Prepare

YEAR 3 AND 4 ACHIEVEMENT STANDARD ADDRESSED

Receptive modes (listening, reading and viewing)

By the end of Year 4, students describe and discuss similarities and differences between drama they make, perform and view. They discuss how they and others organise the elements of drama in their drama.

Students use relationships, tension, time and place and narrative structure when improvising and performing devised and scripted drama. They collaborate to plan, make and perform drama that communicates ideas.

Year 3 and 4 Drama content descriptions addressed

Explore ideas and narrative structures through roles and situations and use empathy in their own improvisations and devised drama (ACADRM031)

Use voice, body, movement and language to sustain role and relationships and create dramatic action with a sense of time and place (ACADRM032)

Shape and perform dramatic action using narrative structures and tension in devised and scripted drama, including exploration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander drama (ACADRM033)

Identify intended purposes and meaning of drama, starting with Australian drama, including drama of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, using the elements of drama to make comparisons (ACADRR034)

• Literacy
• ICT capability
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding
• Intercultural understanding

Before the Play

ACTIVITY

This unit includes activities and assessment linked to The Arts: Drama, Australian Curriculum across Years 3 and 4. Teachers can choose to use individual activities to complement existing drama units or complete the entire unit of work with their students.

The learning activities can provide a structure to view and explore Baba Yaga with your students. They will provide opportunity for students to explore the play resources independently as well as generate class discussion and sharing of interpretations of the play.

Tune-in

Students play the game, ‘Grandmother’s Footsteps’. A student plays Grandma and stands facing a wall at the edge of the space. The remainder of the class stand in a line at the opposite end of the space. Students creep up behind Grandma while her back is turned. At any stage, Grandma turns around and the group freezes. If Grandma sees anyone moving they are sent back to the beginning. Students continue to creep up on Grandma and once they reach her, they tap her on the back and run back to the starting position with Grandma chasing them. If Grandma tags a student, the student becomes Grandma and the game is played again.

After two rounds of the game ask students to identify the main character types they would find in a fairy tale. Ensure students identify an evil character (e.g.: wicked witch; evil stepmother; hungry wolf) and hero character (e.g.: Snow White, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood).

Reinforce the evil character wants to either control or harm the hero, sometimes using magical powers to do so; however, they are often unsuccessful in their attempt. The hero is likeable, kind-hearted and helped by others.

Drawing on their prior knowledge of these characters in fairy tales they have read, students suggest how these two characters would use voice (use of pace, pitch, pause and volume) and movement (posture, facial expression and gesture) to convey role. Students then play ‘Grandmother’s Footsteps’ with the following variations:

• The student playing Grandma adopts ‘evil’ character traits, and the students creeping up on Grandma adopt hero character traits; both use exaggerated use of movement and voice to convey role.
• The roles are then swapped with the Grandma playing the hero character while evil characters creep up on Grandma.

To capture students’ use of expressive skills (including strong moments of stillness), the teacher photographs and/or videos moments of action.

Critique

Students view the photographs and video from the In-Tune learning experience above and engage in a class discussion identifying the following in their own work and that of their peers:

• Describe the use of movement (posture, facial expression, gesture, stillness) and voice (pitch, pace, pause or volume) to create engaging evil or heroic characters.
• Where was dramatic tension evident in the game?
• Describe the use of language used by either roles to further demonstrate character.

Explore and Apply

Discuss with students their upcoming visit to the theatre to see a play based on the old Russian fairy tale, Baba Yaga.  Students read the traditional version of tale here.

Ask students to identify the structure of a fairy tale (linear narrative structure) and identify where these components are evident in the Baba Yaga story. Use the following suggested resource link to guide students’ responses.

Students discuss why fairy tales were originally created and identify the purpose of hero and evil character types. Reinforce for students the purpose was to entertain and provide a moral message, warning people of dangers and provide guidance in life. The characters were the vehicles for these messages.

Students suggest the moral message in the traditional version of Baba Yaga and how the characters convey this message. Students consider whether this message would be relevant to a contemporary audience of their age group. Students discuss what changes would they make to the story (e.g. characters; setting;) to make it more relevant. Share their responses with the class.

Drawing on their ideas of altering the traditional story, students suggest why Baba Yaga and her sister were so evil and behaved as they did. Students are to imagine after the traditional fairy tale ends, Baba Yaga or her sister have changed for the better.  Writing in role, students individually write an apology letter from Baba Yaga or her sister to another character in the story explaining reasons for her behaviour and how her life has since changed. (Students will read their letters to the class in the following Create activity.)

Create

Explain to students ‘setting’ is an important convention of the fairy tale genre. It enhances the mood of the story and can include places such as: a dark, foreboding forest; an enchanted castle; or a quaint cottage with a flower-filled garden.

To explore setting physically and vocally, students play ‘Postcards’. Students stand in a large circle, are given a fairy tale setting and as a class represent it as a ‘Postcard’. For example:

• Castle
• Forest
• Tower
• Cottage
• Garden
• Ballroom
• Dungeon

One at a time, manipulating levels and facial expression, students take up a strong freeze in the circle naming their role (animate or inanimate) in one descriptive sentence. For example, “I am the bars over the window in the dungeon” or “I am the ladybird nibbling at a juicy leaf in the garden”. Students can build off another student’s offer. For example, “I am the juicy leaf being nibbled on by a ladybird”.

Once all students are in place, each student creates a simple repetitive movement and sound derived from their freeze. Teacher calls freeze and isolates sections of the postcard. The process is repeated with the next setting. To allow students to view their work, teacher may photograph or video the work.

Students then combine their written letters from the Explore and Apply learning experience above with ‘Postcards’. Students find a place of their own in the space standing in neutral with their letter close at hand. Invite a student to name a place or setting for their letter (e.g.: in a dark forest).

The class creates an instant postcard to denote the setting including a repetitive movement and (quiet) sound. The student stands in the postcard and reads their letter, adopting voice and movement to convey Baba Yaga or her sister. The student reading can also move through and interact with objects in the postcard to enhance dramatic meaning. For example, smelling flowers in the garden. The process is repeated until all students have shared their letters.

As a class students discuss:

• Which settings were particularly effective in heightening the mood of the letter?
• How was voice and movement used effectively by students to convey character?

