SELHURST HIGH SCHOOL
SCHEME OF WORK – LESSON OUTLINES
YEAR 9 (Autumn term 1)
RACISM – THE MURDER OF STEPHEN LAWRENCE
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
To be able to:

Explore the issue of racism, using Drama forms and conventions

Use various stimuli to understand a specific case

Use role-play to understand the protagonists of the case and recreate the
events
ASSESSMENT – Response (to task), Development (of ideas and
understanding), Evaluation (of their own and their peers’ work).

Product: Workshop presentations, incorporating correct use of Drama
skills

Process: Individual, small presentations to highlight certain issues

Evaluation: Oral discussions, re-capping and feedback

Written: Two contrasting in-role reports, detailing the events of the night of
the murder
1
Racism – The murder of Stephen Lawrence

Drama skills used:





Spontaneous/ rehearsed
Improvisation
Group dynamic
Concentration
Role Play
Frozen Pictures
Sustaining Role
Mantle of the Expert
(police/investigators)
Flashback/forward
Thought tracking
Rehearsal
Stage combat






Characterisation
Gesture
Voice
Expression
Attitude
Concentration






Media reports (Sociology)
Spatial Awareness/ Movement (Dance)
Societal Pressure (PSHE)
Racism (Citizenship)
Discussion/ Expressing Opinion (PSHE)
Writing in role (English)



Research via internet
Digital images
Filming a presentation









Acting skills used
Cross-Curricular skills/ Links
ICT Opportunities
2
UNIT INFORMATION SHEET
Pupils name:
Form:
Date(s):
Unit: Racism – The murder of
Stephen Lawrence
UNIT DESCRIPTION:
In this unit pupils will use key Drama skills to explore the events of
the night of 22nd April 1993, when a young black man, Stephen
Lawrence was murdered in a racist attack. They will use various
stimuli to gain a deeper understanding of the issue of racism, and
have the opportunity to incorporate their own experiences into their
Drama work. In each lesson pupils will work in small groups and
through role-play and improvisation create a short piece of Drama,
which tells us more about the incident and its central characters.
OUTCOMES: (Including criteria on which assessment is based)
Pupils will:







Use improvisation to explore a given situation
Learn through role-play how to work effectively as a team
Write in-role accounts of the night of the murder
Respond appropriately to teacher-in-role
Use role-play to explore contrasting viewpoints
Explore how conflict and tension can be employed
Examine in detail the issue of racism
PUPIL’S OWN ASSESSMENT:
Write down 3 Drama skills you have used in this unit, and when you used them
1
2
3
TARGETS:
In order to make better progress in Drama I need to…
1
2
3
3
LESSON ONE: Improvisation game (baseline assessment)






Introduce unit and hand out unit front sheets
Share learning outcomes
Prepare game: (Baseline assessment)
Split group into two, they can only work with and talk to their team
Teacher is the judge and will keep score
Strict 3-minute rule – 1 to prepare, 1 to rehearse, 1 to show
Everyone in the group must contribute equally
Each group will be given a card with a dramatic situation (Resource 1)
They then must show the scenario using at least one key Drama skill
Teacher awards points for most realistic, Drama skills, staying in role
Give out scores
Discuss issues, emotions and specifics of story
Revisit learning outcomes
LESSON TWO: A family unbalanced







Share learning outcomes, revisit last lesson
Specific warm-up: ‘Liar’ impro
Groupwork – frozen pictures: ‘emotional families’
Split into four groups
Each group is to pose as if for a family photograph
Each ‘plays’ an emotional – to its extreme
‘happy family’, ‘excited family’, ‘sad family’ and ‘terrified family’
TIR as Mr Lawrence – waiting for Stephen to return
Volunteer knocks on door to give some news
Stop impro just as he knocks
Discuss: who is he? What is his news?
‘Forum’ the scene
Main exercise: Journey to the hospital (Parents unsure of Stephen’s
condition)
Groups of 4. Mr & Mrs Lawrence in the car – physical theatre
Other 2 give their thoughts out load
Can have Lawrence’s miming and using gesture or with intercuts
Concentrate on building emotion and inner truth
Share and evaluate – which were powerful? Why?
Revisit learning outcomes
4
LESSON THREE: Hospital waiting room






Share learning outcomes, revisit last lesson
Model for spontaneous impro:
Parents arrive a hospital and see Duwayne (Stephen’s friend)
How do they react? Did they like Duwayne? Could he have helped?
Volunteers must try to build up the tension, add sympathy layer
Solo work: sit in a space by yourself
As one of Lawrence’s or Duwayne close eyes & visualise surroundings
What do you see? Hear? Smell? Feel?
Nothing seems real – everything is a blur, dreamlike
Groupwork: Non-naturalistic Drama
You see the doctors shaking their heads and walking towards you
You know this is bad news, like a nightmare
Only one person can be ‘real’ – one of the Lawrence’s or Duwayne
Rest are in role as objects – walls of hospital, medical instruments
Build up the tension to show the confusion and desperation
Add sounds, repeat odd words, and use sound effects
Share work and evaluate – what was effective? Why?
Revisit outcomes
LESSON FOUR: Prejudice





