The approach taken to drama in this curriculum is known as “drama in context”. Drama in context means that dramas are structured to provide a context, a situation, or a metaphoric framework in which students and teacher work together. Drama in context is also referred to as drama for understanding, role drama, group drama, or process drama.
Within the dramas, students and teachers assume roles and, taking with them their own unique set of experiences and perceptions, enter into a fictional world prepared to accept and “live through” an imagined situation.
Within the dramatic context, a wide variety of drama strategies are used to challenge the students to:
Most Elementary Level students possess a natural capacity for acting “as if”. From an early age, much of their naturally occurring play involves the development of imaginative roles. Dramatic situations invite the students to act “as if” they are someone else; that is, to experiment with what it feels like to stand in someone else's shoes.
Elementary Level students are expected to act “as if” or, in other words, to assume roles within the dramas. Students are not expected, as is the actor, to develop and portray complete interpretations of character.
At the Elementary Level, the main concern is with the internal actions that the drama evokes. Emphasis is not placed on the external actions of speaking and doing. It is far more important for a student to experience a sense of what it feels like to be an elderly person who must evacuate her home than to be able to look, to move, and to speak like an old woman.
The drama strand is organized into four required units:
The creative/productive, cultural/historical, and critical/responsive components are interwoven throughout the drama strand to provide students with opportunities to:
The following describes what teachers will find in the drama section of the curriculum guide:
Drama Unit Overviews and Sample Topics for Grades 1 to 5 Chart
There are seven foundational objectives for the Elementary Level drama strand. These objectives are to be developed throughout the Elementary Level and can be achieved through the specific learning objectives. The foundational objectives cover the scope of the drama program and embody the three components of arts education.
The seven foundational objectives are listed below and are followed by an explanation of each objective.
The students will:
1. Accept the dramatic context and assume roles within it.
While some children may have difficulty distinguishing between fiction and reality, most are experienced in playing within highly dramatic situations of children's own design. Acceptance of the dramatic situation requires that the students suspend their disbelief to accept the imagined situation and enter into the fiction provided by the drama. This requires students to engage their imaginations and, as the situation unfolds, to make connections between the fiction and students' own experience.
As students gain experience working within dramas, the ability to function in dramatic situations both in and out of role is heightened. Commitment is the key ingredient in any drama. Commitment is the ability to sustain belief for as long as the drama demands, and to recognize and understand the purpose of the work. When students are committed to their collective work, they accept responsibility for its direction, its success, and its worth.
Many factors combine to support students' commitment to their dramas. The following list describes some of these factors:
2. Contribute ideas appropriate to the drama and accept the ideas of others.
As each drama unfolds, students are called upon to express and initiate ideas, and to respect and often to follow the contributions of others. Students are challenged to negotiate, to problem solve, and to contribute to group decision making.
If students in or out of role express ideas that are not appropriate to the drama, it may be that the focus of the work is unclear. The teacher may call a temporary halt to the work and gather the children around in order to clarify the situation.
As dramas are unfolding, students contribute a variety of ideas, some of which may be conflicting in nature or inappropriate to the situation. Teachers involve students in negotiations concerning which ideas are to be incorporated into the work and how these ideas might enhance or change the direction of the work.
The negotiation that occurs within the dramatic situation is facilitated by the teacher to help students make sense of the material. Through skilful questioning, the group is led to clarify ideas, to summarize individual points of view, and to agree upon a course of action.
One of the challenges for the teacher and students working in dramatic situations is to negotiate in ways that honour all ideas. The teacher's ability to facilitate group decision making is crucial.
3. Develop the ability to use a variety of strategies and processes in dramatic situations.
As students work together to create their own works of dramatic art, students develop an understanding of the strategies and processes involved in creating such works. Processes in which students may become involved include some of the following:
Every drama should provide students with the opportunity to explore their chosen topic from several perspectives, in a number of groupings, and through a range of different strategies. These opportunities ensure that students are equipped to discover the strengths and limitations of the different groupings and strategies.
Students become familiar with a range of strategies such as:
Teacher Note:
See upcoming Drama Strategies section for a list of strategies and descriptions.
