Level 8
Developing Practical Knowledge in Drama (PK)
Students will select and adapt elements, techniques, conventions, and technologies in various dramatic forms for a range of purposes.
Developing Ideas in Drama (DI)
Students will initiate, develop, and refine original drama and drama based on existing works.
Communicating and Interpreting in Drama (CI)
Students will rehearse and perform works in a range of dramatic forms, assuming diverse artistic or technical responsibilities.
Students will reflect on and critically evaluate a wide range of works and performances.
Understanding Drama in Context (UC)
Students will research and analyse how drama interprets and records social and cultural history.
Students will investigate the forms and styles of contemporary New Zealand drama and how they reflect our growing cultural diversity.
Learning Examples
- Apply knowledge of drama practice to direct a group of students
in a scene from an existing work for presentation. As director, record
and reflect on the development of the scene and on the group's progress.
(PK, CI)
- Compare and contrast two scripts from a playwright in New Zealand,
focusing on the forms and styles used and the ideas that are central
to the playwright's work. (CI, UC)
- Devise and present a multimedia performance piece that reflects
the cultural identities of the students in the class. Use the disciplines
of dance, music, and the visual arts to enrich the presentation. (PK,
DI, CI, UC)
- Analyse scriptwriting skills. Experiment with improvisation as a
means of developing scripts, and use the process to devise a work
and record it as a script. (PK, DI)
- Study a particular historical period of theatre. Give an interactive
presentation that focuses on the forms and themes of the selected
period and that includes a performance demonstrating its features.
(UC, CI)
- Create, from a children's storybook, an audiotape suitable for a
junior classroom. Include appropriate use of voice and sound effects.
Present the recording to a junior class and seek feedback on its effectiveness.
Use this information to refine ideas for future work aimed at young
audiences. (PK, DI, CI)
- Take practical responsibility for a technical aspect of a production
(e.g., set design, stage management, lighting). Keep planning notes
and journal reflections to record a working understanding of the responsibilities
undertaken. Document also the understandings demonstrated by the other
technical personnel. (PK, CI)
- Experiment with a range of street theatre activities (e.g., clowning,
juggling, mime, stilts). Devise a piece in a chosen activity for street
performance in the local community. (PK, DI, CI)
- Study scripts from New Zealand in order to develop scriptwriting
skills. Integrate knowledge of the scriptwriting process, of dramatic
styles, and of drama practice to devise a scripted drama and to present
it as a piece of contemporary theatre. (UC, PK, DI, CI)
- Compile a portfolio that may form part of a CV. In the portfolio, include a summary of the drama programme completed, and describe and reflect on personal development in drama. Provide documentary evidence of involvement and achievement using photographs, reviews, and statements from teachers and peers. (CI)