To prepare for their theatre visit, students as a class read the synopsis, character descriptions and themes of Windmill Theatre Company’s version of Baba Yaga (see the synopsis, character and themes section of this resource). Using this information, students discuss and document the possible differences and similarities between Windmill Theatre Company’s version of Baba Yaga and the original tale.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Explore ideas and narrative structures through roles and situations and use empathy in their own improvisations and devised drama (ACADRM031)

Use voice, body, movement and language to sustain role and relationships and create dramatic action with a sense of time and place (ACADRM032)

Shape and perform dramatic action using narrative structures and tension in devised and scripted drama, including exploration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander drama (ACADRM033)

Identify intended purposes and meaning of drama, starting with Australian drama, including drama of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, using the elements of drama to make comparisons (ACADRR034)

• Literacy
• ICT capability
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding
• Intercultural understanding

After the Play

ACTIVITY

Tune-in

As a class students brainstorm their initial responses to the  production. Students revisit their ideas from the Before the Play – Create section of this resource about the possible differences and similarities between Windmill Theatre Company’s version of Baba Yaga and the original tale.

Divide class into five groups allocating a point of discussion from the following list, identifying the actual differences and similarities between the two versions of the tale:

• Setting/place: Where is the Windmill Theatre Company version of the story set? How is this different to the original tale?
• Characters: What characters are in the Windmill Theatre Company version of the story? Describe how they use exaggerated voice and movement to convey their character. Are there new characters introduced and are there any characters missing from the original tale?
• Describe how colour was used in the costumes to convey characters’ personalities.
• Introduction and development of tension within the story.
• Change to the narrative structure of a traditional fairy tale.

Groups share their ideas with the class. Students consider why the creatives would contemporise the story for a modern day audience; students can revisit the performance’s themes (see the themes section of this resource) to assist their response.

Explore and Apply

Audio Visual projection, animation and sound design played key roles in the production. Students recall how these technical devices were used to create and heighten place, character and mood. Responses may include:

• define and enhance mood of multiple settings;
• convey text and change of text (the apartment building rules);
• transform characters into other forms and creatures;
• and incorporate more characters than there were actors (apartment residents).

Students gain a further insight into the use of AV and sound in Baba Yaga via animator, Chris Edser and sound designer and composer, Peter Nelson (see audio visual and sound design sections of this resource).

With a partner students choose one of the following fairy tale settings previously explored in the Explore and Apply – Before viewing the play section of this resource:

• Castle
• Forest
• Tower
• Cottage
• Garden
• Ballroom
• Dungeon

Students search on line for copyright free images and gifs of their chosen setting that could be projected as a backdrop in an imagined performance of a fairy tale (traditional or contemporised). To further enhance setting and atmosphere, students can overlay their projections with copyright free soundscapes sources on line. Encourage students to especially consider the mood and atmosphere they would want to convey to their audience. Students download the images and sound to PowerPoint and present their ideas to the class justifying their choices.

Create

Self-discovery, Rebellion and Change are significant themes evident in Baba Yaga, (see the themes section of this resource) as Vaselina, guided by Baba Yaga, is taken on a journey of transformation, finding courage to live life free from the rules that stifle her. In the original story of Baba Yaga, how does Natasha show courage? Refer to original story here if required.

Students recall traditional fairy tales from their own reading and identify what characters in the tale show courage. Students also consider whether the tales could be rewritten so more timid or stifled characters like Vaselina could find courage and their own voice to speak up.

As a class, students choose one of the fairy tales discussed and with the teacher documenting and facilitating, students create a contemporary version of the story considering:

• What will be the moral message conveyed that would be relevant to a Year 3 or 4 audience that explores a timid character finding their courage?
• Where will the story be set?
• Which characters will be maintained from the original story and will they be altered in anyway?
• Will there be any new characters introduced?
• How will these characters be performed using their understanding of how evil and heroic characters use exaggerated voice and movement to convey role?
• How will the linear narrative structure be employed to ensure the story is logical, develops in tension and reaches a satisfying conclusion?
• Is there a magical element in the story?

Teacher then assists students to define and develop five significant moments within their new version of the tale. Class is divided into five equal groups. Each group is allocated one of the significant moments within the story. Adapting the ‘letter reading’ and ‘Postcards’ learning experience in the Before the Play – Create section of this resource, students devise, rehearse and present their section of the tale:

• Some members of the group create the Postcard (with repetitive movement and sound) to convey setting;
• Remaining members of the group play the characters within the moment, using voice and movement to convey role. These characters move through and interact with the postcard to enhance dramatic meaning. For example, hiding behind a tree in the woods.
• To further enhance place, setting and mood, each group searches on line for copyright free images and gifs that can be downloaded to PowerPoint and projected as backdrops. To further enhance setting and atmosphere, students can overlay their projections with copyright free soundscapes sources on line.

Critique

After the class’ performance of the contemporised fairy tale, in their performance groups students are allocated one of the following questions to discuss. Students report back to the class with their findings:

• How clearly was the moral message conveyed?
• How smoothly and fluently did the story begin, develop and conclude?
• What was the tension in the performance?
• How did the performers use voice (pitch, pace, pause, volume, sound) and movement (gesture, facial expression, posture, repetition) to convey the characters?
• How effectively was place identified in the performance particularly through use of the postcards, AV and soundscapes?

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Explore ideas and narrative structures through roles and situations and use empathy in their own improvisations and devised drama (ACADRM031)

Use voice, body, movement and language to sustain role and relationships and create dramatic action with a sense of time and place (ACADRM032)

Shape and perform dramatic action using narrative structures and tension in devised and scripted drama, including exploration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander drama (ACADRM033)

Identify intended purposes and meaning of drama, starting with Australian drama, including drama of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, using the elements of drama to make comparisons (ACADRR034)

• Literacy
• ICT capability
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding
• Intercultural understanding

Prepare

YEAR 5 AND 6 ACHIEVEMENT STANDARD ADDRESSED

Receptive modes (listening, reading and viewing)

By the end of Year 6, students explain how dramatic action and meaning is communicated in drama they make, perform and view. They explain how drama from different cultures, times and places influences their own drama making.

Students work collaboratively as they use the elements of drama to shape character, voice and movement in improvisation, playbuilding and performances of devised and scripted drama for audiences.

