THE FIRST FLEET: JOHNS JOURNEY Interactive workshop
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Today Review the planning steps and key components of process
dramabriefly Participate in a process drama based on the First
Fleet (selected parts). Review an example of a process drama
applying these planning steps Deconstruct the plan of the First
Fleet and link this back to the planning steps.
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Great example Year one maths. View you tube clip. Maths story
land PROCESS DRAMA.WHAT IS IT
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What is process drama? Descended from dramatic playnatural
extension of play The teacher acts as teacher, director, co-
playwright and co-player with the students The narrative might
change based on the students ideas The teacher selects a range of
dramatic conventions to explore the key learning question and the
human context suggested by the dramatic pre-text
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The Twelve Steps Planning an introductory level process drama
Clear central role for students to explore in the experiential
phase Important to consider the prior experiences of students and
the drama skills they require and build these before commencing
process drama. Use drama games and short activities to build
students understanding of freeze frame, role play, role circle and
dramatic tension.
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Lets look at the 12 Steps Today we are exploring a basic
process drama structure with one key role. This is an introductory
level drama suitable for year 4. More advanced dramas could explore
multiple roles and contexts. I have developed a recipe/ method for
the basic central protagonist process dramathe twelve planning
steps.
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1. Craft the focus question Todays drama Were the convicts who
sailed on the first fleet to Australia criminals or victims?
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2. Select the dramatic frames Inside the dramatic action On the
edge of the dramatic action Outside the dramatic action 1787 On
board one of the ships of the First Fleet. The youngest convict
ever sentenced for transportation. The Friendship Preparing for the
journey. Building the boats planning the trip. Loading the ships
with the convicts In the present day. The students as historians
meet a relative of one of the convicts and they provide information
about the era.
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3.Select or create a pre-text Todays pre-text Can you imagine
just for a moment that you are living in another time and place.
Over 200 years ago in 1787 in a country called England. You are
about to go on a long journey to a new country that you know very
little about on the other side of the earth. You are being sent to
a start a new settlement in a place called Botany Bayin New South
Wales it will take you over eight months to sail over 24000
kilometres to sail by ship because it is on the other side of the
world. You are not alonemany others were transported with you.. You
have no choice.you must go on this journey and you know that may
never return home again.
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4. Build the participants understanding of the context
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How many masts does the ship have? What is the ship made of?
How many sails does the ship have How is the ship powered? What
colour is the flag? What colour are the sails?
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Blanket Role Mantle of the Expert HISTORIAN Expert on life in
LONDON 1780s Historians code: Seeking the truth through evidence Dr
(Your real Name)______________________
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5. Choose a central role for the participants to explore John
Hudson youngest convict Normally this would be a fictional
character however given the time difference there is enough
distance in to not have the real context impact on the
drama..therefore I have used a real name.
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Transport Ships The Alexander The Charlotte The Lady Penrhyn
The Friendship The Prince of Wales The Scarborough
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6.Build belief in the central role John Hudson Monologue
Postcards and the journey A map of Johns Journey The role
circle
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London 1783 for many a city of poverty and despair, food and
shelter was scarce and expensive, few had jobs and many were forced
to steal in order to feed themselves and their families. The narrow
dirty streets were crowded with beggars, pickpockets and all manner
of desperate men, women and children. John Hudson was a chimney
sweep fr0m Middlesex, was arrested while breaking into a house for
burglary and was sentence to trial at the old bailey. The penalty
for burglary was death but because of his age, Hudson sentence was
reduced to seven years transportation. John Hudson was 9 years
old.
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7.Provide opportunity to embody the central role The role
circle
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8. Inject a tension for the central role to confront Will John
steal on the boat or not?
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HUMAN CONTEXT ROLETENSIONFOCUSMOODSYMBOLLANGUAGE SPACE<
TIME< MOVEMENT DRAMATIC MEANING CREATING DRAMATIC MEANING. Using
the elements of drama to make meaning The elements of drama the
building blocks of drama
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Tension The most essentially dramatic of all the elements,
TENSION is needed to turn this human context into dramatic action.
To keep the audience and the participants interested in the
situation and the characters, there has to be something significant
at stake. The tension can be provided in many ways.
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The tension can be provided in many ways: the tension of the
task: the urgency and importance of what the characters have to do
to achieve their goals or deal with the situation dilemma, where
the characters face difficult choices; conflict, the clashes of
interest, power or personality between or among the characters, or
their misunderstandings. Which tension will you include in your
scene?
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9. Explore the tension through dramatic conventions Today. Find
a partner One of you will take on the role of John Hudson and
either another convict or a guard. It is your choice. Your short
scene must have 10 lines of dialogue, start with a freeze frame and
convey to the rest of the class what John decides to do. The scene
must include dramatic tension. Decide which tension.
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10.Plan for a reflective activities Future predictions Writing
in role.
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11. Evaluate the plan Use these great questions developed by
John OToole to rethink the process drama plan: The Context has the
situation been clearly set up? Have the students has sufficient
time to build belief? To enrol themselves or understand the
perspective of their characters in the situation? The time scale
and tempo Are they appropriate? It is tempting to try and rush the
drama. Drama actually works better the slower you take it? The
focus/ framing are we clearly working inside the dramatic action,
or on the edge or on the outside? This can add protection and
distancing. Dramatic tension- is the class going to be really
gripped by the unfinished business, the unanswered questions? The
place and the space are the real life and fiction congruent? Are we
trying to have a press conference with the reporters sitting on the
floor. The language and the movement is the language we are
speaking appropriate in genre and register? Are students having the
opportunity to physicalize the situation and the gesture? The mood
and the dramatic symbols are these adding to the significance?
Source; O'Toole, J. (2008). Process, dialogue and performance: The
dramatic art of English teaching. In M. Anderson, J. Hughes &
J. Manuel (Eds.), Drama and English teaching: Imagination, action
and engagement. (pp. 2-13). Melbourne: Oxford.