Whole School Drama Plan

(a) Introductory Statement

The staff of St. Mary’s Primary School, have collaboratively drawn up this whole school plan for Drama.

This plan is for the information of teachers, others who work in the school, the Board of Management, the Department of Education and Skills and other interested partners in the school community.

(b) Rationale

We as a staff acknowledge the unique contribution Drama can make to the development of the child; by which the child can achieve an enhanced awareness of self and can experience a unique mode of learning. This plan was developed for the following reasons:

• It will provide an overview of Drama in our school.

• It will provide a framework through which specific classroom planning can take place.

• It will enable staff to conform to principles outlined in the new primary curriculum.

• To emphasise the importance of play and practising the life skills needed in reality

• To increase the skills of co-operation and communication through exploring and making and reflecting upon Drama

VISION AND AIMS:

(a) Vision

Our school’s mission statement emphasizes the holistic development of the child and the development of children’s creativity. We as a staff believe that Drama has a key role to play in achieving this mission.

(b) General aims

1. To provide children at all levels with an opportunity to engage in drama.

2. To provide a broad and balanced programme in drama education at all class levels by engaging with the strands of the curriculum.

3. To enable the children to engage in spontaneous making of drama

4. To balance work in making drama, and work in reflecting on drama, with children at all class levels.

5. To enable the child to see and solve problems creatively through imaginative thinking and so encourage individuality and enterprise.

6. To enable the child to explore, clarify and express ideas, feelings and experiences through drama.

CURRICULUM PLANNING:

1. Strand and Strand Units:

Strand: Drama to explore feelings, knowledge and ideas, leading to understanding

Strand units:

Exploring and making drama Reflecting on drama, co-operating Communicating in making drama

Strand: Strand Unit: Exploring and making drama.

Children in Junior and Senior Infants are:
1. Developing the instinct for and entering appropriately and with facility the fictional dramatic context.
2. Developing the ability to play in role.
3. Experiencing how space and objects can help create the make- believe world. 4. Experiencing how the fictional past and desired fictional future influence the present dramatic action.
5. Developing an awareness of tension in the drama.

6. Developing an awareness of how a child as a group member helps maintain the dramatic action.

Children in First and Second Classes are:

1. Developing their ability to enter fully into a fictional dramatic context.

2. Using their emerging awareness of differences in people to begin to develop an understanding of the relationship between role and character.

3. Experiencing how space and objects can help create context.

4. Experiencing how the fictional past and desired fictional future influence the present dramatic action.

5. Developing the ability to maintain focus in the dramatic action.

6. Developing an awareness of tension

Children in Third and Fourth Classes are:

1. Developing their ability to enter fully into a fictional dramatic context.

2. Developing the ability to stay in role or in character for as long as required.

3. Experience how space and objects can create context and signify dramatic themes.

4. Exploring how the fictional past and desired fictional future influence the present dramatic action.

5. Becoming aware of the rules that maintain dramatic action.

6. Including the elements of tension and suspense into the drama activity.

7. Beginning to use script as pre- text.

Children in Fifth and Sixth Classes are:

1. Entering appropriately and with facility into the fictional dramatic context.

2. Extending role and character to accept an already agreed brief from teacher or group or self.

3. Discovering for themselves how space and objects builds context and signifies dramatic themes.

4. Exploring how the fictional past and the desired fictional future influence the present dramatic action.

5. Implementing the rules that maintain focus in dramatic action.

6. Planning dramatic action to include the particular tension and suspense appropriate to the theme being explored.

7. Becoming comfortable with script and how it becomes action.

8. Distinguishing between different genres, such as comedy, tragedy, fantasy.

Strand Unit: Reflecting on Drama
Children in Junior and Senior Infants are:
1. Developing the ability to reflect on the action as it progresses.
2. Experiencing the relationship between story, theme and life experience.

3. Sharing insights gained while experiencing the drama.

Children in First and Second Classes are:
1. Reflecting on the dramatic action to create alternative outcomes.
2. Experiencing, through drama, the relationship between story theme and life experience.
3. Sharing insights gained while experiencing the drama.

Children in Third and Fourth Classes are:

1. Reflecting on the dramatic action to create alternative courses of action and outcomes that reflect more closely life patterns.