Year 5 and 6 Drama content descriptions addressed

Explore dramatic action, empathy and space in improvisations, playbuilding and scripted drama to develop characters and situations   (ACADRM035)

Develop skills and techniques of voice  and movement to create character, mood and atmosphere and focus dramatic action (ACADRM036)

Rehearse and perform devised and scripted drama that develops narrative, drives dramatic tension, and uses dramatic symbol, performance styles and design elements to share community and cultural stories and engage an audience (ACADRM037)

Explain how the elements of drama and production elements communicate meaning by comparing drama from different social, cultural and historical contexts, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander drama (ACADRR038) 

• Literacy
• ICT capability
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding
• Intercultural understanding

Before the Play

ACTIVITY

This unit includes activities and assessment linked to The Arts: Drama, Australian Curriculum across Years 5 and 6. Teachers can choose to use individual activities to complement existing drama units or complete the entire unit of work with their students.

The learning activities can provide a structure to view and explore Baba Yaga with your students. They will provide opportunity for students to explore the play resources independently as well as generate class discussion and sharing of interpretations of the play.

Tune-in

Discuss with students their upcoming visit to the theatre to see Baba Yaga, based on the original Russian fairy tale.  Students read the traditional version of tale here.

Students identify the fairy tale story structure (linear narrative structure) and identify where this is evident in this traditional version of Baba Yaga. Use the following suggested resource links to guide students’ responses:

• Teach This
• LibGuides

Students identify the main character types in a fairy tale including: evil character (e.g.: wicked witch; evil stepmother; hungry wolf) and hero character (e.g.: Snow White, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood).  Reinforce the evil character wants to either control or harm the hero, sometimes using magical powers to do so; however, they are often unsuccessful in their attempt. The hero is likeable, kind-hearted and helped by others. Students identify these characters in Baba Yaga.

Students identify the purpose of these characters and why fairy tales were originally created. Reinforce for students the purpose was to entertain and provide a moral message, warning people of dangers and provide guidance in life. The characters were the vehicles for these messages.

Students suggest the moral message in the traditional version of Baba Yaga and how the characters convey this message. Students consider whether this message would be relevant to a contemporary audience of their age group. Students discuss in groups of three or four, what changes would they make to the story (e.g. characters; setting; tension) to make it more relevant. Share their responses with the class.

Create

Students remain in their groups from the Tune-in activity above. Drawing on their ideas about making the original tale more relevant, students devise, rehearse and perform a ‘TV Talk Show segment’. One student plays TV host and the remaining students identify a significant relationship from the tale that would resonate with their age group and adopt these roles for the segment. For example: Natasha, the cat and dog (students can take on non-human characters);  Baba Yaga and her sister; the father and his evil wife.

The segment:

• has a clear introduction, middle and satisfying ending (linear narrative structure);
• explores the relationship between the characters (including tension);
• provides insight into the characters’ behaviour. For example: the father explains to Natasha why he married such an evil woman given he is a kind man; the cat explains why it risked helping Natasha;
• reveals what the characters learnt from the events of the original story and how their lives have changed as a result (moral message).

Students experiment with performance skills to convey role and relationship, mood and atmosphere:

• voice (pitch, pace, pause and volume);
• movement (gesture, posture, facial expression and heaviness or lightness of movement);
• and language (turn of phrase and rhythm of speech).

Critique

At the end of each ‘TV Talk Show segment’ the audience discuss the following:

• How did the performers use voice and movement to convey:
  • characters;
  • relationship between characters (including possible tension);
  • and change in mood and atmosphere in the segment?
• What moral messages were evident in the segment?
• How effective was the contemporisation of role and situation?

Explore and Apply

Teacher places the following objects (or similar) on the floor in the space setting up a symbol gallery:

• red apple (Snow White)
• bundle of sticks (The Three Little Pigs)
• sparkly shoe (Cinderella)
• red rose (Beauty and the Beast)
• basket (Little Red Riding Hood)
• beans (Jack and the Beanstalk)

Ask students to define ‘symbol’ (“associations that occur when something is used to represent something else to reinforce or extend dramatic meaning” ACARA; The Australian Curriculum) and consider why symbols are used in theatre. Students walk through the gallery documenting in which fairy tale they would find the symbols and what they could represent. A soundscape of a forest is played while students work. Students share their responses as a class.

Students read Windmill Theatre Company’s synopsis of Baba Yaga, character descriptions and themes (see the synopsis, character and themes sections of this resource).

Drawing on their knowledge of the traditional version of Baba Yaga from previous learning experiences in this resource, students individually brainstorm and document the differences and similarities between the traditional and contemporised versions of the story. Students can use Padlet to submit their responses to be projected in the classroom in real time or document their ideas in table format. Students discuss and justify their responses as a class.

Padlet

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Explore dramatic action, empathy and space in improvisations, playbuilding and scripted drama to develop characters and situations (ACADRM035)

Develop skills and techniques of voice and movement to create character, mood and atmosphere and focus dramatic action (ACADRM036)

Rehearse and perform devised and scripted drama that develops narrative, drives dramatic tension, and uses dramatic symbol, performance styles and design elements to share community and cultural stories and engage an  audience (ACADRM037)

Explain how the elements of drama and production elements communicate meaning by comparing drama from different social, cultural and historical contexts, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander drama (ACADRR038) 

• Literacy
• ICT capability
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding
• Intercultural understanding

After the Play

ACTIVITY

Tune-in

As a class students brainstorm their initial responses to the  production, including identifying symbols that were used in the performance explaining their significance and dramatic meaning.

Audio Visual projection, animation and sound design played a key role in the production. Students recall how these technical devices were used to create and heighten place, character and mood. Responses may include:

• define and enhance mood of multiple place and settings;
• convey text and change of text (the apartment building rules);
• transform characters into other forms and creatures;
• and incorporate more characters than there were actors (apartment residents).

Students gain a further insight into the use of AV and sound in Baba Yaga via animator, Chris Edser and sound designer and composer, Peter Nelson (see audio visual and sound design sections  of this resource).

Explore and Apply

Divide the class into two groups. One group becomes audience and the other stands in neutral in their own space. Teacher reads the following list of traits and students standing transform into the character changing their body’s gesture, height and facial expression. Once list is read, students hold a strong freeze to convey their role to the audience:

• Wide stance
• Holds direct eye contact and looks outwards
• Moves slowly and deliberately (will use this trait in the following activities)
• ‘Owns’ the space
• Has moments of stillness as if to ‘pose’ and survey their surroundings
• Large, confident gestures
• Chest puffed out
• Breathes deeply and slowly
• Initiates conversation (will use this trait in the following activities)

Audience identify the characters’ status (high) justifying their responses. Students suggest the voice these characters might have considering pace, pitch, pause and volume. Students identify high status characters in the performance of Baba Yaga .

