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

Drama: Sharing Our Drama with an Audience

B1.4 B2.2 B2.3About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can plan a drama for a specific audience.
  • I can choose audio, visual and technology aids that make my drama stronger.
  • I can explain the effect each aid has on the audience.
  • I can be a respectful audience member and give helpful feedback.
  • I can name my strengths, interests and next steps in drama.

Words to know

audience
The people who watch and listen to a drama.
specific audience
One particular group you are performing for, like a kindergarten class, grandparents or your team.
aid
Something that helps a drama: a sound, a light, a prop, a picture or a piece of technology.
audio aid
Something the audience hears: sound effects, music, recorded voices.
visual aid
Something the audience sees: props, costume pieces, lighting, signs, pictures.
technological aid
A device that helps the drama, like a tablet playing sounds or showing a picture, or a camera recording it.
effect
What the choice makes the audience feel, think or understand.
area for growth
Something you want to get better at. Also called a next step.

Remember from Grade 3

You shared drama with a familiar audience using simple aids, and you talked about your strengths and goals. In Grade 4 you will plan for a specific audience, choose aids on purpose to create an effect, and reflect as both a performer and an audience member.

Lights, sound, action!

Turn off the lights. Shine a flashlight under your chin. Say, in a low voice, "It was a dark and stormy night..." Now tap a pot lid gently for thunder.

Did you get a shiver? You just used a visual aid (the light), an audio aid (the thunder) and your voice to create an effect: a spooky mood!

A flashlight shining a beam across a dark table holding a pot lid, a wooden spoon, crinkled foil and a small drum.
Everyday objects can become drama aids. A flashlight makes a visual effect, while a pot lid, foil or drum can make sounds like thunder or rain. AI-generated image

Who is your audience?

Before you add any aids, ask: Who is watching?

  • Kindergarten children: keep it short, bright and clear. Avoid sounds that are too scary. Big, simple props help them follow.
  • Grandparents on a video call: stay close to the camera, speak clearly and project, and make sure the sound effects aren't louder than your voice.
  • Your class: they know the story, so you can add surprises and more tension.

The same drama can change a lot depending on the audience.

Type of aidExamples you can find at homePossible effect
audiopot lids (thunder), crinkled paper (fire or footsteps in leaves), a recorded bird call, quiet music, your own voices making a soundscapesets the mood, shows the time and place (birds = morning in a forest), builds tension
visuala flashlight or lamp, a blanket as a cloak, a hand-drawn sign ("Maple Creek Town Hall"), a scarf, a cardboard owlshows where and when, shows who a character is, draws focus
technologicala tablet or phone playing a sound effect or showing a picture of a forest; a camera to record the drama and share it with family far awaymakes the setting feel real, lets a far-away audience see it
Choosing aids
stageflashlightspeakeraudience
A simple plan for a home stage: a flashlight on the left shines onto the stage, a speaker on the right plays sounds, and a row of five audience chairs faces the stage.

Every aid needs a reason

An aid should help the drama, not distract from it. For each aid, ask:

  1. What effect will it have? (mood, time and place, tension, focus, understanding)
  2. Will the audience still hear the actors?
  3. Is it easy to use without breaking role?

A flashlight that makes a circle of light on Jaya when she finds the owls draws the audience's focus. A sound of wind in the leaves tells them we're outdoors. A slideshow that keeps flashing pictures might pull eyes away from the actors.

AidWhat the audience getsEffectflashlightcircle of light on Jayadraws FOCUSpot lid tappedrumbling thunderbuilds TENSIONbird-call recordingbirds at sunriseshows TIME & PLACE
Every aid needs a reason. Follow each row: the aid, what the audience sees or hears, and the effect it has on the drama.

Being a great audience member

The audience is part of the drama too!

  • Watch and listen with your whole body: eyes on the actors, phones away.
  • Laugh or clap at the right times; stay quiet during tense moments.
  • Afterward, give feedback that is specific and kind: "The thunder sound made me jump, and that built tension!" is more helpful than "Good job."
  • Ask a question: "Why did you choose blue light for the night scene?"
Just for fun

Long before recordings, theatres made thunder by shaking a big, thin sheet of metal called a thunder sheet. Some theatres still keep one backstage. Your pot lid is in good company!

Reflecting: strengths, interests and areas for growth

After you perform or watch, think about yourself in two roles:

  • As a drama participant: What did I do well? (strength) What did I enjoy most? (interest) What do I want to improve? (area for growth)
  • As an audience member: Did I listen well? Did I give specific feedback?

Use examples: "My strength is projection: Grandma heard every word on the video call. My area for growth is staying in role when I forget a line."

