SCHEME OF WORK
Year Group:
11
Unit of work/ Term:
1a
Title / Topic / Theme:
‘The Crucible’- Research
Duration of Scheme:
6 weeks
Weekly hours/lessons:
2 hrs 30 mins
General Aims:
To provide opportunities for pupils to:
 Widen knowledge of Drama techniques and skills
 Introduce Stanislavski and Brecht as practitioners
 Develop understanding of text as a stimulus and also as a set text used for the written
examination
Learning Outcomes:
All pupils will have learned:
 To use drama skills and techniques to investigate ‘The Crucible’ as a set text
 Develop understanding of theatre practitioners and their methods
 To appreciate a playwrights intentions
Most pupils will have learned:
 To use drama skills and techniques to investigate the social and historical context of the
‘The Crucible’
 Develop understanding of theatre practitioners and their methods, and how these can be
used when investigating texts
 To understand the way in which a playwright achieves the effects of communication to an
audience
Some pupils will have learned:
 To use drama skills and techniques to develop knowledge and understanding of the social,
cultural and historical context of the Puritans and ‘The Crucible’
 Develop knowledge of theatre practitioners and their methods, and us this knowledge and
understanding to explore a text further
 To respond with knowledge to the way in which a playwright achieves the effects of
communication and intentions to an audience
Stage/
Week/
Lesson
Outline Plan
1
Watch The Crucible:
 Watch the film of ‘The Crucible’
 Pupils to take notes on characters, set,
costume etc.
 Pupils to get an idea of the society
Assessment
Opportunities / Links
Resources
Inclusion; KS3 literacy &
numeracy; Key Skills; ICT;
Citizenship, etc.
Informal formative of
individuals taking notes
ICT: use of video
equipment
Copy of ‘The Crucible’
the film
Literacy: Use of
resources
Exercise books
Differentiation: visual,
auditory and
kinaesthetic
2
Research the Puritans and their
Society:
 Pupils use exercise books to take
notes
 Detailed research of the Puritans and
their society
 How does it differ from your own
society?
 Compare to modern day witch hunts:
the holocaust
 Improvise market scene: teacher in
role: stronger, barely breathing,
obviously distressed, frighten students,
unable to form a coherent word, ill or
mad
 Summarise- should have produced a
little hysteria, whole community going
against the stronger or divided the
community- unrest: evil.
Informal formative of group
and individual work
Literacy: Use of
resources, possible new
vocabulary
Differentiation:
auditory and
kinaesthetic
Exercise books paper,
pens, information on the
Puritans
Practical Investigation of the Puritans:
 ‘How Puritans dealt with wrong-doers’
 Brainstorm on board the
PUNISHMENTS: 50p fine for playing
football on a Sunday, stocks for
wearing colour, whipping for dancing
etc.
 Nominate students to hand out
punishments: ask questions
 Establish how strict they really were
 Act 1 , pg 14-16: in groups of 4 set the
scene and block it out
 Prepare in 10 mins, remove scripts,
rehearse using memory recall and
improvisation
Ritual:
 Play ‘truth or dare’ in friendship groups
 Discuss: feelings, emotions
vulnerability, naughty
 Perform a ritual, teacher led, holding
hands in circle
 Black out room, humming, walk faster
and faster, fall down
 Making sure circle is linked sit down
and make your wish in your head
placing the possession you’ve brought
in the middle
 Brainstorm: discuss feelings, emotions,
reactions
 Teacher leads group to the opening of
the play, offering possible explanations
for the ‘dancing in the woods’ and
Mercy’s nakedness
Informal formative of group
work
Literacy: Use of
resources, possible new
vocabulary
Differentiation:
auditory and
kinaesthetic
Copies of: ‘The
Crucible’
3
Re-cap Previous Work:
 Research of the Puritans society: what
do we know about the Puritans?
 How did the ritual lesson make you
feel?
Secrets and Blame:
 Act 1, pg 14-16: How does Abigail get
the others to listen?
 Act 1, pg 35-40: Discuss the character
of Tituba, her status. How is blame
shifted from Abigail to Tituba?
 In pair, improvise Abby and Tituba’s
status leading to Tituba’s confession.
Must use changing status, revision of
status
 In 3’s thought-track: ulterior motives of
Abby, Tituba and Rev. Parris
 In groups of 5 create two abstract
freezes of the feelings at the beginning
and end of the scene
 Fill in the scene: improvisation (how to
sway a group)
 Share work and evaluate
 Introduce Thomas Putnam
 Read through the notes in the script
out loud
 Discuss ‘belief’
 What would motivate Putnam to stick
to his argument even if he didn’t
believe it himself?
Group Peer Pressure:
 Witch hunting
 Divide class into 3 groups:
1. Accused
2. Accusers
3. Judges
Informal formative of pair
work and group work
Literacy: Use of
resources, possible new
vocabulary
Differentiation:
auditory and
kinaesthetic
Copies of:
‘The Crucible’

Create a shape together depicting your
group. Add a movement that can be
repeated again and again.
Think of a sentence that represents
your groups thoughts
Repeated layering: bring in group after
group
2 Freezes, same 3 groups:
1. In court
2. In jail and sentenced
Show photograph: ‘The Witches of
Mora Sweden’
Freeze groups of 7/8 with a message
of the picture
Informal formative of group
work
Re-cap on Previous Work:
 Secrets and Blame: who do you think
is to blame?
 Group Peer Pressure: do you think this
is the case?
Informal formative of group
work





