DRAMA FRENCH

Drama is introduced to Prep - Year 2 students in a safe and accepting learning environment to enrich imaginations through free and directed play experiences.

A program based on familiar situations and personal experiences helps the students to express ideas and feelings about themselves and their interpretation of the world. This approach engages them to respond with curiosity and form the basis to ask questions and develop explanations for events.

Drama lays the foundations for students’ learning through different art forms of music, dance and visual art as stimuli for imaginary and creative play. The exploration in the performing arts promotes a focus on non-verbal communication skills in movement, mime and gesture to lead to the development of their verbal communication skills.

The use of spontaneous improvisation, games and puppetry enables the students to develop individual concentration and group focus in drama creations and presentations. Sequential skills involved in drama techniques and processes are promoted through observation and listening skill development.

Expression and vocal techniques are taught through voice projection, personal opinion delivery and group discussions. The students organise their ideas by working within time limits to structure tasks with the use of introduction, development and conclusion for their performance and storytelling. The students develop their recording and documenting skills using flip cameras and iPads.

The drama experiences engage students in co-operation and decision making processes to encourage confidence and personal enjoyment. An appreciation of others is nurtured by taking turns, belonging to a group and responding as part of an audience, to share and express ideas and feelings in a constructive manner. The focus on positive attitudes to learning and effort are fostered through the students’ participation in collaborative tasks and experiences.

The Australian Curriculum will be applied to the drama curriculum through the appropriate stages of learning and with a focus on developing the fundamental drama knowledge, skills and behaviors which will underpin future learning. The French program for Prep - Year 2 is taught using a communicative approach, developing basic skills in the language.

Vocabulary and structures for effective communication are introduced and frequently revised. Much of the material is delivered in French with the teacher using gesture, tone of voice and other visual cues to make the language comprehensible to students.

Emphasis is placed on enjoyment of language learning and the ability to confidently and successfully communicate basic information. Learning activities are matched to the skills and experiences of individual students and, in the early years of language study, the focus is on developing listening and speaking skills through such activities as conversation, singing, repetition of rhymes, interaction with puppets and participation in games.

Each student is encouraged to use French orally in every lesson, either by participating in whole group activities or making individual contributions. Elements of reading and writing are also developed and students are able to recognise, match, copy and spell simple words and phrases using key vocabulary.

Topics students can expect to cover over the three years include greetings, numbers, age, the alphabet, colours, shapes, school, classroom objects, animals, plants, habitats, the weather, seasons, months, days of the week, birthdays, shapes, French festivals, family, French markets, foods and meal times, various forms of French art, French gardens, the geography of France and the French-speaking world.