Acting 1

Learning intentions

  • We are learning to research and develop a character by using hot seating.
  • We are learning to explore the opinions and feelings of others and to report on them in an objective way.

What to look for

  • Pupils beginning to address a current topic/issue through drama
  • Pupils using hot seating to develop an understanding of a situation
  • Pupils applying their understanding of a situation by developing it into a script
  • Pupils producing and performing a script that conveys the impact of a particular situation on a group of characters

Extension activity

  • You could give the pupils time to rehearse and perform their scripts for the class.

Learning activities

Prompt the pupils to choose a situation from:

  • a current topic;
  • a newspaper article; or
  • a broadcast, for example:
    • a natural disaster;
    • a local tragedy (not necessarily local to them); or
    • an international crisis, e.g. a famine.

Encourage them to research the subject independently to gain a broader understanding of it.

Divide the pupils into groups of 4–5. Ask them to imagine that they are a family living through a disaster/tragedy and assign a role to each person, for example:

  • mother;
  • father;
  • grandmother; or
  • brother.

One member of the group should assume the role of news broadcaster. Give the pupils time to devise 3–4 questions for each character and hot seat each other.

Have the pupils write a short ‘outside broadcast’, interviewing their family about the impact of the chosen issue on them. Encourage them to consider:

  • the reactions of each individual; and
  • how and where to interview each person.