Activity Ideas for Drama at Key Stage 1

Key Stage 1Activity Ideas for Drama

1

The Northern Ireland Curriculum for Drama at Key Stage 1 states that pupils should be enabled to:

• develop their understanding of the world by engaging in a range of creative and imaginative role-play situations on their own and with others, and responding in role to the dramatic play of others and to the teachers;

• explore a range of cultural and human issues in a safe environment by participating in dramatic activity and sharing ideas with others;

• develop a range of drama strategies, including freeze-frame, tableau and hot seating; and

• develop dramatic skills appropriate to audience, context, purpose and task by using simple props to suggest character and symbols and images to develop action and make meaning.

As pupils progress through Key Stage 1, they should be enabled to:

• create situations in an imaginative way on their own and with others;

• respond in role to the dramatic play of others and to the teacher;

• use a simple prop to suggest character or action;

• participate in dramatic activity and sharing ideas with others; and

• take on a role and work with others in an imaginary context.


2

Suggested Warm up Exercises

Movement

Ask the children to stand in a circle with you. Encourage them to:

• stretch their whole body by reaching up and then pulling into a ball and repeating;

• wiggle, stretch and make a fist with their fingers, circling their hands from the wrist, elbows and then shoulders;

• circle their head to right and then left, yawn, screw up the face and then open widely;

• circle each foot right and left, from knee and then from thigh;

• step and close to the right and then to the left, repeating this movement, adding a clap on the fourth beat; and

• build up a sequence, using music.

Facial Expression

Ask the children to:

• imagine they are chewing toffee;

• yawn as widely as possible;

• stick out their tongue as far as possible;

• widen their eyes as far as possible;

• screw up their face as tightly as possible;

• respond to seeing a ghost, an accident, fireworks, a giant or a witch; and

• show a happy, sad, worried, thoughtful and disappointed face.

Breathing

Encourage the children to:

• breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth;

• breathe in for a count of three, hold the breath for a count of three and breathe out slowly for a count of six;

• repeat, exhaling for a count of seven, eight and nine; and

• pretend to blow out their birthday candles, blow up a balloon or blow on a windmill or a hot drink.


3

Voice

Ask the children to:

• breathe in for a count of three, hold the breath and then slowly hum like a bee and repeat, humming through a scale;

• breathe in and then make different consonant sounds – explosive ‘B’ or ‘D’, vocal ‘M’ or ‘N’ and more sustained ‘Z’ and ‘SH’;

• repeat the sounds as a character such as a giant, a witch, a queen or a soldier; and

• say good morning in different ways such as shyly, loudly, quietly or angrily.


4

Suggested Lesson Ideas for Drama at Key Stage 1

Develop the use of Freeze-Frame

A freeze-frame is a still image created by stopping the action of a drama, in the same way that you can pause a film to see just one still frame. Ask the children to reflect on the significance of the particular moment in the drama so that they can decide when to stop the drama to create a freeze-frame.

Develop the use of Tableau

A tableau is a still image created to symbolise the essence of a situation, relationship or incident. It may also be a comment or reflection on an issue. Encourage the children to create a tableau from their own imagination.

Develop the use of Hot Seating

One pupil takes on the role of a character to answer questions from the rest of the class. Those asking the questions could also play a role. The character may be real, fictional, historic or even an object such as a volcano, house or heart.


5

Additional Ideas for Drama at Key Stage 1

Learning Intentions Activity Development Assessment

Sharing ideas and solving problems

Imaginative Journey

Take the class on an imaginary bus journey to a campsite.

Discuss what to bring for example a tent, food or clothing.

On arrival, divide the class into groups for different activities and present problems that they can solve.

• responding to questions

• packing a bag, singing on the bus

• making decisions in groups

• working together and solving problems

Developing imagination and character

Using a prop Introduce a prop such as a pole. Ask the children about different ways to use it, for example a wizard’s wand, fishing rod or flag.

Encourage the children to try different props to imagine ideas. Ask each pupil to use a prop in a different way, adding voice, movement and facial expression.

• describing their prop

• developing a role

• adding voice, movement and facial expression

• answering questions in the role such as job, age, name and then introducing their character to the class

Developing rhythm through movement

Using music, sequence and movement

Play music of various tempi. Ask the children to move around the room.

Lead the children in sequence of start, go, freeze, clap, turn, stamp or link.

Introduce different levels (stretch or crouch) shapes (spiky, rounded or square) and characters (witch, fairy or giant).

• following directions and moving in time

• exploring a range of movements using music as a stimulus

• using appropriate levels, movements and moods

• putting together a sequence of moves


6


Developing facial expressions

Using tableau In a circle, ask the children to show a happy face then change it to sad, angry, frightened, worried or surprised.

Ask them to respond to seeing a ghost, fighting a giant, scoring a goal, winning a race or having toothache.

In groups, ask them to set up a wedding scene, a birthday party, building sandcastles or a snowman and then take a photograph of the tableau.

• responding to a stimulus and using a range of facial expressions

• working in groups

• adopting a character and responding to questions, in role

• understanding freeze-frame and tableau

Developing negotiation skills and working in role in groups

Using freeze-frame and group work

Read a story such as Cinderella to the class.

Ask the whole class to select movements (sweeping or cleaning), voice (prince or fairy godmother) and facial expressions (surprise or delight) from the story. Ask the children to form groups of four or five to select freeze-frames to tell the story as you read it again. Encourage the children to add speech to each freeze-frame.

