Drama Unit Planner:

UNIT PLANNER: The Arts: Drama NAME: Rita

Butler

TOPIC Advertising BAND Middle Years Year level 6

OVERVIEW OF THE UNIT

Learning about advertising through drama, students will critically analyse
television advertisements to identify the 5 features an ad must have. They will
use this information and that from previous English explorations individually and
in teams, to justify decisions in planning and producing an advertisement for the
upcoming school fête, directed at a particular audience. Through improvisation in
pairs and in teams, students will experiment with ideas and also combine their
music knowledge to create a jingle before filming the advert and presenting it at
a school assembly

Class Profile/Prior knowledge;

The class of 20 has been analysing advertising in Reading and Viewing in English.
This has been particularly concerned with the language of print advertisements
and considering it from the consumer’s point of view.
Essential Learnings focus:

❏ Futures  Identity  Interdependence  Thinking  Communication

Key competencies focus:  collecting, analysing, organising

information;

 communicating ideas and information;  planning and organising activities;

working with others in teams; ❏ using mathematical ideas and

techniques;

 solving problems;  using technology.

ICTs: (e.g. camera, computer software, etc. ❏ TV, VCR, Video camera

Strand/s: Key idea
Students draw from thought,
imagination, data and research, and
Arts Practice
the examination of social and
 understanding of the 5
cultural issues, to demonstrate
personal aesthetic preference, and
provide imaginative solutions and
Arts analysis artistic responses to ideas and
& Response issues.
 audiences
Students learn to distinguish
Arts in different genres and styles
associated with the different arts
forms. They employ processes for
Contexts
analysis and interpretation of style,
genre and form of arts works, and
communicate both reasoned and
personal viewpoints in response to
arts works.
Relevant Standard
Standard 3; Outcome 3.1
“Uses thought, imagination, research
and experimentation to
create/recreate arts works within
each arts form that convey meaning
about issues within their community”
(Department of Education and
Children’s Services 2004).
Standard 3; Outcome 3.4
Recognises different genres and
styles, features and conventions of
performance/
presentation in each arts form, and
uses appropriate arts language to
articulate understanding and reflect
personal preferences (Department
of Education and Children’s Services
2004).
Unit Outcome(s)
Conceptual
• Students will have an
features an ad must have.
• Students will have an
understanding of the
requirements of different
Skills
• Students will be able to
confidently critically
analyse advertisements to
determine their
composition and
effectiveness
• Students will be able to
develop their problem
solving skills through
improvisation
• Students will use their
knowledge to justify
decisions in their ad
design.
• Students will further
develop their audience
skills
• Students will be able to
give feedback and
constructive criticism on
their own and other’s ads.
• Students will be able to
use their music skills to
create a jingle.
Affective
• Students will develop
awareness of and
enthusiasm for school
activities
Weekly outline of lessons;
Week 1; ‘Panel of Experts’
• Panel of Experts
- Panels of 4 watch a different TV advert
each on the computer and discuss what
the ad ‘did’ to them as the viewers, to
others in the ad, to the product and how
it began and concluded.
- Panels present this information
knowledgeably and confidently to the
class.
- Class discusses generalisations that can
be made. With teacher direction they
develop the 5 Ad Must-Haves.
• Role Improvisation
- In teams of 5 students create a 1
minute long improvisation for a
barbeque tongs’ ad using the findings
from the ‘Panel of Experts’
investigations.
• Homework – Ad Analysis
- Find an ad that you like or dislike.
Explain why you feel this way. What
techniques have they used to do the 5
Ad Must-Haves?
Week2; ‘Down to the Designers’
• Warm Up - Freeze!
- Individually, students walk at a fast
speed around the room to the Ajax
jingle. When the music stops, they must
freeze in their position.
- Students walk in slow motion, as though
they are in a sport’s replay or in a
dream, to the music from the Flu shot
awareness ad.
- The pieces of music are played
randomly and students must assume
the right pace and then freeze when it
stops.
• School Fête – Idea Introduction
- Class makes a list of products and
services (stalls and activities) that
classes will be providing at the fête.
Explain that students will be making an
advert to play at assembly to encourage
students, teachers and parents to come,
but we can’t advertise everything so we
need to choose one focus for each team
of 4.
- Teams decide on their focus. Class
Teacher references and
resources
• Large room
• 5 computers
• Smart Board
• Chairs for whole class
• Adverts from YouTube or
taped from TV: washing
powder, chocolate, charity,
Scouts, clothing
• 5 sets of barbeque tongs
• CD player
• Samples of advert music or
jingles with contrasting
tempos:
- Slow: Flu shot awareness
(Government of SA)
- Fast: Ajax Spray and Wipe
• Un-tuned musical
instruments (sound effects)
• Tuned musical instruments
(jingle)
• Digital video camera
• Any props decided by teams
• Expert Evaluation of another
Team (Appendix D)
• Expert Evaluation of Me and
My Team (Appendix E)
EDUC 2008 Practical Notes:
• Week 10 Spontaneous
Improvisation
EDUC 2008 Workshop Notes:
• Week 11 Improvisation – Play
building
Chandler, D 1997, Cognitive
Development Stages in TV Viewing,
viewed 10 June 2009,
<http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Modu
les/TF33120/cogdev.html>.
Department of Education, Training
and Development 1998, The Arts
Teachers’ Classroom Guides: Early
years to secondary’, Curriculum
Resources Unit, South Australia.
Errington, E 1992, Towards a
 discusses any necessary research (e.g. Socially Critical Drama Education,
questioning students form selected Deakin University, Vic.
classes about their products/processes)
• School Fête – Ad Creation Evans, T 1984, Drama in English
- Students reflect on past lesson and Teaching, Croom Helm, New
homework when creating their ads. For Hampshire.
the scenario they must decide on where
it will be, who will be there, who will do Leaker, J 2007, Assessment
what, who will say what and how the Strategies, Department of Education
product or process will be represented. and Children’s Services, viewed 6
In mixed teams of 4 they have 15 June 2009,
minutes to prepare an improvisation <www.decs.sa.gov.au/eyre/files/link
lasting 1 minute that advertises their s/Assessment_Strategies.doc>.
product/process.
- Each team is allocated a target Phillips, G 1992, The Burnside
School – Arts Project 1992,
audience: Junior Primary students,
University of South Australia, Magill.
Upper Primary students, parents or
school staff.
Russell-Bowie, D 2009, MMADD
- Students must have a tableau at the
about the arts!, 2nd edn, Pearson
beginning and conclusion of their ad. Education Australia, NSW.
• Homework – Audience Interview
- Students interview a person from their Sowden, C 1985, Developing
audience group about what they like in Language Through Drama, Thomas
ads. They must think of 2-3 particular Nelson, Melbourne.
questions to ask them.
Wright, L 1990, ‘Making and
Week3; ‘Completing the Concept’ Appreciating Drama: Pretend play
• Warm Up – Chain Story developed for the primary grade
- An item is shown to the class as they sit child’, Viewpoints.
in a circle. They must think of this as a
product and advertise its uses and why
people should want it. Every alternate
student contributes an unrelated word
which must be linked cohesively to the
first part of the advertisement by the
following person.
• Jotting a Jingle
- Students gather in their advert teams
and reflect on the appropriateness of
their ad considering their audience
interviews and consider if anything
needs to be altered.
- Students reflect on their advert and
decide on a catch phrase. This is then
transformed into a catchy jingle.
- Students consider the need for any
sound effects in their advert and
experiment with un-tuned instruments
and props.
• Filming
- Class watches as students act out
advert in front of the camera. Teams are
 only allowed 2 takes each.