Worked example

Example: Planning aids for a specific audience

Jaya's family will perform the owl scene from the Maple Creek drama for a Grade 1 class. Let's choose aids.

  1. Audience check: Grade 1 students are young. The scene should be short and clear, and not too scary.
  2. Visual aid: a cardboard tree with a hole, and a small stuffed owl inside. It shows the place and lets the young audience see the owls clearly.
  3. Visual aid: a flashlight shines on the owl at the pivotal moment, to draw focus.
  4. Audio aid: a soft "hoo-hoo" sound (made with voices) to build gentle mystery before the owl is found.
  5. Not used: a loud chainsaw recording. It might frighten young children and drown out the actors' voices.

We chose aids that create focus, mystery and a clear setting, and left out one that didn't fit the audience.

Worked example

Example: Explaining the effect, using drama words

Your grown-up asks: "Why did you turn the lights down at the start?" Let's explain like a drama expert.

  1. Name the aid: "I turned off the ceiling light and used a flashlight."
  2. Name the element or convention it helped: "It showed the time: night in the park, and it built tension."
  3. Name the effect on the audience: "The audience got quiet and leaned in, because they couldn't see everything."

"I used a flashlight in a dark room to show it was night and to build tension. The audience leaned in and got quiet." That's an aid, an element and an effect.

Hands-on activity

Family drama night

You need: a short scene (from the Maple Creek drama, a picture book or your own idea), a flashlight or lamp, two or three sound makers (pot lids, paper to crinkle, a tablet or phone for one sound effect, if your family allows), one or two props, and an audience (family, or a video call with relatives).

  1. Decide your specific audience. Write: "My audience is ___, so I will ___."
  2. Choose one audio, one visual and (optional) one technological aid. For each, write the effect you want.
  3. Rehearse twice. Check: can the audience hear your voice over the sounds?
  4. Perform! If possible, record it.
  5. Reflect (watch the recording if you made one): write one strength, one interest and one area for growth.
  6. Then be the audience for someone else's scene, and give specific feedback: one thing that worked and why, and one question.

Safety: keep the flashlight out of people's eyes, and walk carefully in a darkened room. Ask a grown-up before using any device.

Your turn

1

Name one audio aid and one visual aid you could use for a scene in a snowy forest.

2

Why should you think about your audience before choosing aids?

3

You want the audience to look at one character. Which aid could help?

4

Give an example of specific feedback.

5

What is an area for growth?

6

Name one way to be a respectful audience member.

7

A sound effect is so loud that nobody can hear the actors. What should you change?

More practice: warm-up

1

Is music an audio aid or a visual aid?

2

Is a costume piece an audio aid or a visual aid?

3

Name one technological aid.

4

What does effect mean in drama?

5

True or false: Every aid should have a reason.

More practice: on your own

1

Plan one aid that shows time in a drama, and explain the effect.

2

You're performing for grandparents on a video call. Give two tips.

3

Write a reflection with a strength and an area for growth, using an example.

4

Why might a busy slideshow behind the actors be a bad aid choice?

5

What is your strength as an audience member? Give an example.

Challenge

1

Plan aids for the town meeting scene for a Grade 4 class. Include one audio, one visual and one technological aid, each with its effect.

2

A friend says, "I'm bad at drama." Help them find a strength and an area for growth from what you saw.

3

The same scene is performed twice, once with a flashlight spotlight and once in full light. Explain how the effect on the audience is different.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which is an audio aid?

2.

A flashlight shining on one actor helps create ___.

3.

Why might you leave out a loud, scary sound when performing for kindergarten children?

4.

Which is specific feedback?

5.

An area for growth is ___.

6.

A tablet showing a photo of a forest behind the actors is a ___ aid.

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 4 students communicate thoughts, feelings and ideas to a specific audience, using audio, visual and/or technological aids to enhance their drama (B1.4). They explain, using drama terms, how elements and conventions produce specific effects on an audience (B2.2), and identify their strengths, interests and areas for growth as drama participants and audience members (B2.3).

How to help:

  • Be an enthusiastic audience. Then give one specific compliment and ask one question about a choice.
  • A video call with relatives is a perfect "specific audience" and a reason to practise projection.
  • Help your child keep a short drama journal: date, what they performed, one strength, one interest, one next step.

Safety: keep flashlights out of eyes, clear the floor before dimming lights, and supervise any device use.

Common difficulties:

  • Too many aids. More isn't better. Ask, "What does this one do for the audience?"
  • Vague reflections ("I was good"). Prompt with, "What exactly did you do well? How do you know?"
  • Feeling discouraged by next steps. Frame them as goals, and always pair them with a real strength.