Students standing frozen bring their characters to life and walk through the space, being aware of the power and status they  hold. Students incorporate moments of stillness and experiment with heaviness and lightness of their walk. Students acknowledge other characters with a nod or wave ensuring to sustain role.

Students add voice to their character as they initiate conversation and contact with others. After a number of meetings, ask students to freeze and stand in neutral in front of the audience. Audience describe the use of voice (pace, pitch, pause and volume) they heard that complemented the characters’ movements and status.

Repeat the process with students who played high status characters becoming audience and audience becoming low status characters using the following traits:

• Struggles to hold eye contact and looks to the ground
• Takes up the smallest amount of space
• Moves quickly and sporadically
• ‘Borrows’ the space, being physically closed off
• Small, quick gestures
• Fidgets and has few moments of stillness
• Sunken chest
• Breathes short breathes
• Struggles to initiate and maintain conversation

Students identify the low and high status characters in the performance of Baba Yaga. Using two large pieces of butcher’s paper, write at the top of one piece, ‘Baba Yaga’ and at the top of the other, ‘Vaselina’. Trace an outline of a student onto each of the pieces of paper to represent each of the characters.  Assign ‘Baba Yaga’ to the students who explored high status character in the previous exercise, and ‘Vaselina’ to the students who explored low status class.

Recalling the performance, students identify how Baba Yaga or Vaelina’s status was portrayed and heightened through the actors’ use of voice and movement and the symbolic use of costume. Students document the character’s vocal traits on the inside of the traced outline; the physical character traits in the blank space outside the outline; and a description of their character’s costume around the edge of the character outline. Once complete, students share their findings with the other group.

Create

Self-discovery, Rebellion and Change are significant themes evident in Baba Yaga, (see the themes section of this resource) as Vaselina, guided by Baba Yaga, is taken on a journey of transformation, finding courage to live life free from the rules that stifle her. In the original story of Baba Yaga, how does Natasha show courage? Refer to original story here required.

Students recall traditional fairy tales from their own reading discussing how the tales could be rewritten so lower status characters could find courage to speak up to higher status characters.

Students divide into groups of five and choose one of the fairy tales identified by the class.

In their group, students identify the following in their fairy tale:

• narrative structure including introduction, development and resolution of tension;
• evil characters;
• kind-natured/hero characters;
• low and high status characters;
• evidence of significant symbols and their meaning;
• place/settings;
• evidence of costumes;
• moral message/s.

Students contemporise the fairy tale making it relevant to their peer group. Their performance focuses on a lower status character finding their courage and so conveying a clear moral message to the audience. In the development of their characters, students draw on skills developed in the Explore and Apply section above.

To assist in the devising process of their work, students consider:

• altering the storyline, reimagining the setting, characters, symbols and costumes;
• use available resources to further enhance place, setting and mood. Students search on line for copyright free images and gifs that can be downloaded to PowerPoint and projected as backdrops. To further enhance setting and atmosphere, students can overlay their projections with copyright free soundscapes sources on line.

Critique

Students remain in their performance groups from the Create experience above. Each group is assigned another group’s performance to evaluate using the following questions to frame their responses. Students share their findings with the class:

• How was the original story contemporised to make it more relevant to the audience? This could include:
  • change to storyline;
  • choice of moral message;
  • choice of setting;
  • inclusion of new characters;
  • absence of or change to original characters;
  • incorporation of new symbols or adjustment to original symbols;
  • adaptation of costume design.
• How did the performers manipulate voice (pitch, pace, pause, volume) and movement (gesture, facial expression, posture, lightness and heaviness of movement)to convey character including status?
• How were AV and soundscapes utilised to create place and change of mood?
• What symbols were evident and what was their intended meaning?

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Explore dramatic action, empathy and space in improvisations, playbuilding and scripted drama to develop characters and situations (ACADRM035)

Develop skills and techniques of voice and movement to create character, mood and atmosphere and focus dramatic action (ACADRM036)

Rehearse and perform devised and scripted drama that develops narrative, drives dramatic tension, and uses dramatic symbol, performance styles and design elements to share community and cultural stories and engage an audience (ACADRM037)

Explain how the elements of drama and production elements communicate meaning by comparing drama from different social, cultural and historical contexts, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander drama (ACADRR038) 

• Literacy
• ICT capability
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding
• Intercultural understanding

Prepare

YEAR 7 AND 8 ACHIEVEMENT STANDARD ADDRESSED

Receptive modes (listening, reading and viewing)

By the end of Year 8, students identify and analyse how the elements of drama are used, combined and manipulated in different styles. They apply this knowledge in drama they make and perform. They evaluate how they and others from different cultures, times and places communicate meaning and intent through drama.

Students collaborate to devise, interpret and perform drama. They manipulate the elements of drama, narrative and structure to control and communicate meaning. They apply different performance styles and conventions to convey status, relationships and intentions. They use performance skills and design elements to shape and focus theatrical effect for an audience.

Year 7 and 8 Drama content descriptions addressed

Combine the elements of drama in devised and scripted drama to explore and develop issues, ideas and themes (ACADRM040)

Develop roles and characters consistent with situation, dramatic forms and performance styles to convey status, relationships and intentions (ACADRM041)

Plan, structure and rehearse drama, exploring ways to communicate and refine dramatic meaning for theatrical effect (ACADRM042)

Develop and refine expressive skills in voice and movement to communicate ideas and dramatic action in different performance styles and conventions, including contemporary Australian drama styles developed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dramatists (ACADRM043)

Perform devised and scripted drama maintaining commitment to role (ACADRM044)

Analyse how the elements of drama have been combined in devised and scripted drama to convey different forms, performance styles and dramatic meaning (ACADRR045)

Identify and connect specific features and purposes of drama from contemporary and past times to explore viewpoints and enrich their drama making, starting with drama in Australia and including drama of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACADRR046)

• Literacy
• ICT capability
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding
• Intercultural understanding

Before the Play

ACTIVITY

This unit includes activities and assessment linked to The Arts: Drama, Australian Curriculum across Years 7 and 8. Teachers can choose to use individual activities to complement existing drama units or complete the entire unit of work with their students.

The learning activities can provide a structure to view and explore Baba Yaga  with your students. They will provide opportunity for students to explore the play resources independently as well as generate class discussion and sharing of interpretations of the play.

