Malton High School: Drama Department Medium Term Plan

Name: Hayley Spiers

Topic Year: 8 Lessons Allocated: 6 Length: 75 mins

Melodrama

Class teacher(s):
Hayley Spiers
Relevant subject information to inform planning
Appropriate assessment & feedback approaches:

Peer and self evaluation can be used regularly to assess the progress students are making in
their performance work.

Teachers should award a final level for the unit based on an amalgamation of work in rehearsal,
performance and evaluation.

The final performance assessment for this unit will be a devised OR a scripted piece which
students will perform to their peers in groups. They will then complete a self evaluation form in
order to demonstrate their evaluative writing skills.

Other relevant teaching (e.g. literacy, numeracy, ICT / e-learning, personal, moral, spiritual,
social and cultural development; links to Citizenship and PSHE, events, out-of-school
learning possibilities):

Poem by Emily Dickinson – Literature.

Story of Maria Marten – Social/Cultural Development.
History of Melodrama.

P2 Medium Term Plan 1 © 2010 University of Plymouth

 Medium Term Plan - lesson schedule
Lesson intentions (Subject content & skills, activities, assessments)

Lesson 1 Learning Questions:

 What is a “stereotype”?
 What are the conventions of melodrama?

Key Words: Stereotype, Tableaux, Exaggeration

Intro:
Hand out new workbooks, fill in personal info and data. Explain that
workbooks will take them through the entire year and that they must leave
their workbooks in the DST at all times. Any homework will be completed on
paper or submitted via Showbie. Give class code for Showbie, get everyone
to join class.
Go over DST Code of Conduct. Reiterate particularly that they must NEVER
climb on the seating, or climb up the retracted seating. They must not use
props/costumes unless they have got your permission, and they MUST
ensure that everything is left as they found it!!

Starter:
Students to get into groups of 3/4. Call out the following, and give groups 20
seconds to produce a freeze frame –
1. Gangsters
2. The elderly
3. Cheerleaders
4. Royalty
5. Models

Main Task:
Discuss – what is a stereotype? Who, upon reflection, thinks their freeze
frames may have been stereotypical? In what way(s)?
Explain that one of the conventions of melodrama is stereotypical characters,
which we call stock characters. A collection of stock characters can be found
in all melodramas.
Give each group a stereotype card (week 1 resources). Students are to create
three freeze frames for their card, showing stereotypical behaviour of the
people shown on the card. Once three freezes have been established, link
together with short bits of action to create a tableaux (freeze frames linked
together with short bits of action/movement – may need to remind them of
this). Each group to show their tableaux, audience to discuss the stereotypes
being shown in each one.

Development:
Swap so that each group does a second stock character, with a focus this
time on exaggerating the stereotype as much as possible.

Plenary:
In groups, students are to come up with a definition for the word
‘exaggeration’. Share them with the class. Vote on the best one and record
this definition in the keywords on page 7.

Resources:
Stereotype Cards, Workbooks, Post-it notes.
P2 Medium Term Plan 2 © 2010 University of
Plymouth
Lesson 2 Learning Questions:
 How can sound effects contribute to a performance?
 How does music create the atmosphere of a performance?

Key Words: Atmosphere, Sound Effects, Soundscape.

Starter:
Soundscape – Students to sit in a circle, teacher to introduce a theme (show
pics on powerpoint). Each student to write one sound on a post-it note –
something they might hear in the given situation. Take in post-its and
redistribute, each student responsible for making the sound on their note.
Tell students to close their eyes and to join in with their sound. Their sound
must remain consistent throughout the soundscape (so if they start saying
“drip, drip, drip” they must continue to say this all the way through the
soundscape without stopping or changing).Encourage them to be creative
with how they’re making sounds (using voices and bodies). Stop if it gets silly
and remind them of what they’re supposed to be doing. Teacher to start with a
simple sound. Go through at least two of the three slides on the powerpoint.
** Some classes may find it helpful to go round in a circle, adding one sound
each at a time. With others this works better when students are allowed to
add in at random. **

Main Task:
Explain that melodrama relied very heavily on sound effects and music, and
that one of the reasons it died out was because there was constant
competition to come up with “better”, more technologically advanced sound
effects so inevitably they eventually ran out of ideas. Why do students think
music is used in Drama (encourage them to think about films in particular)?
Put students into pairs/small groups and give each group a mini whiteboard.
Play extracts from 3 or 4 different pieces of music (suggested on powerpoint)
and ask students to write down how it makes them feel. For HA students, ask
them to write down what sort of Drama/scene in a film they can imagine it
accompanying. Feedback at the end of each one.

Development:
Explain that in the days when melodrama first became popular, technology
was virtually non-existent and so actors had to come up with man-made,
simple ways to recreate sounds. LA groups may benefit from further
discussion/brainstorming on how this could have been done. Each group to
be given a copy of the Thunder poem (week 2 resources) and tell them that
one person is to read the story while the others create sound effects to
accompany it.

Plenary:
Each group to share their work and others to discuss how they have managed
to create certain sound effects creatively and originally.

Resources:

P2 Medium Term Plan 3 © 2010 University of

Plymouth
 Music tracks, mini whiteboards, poem.

Homework:
Sound effects worksheet. Talk them through this carefully – there always
seems to be confusion with it!!

Lesson 3 Learning Objectives:

 What sort of language was used in melodramas?
 How does the language used in melodramas shape the style of acting
used?

