Drama as a school subject works with the elementary expresive tools of theatre, namely the human voice and body. It cultivates them, striving to utilise them consciously both in the drama and theatre process and in everyday communication. The subject is based on the basic principles of drama, seeing human behaviour as an external expression of people’s inner perception, their motivations and attitudes in their interrelatedness. These principles are used both in a collective drama process, which is based on direct action in play situations with the aim of generating and examining themes, and in the theatre process where the theme is communicated through human action.
Same as with theatre, drama in education employs expressive tools borrowed from other kinds of arts (literary, visual, musical) in their interrelatedness, respecting the specifical expressive possibilities they can offer to serve the ultimate dramatic message.
At the stage of primary education (grades 1-9) the learning contents of drama are divided into three content areas and implemented through creative activities. These head towards collective drama and theatre process as well as the reception and reflection of dramatic expression based on the underlying principles of dramatic art. In a broad range of creative activities, pupils should get an opportunity to employ their unique personal capacities and skills at all stages of the collective creative process as well as reflect on and assess a piece of drama they have seen.
The basic prerequisites of dramatic action consist in acquiring and enhancing psychosomatic, communication and play skills through a wide range of creative activities in the collective theatre and drama process.
The drama and theatre process consists on activities focusing on play action not intended to be watched by an audience, but bringing new experience gained from the situations of interpersonal communication. It also includes activities focused on the establishment of a scenic shape with all its components, and its presentation to an audience.
Reception and reflection lies in activities focusing on the active perception of drama in all its forms, and the systematic educating of a cultivated audience of dramatic work.
The area contributes to the forming and developing of key competencies by making pupils:
- understand art as a specific way of learning about the world and use the language of art as a specific communication tool;
- see art and culture in their mutual interrelatedness as inseparable parts of human existence; learn through their own creation which depends on the subjectively specific ways of perceiving, feeling, experiencing and imagining; develop their creative potential, cultivate their needs and forms of expression, and establish their hierarchy of values;
- help establish a welcoming and stimulating atmosphere enabling them to create, understand and learn about the values of art, adopt tolerant attitudes to various cultural values both of the past and present as well as the cultural expression of diverse groups, nations and nationalities;
- perceive themselves as free individuals; adopt a creative attitude to life, be able to overcome life stereotypes actively and keep enriching their emotional lives;
- take personal part role in the creative process, seeing it as a way to identify and express their own unique experiences as well as the phenomena and relationships existing in the diverse world.
Educational contents
LEVEL 1 (grade 1-5)
| Expected outcomes – stage 1
Pupils > have mastered the basics of the correct work with breath and voice formation, articulation of sounds and the right body posture; can express elementary emotions by means of voice and movement as well as recognise them in the behaviour of other people; > distinguish between fiction and real situations; accept rules of play; enter simple roles and act in them naturally; > examine themes and conflicts on the basis of their own action; > co-operate in a group when creating a performance; present it in front of classmates; watch the presentation of others; > reflect, with the help of a teacher, their experiences from seeing or hearing a dramatic work (theatre, film, TV, radio). Expected outcomes – stage 2 Pupils > link various somatic skills, combining them to express both their own inner states and emotions, and those of specific characters; > work with the rules of play and their variations; can enter various roles and act in them during a play situation in a natural and convincing manner; > identify themes and conflicts in situations and stories; look at them from the viewpoints of various characters; deal with the consequences of the characters’ actions; > work in groups to create a small-scale performance, using a range of various expressive instruments; > present a performance in front of their classmates and work further on it as a result of their own self-reflection and the feedback given by classmates and teacher; watch and assess their classmates’ presentations; > reflect on the experience gained from watching or listening to a piece of drama; distinguish the basic theatre genres on the basis of their own experience. Learning contents THE basic prerequisites of dramaTIC action > psycho-somatic skills – working with breath, correct formation of voice, body posture, verbal and non-verbal communication; > play skills – entering a role, a character; > social and communication skills – co-operation, communication in everyday situations, play situations as well as those generated during a group creation of a performance, presentation, reflection and assessment; The drama and theatre PROCESs > themes and topics in dramatic situations – identifying and expressing them; > role playing – heading towards deeper characterising; drama and puppet expressive instruments; > dramatic situation, story – arranging situations in chronological order; > theatre tools – scenic shape based on an improvised situation and a mini-story; diction; > communicating with audience – presentation, self-reflection RECEPtion and REFLEction of dramatic ART > basic building elements of drama – situation, character, conflict > contemporary drama genres and media – theatre, film, TV, radio, multimedia > basic theatre genres – theatre, opera, puppet theatre, movement and dance theatre |
LEVEL 2 (grade 6-9)
| Expected outcomes
Pupils > use cultivated verbal and movement expression, keeps the principles of voice hygiene and the right body posture; > combine somatic skills both in verbal and non-verbal expression, can give examples to illustrate the relationship between perception and action both in themselves and others; > develop, variate (vary?) and repeat play situations (on their own, with a partner, in a group), respect the rules of play and develop them creatively; > explore themes from various viewpoints, can identify the main theme and conflict; realise analogies between fictional situation and reality; > approach the theatre and drama process as creative groupwork in which they accept and fulfill their tasks, accept responsibility for collective work and the presentation of its results; > can identify the basic elements of drama both in their drama work and dramatic art; recognise the basic genres with their characteristic features; assess dramatic works as well as contemporary medial production critically. Learning contents the basic prerequisites of dramaTIC action > psycho-somatic skills – working with breath, correct voice formation, right body posture, verbal and non-verbal communication; > play skills – entering a role, stage character; structuring play and stage situations; > social and communication skills – communication in everyday situations, play situations and those generated by group theatre and drama process, presentation, reflection and assessment, co-operation, organising creative groupwork drama and theatre process > themes and topics in dramatic situations – identifying and expressing them; > acting – character, motivation, relationships; > conflict as the basis of dramatic situation – solving conflicts through the action of characters; > dramatic situations, plot – arranging situations in chronological and causal order, dramatisation of literary sources; > theatre process – dramaturgy, directing, acting, stage design, stage music and sound; > communication with audience – presentation, self-reflection. RECEPTION and REFLEction of dramatic art > basic elements of drama – situation, character, conflict, theme, climax; > main dramatic genres – comedy, tragedy, drama; > main theatre kinds – drama, puppet theatre, opera, operetta, musical, ballet, pantomime; > contemporary dramatic arts and media – theatre, film, TV, radio and multimedia > some periods and types of world and Czech theatre > important personalities of Czech and world drama |