Tune-in

Students play the game, ‘21’:

• sit with students in circle and place a small object e.g.: keys in middle of circle;
• throughout the game students focus on the object;
• as a group, students count to 21; however, rather than taking a turn one after each other around the circle, any student can say the next number;
• game starts again if: two students say a number at the same time; a student says two numbers in a row or says a number straight after the student beside them; 21 is reached (students can continue counting to see how high they can reach);
• give ‘hint’ that it is as important not to say a number as it is to say a number, encouraging all students to have a ‘voice’ in the game;
• repeat game three times;
• at end of the game, students identify what strategies made the game successful, including all students having a ‘voice’ in the game.

Discuss with students their upcoming visit to the theatre to see Baba Yaga, based on the original Russian fairy tale.  Students read the traditional version of tale here.

Students identify the fairy tale story structure (linear narrative structure) and identify where this is evident in this traditional version of Baba Yaga. Use the following suggested resource links to guide students’ responses:

• Teach This
• LibGuides

Students identify the main character types in a fairy tale including: evil character (e.g.: wicked witch; evil stepmother; hungry wolf) and hero character (e.g.: Snow White, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood).  Reinforce the evil character wants to either control or harm the hero, sometimes using magical powers to do so; however, they are often unsuccessful in their attempt. The hero is likeable, kind-hearted and helped by others. Students identify these characters in Baba Yaga.

Students identify the purpose of these characters and why fairy tales were originally created. Reinforce for students the purpose was to entertain and provide a moral message, warning people of dangers and provide guidance in life. The characters were the vehicles for these messages.

Students suggest the moral message in the traditional version of Baba Yaga and how the characters convey this message. Students consider whether this message would be relevant to a contemporary audience of their age group. Students discuss in groups of three or four, what changes would they make to the story (e.g. characters; setting; tension) to make it more relevant. Share their responses with the class.

Create

Students remain in their groups from the Tune-in activity. Drawing on their ideas about making the original tale more relevant, students devise, rehearse and perform a ‘TV Talk Show segment’. One student plays TV host and the remaining students identify a significant relationship from the tale that would resonate with their age group and adopt these roles for the segment. For example: Natasha, Baba Yaga and the cat (students can take on non-human characters); or Natasha and her father. Students experiment with the Element of Drama, time, setting the segment immediately after the end of the story or some years later.

The segment:

• has a clear introduction, middle and satisfying ending (linear narrative structure);
• explores the relationship between the characters (including tension);
• provides insight into the character’s behaviour. For example: the father explains to Natasha why he married such an evil woman given he is a kind man; the cat explains why it risked helping Natasha;
• reveals what the characters learnt from the events of the original story and how their lives have changed as a result (moral message).

Students experiment with performance skills to convey role and relationship, mood and atmosphere:

• voice (pitch, pace, pause and volume);
• movement (gesture, posture, facial expression and heaviness or lightness of movement);
• and language (turn of phrase and rhythm of speech).

Critique

At the end of each ‘TV Talk Show segment’ students discuss:

• How the performers used voice and movement to convey:
  • character;
  • relationships between characters (including tension);
  • and change in mood and atmosphere in the segment?
• What moral messages were evident in the segment? How relevant was it to the audience?
• How effective was the contemporisation of role and situation? Why?

Explore and Apply

Teacher places the following objects on the floor in the space setting up a symbol gallery:

• red apple (Snow White)
• bundle of sticks (The Three Little Pigs)
• sparkly shoe (Cinderella)
• red rose (Beauty and the Beast)
• basket (Little Red Riding Hood)
• beans (Jack and the Beanstalk)

Ask students to define ‘symbol’ (“associations that occur when something is used to represent something else to reinforce or extend dramatic meaning” ACARA; The Australian Curriculum) and consider why symbols are used in theatre. Students walk through the gallery documenting in which fairy tale they would find the symbols and what they could represent. A soundscape of a forest is played while students work. Students share their responses as a class.

Students read Windmill Theatre Company’s synopsis of  Baba Yaga, character descriptions and themes (see the synopsis, character and themes sections of this resource).

Drawing on their knowledge of the traditional version of Baba Yaga from previous learning experiences in this resource, students individually brainstorm and document the differences and similarities between the traditional and contemporised versions of the story. Students can use Padlet to submit their responses to be projected in the classroom in real time or document their ideas in table format. Students discuss and justify their responses as a class.

Padlet

From their reading of the synopsis, characters and themes, ask students to identify evidence of symbols  that will be used in the performance including colours, costumes and objects.

In groups of four, students step into the role of set and costume designers.  Encouraging students to imagine how Windmill Theatre Company will contemporise this traditional story from another culture, time and place, students create their own set and costume designs for the performance of Baba Yaga considering use of:

• colour, texture and shape of costume designs to convey characters;
• colour, shape, levels and space in the set design to create mood;
• symbol to heighten meaning;
• lighting and AV projections to further enhance dramatic meaning;
• contrast in design elements (colour, text, shape, space etc) to highlight differences between characters and place (e.g.: Baba Yaga and Vaselina).

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Combine the elements of drama in devised and scripted drama to explore and develop issues, ideas and themes (ACADRM040)

Develop roles and characters consistent with situation, dramatic forms and performance styles to convey status, relationships and intentions   (ACADRM041)

Plan, structure and rehearse drama, exploring ways to communicate and refine dramatic meaning for theatrical effect (ACADRM042)

Develop and refine expressive skills in voice and movement to communicate ideas and dramatic action in different performance styles and conventions, including contemporary Australian drama styles developed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dramatists (ACADRM043)

Perform devised and scripted drama maintaining commitment to role  (ACADRM044)

Analyse how the elements of drama have been combined in devised and scripted drama to convey different forms, performance styles and dramatic meaning (ACADRR045)

• Literacy
• ICT capability
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding
• Intercultural understanding

After the Play

ACTIVITY

Tune-in
Students replay the game ‘21’ and discuss how the game relates to Windmill Theatre Company’s Baba Yaga especially the importance of individuals having a ‘voice’. Students brainstorm their initial responses to the  production including the moral message of the play and its relevance to their age group.

Audio Visual projection, animation and sound design played key roles in the production. Students recall how these technical devices were used to create and heighten place, character and mood. Responses may include:

• define and enhance mood of multiple settings;
• convey text and change of text (the apartment building rules);
• transform characters into other forms and creatures;
• and incorporate more characters than there were actors (apartment residents).

Students gain a further insight into the use of AV and sound in Baba Yaga via animator, Chris Edser and sound designer and composer, Peter Nelson (see audio visual and sound design sections  of this resource).

