Drama Year 9
In the Autumn Term of Year 9, students who have initially opted for one of our courses follow a ‘Taster’ course. If they then choose to make a firm choice of a course, they will commence the full exam course in the Spring Term of Year 9.
Students are offered the choice of completing the GCSE Drama course or BTEC Level 2 First Diploma (Performance), working with the Dance department.
Drama GCSE - Year 9 Taster Course
Students will explore a text:”Billy Don’t Be A Hero”. They will complete a series of practical workshops using a range of explorative strategies. They will complete research of a historical period and explore the issue of slavery. The topic will then be widened and they will look at a range of causes that people feel are important to support. Students will complete a written evaluation of the process they have been through to develop their ideas.
Year 9 GCSE
Students will now have made a firm option choice and will be starting foundation work for the Edexcel exam course.
- They will explore more of the explorative strategies in detail and depth.
- They will complete a History of Theatre unit on Melodrama
- They will complete another ‘mock’ workshop based on a theme during which they will look at contrasting contents, attitudes to the subject presented by a range of authors and contrasting staging methods. They will complete documentary evidence to support this workshop.
- Students will develop a piece of theatre to be taken out into the community.
Resources will depend on the specifics of lesson content and will vary as individual teachers personalize units of work for their own groups.
Drama GCSE: the exam components
Students learn to use the necessary explorative strategies, drama elements and drama medium in order to create theatrically effective pieces of work.
The course comprises of three units
Unit 1: Drama Exploration: 30%
- A workshop in response to given stimuli, supported by documentary evidence. This unit will take place immediately following half-term in the Autumn term of Year11. It is assessed by the class teacher and externally moderated.
Unit 2: Exploring Play Texts: 30%
- A workshop which explores a substantial play, supported by documentary evidence. This unit will take place in the Summer term of Year10. It is assessed by the class teacher and externally moderated.
- Students must also experience live theatre as a member of an audience and complete a written critical review. Visits to performances will be arranged throughout the course but the formal evaluation will be completed in Year 10.
All documentary evidence must be completed under controlled conditions i.e. within lesson times and only with the drama teacher. No drafting or writing up can take place outside the classroom.
Unit 3: Drama Performance: 40%
- Students devise a substantial piece of theatre in response to a given stimulus provided by Edexcel. The devising and rehearsal for this unit will take place from the end of the Autumn Term in Year 11 and the exam will take place in April / May. The performance is marked by an external examiner.
Year 9 BTEC Performance Option Taster
Students will be given a picture stimulus which they will develop into a piece of drama. They will be required to complete research to support their ideas. During the devising and rehearsal phases they will use a range of explorative strategies. They will then perform and evaluate their pieces of drama. Following this performance, they will produce a second performance which will combine ideas from their dance work with drama. All work will be evaluated as part of the assessment process.
Students who make a firm option choice for the BTEC Performance course will then study the following units of work from the Devising unit.
- Use of a range of Explorative Strategies
- Explore the use of Elements of drama
- Explore the use of drama medium
- Auschwitz unit
- Forum theatre
- The Madelaine McCann story
- Develop a piece of theatre in response to a given stimulus
- Preparation of a piece of theatre to be shown to Year 6 students on Induction day