2. Learning, through drama, the relationship between story, theme and life experience.

3. Developing the ability to draw conclusions and hypothesize about life and people through drama.

Children in Fifth and Sixth Classes are:
1. Reflecting on the dramatic action to create alternative courses of action and outcomes that reflect more closely life patterns and issues being examined. 2. Learning, through drama, the relationship between story, theme, and life experience.
3. Developing the ability to draw conclusions and hypothesize about life and people through drama.

Strand Unit: Co-operating and communicating in making drama.
Children in Junior and Senior Infant Classes are:
• Developing the ability in and out of role to co-operate and communicate with others in helping to shape the drama.

Children in First and Second Classes are:

1. Developing the ability in and out of role to co-operate and communicate with others in helping to shape the drama.

2. Developing fictional relationships with other characters as the drama text is being made.

3. Re-enacting for others a scene that has been made in simultaneous small-group work.

Children in Third and Fourth Classes are:

1. Developing the ability in and out of role to co-operate and communicate with others in helping to shape the drama.

2. Developing fictional relationships with other characters as the drama text is being made.

3. Re-enacting for others a scene that has been made in simultaneous small-group work.

Children in Fifth and Sixth Classes are:

1. Developing the ability in and out of role to co-operate and communicate with others in helping to shape the drama.

2. Developing fictional relationships with other characters as the drama text is being made.

3. Enacting spontaneously for others a scene from the drama and sharing an already made in simultaneous small group work.

2. The Elements of drama are:

• Belief
Children will be given many opportunities for make-believe play in the early years classroom (Aistear) When the impulse to make believe begins to wane as the child gets older, teachers will explain to the children when they are entering a fictional situation, and negotiate an agreement to believe and accept the fictional consequences within the drama. The building of context and tensions will assist children in investing in the fiction and dilemmas at hand.

• Role and character
The child takes on characteristics, attributes and roleplays/improvises the thought processes of another person.

• Action
Action in drama comes from the interaction between characters and situations in which they find themselves in the drama.

• Place
The setting of the drama is wherever the action takes place. Children use the real environment and props available to establish the scene.

• Time
The fictional past and the fictional future will have a bearing on the drama.

• Tension
The characters will be faced with choices, desires and uncertainties. Such tension causes characters to make decisions and moves the drama forward.

• Significance
The relevance of the drama to the child’s life and the way in which the child relates to the drama will vary from child to child. Teachers will be sensitive in their choice of topics.

• Genre
Children in 5th and 6th class identify the style or genre of the drama. For example: comic, tragic, naturalistic, fantasy.

3. The Prerequisites for making drama are:

• Content

• The fictional lens

• Creating a safe environment

  Content:

  The content of the drama is developed through active exploration of stories, pictures, myths, historical situations, folklore etc. This is done through the setting up of moments or situations, before, during or after the story.

  The content /subject matter of the drama will be based on:

• the exploration of a certain theme e.g. loyalty, power etc.

• some aspect of life

• on the child’s experience

• the content of some other curriculum area.

  The fictional lens:

  The content is examined through the fictional lens. Content is translated into an enacted story. ‘The essence of drama is the making of story through enactment’, TG p2. The fictional lens will allow children the opportunity to explore relationships, issues or themes relevant to real life at a safe distance. Children are allowed to explore contexts they may not have had the opportunity to be in previously. (e.g. historical, fairy tale).

  Safe environment:

  Teachers will strive to create a positive physical and emotional environment in which children can explore various issues and relationships. Teachers will consider the amount of focus that is put on an individual or group. The space for drama will be defined before beginning drama. A drama contract may be entered into between the teacher and class outlining appropriate behaviours before entering the fictional lens

  4. Approaches and methodologies

  Drama activity in our school involves a process of exploration and improvisation leading to definable drama and educational outcomes. A thematic approach is used to examine issues. In developing themes various stimuli and props are incorporated into drama lessons.

5. Drama strategies:

Children develop co-operation and communication skills through a variety of activities while exploring and making drama.