Explore and Apply
Divide the class into two groups. One group becomes audience and the other stands in neutral in their own space. Teacher reads the following list of traits and students standing transform into the character changing their body’s gesture, height and facial expression. Once list is read, students hold a strong freeze to convey their role to the audience:

• Wide stance
• Holds direct eye contact and looks outwards
• Moves slowly and deliberately (will use this trait in the following activities)
• ‘Owns’ the space
• Has moments of stillness as if to ‘pose’ and survey their surroundings
• Large, confident gestures
• Chest puffed out
• Breathes deeply and slowly
• Initiates conversation (will use this trait in the following activities)

Audience identify the character’s status (high) justifying their responses. Students suggest the voice these characters might have considering pace, pitch, pause and volume. Students identify high status characters in the performance of Baba Yaga.

Students standing frozen bring their characters to life and walk through the space, being aware of the power and status they hold. Students incorporate moments of stillness and experiment with heaviness and lightness of their walk. Students acknowledge other characters with a nod or wave ensuring to sustain role.

Students add voice to their character as they initiate conversation and contact with others. After a number of meetings, ask students to freeze and stand in neutral in front of the audience. Audience describe the use of voice (pace, pitch, pause and volume) they heard that complemented the characters’ movements and status.

Repeat the process with students who played high status characters becoming audience and audience becoming low status characters using the following traits:

• Struggles to hold eye contact and looks to the ground
• Takes up the smallest amount of space
• Moves quickly and sporadically
• ‘Borrows’ the space, being physically closed off
• Small, quick gestures
• Fidgets and has few moments of stillness
• Sunken chest
• Breathes short breathes
• Struggles to initiate and maintain conversation

Students divide into pairs, assigning themselves a high or low status character. Their characters are at a garden party as servants and masters. Each servant is responsible for carrying their master’s chair and setting it down whenever the master wants to sit. At any time, the master will stand up from the chair to meet another master. The servant must obediently follow ensuring the chair is always at the ready.

To ensure safety in dramatic play and in interaction with other actors, the students must always ensure time is given to place the chair and the chair is securely in place before sitting.

At the end of the exercise students join with another pair and discuss how effectively they used movement, voice and the Element of Drama, contrast to convey status and to enhance the ‘servant/master’ dynamic between the characters. Students share responses with the class.

Create
Self-discovery, Rebellion and Change are significant themes evident in Baba Yaga, (see the themes section of this resource) as Vaselina, guided by Baba Yaga, is taken on a journey of transformation, finding courage to live life free from the rules that stifle her. In the original story of Baba Yaga, how does Natasha show courage? Refer to original story if required here.

Students recall traditional fairy tales from their own reading discussing how the tales could be rewritten so lower status characters could find courage to speak up to higher status characters.

Students divide into groups of five and choose one of the fairy tales identified by the class.

In their group, students identify the following in their fairy tale:

• narrative structure including introduction, development and resolution of tension;
• evil characters;
• kind-natured/hero characters;
• low and high status characters;
• evidence of significant symbols and their meaning;
• place/settings;
• evidence of costumes;
• moral message/s.

Students contemporise the fairy tale making it relevant to their peer group (if possible performing for another class in their year level). The performance focuses on a lower status character finding their courage and so conveying a clear moral message to the audience. In the development of their characters, students draw on skills developed in the Explore and Apply section above.

To assist in the devising process of their work, students:

• consider altering the storyline, reimagining the setting, characters, symbols and costumes;
• experiment with time via a non-linear storyline: allowing for flashbacks providing context to the characters’ current situation and managing fluent transitions in time e.g.: use of available technologies;
• use available AV resources to further enhance place, setting and mood, searching online copyright free images and gifs that can be downloaded to PowerPoint and projected as backdrops. Students can also overlay their projections with copyright free soundscapes sourced on line.
• part way through the rehearsal process, show their work to another group to gain valuable feedback and evaluation especially regarding whether the purpose of the drama is being met.

Critique
Individually, students choose a  reimagined fairy tale performance  presented by their peers and write a response to the following questions providing examples to their support ideas:

• How was the original story contemporised to make it more relevant to the audience? This could include:
  • change to storyline (including non-linear narrative structure);
  • choice of setting;
  • inclusion of new characters;
  • absence of or change to original characters;
  • incorporation of new symbols or adjustment to original symbols;
  • adaptation of costume design.
• How did the performers manipulate the following expressive skills to convey character status and contrast between roles?:
  • voice (pitch, pace, pause, volume);
  • and movement (gesture, facial expression, posture, stillness, lightness and heaviness of movement).
• How effectively was AV and soundscapes utilised to create place and change of mood?
• What was the moral message in the story and was it relevant to the chosen audience?

Students form pairs or groups with students who have responded to the same performance and compare their ideas. In a class discussion, students then share their ideas.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Combine the elements of drama in devised and scripted drama to explore and develop issues, ideas and themes (ACADRM040)

Develop roles and characters consistent with situation, dramatic forms and performance styles to convey status, relationships and intentions (ACADRM041)

Plan, structure and rehearse drama, exploring ways to communicate and refine dramatic meaning for theatrical effect (ACADRM042)

Develop and refine expressive skills in voice and movement to communicate ideas and dramatic action in different performance styles and conventions, including contemporary Australian drama styles developed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dramatists (ACADRM043)

Perform devised and scripted drama maintaining commitment to role (ACADRM044)

Analyse how the elements of drama have been combined in devised and scripted drama to convey different forms, performance styles and dramatic meaning (ACADRR045)

Identify and connect specific features and purposes of drama from contemporary and past times to explore viewpoints and enrich their drama making, starting with drama in Australia and including drama of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACADRR046)

• Literacy
• ICT capability
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding
• Intercultural understanding

Prepare

YEAR 3 AND 4 ACHIEVEMENT STANDARD ADDRESSED

Receptive modes (listening, reading and viewing)

Year 3
By the end of Year 3, students understand how content can be organised using different text structures depending on the purpose of the text. They understand how language features, images and vocabulary choices are used for different effects.

They identify literal and implied meaning connecting ideas in different parts of a text. They select information, ideas and events in texts that relate to their own lives and to other texts. They listen to others’ views and respond appropriately using interaction skills.

Year 4
By the end of Year 4, students understand that texts have different text structures depending on purpose and context. They explain how language features, images and vocabulary are used to engage the interest of audiences. They describe literal and implied meaning connecting ideas in different texts

They fluently read texts that include varied sentence structures, unfamiliar vocabulary including multisyllabic words. They express preferences for particular types of texts, and respond to others’ viewpoints. They listen for and share key points in discussions.

