Bullying Scheme of Work
(ages 11-12)
Overview
This six-week scheme uses bullying as a focused context for practical drama work. Students draw on their own experiences to devise pieces that examine multiple perspectives — victims, bullies, witnesses and teachers — while teachers guide creation of lyrical and visual material alongside drama tasks. The unit emphasises student-led devising and creative workshops to develop characterisation, empathy and ensemble skills. Provide sensitivity guidance and classroom agreements before exploring personal material.
What Students Will Learn
Throughout the unit students will explore a range of perspectives around bullying, develop characters and short devised scenes, and practise presenting devised work. They will also create complementary lyrical and visual material, developing skills in devising, characterisation, vocal expression and collaborative ensemble work while practising empathy and perspective-taking.
Week 1: What is Bullying?
Students are introduced to bullying through the exercise ‘A blind eye’ before using role play exploring how witnesses to bullying can report incidents to teachers.
Week 2: Forum Theatre
The class identify places where bullying occurs and devise a short scene in this setting using freeze frames, thought aloud and mime. Forum Theatre is used to help the victim work a way out of the situation.
Week 3: Bullying Rap
Opinions about bullying are examined and are used to devise a rap or dance for an anti-bullying video (backing tracks are included).
Resources IncludeMusicHuman BeatEnter the PartyGriphopStringed DiscoWeek 4: Billy Bully
The class warms up using the prejudice exploring exercises ‘All Those’ and ‘Brown and Blue Eyes’. A fictional character called Billy is introduced and a scene exploring his issues is developed using a thought tunnel, thought aloud and Angel/Devil.
Week 5: Bullying News Report
A fictional newspaper report of a teenager driven to suicide by bullying is developed by groups into a TV news report using drama techniques including split scenes, slow motion and mime. News Theme music is included.
Resources IncludeResourcesBullying News ReportMusicNews ThemeWeek 6: Assessment
Groups perform their news report pieces for assessment and use their new understanding of bullying to write a policy on bullying for the school.
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