Pirates Scheme of Work
(ages 11-12)
Overview
This six-week, practical unit uses pirate-themed stimuli to keep students moving while developing physical storytelling skills. Lessons focus on physical theatre exercises, active drama games and musical accompaniment to support devising, mime, tableau and choreography. Named activities such as 'Captain’s Coming', 'Tribal Dance' and 'The Chain Gang' give clear, repeatable structures for warm-ups and scene work.
What Students Will Learn
Students will develop physical storytelling and ensemble skills through exercises, games and music. They will practise mime, frozen pictures (tableau), choreographed stage fighting and devising to create short scenes. The unit includes improvisation work, musical visualisation and hot-seating to deepen character exploration and present devised pirate-themed pieces.
Week 1: Physical Theatre
Focuses on physical theatre and expressive movement. Students perform the exercises 'Captain’s Coming' and 'Fishing for Supper' using exaggerated movements and facial expressions to develop ensemble timing.
Week 2: Making Objects
Explores body sculpture to represent island objects. Students create body shapes representing treasure-island items and use them within a short scene of their own devising.
Week 3: The Tribe
Develops choreographed action and warm-up routines. The lesson includes a physical warm-up exercise 'Tribal Dance' and choreographed stage fighting work for ensemble staging.
Week 4: Tribal Meeting
Uses improvisation and musical visualisation to devise movement. Students improvise, respond to music and devise a tribal dance for the piece 'The Main Course'.
Resources IncludeMusicUntitled RhythmWeek 5: The Escape
Focuses on narrative stillness and mime. Students create frozen pictures (tableau) and perform mime sequences depicting the escape from the fearsome 'Sharkey Malarky'.
Week 6: The Capture
Combines mime with character work and questioning. Students perform mime to music as 'The Chain Gang' and take part in hot-seating for the Naval Officer and Pirates in 'Cat and Mouse'.
Resources IncludeMusicGold RushMysterySchmetterlingUp on a Housetop
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