4
Stanislavski:
 Introduction to Stanislavski
 Theories and practices
 Elizabeth and John Proctor: Act 2, pg
41-46: Improvise
 Say what the character is thinking:
internal monologues (Homework)
 Act 2 pg 50-52: Discuss the
relationship as a class
Literacy: Use of
resources, possible new
vocabulary
Copies of ‘The Witches
of Mora Sweden
Differentiation: visual,
auditory and
kinaesthetic
Literacy: Use of
resources, possible new
vocabulary
Differentiation:
auditory and
kinaesthetic
Copies of:
‘The Crucible’
Internal Monologues:
 Prepare monologues for performance
 Conscience Alley, Elizabeth on one
side, John on the other
 Begin to speak monologues to each
other at some time
 Try meeting opposite in the middle
slowly
 Teacher walk through middle (Abby)
stops them in any way: once been
touched mustn’t change position but try
to communicate still- uncomfortable,
frustrated, restricted
Informal formative of group
work
Literacy: Use of
resources, possible new
vocabulary
Copies of:
‘The Crucible’
Paper, pens
Differentiation:
auditory and
kinaesthetic
Materials for sets
Set Design:
 Brainstorm ideas for set design for
each Act in groups
 Think about setting, the atmosphere of
hysteria, the claustrophobic and
gloomy community: read set directions
 Design set and build mini version of it
 Design and sketch with material
samples: costume
 Present ideas and justify decisions and
ideas: ideas important- not artwork
5
Re-cap on Previous Work:
 Puritans society
 Internal monologues: what did you
learn?
 Set design: discuss as a whole group
Informal formative of group
work
Literacy: Use of
resources, possible new
vocabulary
Differentiation:
auditory and
kinaesthetic
Copies of:
‘The Crucible’
Individual Characters:
 John Proctor’s guilt: abstract in 3/4’s a
representation of ‘guilt’
 Brainstorm: John proctor’s confession
in groups of 3/4
 Look at the language he uses and the
way he is ‘set up’
 Represent:
1. Judges
2. Elizabeth’s voice
3. People in jail
 What does John do? Why? Does he
stand up as an individual or give in to
what the others want?







After the trial: John Hale: guilt
In pairs, hot-seat John Hale after all the
deaths in Salem
In pairs, improvise John Hale’s first
meeting with Elizabeth or Abby after
the hangings
In 3’s, improvise Elizabeth, John Hale
and Abby meeting each other- where
would they meet? Accident or
arranged? Discuss carefully first
John Hale’s nightmare: guilty
conscience- discuss who he has
condemned? What has happened?
Torture, hanging, humiliation
Compare his character at the
beginning to the end: how would he
react? How would others react to him?
In groups of 7/8 improvise and create
John Hale’s nightmare: perform and
evaluate
Informal formative of group
work
Literacy: Use of
resources, possible new
vocabulary
Differentiation:
auditory and
kinaesthetic
Copies of:
‘The Crucible’
Forum Theatre:
 Introduction to Forum Theatre: uses
 Use as extension work: a time when
you felt peer pressure
Informal formative of group
work
Literacy: Use of
resources, possible new
vocabulary
N/a
Differentiation: visual,
auditory and
kinaesthetic
6
Re-cap on Previous Work:
 John Proctor: what have we learned
about John Proctor?
 John Hale: What have we learned
about John Hale?
 ‘The Crucible’: so far what have we
learned?
 Discuss ALL previous work for opinions
etc.
Investigate the Trial:
 The Trial: How would you build the
tensions? The atmosphere? Setting?
Lights?
 Discuss and plan: brainstorm in groups
 Pick out favourite sections, discuss the
different methods of Stanislavski: true
to his text or Brecht: using Epic,
monatge, gesture etc.
 Replay the trial:
1. with scripts
2. without scripts
3. plan, direct adjust original
material
 Share work and evaluate
Formal formative:
Always, Sometimes, Rarely:
Pupils can:
1. Use dramatic skills
and techniques to
investigate ‘The
Crucible’
2. Develop
understanding of
practitioners
3. Understand
playwright’s
intentions
Literacy: Use of
resources, possible new
vocabulary
Differentiation: visual,
auditory and
kinaesthetic
Copies of:
‘The Crucible’
Evaluation of Research Project:
 What have you learned about ‘The
Crucible’?
 Do you feel confident to perform all or
part of the text?
 Do you feel more comfortable knowing
there is a written exam on this in June?
Informal formative of group
discussion
Literacy: possible new
vocabulary
N/a
Differentiation:
auditory and
kinaesthetic
Extension Work to be done as homework if required:
Week Three:
 Role on the Wall for your character in the first scene
 Questions and Answers:
1. What are the facts?
2. Do these facts add up to witchcraft?
3. How could you account for the illnesses?
 Use close textual reference and quotes to justify your decisions
Week Four:
 Monologue when Cheever takes Elizabeth away: look at reasons, outside influences, use rhetorical questions
Week Five:
 Personal writing: a time when you felt peer pressure. What escape have you got? What does it take to be an individual and avoid giving
into a group?
 Reflection: summarise the feelings of the characters, the development of plot and your understanding of the play so far. Choose one
line from each Act that is the dramatic peak for you.
Week Six:
 Research ideas, bring in materials for improvisation, sounds, music etc.
 Written evaluation or A3 collage of the work produced from the lessons so far: photos, cut outs, quotes from lessons