Download GCSE Drama and Theatre Studies

GCSE Drama and Theatre Studies.
Scheme of Work for the NEW SPECIFICATION
Please note that we will commence teaching the new specification to
pupils entering the 4th year in September 2009. Those pupils who enter
the 5th Year at this time will still be studying the old specification.
GCSE classes currently have 6 lessons per 2 week timetable. The GCSE
groups are taught by very experienced practitioners who are given a high
degree of autonomy in delivering the course and who are encouraged, within
the confines of the course specification, to introduce pupils to their own
enthusiasms.
The 4th Year
During the 4th Year the pupils will study:
A SET TEXT from the perspective of performance. They will address acting
specific characters, direction, set and costume design and sound and lighting
plots. They will also study the social and historical context of the play as
appropriate and they will develop clear ideas as to how they would wish an
audience to respond to their performance and production ideas. They may
choose to answer ONE question on this set text in the GCSE examination.
LIVE PRODUCTIONS: The pupils are either taken to the theatre, or they
watch theatre companies who come in to school, to study live productions.
They will study the play in detail, both before and after the production seen.
They may choose to answer ONE question on a Live Production in the GCSE
examination.
PRACTICAL ASSESSMENTS. The practical component of the examination is
worth 60% of the final grade and at the end of the two year course each pupil
will be able to put forward his or her best marks in two different categories.
They can offer a variety of skills for assessment, including: acting, devised
thematic work, physical theatre, set design, costume design etc. In the
practical assessment there are 15 marks for preparation and understanding of
skills development and 45 marks for the actual performance or design. We
aim to offer at least 3 opportunities for assessed practical work in the 4 th year.
Students will also be prepared for the compulsory Section A question on the
examination paper where they will be required to complete a 4 part analysis of
ONE of their practical performances.
Further study in the 4 th year will include some of the following:
Stage make up.
Devising, guided by the teacher.
Physical Theatre
Theatre History, Practitioners or Genres, depending on the Live Productions
chosen.
Mask work
Plays other than the set text, studied for practical assessments.
A workshop with a theatre practitioner.
The 5 th Year
During the 5 th year the pupils may study:
A SECOND SET TEXT, again the set text is studied from a performance
perspective and by now we expect the pupils to be able to write a good
Theatre Studies type essay and not a literary analysis.
LIVE PRODUCTIONS: As detailed before and as available and appropriate.
EXAMINATION PRACTICE. The Theatre Studies examination is a
demanding 90 minute paper with several possible choices of question
combination. We therefore think it important the pupils are afforded regular
practice in exam type questions, from which they get detailed feedback,
allowing them to improve their performance.
PRACTICAL ASSESSMENTS: As detailed before. We hope to give the pupils
at least two further opportunities in the 5 th year to achieve good marks for
their practical assessments and to afford them further practice in the Section
A type questions.
Further study in the 5 th year will include some of the following:
Theatre practitioners, genres and social and historical contexts as appropriate
to the set text or chosen live productions.
Devising, involving collaborative writing and detailed research of a topic of
their choice. They are then responsible for all aspects of the production of this
piece.
Styles of theatrical performance such as naturalistic, Brechtian, satire, theatre
of the absurd etc.
TIE, puppetry, masks, costume design and manufacture, set design etc as
demanded by their choice of offered skill in the practical assessments.
Further details of the new specification, GCSE Drama 4240 can be accessed
through AQA’s website: www.aqa.org.uk