Drama: Exploring Emotions & Character
Learning Area(s)
Drama Mini Unit
Year(s)
1,2
Description
The Arts - Drama : Year 1
In Years 3 and 4, learning in Drama builds on the experience of the previous band. It involves students making and responding to
drama independently and collaboratively with their classmates and teachers.
The Arts - Drama : Year 2
In Foundation to Year 2, students explore drama. They learn about how drama can represent the world and that they can make
drama to represent their ideas about the world. They share their drama with peers and experience drama as audiences.
Unit Focus
This unit allows students to explore different emotions and how they impact people. Students will improve personal
and social competence while working with others and by themselves for different improvisational tasks. Students will
explore narrative perspectives of fairy-tale characters and how they can put themselves in someone else's shoes.
Stage 1: Desired Results
Transfer of knowledge

How to understand and manage their own feelings along with the feelings of others

How to cooperate with other people and work as part of a team
Understandings
Key Inquiry Questions

Drama can be used to represent both the world and
peoples ideas about the world

How can I use my voice and facial expressions to show
an emotion or character?

We can role play different situations and characters in
drama

What is improvisation?


How can I use body movements in drama?
We use facial expressions, tone, body movement and
other techniques
Knowledge
Skills

How to use facial expressions, voice, movement and
space in drama situations

How to identify different emotions and feelings of
others and self


Describe what is happening in a scene

Identify emotions and how they are used in drama

Make and present drama in dramatic play and
improvisation
How to use creativity to join in on improvisation
games
Alicia Sutherland
Curriculum Goals
Curriculum
The Arts - Drama : Year 1 : ACADRM027 Explore role and dramatic action in dramatic play, improvisation and process drama
The Arts - Drama : Year 1 : ACADRM028 Use voice, facial expression, movement and space to imagine and establish role and
situation
The Arts - Drama : Year 1 : ACADRM029 Present drama that communicates ideas, including stories from their community, to an
audience
The Arts - Drama : Year 2 : ACADRM027 Explore role and dramatic action in dramatic play, improvisation and process drama
The Arts - Drama : Year 2 : ACADRM028 Use voice, facial expression, movement and space to imagine and establish role and
situation
The Arts - Drama : Year 2 : ACADRM029 Present drama that communicates ideas, including stories from their community, to an
audience
Other Goals
ACARA AC Achievement Standards
ACSA-DRA1-1 Students describe what happens in drama they make, perform and view.
ACSA-DRA2-2 Students discuss how they and others organise the elements of drama in their drama.
ACSA-DRA1-3 Students make and present drama using the elements of role, situation and focus in dramatic play and
improvisation.
ACSA-DRA2-3 Students use relationships, tension, time and place and narrative structure when improvising and performing
devised and scripted drama.
Stage 2: Assessment Evidence
Task
Ongoing
Task description
Criteria
Drama games/role play
Students will participate in a series of drama role-plays,
improvisation games and emotions explorations.





Participates effectively
Can work as part of a team
Able to express an emotion
Identify emotions
Describe a character
Stage 3: Lesson Sequence
Lesson
Lesson 1
Description
Emotions Intro
1.
2.
3.
4.
Lesson 2
Brainstorm: what do we know about emotions? What are feelings? How do they affect
us?
Word discuss: Go through the different words that represent emotions
Watch clip: Inside out- discuss emotions in clip
Emotions wheel: Create an emotions wheel each- (split pins for spinner) and once
complete spin and act out an emotion.
Emotions Breakdown: Joy, Anger, Disgust
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Watch selected emotion clip one at a time. (e.g. Joy)
Discuss the emotion- what does it look like? Feel like? Write on board
Facial expression for that emotion
Act it out as a group
Repeat this process for each emotion.
Alicia Sutherland
6.
Lesson 3
Emotions Breakdown: Fear, Sadness, joy recap
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Lesson 4
Watch short film ‘boundin’ focus on main character
Discuss the different emotions that he felt throughout
What made him happy? Sad?
Students act out different parts from the clip
Emotion share- one time they were happy
Emotions improvisation
1.
2.
Lesson 7-10
Watch selected emotion clip one at a time. (e.g. Fear)
Discuss the emotion- what does it look like? Feel like? Write on board
Facial expression for that emotion
Act it out as a group
Repeat this process for each emotion.
Summary- Discuss all emotions explored with students
Multiple emotions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Lesson 5
Summary- Discuss all emotions explored with students
Emotions game: Students seated in a circle- one at a time collect an emotion out of a hat.
Student then need to act out that emotion while the class has 3 guesses to get it correct.
Emotions improvisation: Students get a situation to act out in small groups for 2 minutes.
We then share small emotions plays. E.g.- just won a prize/ lost favourite toy etc.
Character: Integrated with fairy-tale learning
The following lessons will then be focussed around fairy tales. Students will respond to questions
and role plays based on the mixed up fairy-tale study
a) The three little wolves and the big bad pig
b) Seriously Cinderella is so annoying
c) Honestly Red Riding Hood was rotten
*Structure to follow
1. Read a fractured fairy tale story
2. Discuss characters and settings
3. Students role play key events in story and share
4. Students change the story and role play
Websites/ Resources
Resource
Description
Website
Emotions clips – http://www.thehelpfulcounselor.com/20-inside-out-clips-to-help-teach-children-about-feelings/
inside out
Acting
emotions
http://www.brighthubeducation.com/middle-school-lesson-plans-the-arts/13061-teachingdrama-acting-and-emotions/
Drama warm
http://www.brighthubeducation.com/elementary-school-activities/13500-mirrors-and-statues-dramagames/?cid=parsely_rec
Alicia Sutherland
ups
Exploring
emotions
http://www.dannypettry.com/ebook_emotions.pdf
Feeling good
feeling sad
resource
http://www.nicurriculum.org.uk/docs/key_stages_1_and_2/areas_of_learning/pdmu/livinglearningtogether/y
ear3/yr3_unit2.pdf
Roll an emotion http://www.classroomfreebiestoo.com/2012/08/more-roll-dice-freebies-by-msjordanreads.html
Emotional
wheel
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/497155246335549609/
Drama cards
http://autismteachingstrategies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Emotion-Card-Activity-PDF4.pdf
Mixed up fairy
tales
http://rockinteachermaterials.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/just-my-point-of-view.html
Outside and
inside feelings
http://www.teachertrap.com/2014/10/understandingcharacters.html/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+TeacherTrap+(Teache
r+Trap)#_AEKRId
Character traits http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/sites/default/files/posts/u133/pdfs/character_trait_poster.pdf
posters
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Feelings-and-Emotions-Cards-1651017
Feelings and
emotions cards
Pixar short
animation
‘boundin’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhLG4o20-1g
Alicia Sutherland