Performing Arts

Foundation/Year 1

In Performing Arts, Foundation and Year 1 students have been exploring and developing their confidence in movement, expression, and performance. Through a range of engaging activities, students have been learning how to communicate ideas, characters, and emotions using their bodies, facial expressions, and gestures. Students have also been exploring the role of music and sound in storytelling. They listened to a variety of children's stories and used percussion instruments to create sound effects and accompany key moments in the narratives. This helped them develop an understanding of how music and sound can enhance mood, action, and meaning in a performance. In addition, students have been learning about movement on a stage, including how performers use space safely and effectively. Through improvisation activities, they have experimented with expressing different emotions and responding creatively to a range of scenarios. These experiences have helped students build confidence, creativity, communication skills, and an enjoyment of the Performing Arts.

Year 2

In Performing Arts, students in Year 2 have been developing their drama skills through mime and tableaux activities. Students have practised using facial expressions, body language, and movement to communicate ideas and emotions without words, while also creating freeze frames to represent characters, settings, and key moments in a story. Year 2 students have further extended their learning by designing storyboards for short plays that they will present to their peers. Through this process, students have explored story structure, character development, and visual planning, while developing their creativity, collaboration, and communication skills. These activities have helped students build confidence as performers and storytellers while working cooperatively with others 

Years 3 & 4

In Performing Arts, students in Years 3 and 4 have been learning the art of puppetry. They have explored a variety of puppetry techniques and developed the skills needed to manipulate puppets effectively, bringing characters to life through movement, voice, and expression. Students have also been working collaboratively in small groups of four or five to write scripts for short puppet plays. Through the creative process of planning, writing, rehearsing, and performing, students have strengthened their communication, teamwork, and storytelling skills. As part of their learning, students have learned how to provide respectful and constructive feedback, recognise the strengths of a performance, and suggest ways to improve. These experiences have helped students develop confidence, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking skills while fostering a supportive and respectful learning environment.

Years 5/6

In Performing Arts, students in Years 5 and 6 have been exploring character development and the skills required to create believable and engaging characters. They have learned how a character’s personality, background, motivations, and relationships influence the way they think, speak, and behave. Students have also been developing their voice projection and vocal expression skills, learning how to use their voices clearly and effectively to communicate with an audience. Through a variety of drama activities, they have practised using voice, movement, and facial expressions to bring characters to life. Working collaboratively in small groups, students have been creating scripts for puppet shows. This process has involved developing story ideas, writing dialogue, and planning performances while considering how puppets can be used to communicate character and story. Through these activities, students have strengthened their creativity, communication, collaboration, and performance skills while building confidence as young performers and storytellers.