| Full lesson | Create for a teacher a set of content for giving a lesson, beginning with the lesson plan. Each new block of materials must begin with an H1 heading (other subheaders must be H2, H3, etc). When you describe required pictures, write those descriptions in curly brackets, for example: {A picture of a triangle} |
| Which subject | Drama |
| What topic | Devising |
| What length (min) | 30 |
| What age group | Year or Grade 8 |
| Class size | 20 |
| What curriculum | |
| Include full script | |
| Check previous homework | |
| Ask some students to presents their homework | |
| Add a physical break | |
| Add group activities | |
| Include homework | |
| Show correct answers | |
| Prepare slide templates | |
| Number of slides | 5 |
| Create fill-in cards for students | |
| Create creative backup tasks for unexpected moments |
Devising
Year 8
Drama
20 students
This lesson aligns with the National Curriculum for Drama, focusing on developing creativity, collaboration, and performance skills.
| Step Number | Step Title | Length (mins) | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction | 5 | Briefly introduce the concept of devising theatre and its importance in drama. Explain the objectives of the lesson. |
| 2 | Icebreaker Activity | 5 | Facilitate a quick icebreaker to create a comfortable environment. Ask students to introduce themselves and share their favourite play. |
| 3 | Card Distribution | 5 | Hand out printable cards to each student. Instruct them to use these cards for note-taking and brainstorming during the lesson. |
| 4 | Group Workshop | 10 | Divide students into small groups. Provide them with a prompt and ask them to begin devising their short scene, encouraging collaboration and creativity. |
| 5 | Random Checking | 5 | Collect or randomly check the cards. Review students’ notes to assess their understanding and contributions. Provide feedback if necessary. |
| 6 | Reflection and Conclusion | 5 | Gather students to share their experiences from the group work. Lead a discussion about what they learned and any challenges they faced in the devising process. |
Students should reflect on their group work and write a short paragraph about the experience and what they learned about devising. This reflection will be submitted in the next lesson without any presentations required.
"Good morning, everyone! Today, we're going to dive into a very exciting topic in drama - devising theatre. Devising is a unique form of theatre where we create our own stories, characters, and performances from scratch, often based on a given prompt. By the end of the lesson, you will have collaboratively created a short scene with your peers and reflected on your creative process. Let's get started!"
"To warm us up and get to know each other better, we’re going to do a quick icebreaker! Please take turns introducing yourselves by saying your name and sharing your favourite play or a performance that you've enjoyed. I’ll go first! My name is [Teacher’s Name], and my favourite play is [Teacher’s Favourite Play]. Now, let’s go around the room!"
"Great job sharing everyone! Now, I’m going to hand out these printable cards to you. Each of you will receive one of these cards that you can use for note-taking and brainstorming during today’s lesson. You can jot down ideas, thoughts or anything you think could help during your group work. Just a reminder, these will help you focus your thoughts as you create your scenes."
"Now that we’re all warmed up and ready to go, I’m going to split you into small groups. Each group will receive a prompt that you’ll use to start devising your short scene. Remember, the key here is collaboration and creativity. Think about how you want to interpret the prompt, and start generating ideas together. You have ten minutes for this. Ready? Let's find your groups!"
"Okay, everyone! Time’s up! Now, I’d like to have a quick check on your cards. Please pass them to me or just hold them up randomly. I’m going to look through a few to see how you've noted down your ideas and contributions. Don’t worry if I pick your card – this is just to get a sense of where you’re at and to provide any helpful feedback!"
"Fantastic work today, everyone! Let’s come back together as a class. I’d love to hear about your experiences during the group work. What were some of the challenges you faced while devising your scenes? What did you learn about collaborating with your peers? Feel free to share your thoughts, and let's have a discussion about the devising process!"
"For your homework, I would like you to take a moment to reflect on today’s group work. Please write a short paragraph about your experience and what you learned about devising theatre. This will be submitted in our next lesson, but there’s no need for a presentation; just focus on your written reflection. Looking forward to reading your thoughts! Have a great day!"
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is devising theatre, and how does it differ from scripted plays? | |
| Why is collaboration important in devising a scene? | |
| How can you interpret a prompt when creating a devised scene? | |
| What challenges might you face when working in a group to create a scene? | |
| What are some techniques you can use to brainstorm ideas with your group? | |
| How did you feel about the contribution of each group member during the workshop? | |
| What was one key takeaway from your experience in the group workshop? | |
| How can note-taking enhance your creative process while devising theatre? | |
| In what ways did you reflect on your creative process during the lesson? | |
| What did you learn about performance from creating a scene with your peers? |