcomes parental involvement and many parents have supported the school in a variety of ways. Parents will support the Drama programme by:
- Assisting with productions form time to time, especially in the provision of props and simple costumes;
- Encouraging pupils’ participation
- Providing occasional expertise in terms of musical support as available.
- Providing an appreciative audience.
Community Links:
- Use of simple dramatic elements in liturgical celebrations, e.g. Christmas Nativity, Communion, etc
Success Criteria:
- Pupil Participation and Enjoyment
- Teacher and pupil feedback
- A growing confidence in the use of Drama among teachers
- A growing knowledge of Drama approaches among pupils
Review
This policy will be reviewed if the curriculum changes or when necessary to ensure optimum implementation of the Drama Curriculum.
We will
- co-ordinate the progress of the plan
- encourage and accept feedback on its implementation
- ensure teachers have the resources needed to implement this plan
- ensure each teacher has a copy of this plan
Those involved in the review will be: Principal & all teachers
This review was done in March 2020
Ratification
This plan was ratified by the Board of Management.
