B. Drama / D. Visual Arts · Drama and Visual Arts

Drama: Sharing Our Drama and Drama Around the World

B1.4 B2.1 B2.3 B3.1 B3.2About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can share a drama with a familiar audience, using a few simple props, costume pieces, sound effects or technology.
I can share my thoughts and feelings about a drama in different ways.
I can name my strengths and something to improve as an actor and as an audience member.
I can describe drama I see at home, at school, in my community and in the media.
I can describe some drama and theatre traditions from around the world.

Words to know

audience
The people who watch a drama.

prop
An object an actor uses in a drama, like a cup, a broom or a pretend crown.

sound effect
A sound made to help tell the story, like knocking for a door or crinkling paper for footsteps in leaves.

media
Ways stories and information reach lots of people, like TV, movies, radio, videos and the internet.

puppet
A figure moved by a person to act out a story.

tradition
A way of doing things that a community has passed down for a long time.

Showtime!

You have created characters, relationships, settings and tension. Now it is time to share a drama with an audience.

In Grade 2, your audience is a familiar audience: people you know, like your family or your class.

Helpers for your drama

You can use a few simple aids to make your drama clearer and more interesting:

Props: a wooden spoon becomes a magic wand.
Costume pieces: one scarf or hat is enough to show a character.
Sound effects: shake a cookie sheet for thunder, clap coconut shells or cups for horse hooves.
Lights: a flashlight can be a spotlight or the moon.
Technology: play quiet music on a tablet, show a picture of the setting on a screen, or record sound effects.

Choose aids that help the audience understand the story. Too many can get in the way!

A wooden spoon, a red knitted scarf, a black top hat, a yellow paper crown and a blue cape laid out on a classroom table. — A few simple props and costume pieces are all you need. A wooden spoon can become a magic wand, and a paper crown turns you into a king or queen. AI-generated image

Five kinds of simple aids for a drama. Everyday things can become props and sound effects; you only need one or two.

Story moment	A simple aid that helps
a storm at sea	shake a cookie sheet for thunder; blow for wind
a scene at night	turn off the lights and use a flashlight as the moon
a royal ball	play gentle music on a tablet; a paper crown
walking through fall leaves	crinkle a paper bag
a scene in the Arctic	show a picture of snow and sea ice on a screen behind you

Choosing aids for a familiar audience

Being a good audience member

The audience has an important job too!

Watch and listen quietly.
Laugh or react when it fits the story.
Clap at the end.
Afterwards, share kind and helpful comments.

Actors on the stage face the audience and speak clearly. The audience has a job too: watch, listen and clap at the end.

Talking about a drama

You can share your thoughts, feelings and ideas about a drama in many ways:

Talk: "I felt nervous when the wolf knocked."
Draw your favourite moment.
Write a sentence or a review.
Show it: freeze in a tableau of the most exciting part.
Give a thumbs up, sideways or down for parts you liked.

Then think about yourself:

Strength: "I used a loud, clear voice."
Interest: "I love playing animals."
Area to improve: "Next time I'll face the audience."

Worked example

Example: Sharing The Mitten with the family

Maya and her brother act out The Mitten, a Ukrainian folk tale retold in many picture books, for their grandparents.

Plan the aids: a real white mitten as a prop, a toque for each animal, and a tablet playing soft wind sounds.
Perform: they speak loudly and face the audience. Each animal squeezes into the "mitten" (a blanket).
Audience: the grandparents watch quietly and laugh when the bear sneezes.
Talk about it: Maya says, "I felt excited when the bear sneezed and all the animals flew out!"
Strength and next step: "My strength: I used a different voice for each animal. Next time: I'll remember not to turn my back to the audience."

Maya used a few simple aids, shared her feelings, and named a strength and an area to improve.

