Learning outcomes for a Year 9 Drama class, with class activities

that supports numeracy in Drama.

Looking at how to use numeracy in a Drama lesson, I have included three
activities that could be incorporated into the one lesson. This is a lesson
from an Improvisation Unit Plan. In practice, you may not wheel out all
three activities in the one lesson. My reasons to include all three activities,
is to emphasize the presence of Numeracy in Drama.

Metronome Exercise
Two Players
Where, Who and What are agreed upon. Players repeat scene four times.
Their pacing and timing in each scene are determined by the speed of the
metronome. The first three scenes are done with the metronome, and
thus the metronome might be set at normal speed for the first, fast for the
second, and slow for the third. (If no metronome is available, have
someone beat on a drum or something similar.) The fourth scene is the
actors choice - they may choose any of the previous speeds they wish but they are to do the scene without the metronome, recalling the beat
from the first time they did the scene. The point of concentration is in
picking up the beat of the metronome.

Evaluation:

To actors: Did the metronome give you a greater awareness of stage

relationships? Did the beat of the metronome affect you physically and
individually?
To audience: Did the different timings alter the content and moods, even
though the scene was basically the same? What different character
qualities came up with each of the different beats?

Points of Observation:
1. In the fourth presentation, the actors choice, instruct the actors to
choose other than the normal speed.
2. Let the actors play around with different speeds; dont limit them to the
extremes of fast, normal, and slow. Experiment with more subtle beats.
3. For variation, try changing the beats with the scene. As with all the
exercises, it is up to the teacher-director to determine at what point
their students will gain the most from this problem. This exercise
should bring a further experience in attentiveness to outside
phenomena (rhythm) shaping the scenes progression. (p.229 Spolin
1999)

Maintaining surface Heights Exercise

Single Player.
Player establishes a surface (table, counter top, etc.) on which he puts
many small objects, settling them down with strong impact. The objects
may be books, pencils, glasses, etc.

Point of Concentration:
On Keeping the height of the surface stable and constant while setting
various objects on it.

Point of Observation:
Resistance of the Point of Contact will show itself by players piling
objection upon the other instead of placing the singly on the surface.
(p.79 Spolin 1999)

Rhythmic Movement Exercise

Full Group.
Have players sit or stand in large area. Teacher-director calls out an object
(train, airplane, space ship, washing machine, etc.). Players are instantly,
without reflection, to make some motion that the object suggests to them.
Have them continue the movements until they become rhythmical and
easy. When this has occurred, side-coach the group to move around the
area, keeping their movements going. Put on a record or have a pianist
play and have them keep the same movements, now accompanied by
music.
Set up the scene for the students as they are moving around.

Example:
The characters were quickly cast without halting their movements. A
student who had developed an interesting dipping movement, using his
full torso, became a baker. Two girls who used hand-propeller movements

became side-show dancers. One girl, darting speedily from one end of the
stage to the other, became a mother looking for her child, and so on. The
whole stage became an animated, exciting carnival. (p.152 Spolin 1999)
Reference List:
Spolin, V. 1999. Improvisation for the theater: A handbook of teaching and
directing techniques. Northwestern University Press.