Drama Curriculum: Ages Nine to Twelve
Drama Overview
Alongside the other areas of the creative arts, drama is integrated into the Montessori curriculum for children aged from six to twelve years. Here are some examples of ways drama is used across the Montessori curriculum.
The Montessori grace and courtesy lessons are presented and practised in the form of role-play. Children ‘act out’ effective, and less effective, ways of managing social situations. Through role-play children learn, for example, how to communicate in the classroom without disturbing others, how to ask for help, how to invite someone to join a group and how to answer the telephone.
Drama plays a key role in several areas of the language curriculum. For example, reading commands are games in which children act out what they have read. In other words, drama is used in the service of enhancing reading comprehension. In the Montessori grammar games children act out the meaning of variations in grammatical structures, in this way, learning the effect on meaning of even the slightest variation in grammatical structure. Through work with reading commands and grammar games children connect language and intentional movement.
The Montessori language curriculum also includes interpretive reading cards. Activities with these cards contribute to the drama curriculum for several reasons.
They involve movement and require cooperation among the members of the group.
They can be interpreted in a number of different ways, depending on answers to questions such as the following:
What happened before the small scene on the card?
What are the relationships between the characters in the scene?
What might happen next?
They can be used for dramatic reading as well, helping the children discover the importance of articulation of meaning, character, emotional content, mood and intent through variation in the use of the voice and various speaking techniques, including:
loudness/softness
tempo
intonation
rhythm
emphasis
character: accent, dialect, style of speaking
articulation and enunciation
Children’s independent work in subjects such as history, science and music, often lead them into preparing and performing their own simple dramatic productions. For example, in Science, groups of children act out the movement of particles in solids, liquids and gases to build greater understanding of the three states of matter, or they might prepare a dramatisation of the water cycle. Other excellent sources of material for plays include:
fairytales and folktales from different cultures
legends and myths
timelines of human beings, fundamental needs of different cultures, including the children’s own culture
adaptations of professionally written plays, musicals, operas and operettas
scenes performed in a language other than English
dramatisations of biology, history and geography charts, for example the leaf as a food factory
Children learn specific interpretive or performance skills during drama ‘games’ introduced as part of a particular area of study, not as isolated instruction in drama. They put together small skits, scenes or dramatisations as their interest dictates. The children may also be involved in a play for the whole class, reflecting the work of the class. The children are involved in the writing and staging of scenes, music production, scenery, props and costumes. During projects of this kind the whole group collaborates to achieve a single goal, building community, self-discipline and a realisation of how important every detail is in a group venture on this scale. Individual children may participate at different levels, depending on age, level and interest. Through involvement in the staging of dramatic performances children experience all of the aspects of a complex creative process and come to understand the time and effort required. They also come to appreciate the work involved in theatre productions they attend during excursions and going out activities. Ideally, children of this age, who are interested in what happens behind the scenes, should have opportunities to visit back stage and to talk to actors, directors and those involved in staging the production.
Many drama activities can be incorporated into the physical education programme. These include theatre games, role plays and exercises that involve movement, cooperative effort, spatial orientation, coordination, body awareness, breathing techniques, improvisation and mime. An example of this is ‘mirroring’, where two children stand face to face. One child initiates the movements and one follows, mirroring the movements of the leader. Interpretations of music may also be done in this same context or during music lessons in the classroom.
Whole class and school dramatic and/or musical productions are also often developed and performed to celebrate special events (e.g., Children’s Day, graduation). Children play key roles in all aspects of these productions, from inception to performance.
Exploring and Responding 3.DR.010
Knowledge, Skills and Understanding
Typically, children will:
.01 Understand the reasons humans developed and created drama
.02 Explore where, why and how people across cultures, including First Nations Australians communities, experience drama
.03 Distinguish between contrasting periods and styles in drama throughout history
.04 Realise what actors do, who they are and what they make
.05 Understand that actors create for different reasons and that various interpretations and opinions of their works are possible
+ Materials and Activity
Activities include:
- listen to the Story of Drama
- explore timelines and books about drama
- group discussion
- incursions, goings out and excursions
- independent research
- discuss periods of drama using some terminology
- recognise and explore different styles of drama e.g. mime, musical, tragedy, comedy
- distinguish between contrasting styles of drama on the basis of elements and principles
- be familiar with some of the names of famous actors
- study the lives and work of actors, including First Nations Australians and other Australian actors
- prepare responses, reviews and interpretations (spoken and written) of drama performances
Resources include:
- Fundamental Needs of Humans charts
- timelines of humans
- timelines of drama
- charts and posters
- digital and video resources
- books and print material
- Australian Curriculum's Drama resources
+ Links to Australian Curriculum (V9)
Developing Skills and Techniques 3.DR.020
Knowledge, Skills and Understanding
Typically, children will:
.01 Demonstrate a range of fundamental drama skills and the elements of drama safely and expressively
+ Materials and Activity
Activities include:
- read and study of plays and dramas
- experiment with playwriting a wide range of drama genre
- practice monologues, dialogues, skits and plays
- movement games, stretching exercises and drama activities which isolate and build individual skills, including:
- kinesthetic awareness and coordination in movement, i.e. ability to mirror another’s movements
- non-locomotor (standing) and locomotor movements
- understanding of spatial concepts and movements
- basic dynamic contrasts (e.g., fast-slow, gentle-strong)
- voice projection and enunciation
- improvisation
- mime
- artist-in-residence programs
Resources include:
- studio space
- audio and video resources
- charts, posters, picture cards
- command cards
- drama costumes, staging and props
+ Links to Australian Curriculum (V9)
Creating and Expressing 3.DR.030
Knowledge, Skills and Understanding
Typically, children will:
.01 Explore and select movement, using the elements of drama to express ideas, feelings or moods
.02 Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of drama
.03 Move to music to interpret and illustrate musical concepts and express feelings and emotions conveyed by the music
.04 Develop characters, situations, and dramatic action to communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning
+ Materials and Activity
Activities include:
- movement games with rhythm and tempo
- stretching exercises, breathing exercises
- dramatic music games
- collaboration on projects involving drama
- create and perform a variety of drama genre from different times and places
- composing drama pieces as part of dramatising particular themes or presenting other areas of the curriculum
- presentations on specific structural elements of drama and dramatic skills
- artist-in-residence programs
Resources include:
- studio space
- audio and video resources
- charts, posters, picture cards
- command cards
- drama costumes, staging and props
+ Links to Australian Curriculum (V9)
Presenting and Reflecting 3.DR.040
Knowledge, Skills and Understanding
Typically, children will:
.01 Sequence the action of the drama to create meaning for an audience
.02 Adapt small stories from a text form to a dramatic form through the use of dramatisation and dialogue
.03 Experience the knowledge and skills needed to stage a dramatic production
.04 Devise, act and rehearse drama in performances of plays/dramatic productions for a range of audiences
+ Materials and Activity
Activities include:
- key lessons on aspects of dramatic production
- rehearsals to prepare for school concert
- engaging in all aspects of a dramatic performance (e.g., acting, directing, costume and sets, lighting, front of house)
- costume and prop making
- scenography
- creating soundtracks and sound effects
- adapting fairy tales, narratives and story material from across the curriculum
Resources include:
- studio space
- charts, posters, picture cards
- command cards, stories, texts
- books of dialogues, skits and plays
- drama costumes, staging and props