• responding appropriately through voice, movement and facial expressions

• working in groups to negotiate a role for everyone

• developing a freeze-frame appropriate for the story

• speaking briefly in role


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Developing character with speech and movement

Using improvisation and pair work

Choose a location such as a hospital. Start with appropriate movements, facial expressions and phrases.

Divide the class into pairs and arrange a choice of scenarios such as doctor or patient, examination; nurse or patient, injection; visitor or patient, flowers; physio or patient, crutches.

Ask each pair to provide a short scene.

• responding to movement, facial expressions and voice

• responding to each other in role

• engaging in short improvisation

• describing a situation

• watching and responding to other pairs

Developing listening and responding skills and building trust

Using pair work improvisation and hot seating

Begin with games such as grandmother’s footsteps or Simon says.

Divide the class into pairs, allocating one pupil in the pair A and the other B. Ask the B pupils to close their eyes. Ask pupil A to take pupil B around the classroom, describing imaginary objects to get past.

Repeat the task with pupil A closing their eyes. Ask the whole class to hot seat about how they felt. Pupil A is a visitor who asks pupil B for directions to a particular place and then hot seat the visitor.

• listening carefully and responding to instructions – working in pairs and building trust with each other

• developing a role as a visitor with name, background and reason for visit

• creating appropriate questions and answers in hot seating


8


Developing whole class voice work

Use mime and vocal chants

Mime an imaginary object in a pass the parcel game.

Offer options to either side of the class with choices of soft drink or water, Saturday or Sunday, blue or red or summer or winter. Ask the children the reasons for their choices.

Encourage each group to devise a chant to persuade others to join them.

• using mime and voice appropriately

• responding to choices physically and justify choice vocally with reasoning

• understanding vocal persuasion

• engaging in vocal chanting

Develop individual voice work

Use imaginary journey and camera

Take your class on an imaginary journey, for example to a beach, the North Pole or a forest.

Ask the children to make a television report to camera about their journey.

• engaging in an imaginary journey

• speaking clearly and confidently to camera

Developing story structure

Using improvisation

Divide the class into groups of four or five to devise a series of short scenes from these events:

1. finding something;

2. telling a friend;

3. going to a parent or teacher; or

4. finding the owner and receiving a reward.

• taking on a role

• structuring a story sequence and engaging in improvisation

• using appropriate tone of speech

Developing language

Using mime and voice

Ask the children to paint an imaginary picture, for example of the sky, the sea or trees.

Encourage them to decide on their favourite colour, then ask them to close their eyes and say what the colour makes them think of and how it makes them feel.

• writing the following and filling in the spaces:

• I like ... (colour)

• It makes me think of … and …

• It makes me feel …

• Reading the poem aloud


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Developing character and voice

Using hot seating Read a story such as Jack and the Beanstalk to the class.

Discuss the different characters, their roles in the story and their different voices.

Encourage each child to take on a role and answer questions at different points of the story as you read it again.

• understanding story and different characters

• taking on a role and sustaining the character while answering questions

• using different tone of voice

• asking appropriate questions

Developing movement, facial expressions and voice

Using freeze-frame

Ask the children to form groups and create a freeze-frame showing a key moment from a story such as Red Riding Hood.

Encourage them to bring the freeze-frame to life using sound effects, movement and speech.

• working together in groups, taking on agreed roles

• sustaining a freeze-frame

• developing appropriate vocal, visual and movement skills

Developing emotion and feeling

Using tableaux Ask the children to work in groups to develop a tableau about an issue such as being bullied or feeling lonely in the playground, or event such as Christmas morning or birthday party.

Ask the class to reflect on each group’s tableau by talking about the mood and feelings of the different characters.

• engaging in group work and constructing an appropriate tableau

• exploring a range of emotions

• using appropriate expressions, gestures, movement and voice


10


Developing decision making

Using meetings Have a meeting of the whole class, with pupils taking the roles of residents of the forest where Goldilocks broke into a house and stole food or people who live close to where a zoo is being built.

Ask the children to take sides for and against the issue and share their thoughts and then take a vote.

• taking part in whole class discussion

• making appropriate comments

• taking a stand, voting and justifying their decision

Developing problem solving

Using freeze-frame and improvisation

Use a picture book such as Not Now Bernard or The Tiger who Came to Tea and ask the children to form groups to freeze-frame or improvise what happens next, during or at the end of the story.

• understanding what is happening in the story, working in groups and taking on roles to develop a freeze-frame or improvisation

• developing a solution in the story

Developing listening and choral skills

Using whole class drama and imaginary journey

Take the whole class on an imaginary visit to a funfair, market, theatre or football match. Lead the children as they travel on a ghost train, sell bananas, speak on stage or chant for their team.

• engaging together in the drama

• developing choral skills

• using a range of vocal skills, including accents, pitch, inflection, projection, tone quality and tone amount


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Developing storytelling skills

Using a story stick Holding a story stick, begin the story of The Three Little Pigs.

Then give the story stick to a pupil to continue.

Use different sticks to denote different characters. Encourage the children to use different voices as they tell the story.

Encourage the whole class to join in with the repeated lines.

• engaging in listening and responding appropriately

• using a range of vocal skills and

• using choral skills and speaking together

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Activity Ideas for Drama at Key Stage 1

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