Productive modes (speaking, writing and creating)

Year 3

Students understand how language features are used to link and sequence ideas. They understand how language can be used to express feelings and opinions on topics. Their texts include writing and images to express and develop, in some detail, experiences, events, information, ideas and characters.

Students create a range of texts for familiar and unfamiliar audiences. They contribute actively to class and group discussions, asking questions, providing useful feedback and making presentations. They demonstrate understanding of grammar and choose vocabulary and punctuation appropriate to the purpose and context of their writing.

Year 4

Students use language features to create coherence and add detail to their texts. They understand how to express an opinion based on information in a text. They create texts that show understanding of how images and detail can be used to extend key ideas.

Students create structured texts to explain ideas for different audiences. They make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions, varying language according to context. They demonstrate understanding of grammar, select vocabulary from a range of resources and use accurate spelling and punctuation, re-reading and editing their work to improve meaning.

Year 3 and 4 English content descriptions addressed

Year 3

Discuss texts in which characters, events and settings are portrayed in different ways, and speculate on the authors’ reasons (ACELT1594)

Draw connections between personal experiences and the worlds of texts, and share responses with others (ACELT1596)

Discuss how language is used to describe the settings in texts, and explore how the settings shape the events and influence the mood of the narrative (ACELT1599)

Create imaginative texts based on characters, settings and events from students’ own and other cultures using visual features, for example perspective, distance and angle (ACELT1601)

Year 4

Make connections between the ways different authors may represent similar storylines, ideas and relationships (ACELT1602)

Discuss literary experiences with others, sharing responses and expressing  a point of view (ACELT1603)

Discuss how authors and illustrators make stories exciting, moving and absorbing and hold readers’ interest by using various techniques, for example character development and plot tension (ACELT1605)

Create literary texts by developing storylines, characters and settings (ACELT1794)

• Literacy
• ICT capability
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding
• Intercultural understanding

Before the Play

ACTIVITY

This unit includes activities and assessment linked to English, Australian Curriculum. The activities provide a structure to view and explore the fairy-tale genre through the lens of:

• Literature and Context
• Responding to Literature
• Examining literature
• Creating literature.

The activities also provide an opportunity for students to generate class discussion and sharing of interpretations of the play.

Teachers can choose to use individual activities to complement existing English units or complete the entire unit of work with their students.

Learning Intention:
To be able to:

• Define a ‘fairy tale’
• explain characteristics of fairy tales
• identify common themes and character traits found in fairy tales.
• Develop and create a fairy tale in a contemporary setting.

Success Criteria:
Year 3 – discusses characters, events and settings in fairy tales
Year 4 – makes connections between different fairy tales

Tune-in
Discuss with students their upcoming visit to the theatre to see Baba Yaga, based on the original Russian fairy tale.

Discuss with students how they will undertake group investigations of the fairy tale story structure (linear narrative structure) and identify where this is evident in a range of traditional fairy tales they will be exploring.

Students will identify the main character types including: evil character (e.g.: wicked witch; evil stepmother; wicked sisters) and hero character (e.g.: Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel).  Reinforce the evil character wants to either control or harm the hero, sometimes using magical powers to do so; however, they are often unsuccessful in their attempt. The hero is likeable, kind-hearted and helped by others.

Students identify the purpose of these characters and why fairy tales were originally created. Reinforce for students the purpose was to entertain and provide a moral message, warning people of dangers and provide guidance in life. The characters were the vehicles for these messages.

Students suggest the moral message in the traditional version of the fairy tales and how the characters convey this message. Students consider whether this message is still relevant to a contemporary audience of their age group.

Create
In groups students will use the JIGSAW LEARNING model to explore differences and similarities across a range of fairy tales and develop an understanding of the structures in: Baba Yaga, Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel or Sleeping Beauty

Note:

• This list could include fairy tales from a range of other countries where the witch is featured as the main antagonist.
• Each group should have individual copies of the fairy tale.
• A copy of the Russian Baba Yaga can be found online at https://www.therussianstore.com/blog/tale-of-baba-yaga-the-russian-witch )

Jigsaw learning model. 

• Students work in small groups.
• Members of group are assigned a focus for their investigation.
• After investigations are completed students join with students with the same focus.
• Students share information they have gathered.
• Students return to their original group to share the information they have collected

1. Divide students into groups of 5-6. Each group is assigned a different fairy-tale to explore.Groups should identify a person in their group as the leader. (The leader supports the group to stay on task and lead the discussions.)

Each group should have:

• 6 pieces of coloured A4/A3 paper. (The same colour should be used for each focus area for each group. For example, People – blue, Place – green, etc.)
• Individual copies of their fairy tale

Students in each group decides what focus their exploration will be. People, Place, Rebellion, Self-discovery, Magical objects or Rules and authority.

2. Together each group will read the story once.The second time students read the story by themselves, taking notes on their coloured paper, details related to their area of focus.

Students could include diagrams, maps, and storyboards to assist with their note taking.

Questions to guide reading and exploring could include:

• What are the characteristics of the different people in the story?
• How are the male and female characters represented?
• Who needs help and where does the help come from?
• What are the different settings in the story?
• Are there any magical objects and what do they do?
• Who rebels and why? What happens when they rebel?

3. Give students time to read over their notes and become familiar with what they have written. There is no need for them to memorize it.

4. Students move into “focus groups” with one student from each group joining other students assigned to the same focus.- Students discuss the similarities and differences between the stories related to their focus. Students continue to add notes to their sheet from this conversation.

Note: This is where having the same colour piece of paper assists – all of the students with the blue together, green together etc.

5. Students move back to their original groups. Each student shares information gathered from the discussion in their “focus groups”.The group leaders should encourage others in the group to ask questions for clarification.

Teacher note: Float from group to group, observing the process. If any group is having difficulties make an appropriate intervention. However, the group leader    manages this task. Assist leaders with clarifying questions if this is a difficulty.

Critique

Whole class discussion
Together as a whole class discuss what they discovered about the structure of a fairy tale.

• What are the similarities and differences?
• Are the stories relevant to our lives now?
• How could they be changed to be more relevant?
• Are there other fairy tales they know of that have been changed to make them more relevant to their audience? (for example fractured fairy tales)

Explore and Apply
Students read the Windmill Theatre Company’s synopsis of Baba Yaga, character description and theme (see the synopsis, character and themes sections of this resource).

With the knowledge and understanding of the structure of fairy tales each group selects one significant moment in their story and explores how they could change the story to make it more relevant to them. They should apply this change to their fairy tale and create a tableau of the change.