4. Reflect on individual contributions and the work of the group within dramatic contexts.
Both public and private reflection play a crucial role in drama work. Students must be provided with time to clarify and to share their understanding of the collective work as it unfolds.
Reflection enables students to stand back from their experience in order to examine meaning, to clarify their thinking, and to consider how effectively they functioned as a member of the group. The ability to reflect helps students understand how their responses and choices affect the responses and choices of others.
A variety of strategies can be used to facilitate student reflection both within and outside of dramatic situations. Discussion and journal writing have proven to be effective tools for reflection. Tableaux, storytelling, and small group scenes can serve this function as well. One-on-one interviews with the teacher are also valuable.
5. Understand the elements of dramatic presentations and develop concepts that lead to an understanding of organization in drama.
Three important concepts that students at the Elementary Level explore within their own contextual dramas include tension, contrast, and symbol. These concepts lead to an understanding of the elements of drama.
Tension is the pressure for response that can take the form of a challenge, a surprise, a time restraint, or the suspense of not knowing. Tension is what works in a drama to impel the students to respond and to take action.
Contrast is the dynamic use of movement/stillness, sound/silence, and light/darkness.
Symbol is something that stands for or represents something else. Broadly defined, dramas and collective creations are symbolic representations of human experience. Within works of dramatic art, links often exist between the concrete experiences of those involved and abstract ideas and themes.
It is the existence of tension, contrast, and symbol within all works of dramatic expression that creates form and uncovers meaning. Students gradually discover through their drama experiences how drama elements and episodes within dramas may be organized to create a whole.
Teacher Note:
Students in Grades 1-5 are engaged in contextual dramas rather than in performing scripted plays. Students explore dramatic situations episodically rather than follow traditional plot lines. Students should be assuming different roles and using various drama strategies within fictional situations. Elementary Level students should not be memorizing lines of script or interpreting physical mannerisms or voices of specific characters, as one might encounter in a traditional acting class for older youth or adults.
When students are responding to dramatic presentations, however, students need to develop an understanding of concepts and terminology associated with traditional elements of drama such as plot, character, and dialogue. Consult the developmental continuum of objectives beginning on page 116 to determine when these concepts and terminology should be introduced and further developed. By using a process like Responding to Arts Expressions, students are able to recognize and to discuss the presence and function of the elements and organization of drama experienced as audience.
6. Begin to talk about and interpret drama experienced as audience.
One of the goals of the arts education program is that students gain a lasting appreciation of art forms experienced as audience. Most students have the opportunity to see a play or two a year when the high school drama club or a community theatre group performs or when professional theatre companies tour their plays. Some recorded dramatic presentations are also available for school use.
Using a process, such as Responding to Arts Expressions, enables the teacher to guide the students to support their interpretations and opinions about the plays viewed as audience. Students begin to understand some of the work of today's dramatic artists and have an opportunity to explore individual and cultural worldviews expressed through drama.
7. Become familiar with drama and dramatic artists in own communities and beyond.
Dramatic art form is as old as humankind. It has been, and continues to be, a medium for personal expression and for the definition and transmission of culture. Drama can simultaneously mirror and influence the society in which it is formed. It is essential for students to understand that learning about the drama of a culture deepens their understanding of its people.
Students are encouraged to consider the role that drama and dramatic artists play in their communities – local, national, and global; past and present. Students may realize that dramatic art can question societal values and offer us social commentary. Students become aware that drama sparks our imagination, increases our ability to empathize with others, and provides us with fresh ideas and personal insights.
Encourage students to research and to discuss relevant information about the dramatic art and artists with whom students come in contact and in whom they express an interest. It is beneficial for students to increase their knowledge of Saskatchewan and Canadian dramatic artists. Students begin to view drama as worthy artistic endeavour and to understand ways in which dramatic artists get ideas and execute them.
The chart on the following link displays the scope and sequence of learning from Kindergarten to Grade 5. It includes broad foundational objectives for the Elementary Level and grade-specific learning objectives. This chart represents the required content for the drama strand.
K-5 Developmental Continuum Chart