Key Words: Language, Exaggerate, Characterisation

Starter:
Recap the stock characters. Explain that in Melodrama, actions are all very
exaggerated and over the top. Mexican wave of villain, damsel in distress,
hero - whip round circle, students to each have a go at saying the lines “I
have you now!” “Somebody, save me!” and “I’ll save you!” with a
melodramatic action that has been modelled by teacher. Students have the
option of copying the teacher or coming up with their own gesture.

Main Task:
Show level descriptors for rehearsal on powerpoint. Talk through what
students must do specifically in order to reach their targets. Fill in the top
section on page 8 of workbooks.

Put students into groups of 3 and give them a copy of the script (week 3
resources). Students must use their knowledge so far of melodramatic acting
to stage this scene in as exaggerated a fashion as possible. Get them to just
think about their acting and characterisation (“What do we mean by
‘characterisation’?”) first, and after a few minutes ask them to add in at least
two sound effects to enhance their piece. Watch one or two to verbally peer
evaluate.

Students to fill in the bottom section on page 8 of their workbooks, reflecting

on their rehearsal work today.

Plenary:
In pairs, discuss a definition for the word ‘characterisation’. Share ideas with
the class. Construct a concise definition together, and record it in workbooks.

Resources:
Workbooks. Scripts.

P2 Medium Term Plan 4 © 2010 University of

Plymouth
Lesson 4 Learning Questions:
 What is a stimulus?
 How can we use a stimulus to devise Drama?

Key Words: Stimulus, Devise, Mime

Starter:
Explain to students that melodramas were often based on true stories; ask if
anyone has heard of Sweeney Todd. Explain that this was originally based on
a true story – might spend a couple of minutes discussing the plot.
Now watch a few minutes of the silent movie on the powerpoint (YouTube
link). Explain to students that for their assessment for this unit, they will be
working in groups to create their own silent movies based on a stimulus!

Main Task:
Read story of Maria Marten together (week 4 resources). How do students
think this has been altered or adapted so that the characters fit in with the
stereotypes we have been learning about?

Put students in small groups and tell them that they must use the story as a
stimulus and devise a melodrama in which they show the story of Maria
Marten. Remind students that they are creating a silent movie and so all of
their work should be mimed (students completed a mime scheme of work in
Year 7 and so will be familiar with the medium).

Fill in a definition for the word ‘mime’ on page 7.

Plenary:
Students have the rest of this lesson to plan/start rehearsing. Dispay level
descriptors on the board as a reminder. Play melodrama soundtrack in
background, tell students to use the music to inspire the mood/pace of their
piece.

Homework:
Ensure that you have Splice on your iPad. Experiment and play – can you
add videos, photos, titles and filters to a project?

Resources:
Maria Marten stories. Workbooks.

P2 Medium Term Plan 5 © 2010 University of

Plymouth
Lesson 5 Learning Questions:
 What do we need to consider when producing our silent movies?

Key Words: Melodrama, Stimulus, Devise

Starter:
Watch a few minutes of the silent movie on YouTube, from last lesson. Get
stuents to write down on post-it notes 3-5 things that they notice about the
performance. Share observations.

Main Task:
Fill in top section on page 9, setting one or two targets for today’s rehearsal.

Development:
Students should record and produce their movies. They should ensure that
they include captions, and add filters to make it look authentic! Tell them not
to worry about adding music– we will play the melodrama track from the
movie as we watch their video next lesson. (Track on powerpoint – may want
to play sound to them as they create so they know what it sounds like.)

Plenary:
Fill in bottom section on page 9, reflecting on their rehearsal work today.

Homework:
Finish videos. Add them to Showbie.  Only one person from each group
needs to submit it, but do remind them that the whole group is responsible for
ensuring this is done – no “so-and-so was meant to upload it but then it got
deleted” excuses!! No submission = no assessment level, and a negative for
each member of the group.

Resources:
Post-it notes, iPads, workbooks.

P2 Medium Term Plan 6 © 2010 University of

Plymouth
Lesson 6 Learning Questions:
 What do we need to consider to evaluate our own, and other people’s,
performances?

Key Words: Evaluation

**REMINDER: ALL EVALUATION WORK (PEER AND SELF) SHOULD BE

COMPLETED IN GREEN PEN**

Starter:
Explain how the peer evaluation will work (page 10) – show them the
example on the projector and answer any questions. Remind them to use
Drama vocabulary where it is appropriate, and that they should comment on
at least two of the four focuses at the top of the page. Explain that they
should also put the name of one person in the performance group in the box,
so that when you mark the work, you know who they are talking about.

Main Task:
Watch performance recordings back. Students to complete peer evaluations
for every group except their own.

Plenary:
Now they have completed the peer assessment, they should go and sit in
silence to complete the self evaluation section of the assessment. Remind
them that, as this is part of their assessment for this unit, they should
complete the work in silence and as thoroughly and neatly as they can.

NOTE: The questions on the self evaluation in italics are additional questions
only compulsory for the higher ability groups (H and J). Lower ability groups
should complete the other three questions ONLY. The slide on the powerpoint
with the two boxes will help with the lower ability questions – the first box will
help with Q1 and Q2, the second box will help with Q5.

Personal Targets page 13 should also be completed as part of the self

evaluation process, but they may need more help with this.

Resources: Performance videos. Workbooks. Green pens.

P2 Medium Term Plan 7 © 2010 University of

Plymouth
P2 Medium Term Plan 8 © 2010 University of
Plymouth