• Games: Ice-breakers, name games, clapping games, trust games, confidence builders, physical games, concentration games, games to develop speaking and listening skills, games to improve memory skills, verbal games (chinese whispers), Gaeilge: ‘Deir O’Grádaigh’

• Movement skills and spatial awareness: Mirrors, puppets, robots, machines, statues, sculptures, freezes, still- images, slow motion action, mime

• Vocal skills: Sound-tracking, sounds capes, story-telling, sound orchestration, tongue twisters, narration, phone calls, dialogues/conversations, monologues, debates, presentation skills, nonsense vocabulary, projection, poetry reading (tone)

• Movement and vocal skills combined: Small group work focusing on narrator, sound and action, freezes with sound effects, freeze framing, movement to music, slow motion circus

• Improvisation: Using stimuli, such as familiar stories, newspaper headlines, quotations, poems, small group or pair work, prepared improvisation, domestic role-play – bringing domestic scenes to life, moving to spontaneous improvisation, forum theatre, teacher-in role, hot seating, thought-tracking

  Reflecting on drama:

  Children are encouraged to reflect on drama from both within the drama and after the drama experience.

  Methods of reflection: speaking, writing, listening, doing, questioning, visual arts

  • Speaking:
  Thought tracking, storytelling, hot seating, ‘microphones’, conscience alley, meetings, discussion, reading documents, rumours.

  • Writing:
  Character profile, personal recount, writing a dialogue, newspaper article, letter, lists, diary, report, insert for a time capsule

  • Listening:
  To teacher narrating, to others speaking, to silence (your own thoughts), to teacher in role, to recorded messages

  • Doing:
  Mime, still images of key moment, ritual e.g. meal, key event, puppets retell story, dance/movement eg. foclóir nua Gaeilge a chleachtadh trí dhrámaíocht mar shampla..an aimsir, bia, éadaí srl.

  • Questioning:

What might happen next? How will this affect you/others? How did you feel? What advice? What is the drama about?

• Visual Arts:
Making and looking at objects, drawing, mapping, I.C.T., use of fabric, print/collage

6. Children with differing needs

It is the policy in our school that all children participate in drama within the mainstream class situation. Children with particular additional needs will be assisted in activities by the class teacher and/or special needs assistant where applicable. Lesson content will be modified/differentiated to suit abilities. Drama opportunities may also occur in the learning support situation

7. Linkage and integration

Linkage:

There are many opportunities to link the three strands of the drama curriculum within the one lesson or scheme of lessons.

Integration:

As a staff we see possibilities for integrating our work in drama with the following aspects of other subject areas:

• ENGLISH: drama has a major role to play in the development of a child’s oral language and literacy through expressing thoughts, feelings and views at a fictional and real level. The child may use the language of problem-solving, using and reading body language, develop speaking and listening skills. Links in with Starlight English Scheme

• GAEILGE: Comhrá Gaeilge, ag úsaid rannta, dánta agus scéalta, ceangailt le Bua na Cainte. Fóclóir nua a chleachtadh trí dráma, dráma i rith Seachtain na Gaeilge

• P.E: Increased physical control, dance based on drama, athletics, running, jumping, throwing, mirroring movements, body performance, extension, body tension and clarity of body shape

• S.P.H.E: encouraging positive social interaction, safety, empathy, understanding of diversity, handling emotions and objectivity, problem- solving, thinking laterally. The use of drama to help the teaching of Walk Tall and Stay Safe programmes

• GEOGRAPHY: Explore environmental issues, mapping, scale and distance

• VISUAL ART: Use of materials, making, responding to artist’s work.

• MATHEMATICS: counting, measuring, timing

• HISTORY: improvised conversations between great leaders and their followers, diary extracts, understanding of historical decisions, opinions, attitudes and behaviours

• SCIENCE: living things- human life processes, plants and animals, sound, forces, environmental awareness and care

• MUSIC: Sound scapes, sound-tracking, vocal sounds, body percussion, composing

• RELIGION: Exploring the meaning of Parables, bible stories, Christmas (Play), Easter, St. Patrick, St. Brigid etc

  9. Assessment and record keeping:

  The extent to which the child can preserve the characteristics of make-believe play in drama activity will largely indicate the success or otherwise of the child’s drama experience.

  Teachers will be looking to assess the child’s:

• willingness to believe that the symbol is real eg ‘microphone’

• sincerity in playing their characters

• acceptance of the fictional consequences of the drama

• impulse to explore

  In taking part the child’s progress can be monitored through:

• teacher observation

• teacher-designed tasks, games and tests

• work samples

• portfolios and projects

• curriculum profiles

• observation of children participating in Dramas or plays

• level of enjoyment achieved

• self/peer assessment and feedback

• hot seat

• character studies

• 3 Stars and a Wish

  10. Equality of Participation and Access

  St. Mary’s National School is an equal opportunities school and is committed to providing all pupils with equal access to and participation in the drama curriculum. Through process drama children are encouraged to challenge stereotypes, relationship roles and to discuss viewpoints from both female and male perspectives. Pupils with emotional/behavioural difficulties will avail of differentiated teaching. 

