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A Level & GCSE Drama Resources

I am a high school drama teacher and have been teaching A level and GCSE drama for the past 11 years, with strong exam results (all A*-B) and excellent moderator reports. Here are some of the resources I have created over the years. My aim is to provide digital resources that can combine theory and practice, allowing teachers to teach combined lessons, keeping students engaged and providing optimal learning.

I am a high school drama teacher and have been teaching A level and GCSE drama for the past 11 years, with strong exam results (all A*-B) and excellent moderator reports. Here are some of the resources I have created over the years. My aim is to provide digital resources that can combine theory and practice, allowing teachers to teach combined lessons, keeping students engaged and providing optimal learning.
Sound Design (Complete Lesson GCSE/A level Drama)
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Sound Design (Complete Lesson GCSE/A level Drama)

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This is an introduction to sound design, which has been designed for an A level drama class, but can be used for other qualifications as well as younger students. It includes videos, interactive activities and comprehensive questions allowing students to learn about sound design for theatre and the various ways this can be incorporated into their studies. This PowerPoint is designed for a 2 hour lesson on Sound Design.
The Drama Toolkit: The Essential Guide for Drama Teachers
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The Drama Toolkit: The Essential Guide for Drama Teachers

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The Drama Toolkit is your all-in-one resource for drama teachers seeking to engage and inspire their students. With its wide range of activities, vocal and physical warm-up guides, lesson planning tips and resources, this toolkit will enhance your teaching repertoire and help you create a vibrant and dynamic drama program. Spark your students’ creativity, build their confidence, and cultivate a lifelong appreciation for the dramatic arts. This 60pg PDF is suitable for work with children, teenagers and even adults. Whether you’re a seasoned drama teacher or just starting out, this resource will provide you with a treasure trove of ideas to captivate your students and make drama class a memorable experience.
GCSE/ A Level Lighting Design - Complete Interactive Double Lesson (including Quizlet test!)
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GCSE/ A Level Lighting Design - Complete Interactive Double Lesson (including Quizlet test!)

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This interactive PowerPoint lesson allows you to cover all aspects of Lighting Design in depth over 2-3 teaching periods for an A Level Class. The information is broken up into bite-sized chunks, followed by fun practical exercises to enhance learning. You do not need to have any actual lighting equipment for this lesson. Students instead use either small torches or their phone torches to create lighting for a mini-studio which they can piece together out of card at the start of the class (instructions included in PP) The lesson also includes a link to a Quizlet test where they can practice what they have learned and compete against each other in digital Quizlet games. Alternatively, you can print out the test from Quizlet and hand this out in a follow-up lesson to test their knowledge. My students were dreading learning about lighting due to the complex terminology, but they all commented afterwards that it was a very fun and engaging lesson.
Live Theatre Teaching Pack for Yerma (GCSE/ A LEVEL DRAMA)
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Live Theatre Teaching Pack for Yerma (GCSE/ A LEVEL DRAMA)

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This is a complete guide to ‘Yerma’ (2016, Young Vic) as a Live Theatre play for GCSE or A LEVEL drama. The pack includes: 1 presentation for introducing the play prior to watching, exploring the original and how it was adapted 1 printable handout for introducing the play prior to watching, to pair with introductory presentation 1 presentation focusing on sound terminology and key moments for sound 1 presentation focusing on set/staging terminology and key moments for set/staging 1 presentation focusing on costume terminology and a breakdown of each character’s costume 1 presentation focusing on lighting terminology and key moments for lighting All presentations are illustrated with photos from the play. The material is designed to cover 5 teaching periods, but an additional 4 periods can follow with practice questions for each element. The material is not specific to a particular exam board, although it was originally designed for GCSE Edexcel Drama.
GCSE Drama Lighting Design Info Lesson
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GCSE Drama Lighting Design Info Lesson

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A presentation lesson on Lighting Design for GCSE drama. The basic info your students need to know about lighting to access all aspects of the course. Also a good foundation for A level students. The presentation includes visuals and practical exercises to feed-back on the students understanding of the material along the way, and keep them engaged in the lesson. Can be squeezed into a single period or stretched into a double lesson. Areas of focus: Focus and Direction of Lighting (sidelighting, backlighting, frontlighting, uplighting & toplighting explained with example photos, including 3-point lighting explained with diagram) Types of Lantern (Fresnels, Parcans, Profile Spotlights, Floodlights, Birdies, LED’s, Moving Lights) & Special effects (Gobos, Gels, Smoke/Haze machines) Intentions/Styles of Lighting Design (Naturalism vs Expressionism) In addition, lighting terminology such as cue/state/wash/fade/crossfade etc is explained.
Frankenstein: Live Theatre Resource Pack (A level/GCSE Drama)
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Frankenstein: Live Theatre Resource Pack (A level/GCSE Drama)

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Resource pack and workbook for students watching the play ‘Frankenstein’ at A level for their Live Theatre exam. It includes background info on the play, research activities, reviews and space to write notes on key moments in the play in order to best respond to A level questions. Based on Edexcel exam board, but may be applicable to other boards as well. This resource pack is based on the National Theatre’s Frankenstein starring Johnny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch.
COMPLETE Y9 Drama Lesson Plans & Workbooks/marksheets for 1 year!
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COMPLETE Y9 Drama Lesson Plans & Workbooks/marksheets for 1 year!

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Need your Y9 drama lessons sorted? Here is a complete pack - EVERYTHING you need to teach all your lessons for one year. With the student workbooks, everything is kept in one place, and students can learn from interactive fun lessons that cleverly combine practice and theory. The course is designed to follow 20 set standards over 5 units, and allows teachers to easily grade students at the end of each unit in the provided sections. Practitioners as well as key drama terminology is covered in preparation for GCSE. Designer options are also offered in some units, with differentiated standards for these choices. The specially designed ‘teacher’s book’ contains all the lesson plans for the year, as well as marksheets and pages for marking each practical piece. You can provide verbal feedback on which standards students have met so that they can complete the boxes in their books, allowing them to do your marking for you and saving hours of work! The five units are: Playing a role (Stanislavski/ Creating a character) Forum Theatre Movement and Mime (States of tension/ Comedia dell’arte /Frantic Assembly) Exploring Narrative (Brecht/ Cross-cutting/ Narration) Final Devised pieces (Set/costume/lighting/sound/Marking the moment) The 20 Standards are: To have a strong awareness of the audience and employ sightlines effectively. To confidently use the performing space. To develop emotional range and flow, as well as pauses within dialogue/spoken scenes. To develop characters using basic Stanislavski techniques such as objectives/actions. To begin to understand subtext and to begin to follow the vision of the writer/director. To effectively work within a group in order to improvise a scene from a given stimulus. To be able to develop more complex character relationships and present them accurately. To use forum theatre techniques to provide alternative solutions in performance. To begin to differentiate and take on specific roles such as director/designer/technician etc. within groups. To develop physical discipline and clarity through stillness and posture. To begin to understand physical theatre and the way it translates ideas/characters/situations. To be able to discipline facial expressions from neutral to highly expressive. To understand the difference between Stanislavskian and Brechtian narrative. To be able to establish the use of flashbacks, action, plot and content for a piece. To develop vocal technique, understanding use of tone, pitch, volume and pace. To use practitioner techniques to develop original drama for performance. To be able to incorporate both lighting and sound effects in theatre. To effectively use costume for character and set/props to design a scene. To be able to understand and make use of a variation of tone/mood and atmosphere. To begin to critically evaluate each other’s group work based on specific success criteria in writing.