The Arts - Unit 3: Devising Drama - Voices of Change - LESSON PLANS - Year 5 & 6

Tired of spending your weekends planning? Transform your Year 5 and Year 6 Arts lessons with this complete, 9-week inquiry-based unit that brings the "Black Box Theatre" of Drama to life!

Step into the world of "Unit 3: Devising Drama - Voices of Change," a comprehensive Arts unit designed to save you time and deeply engage your Upper Primary students. This unit focuses on building a strong foundation in Playbuilding, blending the ancient "Living Library" of First Nations oral tradition with the modern tools of improvisation and scriptwriting, while connecting to the concept of Revitalisation and giving voice to unseen narratives.

Packed with creative, hands-on activities, this unit will transform your classroom into a dynamic, inquiry-based learning space where students don't just learn about drama, they live it as Devisers, Directors and Tech Designers.

What's Inside?

This 9-week unit is meticulously planned to help you deliver exceptional Arts lessons with confidence. You will find:

• 9 Weeks of Engaging Lesson Plans: Guide your students through a journey of discovery, from uncovering the 'Living History' of the oral tradition, competing in the 'Improv Olympics' to master spontaneity, devising original scripts from the 'Empty Chair' stimulus and proudly sharing their work at the final 'Voices of Change Showcase'.
• Australian Curriculum Aligned: This unit is fully aligned with the Year 5 and 6 Arts curriculum. It explicitly covers key content descriptors including AC9ADR (Drama), focusing on skills like Status, Space, Tension and Atmosphere.
• Project-Based & Experiential Learning: Foster genuine understanding with interactive and creative activities that make artistic concepts memorable. Imagine your students becoming 'Architects' building stories from a single photo, 'Space Thieves' manipulating power dynamics through body language and 'Tech Designers' using torches and Bluetooth speakers to paint scenes with light and sound.
• Built-in Assessment & Differentiation: Effortlessly monitor student progress through natural observation opportunities embedded in each activity. Observe their use of 'Levels' and 'Focus' in Tableaux Vivant, review their 'Script Formatting' to assess understanding of dialogue vs. stage directions and evaluate their 'Golden Rule' resilience (The Swan) during the final performance.
• Early Career Connections: Expose students to potential future pathways by weaving career education into every lesson. Connect activities to the work of a Cultural Consultant, Stage Director, Playwright, Lighting Designer and Theatre Critic.
• Summative Assessment Task: Conclude the unit with a comprehensive "Voices of Change Showcase" task, where students perform an original devised play that demonstrates character arcs and dramatic tension, complete with a student-friendly rubric for marking.

Cover Your Entire Year of The Arts!

This is Unit 3 of a comprehensive bundle. Together, these units cover the mandatory content descriptors of the Year 5 and Year 6 Arts Curriculum, providing you with high-quality lessons that bridge the gap between Visual Arts, Media Arts, Drama, Dance and Music. Stop the endless search for resources and reclaim your time.

Download "Unit 3: Devising Drama - Voices of Change" today and ignite a love for improvisation, storytelling and performance in your classroom!