The drama class may be used as an opportunity to integrate the cultures of all pupils. Authentic materials from other cultures may be used in drama activities to examine universal themes and issues. Teachers will be sensitive to the background of their class in their choice of topics

ORGANISATIONAL PLANNING

11. Timetable

In line with curriculum guidelines the arts curriculum (including drama, visual art and music) is allocated 2-2.25 hours per week in 1st – 6th class and 2.5 hours per week in infant classes. Teachers will be flexible in their allocation of time to drama and will use their professional judgment in deciding whether to concentrate on a block of time per month or timetabling drama on a weekly basis. Teachers will strive to balance an integrated approach to drama along with the subject-centred approach. On occasion it is necessary to allocate blocks of time for specific project work e.g. preparation for Christmas Performances or Seachtain na Gaeilge when classes are involved in whole school concert/dramatic production.

12. Resources

Aistear Resources in Infant Classrooms
Drama Curriculum and Teacher Guidelines Primary Language Curriculum
Other drama teaching resources include elements Walk Tall programme
Stay Safe Programme
Circle Time
Move Well Move Often PE Programme
Grow In Love Religious Education Programme Bua na Cainte (go dtí rang a dó)
Abair Liom (go dtí rang a sé)
S.E.S.E textbooks
Class Library Books
Large Story Books (eg Little Red Hen)
Class Novels
Class Readers

Stimuli may include for example: music, poetry, stories, visual images, newspaper captions, famous quotes, feelings cards (from Twinkl)

Some of the props may include for example: Puppets, dress up clothes/costumes, hand bags, hats, glasses, ‘microphones’, wigs, cups, crown, magic wand, mats, teddy, doll, eye masks, key, bells, bucket, walking stick, newspaper, clipboard, telephone, artifacts from historical box, drama cards with scenarios, big story books

Some suggested Websites for Drama include:

www.pcsp.ie www.artsonthemove.co.uk www.seomraranga.com www.scoilnet.ie www.freeimages.co.uk www.creativedrama.com/theatre.htm www.learnimprov.com

Some stories to dramatise can include for example:

• Tír na nÓg

• The Children of Lir

• Fionn McCumhaill

• The Salmon of Knowledge

• The Three Little Pigs

• The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

• Goldilocks and the Three Bears

• Little Red Riding Hood

• Little Red Riding Hood-What Really Happened!

• Chicken Little

• The Selfish Giant

• Rumplestiltskin

• The Enormous turnip

• The Ugly Duckling

• Town Mouse and Country Mouse

• Jack and the Beanstalk

• Under The Hawthorn Tree

• Matilda

• George’s Marvellous Medicine

• Fantastic Mr. Fox

• Charlotte’s Web

Some of the poetry could include:

• Humpty Dumpty

• Incy Wincy Spider

• Mary, Mary Quite Contrary

• There was an Old Woman who Swallowed a Fly

• Little Miss Muffet

  Classrooms can be organised to define spaces for drama; the school hall or playground can be used effectively to create further space when required. Other staff members may be invited to participate in the drama
  experience on occasion.

  13. Health and Safety

  As in all areas of the curriculum, the principal and staff of St. Mary’s N.S. do their utmost to ensure the health and safety of all pupils during drama activities. In order to do so the following measures are taken:

• In the event of accidents occurring during drama lessons a record of all incidents are kept and parents informed. Appropriate first aid is applied and an ambulance called if necessary.

• Pupils with additional physical needs who have SNA access will always be accompanied by the SNA during active drama lessons. It is the responsibility of each class teacher to familiarise him/herself with the additional physical needs of the children in his/her class.

• The teacher ensures that the classroom/hall is suitable for drama lessons and that the space for drama is defined.

• The yard may be used for drama lessons on dry days and the teacher must ensure that the yard is free from glass, stones or debris.

• Challenging behaviour is discouraged; drama contracts are collaboratively produced/reviewed before beginning drama lessons. The teacher may be obliged to ask a pupil not to continue participation in a lesson if their behaviour threatens others health and safety.

