DRAMA FRENCH

Drama is developed in Years 3 and 4 in a trusting environment encouraging creative experimentation and exploration of cultural and global aspects.

Students select and develop ideas for their drama through an investigation of situations, feelings, values and beliefs in various contexts relevant to their personal and social development.

The students’ responses are promoted through non-verbal communication techniques using body language, movement, mime and gestures. Verbal communication is developed through characterisation in improvised and structured situations with attention to appropriate voice and movement techniques. Students develop the ability to manipulate dramatic qualities of time and space to shape performance and convey meaning in their work. Simple technical elements in stagecraft, such as lighting and sound are introduced and camera work is incorporated to assist presentations.

Drama is developed through a process of inquiry and reflection using a variety of art forms of music, dance and visual art as stimuli for their ideas and presentation. A sense of confidence and purpose in student performance is encouraged with a constructive ability to give appropriate feedback and recognition of individual differences using appropriate drama terminology. Planning, presenting and responding to various aspects in performance and the importance of being a receptive audience are developed.

Students use specific verbal communication skills such as persuasive language, discussion, argument and description to express their ideas. The students draw from a range of dramatic forms, including role-play, mime, interviews, game shows, documentary drama, improvisation and storytelling to express ideas, to communicate and expand their presentation skills.

The Australian Curriculum will be applied to the drama curriculum with attention to the stages of learning. There will be a focus on developing the fundamental knowledge, skills and behaviors which will underpin future learning. Students in Years 3 and 4 continue to learn French using a communicative approach. They make connections to a number of Units of Inquiry, with a focus being on the skill of communication through meaningful experiences.

Students begin to participate in the annual Alliance Française Berthe Mouchette Poetry Competition and are introduced to a new program called ‘Histoires en action’ or ‘AIM’ (The Accelerated Integrated Method).

This program is an innovative and entertaining approach to second language instruction. It is content-based and is centred upon the use of stories and music as the context for language acquisition.

The vocabulary presented to students has been carefully selected and is targeted for acquisition through a highly effective kinesthetic method termed ‘The Gesture Approach’. This method accelerates the internalisation of the target vocabulary because students experience and respond to vocabulary and structures kinesthetically, visually, physically and aurally. It ensures an equal and strong emphasis on the development of all four language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) through a program that meets the needs of all language learners and their learning styles. Spontaneous communication is frequently encouraged.

Amongst the topics covered, students can expect to also include greetings, describing the weather, numbers, age, colours, classroom objects, months and seasons and French festivals. These allow the students to participate in authentic routine exchanges, make statements and ask questions.