Drama Lessons: Ages 4-7

Judith Ackroyd, Jo Barter-Boulton

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2012
• eBook ISBN: 9781136328350
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Didattica
• Subtopic: Didattica per la prima infanzia

Designed for busy teachers, Drama Lessons: Ages 4–7 provides tried and tested lesson plans which will help you to make your drama lessons fun learning experiences.

Drama Lessons: Ages 4–7 emerges from the continuing positive responses to Drama Lessons for Five to Eleven Year Olds (2001) and the three book series, Role Play in The Early Years (2004).

In this book you will find a carefully chosen selection of the best lessons taken from these four texts, plus some exciting new material – a combination of brand new and classic lessons. This new collection introduces Literacy Alerts which identify how the drama activities develop aspects of literacy and suggest additional literacy activities.

For each lesson plan, essential resources and timing information are provided. The lessons cover a range of themes and curriculum areas. Specialists and non-specialists, nursery nurses, teaching assistants and playgroup leaders will find the book easy to use and it will give all trainee teachers a flying start in their school placements.

Chapter 1

The Sad Clown

The children meet a very miserable clown who is in need of their help. The clown has always wanted to work in the circus but is in danger of being thrown out because he can’t make the audience laugh. The children teach the clown how to be funny.

Learning Objectives

•	To give advice to help solve a problem;
•	To sequence activities to make a successful routine for the clown.

Themes

•	Helping others
•	Having fun
•	Identifying aspects of performance.

Resources

•	Books about or pictures of the circus;
•	Suggested props and/or costume for clown – red nose, hat, juggling balls or oranges, large hanky.
•	Optional face paints.
•	A full clown costume is a bonus;
•	Oversized and colourful bag containing any props.

Time

•	This session can take between thirty minutes and an hour.

Notes

The drama can be taught with no resources at all. However, they add to the ‘theatre’ of the experience. This is potentially a fairly physical drama session for the teacher, depending on which tricks the children suggest that you do. It may be worth laying down some ground rules when you first go in to role as the clown, saying that you have a bad back that will prevent you from doing anything too adventurous. Otherwise, be prepared to do forward rolls and stand on your head – the children always think this is very funny!

What do we know about the circus?

Teacher’s intentions

•	To activate the children’s prior knowledge and understanding about the circus

Questioning and discussion: sharing information and introducing the story

Introduce the drama by leading a general discussion about circuses. This may need to be done using a picture or even a storybook with which the children may be familiar.

•	Has anyone ever been with to a circus or seen one on television?
•	What happens at the circus?
•	What kinds of acts could you see?
•	Who is in charge at the circus?
•	What does the ringmaster usually wear to look smart and important?
•	What do the clowns do?
•	Do clowns wear any special clothes?

Tell the children that they are going to tell a story about a circus in their drama today. Tell them that there is going to be a special person in the story that they are going to meet. If you are using a bag of props, the children are told that this person is the owner of the bag.

Discussion, including relevant detail – choose specific vocabulary

Read a storybook about the circus, e.g. Spot Goes to the Circus by Eric Hill

Optional activity: What is in the bag? Looking at the clown’s costume and teacher dressing as the clown

Teacher’s intentions

•	To use the items of clothing to build up a picture of the clown

Opening the bag: discussion of the clothing/props

Place the bag of clothes or clown props in the centre of the circle of children. Invite children one at a time to take something out of the bag. Ask the child to describe what he or she has found. Encourage children to comment on each item:

•	What do you think this is?
•	What kind of person would need/wear this?
•	What do you think the balls/oranges are for?
•	This is a strange hat! Who would wear one like this?

Lay the items out on the floor for everyone to see.

Prediction, description, focus on relevant detail

Costuming: teacher putting on the costume

Tell the children that in the story you are going to be the clown who own...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Teachers’ notes
• Glossary
• 1 The Sad Clown
• 2 Teddy Bears’ picnic
• 3 The Not-So-Jolly Postman
• 4 The Baker's Shop
• 5 The Park
• 6 The Sun Wizard
• 7 Beside the Seaside
• 8 The Toymaker's Workshop
• 9 Humpty Dumpty
• 10 Jack and the Beanstalk
• 11 Cinderella
• 12 Suzie and the Snow
• 13 Trouble at the Bottom of the Sea
• 14 Pierre the Rabbit
• Recommended reading