  14. Individual Teachers’ Planning and Reporting

  Every teacher in our school will be able to access the whole school plan for Drama on Aladdin and will refer to this plan when considering their long and short term planning. In planning for Drama, teachers will need to take into account

• The group- age, experience, ability, strengths/weaknesses, concerns, interests and level of thinking (superficial, casual, involved, deep)

• The purpose of the drama – to clarify confusing issues, improve relationships in a group, as a concrete form for abstract ideas, as a problem-solving activity, as an art form for the expression of an idea, to move group to a deeper level of thinking

• Teaching methods and approaches

• The drama skills and concepts that have to be taught

• The topics/themes to be dealt with

• Integration with other subjects

• Allocation of time and resources

• The space available to use for Drama

• The learning needs and styles of each individual pupil

• Inclusion of all pupils with disabilities

• Differentiation for special needs pupils

  At the end of every month teachers will record the teaching and learning of drama in the cúntas míosúil. These monthly reports will be used to monitor, review and plan Drama in our school.

  15. Staff Development:

  Teachers in our school are committed to on-going professional development. A visit from a Drama cuiditheoir would be beneficial and would provide extra support and in-career development in all areas of Drama education.
  Teachers who take summer courses in drama or those who attend Education Centre in-service training are encouraged to share their expertise with other staff members. Details of up and coming Drama CPD will be circulated to all teachers as it is available.

  16. Parental Involvement

  Parents of pupils attending St. Mary’s are given an opportunity to be actively involved in and contribute to the development of drama in our school in a variety of ways:

• Providing costumes, attendance at our annual school Christmas Performance

• Invitation to school concerts or short-plays (which are now often

  communicated on Aladdin, especially in the infant classes)

• Discussing children’s drama experiences at parent/teacher meetings

• Inviting visitors/performers to school (eg. link in with Book Week)

• Donation of items of interest to the school eg. First Holy Communion dresses for angels

• Being informed of drama works/projects being developed in school

• Assisting with supervision on outings eg. Féile Ceoil na Scoileanna

Parents are given an opportunity to contribute to the development of the school Plan in Drama through their membership of the Parents’ Association and the Board of Management.

Information regarding the Drama Plan for our school is communicated to Parents at times in specific related correspondence with parents, at parent Teacher meetings and at the induction meeting for new parents each June.

17. Community links

In St. Mary’s we strive to link positively with our school community and local environment. Children from our school visit the local library to attend various Drama workshops. Dramatic story-tellers are sometimes invited to school to visit class groups during eg. Book Week. Parents and St. Hilda’s Special N.S. are invited to attend a Christmas Performance of a Junior Class in the Junior school hall. School Tours have a dramatic element/quality on occasion. Some classes participate in the annual Féile Ceoil and perform in the local Deane Crowe Hall. An audience for Seachtain na Gaeilge performances is provided by other classes and teachers in the school. Sixth Class are invited to attend performances by local Secondary Schools, providing an important link between St Mary’s and the local second level schools.

All of the above community links extend and deepen the drama experience for the children.

SUCCESS CRITERIA:

It is hoped that the implementation of this plan will have a positive influence on the teaching and learning of drama in this school.

We will know that this plan has been implemented through:

• Teachers planning effectively for the school term and the long term using this plan

• Procedures, methodologies being consistently followed

• Recording progress in the monthly cúntas míosúil

  We will know the plan has achieved its aims through:

• Teacher/Parent/Community/Board of Management feedback

• Children’s own feedback regarding content, enjoyment and skill and knowledge acquisition

• Inspectors’ reports and suggestions

• Second level feedback eg. participation of our past pupils in second level productions

We will know the plan has promoted the key considerations when implementing a drama programme through its emphasis on:

• The improvement of the role of drama teaching and learning in our school

• The importance of enjoyment and make-believe play

• Providing opportunities for achievement for each child

• The development of social skills, empathy and understanding.

  Implementation and Review:

  This plan will be supported, developed and implemented by the staff and Community of St. Mary’s Primary School The principal and post-holders with responsibility for any aspect of drama will co-ordinate the plan and encourage and accept feedback on its implementation. Reporting will take place during staff meetings. It will be necessary to review this plan on a regular basis to ensure optimum implementation of the drama curriculum in the school. The plan will be monitored and evaluated every second year or as needs arise.

  This Drama policy/plan was ratified by the Board of Management on the ____________________________________

Signed: ____________________ Chairperson B.O.M.

Date:_____________________

Signed: ___________________ Principal

Date:___________________