Drama all around you

Drama is not only on a stage. Look for it:

At home: pretend play, puppet shows with socks, family skits
At school: acting out stories, the holiday concert, assemblies
In the community: plays at a theatre, story time at the library, festivals, parades with costumed characters
In the media: actors in TV shows and movies, voice actors in cartoons, radio plays and podcasts, commercials

Drama traditions around the world

People all over the world tell stories through drama. Here are a few traditions:

Tradition	Where it comes from	What happens
Shadow puppets (wayang kulit)	Indonesia	Flat leather puppets are held behind a lit screen. A puppeteer called a dalang moves them, does all the voices, and a gamelan orchestra plays music.
Paper theatre (kamishibai)	Japan	A storyteller slides picture cards one by one through a small wooden frame, telling the story as each new picture shows.
Pantomime ("panto")	United Kingdom	A funny family play at holiday time based on fairy tales. The audience shouts out, like "He's behind you!"
Indigenous theatre	Canada	First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists create theatre today. Native Earth Performing Arts in Toronto is a well-known Indigenous theatre company. Many communities also have storytellers who share stories out loud.

A few drama and theatre traditions

Just for fun

In a British pantomime, when a character says "Oh no, it isn't!", the whole audience shouts back "Oh yes, it is!" It may be the only kind of show where yelling at the actors is good manners!

Worked example

Example: Where is the drama?

Leo makes a chart of the drama he saw this month.

Home: he and his cousin put on a puppet show with paper bag puppets.
School: his class acted out The Lion and the Mouse.
Community: the library had a kamishibai story time.
Media: he watched a movie with his family. He noticed the voice actor made the dragon sound low and rumbly.

Leo found drama at home, at school, in the community and in the media. He even noticed how a voice actor used voice to show a character.

Hands-on activity

Flashlight shadow puppet show

You need: a flashlight, a white bedsheet or a light-coloured wall, paper, scissors (with a grown-up), tape and straws or sticks.

This is inspired by shadow puppet traditions like wayang kulit.

Choose a short story (your own or a favourite, like The Lion and the Mouse).
Cut out simple character shapes from paper and tape each one to a straw.
Turn off the room lights. Shine the flashlight on the sheet or wall.
Hold the puppets between the light and the sheet, and perform for your family. Use a different voice for each character.
Add one sound effect and one piece of music if you like.
Afterwards, ask your audience: "How did it make you feel?" Then tell one strength and one next step.

Your turn

Who is a familiar audience?

Name a sound effect you could make for rain.

Why should you use only a few props?

Name one way to share your feelings about a drama without talking.

Tell one strength you have in drama and one area to improve.

Name one place you see drama in the media.

What is kamishibai, and where does it come from?

More practice: warm-up

What is a prop?

What is the audience?

Name one thing a good audience member does.

Name one place in your community where you could see drama.

Which country do wayang kulit shadow puppets come from?

More practice: on your own

You are acting a scene in a dark forest. Choose two simple aids and explain why.

Write a two-sentence review of a show or movie you watched.

How is a pantomime audience different from most audiences?

Your sister was a good audience member. Name a strength she showed.

Why do people in many countries tell stories through drama?

Challenge

Plan a 1-minute drama for your family. List the setting, two characters, the problem, and one or two aids.

Compare wayang kulit and kamishibai. How are they the same? How are they different?

After your show, your audience says, "We couldn't hear the lion." How could you use this to improve?

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which is a familiar audience for a Grade 2 drama?

Which is a good sound effect for thunder?

Which is drama in the media?

Kamishibai is ___.

Which is an area to improve that someone might name?

Native Earth Performing Arts is ___.

How many props should you usually use for a short family drama?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 2 students communicate ideas to a familiar audience, using several simple visual or technological aids (B1.4); express thoughts and feelings about drama in different ways (B2.1); name strengths, interests and areas for improvement as participants and audience members (B2.3); describe drama forms in their home, school, community and the media (B3.1); and show awareness of drama traditions from communities around the world (B3.2).

How to help:

Hold a family theatre night. Keep it short and celebrate effort.
Visit library story times, community theatre or festival performances.
While watching a show together, ask: "How did the actor show that the character was scared?"

About traditions: Present each tradition as living and current (shadow puppetry, kamishibai and Indigenous theatre are all practised today). If you make shadow puppets, call them inspired by the tradition.

Common difficulties:

Turning away from the audience. Practise "cheating out": stand a little sideways so your face can be seen.
Too many props. Limit to two or three aids.
Vague reflections ("It was good"). Ask: "Which part? Why?"