Week 4; ‘Expert Evaluation’

• Warm Up- Spontaneous Improvisation
- In pairs, with students labelled ‘Grape’
or ‘Mango’, they are given the scenario
of being in a shopping centre. Grape is
a sales person of a small display set up
between stores. Grape stops Mango to
explain how fabulous this new
toothbrush is. Mango is a parent of 4
who is rushing around with his/her
children. She is in a hurry and is
sceptical and impatient. Can Grape win
her over? How? Students swap roles
and Grape becomes a wealthy snob
who doubts that he/she needs another
toothbrush. After all, what’s so special
about this one? Mango must try to
convince Grape to buy it.
- Class discussion of the successful and
unsuccessful strategies used.
• Viewing the adverts – Critical analysis
and assessment
- Peer Assessment
- Each team is designated another team
to assess. They are provided with
previously agreed-upon marking criteria
and questions. They are the ‘experts’
for this ad.
- After each ad has been shown, the
whole class is encouraged to give
feedback to the team.
- After all ads have been shown, teams
are given time to discuss their analysis
and assessment. They then present
their findings and opinions to the class.
The emphasis on things done well, with
constructive feedback about aspects
that could be improved.
- Self Assessment
- Students are given a similar assessment
sheet to record how they felt about their
success in the task, after viewing it
themselves.
Assessment strategies
Consider;
• What is being assessed?
- Students recognise the features of adverts through critical analysis
- Students create a TV advert through improvisation
- Students show each of the 5 Ad Must-Haves in their final product.
- Students justify their choices in their ad concerning their audience.
 - Students can give and receive positive and constructive feedback.

• How is it being assessed?

- Peer Assessment – Expert Evaluation of another Team (see Appendix D)
- Self Assessment – Expert Evaluation of Me and My Team (see Appendix
E)
- Informal Observation – teacher takes notes regarding how students
respond to teacher and student questions that come up throughout the
task, as well as any signs of needing more teacher support. (see
Appendix F)
- Homework (individual work): Ad Analysis and Audience Interview (see
Appendix G)
- Product Analysis (see Appendix G)

• Who is doing the assessing?

- Peers
- Self
- Teacher – of homework, informal observation and final product analysis

These assessment methods are particularly appropriate in this unit as it is

essentially about critical analysis and adverts are designed to be watched.
Therefore, students should be provided with the opportunities to analyse the
products that they and their classmates present.

Teacher also evaluates lessons and teaching (see Appendix H).

Evaluation of unit outcomes :indicators;

• Students will know that the features of adverts include the 5 Ad Must-Haves
and that approaches to these can be altered to suit the needs of different
audiences.
• Students will be able to critically analyse ads and justify decisions they have
made in the creation of their own.
• Students will have furthered developed their problem solving skills through
improvisation as well as skills in being an audience and giving and receiving
positive and constructive feedback.