Status and Tragedy Scheme of Work

(ages 13-14)

A focused six-lesson unit that develops students' ability to portray status in practical drama. The unit works through body language, facial expression, tone of voice, heights and levels, and the use of space to define relationships. Lessons progress from introductory status work and the 'Master and Servant' exercise to devising, tableaux and the 'Rise and Fall' exercise, concluding with a performance assessment that demonstrates changing status in a central character.

What Students Will Learn

Students will learn to represent social status and power relationships using physical and vocal techniques: body language, facial expression, tone, levels and spatial positioning. They will practise improvisation, devising and choreography of tableaux, rehearse named exercises such as 'Master and Servant' and 'Rise and Fall', and prepare a short assessed performance that shows the rise and fall of a character’s status.

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6 detailed lesson plansA complete, practical teaching sequence for the unit.
Lesson-by-lesson activity guidanceUse the unit structure, skills focus and classroom tasks without starting from scratch.

Week 1: Introducing Status
This lesson introduces what status means in drama and how to represent it. Students focus on body language and vocal expression to begin recognising and portraying status differences.
Week 2: High and Low Status
Students explore high and low status through practical exercises. The lesson uses the named exercise 'Master and Servant' to practise giving and taking status with drama skills.
Week 3: Using Space to Show Status in a Relationship
This lesson examines how spatial relationships convey status between characters. Students improvise status-driven scenarios and work towards a class tableaux that shows those relationships.
Week 4: Understanding Hierarchy
Students investigate transmission of status and hierarchical relationships in drama. The lesson focuses on devising scenes that represent status being passed or reinforced between characters.
Week 5: Preparing for the Assessment
This lesson prepares students for the unit assessment by practising status change techniques. Students learn how status alters in the exercise 'Rise and Fall' and refine their performance choices.
Week 6: Performing the Assessment
Students perform a piece of drama for assessment focusing on the rise and fall of a central character. The lesson culminates in a performance that demonstrates changing status within a short devised piece.