What is the most effective way of getting each year 7-9 student to be relaxed and join in?

The dual aim of helping the students feel relaxed and making them willing to join in is at the heart of key stage 3 practical drama activities.

And this includes helping them to overcome any self-consciousness they may have and encouraging every student, particularly those who had limited exposure to drama in primary school, to be part of the exploration.

Successful lessons should leave all the students feeling both relaxed and supported – and more aware of who they are and what they could be.

This is exactly the aim of Drama Depot which provides forty lessons for years 7 to 9, complete with warm ups and preparatory activities.

The assumption throughout is that everyone taking part has little previous dramatic knowledge. Indeed it is also possible for teachers with limited or no experience of drama to be able to use these lessons should the need arise.

Thus drama becomes a totally practical subject. Texts are occasionally used within the book to enhance the nature of the work, but they are never fundamental to each lesson.

It is also assumed that the average drama lesson lasts between 40 – 60 minutes (although the lessons can be adjusted for longer or shorter sessions).

Beyond that the idea is that the lessons should not have an overtly academic basis. They provide a chance for the students to expand their knowledge of what drama means and will make students always want to come back for more.

The students can work in pairs, in threes and occasionally in larger groups in order to ensure that the whole class is occupied all the time.

The forty lessons should provide more than enough material to last a whole school year – or the lessons can be spread over three years and interspersed with other materials.

Cat No: 978 1 86083 836 1 Order code: T1816emn – please quote with order.

Sample pages can be viewed at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/drama/T1816.pdf

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