Teaching Primary Drama
By Brian Woolland
December 2009
Pearson Education
Distrubuted by Trans-Atlantic Publications Inc.
ISBN: 9781405899482
248 pages, Illustrated
$69.50 Paper Original
Assuming no prior knowledge or experience of drama teaching, Brian Woolland’sTeaching Primary Drama offers a comprehensive introduction to the teaching of drama in the primary school, and focuses on current initiatives in primary education including the primary literacy strategy.
The text is an invaluable resource for any teacher wishing to adopt a creative approach to teaching in their classroom. It offers guidance on different drama methods, and each practical idea translates to all areas of the curriculum.
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction: ‘I don’t know what it is, but it’s tickly’
Drama as a subject
Making time and space for drama
Use of the personal pronoun
Part 1 Drama in practice
Chapter 1 Starting points
Drama and story
Using stories, poetry, photographs and paintings as starting points
Teacher as narrator
Embedded examples:
Jack and the Beanstalk
The Pied Piper
The BFG / The Iron Man
Smugglers (1)
Fisherman Chant
Chapter 2 Working methods
Small group work
Forum Theatre
Games and exercises
Still Images
Teaching in role
Whole group work
Glossary of drama techniques
Embedded examples:
The Pied Piper (1)
The Wildman
Leaving Nazareth
Chapter 3 Organisation and development
Control and discipline
Reflection
Questioning skills
The key organising question
Narrative
Structure and dramatic tension
Storyboarding and sequencing
The dramatic frame
Embedded examples:
Lost treasure ‘Bad’ decisions and good drama
The Pied Piper (2)
The Arrival
Smugglers (2)
Chapter 4 Working with children in the early years
Play
Making a start
Intervening in play
Whole group work
Organisation
Pretend and reality
Magic
Using still images and forum theatre with young children
Embedded examples:
Circus
The Magician who lost his Magic
The Giant’s Toothache
Part 2 Drama in an integrated curriculum
Chapter 5 Drama in an integrated curriculum
Writing in role
Reading in role
Meaning beyond the literal
Drama and other subject areas
Maps
Drama in topic work
Embedded examples:
The Giant Awakes
The Crashed Spaceship
The Iron Age Encampment
The Arrival
Part 3 Planning and assessment
Chapter 6 Planning and assessment
Assessing relevant factors which affect planning
Aims and objectives
Dramatic starting points
A lesson plan
Assessment and evaluation
Part 4 Extended Examples
Chapter 7 Cinderella
Target Age range: Reception and Years 1–2
Starting from a traditional story
Chapter 8 The Tunnel
Target Age Range: Years 2–4
A picture book story as a starting point
Chapter 9 Children’s Games
Target age range: Years 3–4
The painting by Pieter Bruegel
Skills of observation developed and linked to imaginative speculation.
Chapter 10 Keeper of the Keys
Target age range: Years 3–6
Using a dramatic game to explore meanings beyond the literal
Manipulating dramatic tension
Encourage and developing listening skills
Chapter 11 Whale Island
Target age range: Years 4–6
Using a narrative poem for drama
Chapter 12 The Deserter
Target age range: Years 4–6
Focuses on PSHE, Citizenship and historical enquiry
‘Bad’ decisions and good drama
Chapter 13 The Coming of the Railway
Target age range: 5–6
A cross curricular project, starting from historical research.
Part 5
Chapter 14 Resources
Recommended books
Online resources and Internet links
Bibliography
Index
Features
- Photographs and diagrams showing drama in action in the primary classroom
- Sample formats and ideas for lesson planning
- Coverage of QCA guidelines
- Extracts from texts and paintings to show drama at work through art and poetry
- A section dedicated to teaching drama in the early years
- A comprehensive list of useful websites and other resources
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