Organisation of Drama 7–10

Figure 1 is an overview of Drama 7–10 showing that knowledge, understanding and skills are built through engagement with 3 interrelated practices: Making, Performing and Appreciating which are the focus areas.

Image long description: Organisational diagram of Drama 7–10. The focus areas Making, Performing and Appreciating are positioned vertically across the 3 content groups Dramatic contexts, Dramatic processes and Dramatic elements connected by one line, intersecting them.

Focus areas

Drama is created through the interrelated practices of:

Making: the roles, responsibilities and approaches of the maker when creating dramatic work. It involves exploration and dramatic play with dramatic conventions, processes and elements to shape intention, experience and meaning. Makers generate, interpret and shape original works and the works of others.

Performing: the roles, responsibilities and approaches of performers when staging and performing dramatic work. Performers craft narrative, sensory, emotional and aesthetic journeys and experiences for an audience by applying elements of drama, performance and production to different forms and styles.

Appreciating: the roles, responsibilities and approaches of the dramatic practitioner and audience. Appreciators describe, analyse and make informed judgements about works of drama and theatre, both in progress and as finished products. They develop understanding of their own and others’ perspectives to strengthen aesthetic knowledge and reflective practice.

Content groups

The content within the focus areas of Making, Performing and Appreciating is organised into 3 content groups: Dramatic Contexts, Dramatic Processes and Dramatic Elements.

Dramatic contexts

Dramatic Contexts are influences on the development of dramatic works and approaches. Contexts develop in connection with and in response to one another.

In Stages 4 and 5 students build their practice through the study of:

artistic, cultural, social and personal contexts
identities, values and perspectives
dramatic conventions, forms and styles
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Knowledges
language
devised and scripted works.

Dramatic processes

Dramatic Processes are ways in which dramatic practitioners shape meaning and experiences. The key processes are:

embodied
collaborative
safe
creative and critical
improvising
devising.

Dramatic elements

Dramatic Elements are the tools dramatic practitioners explore, apply and interpret to shape dramatic meaning and audience engagement. The key dramatic elements are:

Elements of drama: role, character, focus, tension, situation, space, time, structure, language, moment, atmosphere, belief and symbol
Elements of performance: dynamics, clarity, energy and expression in voice and movement
Elements of production: set, costume, lighting, props, sound and technologies.

Course requirements

Drama may be studied as a 100-hour or a 200-hour course in Stage 4 and/or Stage 5.

Students may commence the elective study of Drama at different points and may progress at different rates across Years 7–10.

Elective courses in Stage 5 contribute towards the RoSA.

Course numbers:

200-hour elective: TBA
100-hour elective: TBA
200-hour Life Skills elective: TBA
100-hour Life Skills elective: TBA

For each 100 hours of elective study, students are required to make, perform and appreciate:

at least one group-devised performance
at least one scripted work.

Teachers should research the dramatic works that they select to use as a part of students’ learning. This allows teachers to identify potential areas for targeted teaching. Research may include previewing a performance, educator’s notes from a theatre company, reviews of a live performance work, promotional materials, scripts and recorded dramatic works.

Exclusions: Students may not access Life Skills outcomes and other outcomes from the same subject.

Life Skills outcomes and content

Protocols for collaborating with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities and engaging with Cultural works

NESA is committed to working in partnership with Aboriginal Communities and supporting teachers, schools and schooling sectors to improve educational outcomes for Aboriginal children and young people.

In Drama, consideration of the dynamic and evolving Cultural Knowledges of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander works, practices and practitioners are informed by principles and protocols. Cultural Knowledge holders include Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander dramatic practitioners who have created dramatic works and experiences as well as Communities, families and people who own the Cultural Knowledges.

Community roles, such as Elders, men and women, may influence the ways that dramatic action can be embodied and shared with audiences. In Drama, students should be taught respectful protocols for making, performing and appreciating drama developed by or in collaboration with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander dramatic practitioners and local Communities. The sites and locations of customary and ceremonial Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performances hold Cultural significance.

Creating written texts supports learning

The development of the Drama 7–10 Draft Syllabus follows Recommendation 2: ‘Clarify and strengthen writing content in syllabus documents’ from Teaching Writing: Report of the Thematic Review of Writing (NESA 2018).

Creating written texts facilitates learning as it promotes explicitness, encourages the integration of ideas, supports reflection, fosters personal engagement and aids learners to think about the significance and implication of ideas. Each subject has particular and specific writing demands relevant for communicating within and about the discipline. Writing about content enhances understanding across subjects and stages.

The secondary curriculum includes:

systematic development of expectations for creating written texts which align with the English K–10 Syllabus (2022)
explicit writing content to support students to become fluent creators of texts and to deepen their understanding of the subject area
opportunities to practise the process of creating written texts to develop and communicate knowledge, understanding and ideas
a focus on development of word consciousness and precise use of subject-specific terminology.

Creating written texts refers to the act of composing and constructing a text for a particular purpose, audience and context.

Various methods of transcription may be employed, and a student’s preferred communication form(s) should be considered when teaching.

Balance of content

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