Share learning outcomes and recap last lesson
Discussion – what is prejudice? Personal accounts?
Model – 3 volunteers
Young black man running, followed by 2 policemen
Discuss – what is happening? What judgements do we make?
Describe reality – plain-clothes policeman
Discuss – what other situations could be judged with prejudice?
Exercise – group 3/4 frozen picture of similar scene
Prepare thoughts out loud for all the characters
Develop into scene (if time)
Share several and discuss – link to Stephen
What prejudicial judgements could people (police) have made?
Revisit learning outcomes
5
LESSON FIVE: Scene of crime






Share learning outcomes and revisit prejudice
Specific warm-up – ‘Lawyer’
Model – TIR as police officer interviewing Duwayne (volunteer)
Mention Duwayne’s black gloves found at scene of crime
Brainstorm – whom else could the officer be interviewing?
Who else connected to the case could a reporter be interviewing?
Exercise – pairs
Either policeman & accused/witness or reporter with witness/policeman
How differently does a reporter frame questions?
Share several and discuss/evaluate – bring out Drama skills
Exercise: Groups of 5/6 – frozen picture of scene of crime
Read out four line extract form Duwayne’s witness report:
“none of the uniformed officers were doing anything for Steve. They should have
known what to do. They should have done something for Steve. They just stood
there doing nothing.”


Discuss – who might have been at the scene of crime shortly after?
What different attitudes might they all have?
Create the scene, as a frozen picture, with a thought out load each
Share work and evaluate
Set homework – two writing-in-role exercises
Show different perspectives of incident in each account
One by the investigating police officer,
Other witness report (Duwayne) or parents diary extract
LESSON SIX: Racists







Share learning outcomes, revisit scene of crime
Collect homework
Discussion: why are people racist?
Model – 5 volunteers in role as five young white men
They run into the circle from different points in the room
A murder has just taken place. They were all there.
They have met in high spirits on the local common. What do they say?
Did they all want to do it? Alibis? Weapons?
Forum and thought track the scene – pupils watching help
Exercise – rehearsed improvisation, groups 4/5
At home with their families after the above
Cast the scene quickly so each individual is in their family setting
How do they react? Do they tell what they’ve done? Do they cover up?
How do the family react? Do they suggest alibis?
Share and discuss/ evaluate (Possible TIR as policeman knocking on door
– reactions)
Revisit outcomes
6
LESSON SEVEN: Recapping the unit







Share learning outcomes, recap racists
Fun game – ‘Lawyer/ Premiership Manager’
Discussion – recap the unit: Drama skills learnt/ utilised, issues covered
Hand out unit information sheets – go through in detail
Pupil’s complete own assessment and targets (teacher support)
Collect information sheets and replace in document wallets
Skill games and closure of unit.
7
Lesson 1 – Impro cards (Resource 1)
A1
A teenager is at his uncle’s house,
playing computer games with his
best friend. The uncle tells them it
is getting late and time they were
going home.
A2
The friends leave the uncle’s house
and make their way home. On the
way they decide to get something to
eat and stop off at a takeaway.
They purchase their food.
A3
The boys leave the shop with their
food and make their way to the bus
stop. There are other people at the
stop, but no sign of a bus. They
continue to wait…it is getting late.
8
A4
As there is no sign of a bus one of
the boys decides to walk home and
tries to convince his friend to do the
same. Then a bus arrives and they
both get on it.
A5
Before long the boys realise that
they are on the wrong bus and
going away from their homes. They
quickly get off and find themselves
in an unknown area. They begin to
argue.
A6
One of the boys storms off in the
general direction of his house, the
other stays where he is while he
decides what to do. A gang of
other boys are watching this from
across the road. They begin to
follow the boy who has left.
9
A7
The gang of boys following begin to
shout racist abuse at the first boy
and then catch him up and assault
him. His friend watches from a
distance and then runs to help. His
friend has been stabbed and is
lying on the ground.
B1
A teenager is at his uncle’s house,
playing computer games with his
best friend. The uncle tells them it
is getting late and time they were
going home.
B2
The friends leave the uncle’s house
and make their way home. On the
way they decide to get something to
eat and stop off at a takeaway.
They purchase their food.
10
B3
The boys leave the shop with their
food and make their way to the bus
stop. There are other people at the
stop, but no sign of a bus. They
continue to wait…it is getting late.
B4
As there is no sign of a bus one of
the boys decides to walk home and
tries to convince his friend to do the
same. Then a bus arrives and they
both get on it.
B5
Before long the boys realise that
they are on the wrong bus and
going away from their homes. They
quickly get off and find themselves
in an unknown area. They begin to
argue.
11
B6
One of the boys storms off in the
general direction of his house, the
other stays where he is while he
decides what to do. A gang off
other boys are watching this from
across the road. They begin to
follow the boy who has left.
B7
The boy who has left suddenly
notices that he is being followed
and runs back to his friend. The
gang chases them both but they
manage to give them the slip and
return home safely.
12