The tableau needs to communicate who is in the picture, what is happening and where it is set.

Groups then bring the tableau to life as a silent movie with no dialogue for 10 seconds. After 10 seconds the scene should then freeze again in a tableau.

tableau – French for ‘living picture’, a static scene where the actors are stationary and silent.

Note: Students should record the change they have made as this will assist them in the re-writing their fairy tale.

Whole class

Each group should present their tableaux scenes.

Whole class discussion:

• Did the tableau clearly communicate the who and what? If not what could the group explore to make this clearer?
• What stereotypes did they notice?
• Did the tableau provide a contemporised version of the fairy tale?

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Year 3
Discuss texts in which characters, events and settings are portrayed in different ways, and speculate on the authors’ reasons (ACELT1594)

Draw connections between personal experiences and the worlds of texts, and share responses with others (ACELT1596)

Discuss how language is used to describe the settings in texts, and explore how the settings shape the events and influence the mood of the narrative (ACELT1599)

Year 4
Make connections between the ways different authors may represent similar storylines, ideas and relationships (ACELT1602)

Discuss literary experiences with others, sharing responses and expressing  a point of view (ACELT1603)

Discuss how authors and illustrators make stories exciting, moving and absorbing and hold readers’ interest by using various techniques, for example character development and plot tension (ACELT1605)

• Literacy
• ICT capability
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding
• Intercultural understanding

After the Play

ACTIVITY

Tune-in
In the original groups of 5 to 6 students spend 5 minutes discussing their initial responses to the play.

• How did you feel about what happened in the story of the play?
• What did you think about the characters in the play?

Individually students will create a road map of the Baba Yaga play.

1. On a large piece of paper draw a road from one side of the paper to the other. The road represents the whole story.
2. Students should decide where the road starts.
3. Along the road they will include stopping place, there should be no fewer than three stops and no more than five. These stopping places are the main events in the play.
4. Students should include illustrations and road signs to identify the elements of the play. They could include sign posts to indicate: People, Place, Rebellion, Self-discovery, Magical objects and Rules and authority.

Students share their road maps with others in their groups. As a class, discuss the different events that students chose to include as “main events” in their maps. Discuss the sequence of those events.

Follow up with class discussion about:

• what caused specific events or why characters acted as they did
• whether the Windmill Theatre production follow the structure of the other fairy tales?
• What was different and how was it different?

Explore and Apply

Create your own fairy tale.
Working in their original groups students discuss how the fairy tale they have investigated could be rewritten so lower status characters could find courage to speak up to higher status characters.

Students should use the coloured sheets of paper they have worked on previously, which has identified the following in their fairy tale:

• narrative structure including introduction, development and resolution of tension;
• evil characters;
• kind-natured/hero characters;
• low and high status characters;
• evidence of significant symbols and their meaning;
• place/settings;
• moral message/s.

Returning to their original copy of the story the group has read and their group notes will assist them to recall details.

Students work together to change the fairy tale, making it relevant to their peer group. The story they construct together should focus on a lower status character finding their courage. The story should communicate a clear moral message to the audience.

Critique

Whole Class – sharing and discussion.

• Groups bring their draft copies of their story to a whole class discussion.
• Each group reads their story. (Groups could read their story as a Readers Theatre piece with each of the group members taking on a role of a character in the story.)

Class discussion:

• How was the original story changed to make it more relevant to the audience? This could include:
  • change to storyline (including non-linear narrative structure);
  • choice of setting;
  • inclusion of new characters;
  • absence of or change to original characters;
• What was the moral message in the story and was it relevant to the chosen audience?

The groups use the feedback from the class discussion to refine and publish their re-written fairy tale.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Year 3
Create imaginative texts based on characters, settings and events from students’ own and other cultures using visual features, for example perspective, distance and angle(ACELT1601)

Year 4
Create literary texts by developing storylines, characters and settings (ACELT1794)

• Literacy
• ICT capability
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding
• Intercultural understanding

Prepare

YEAR 5 AND 6 ACHIEVEMENT STANDARD ADDRESSED

Receptive modes (listening, reading and viewing)

Year 5

By the end of Year 5, students explain how text structures assist in understanding the text. They understand how language features, images and vocabulary influence interpretations of characters, settings and events.

They analyse and explain literal and implied information from a variety of texts. They describe how events, characters and settings in texts are depicted and explain their own responses to them. They listen and ask questions to clarify content.

Year 6

By the end of Year 6, students understand how the use of text structures can achieve particular effects. They analyse and explain how language features, images and vocabulary are used by different authors to represent ideas, characters and events.

Students compare and analyse information in different and complex texts, explaining literal and implied meaning. They listen to discussions, clarifying content and challenging others’ ideas.

Productive modes (speaking, writing and creating)

Year 5

Students use language features to show how ideas can be extended. They develop and explain a point of view about a text, selecting information, ideas and images from a range of resources.

Students create imaginative texts for different purposes and audiences. They make presentations which include multimodal elements for defined purposes. They contribute actively to class and group discussions, taking into account other perspectives. When writing, they demonstrate understanding of grammar using a variety of sentence types. They select specific vocabulary and use accurate spelling and punctuation. They edit their work for cohesive structure and meaning.

Year 6

Students understand how language features and language patterns can be used for emphasis. They show how specific details can be used to support a point of view. They explain how their choices of language features and images are used.

Students create detailed texts elaborating on key ideas for a range of purposes and audiences. They make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions, using a variety of strategies for effect. They demonstrate an understanding of grammar, and make considered vocabulary choices to enhance cohesion and structure in their writing.

Year 5 and 6 English content descriptions addressed

Year 5

Identify aspects of literary texts that convey details or information about particular social, cultural and historical contexts (ACELT1608)

Present a point of view about particular literary texts using appropriate metalanguage, and reflecting on the viewpoints of others (ACELT1609)

Recognise that ideas in literary texts can be conveyed from different viewpoints, which can lead to different kinds of interpretations and responses (ACELT1610)

Create literary texts using realistic and fantasy settings and characters that draw on the worlds represented in texts students have experienced (ACELT1612)

Year 6

Make connections between students’ own experiences and those of characters and events represented in texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1613)

Analyse and evaluate similarities and differences in texts on similar topics, themes or plots(ACELT1614)

Identify, describe, and discuss similarities and differences between texts, including those by the same author or illustrator, and evaluate characteristics that define an author’s individual style (ACELT1616)

Create literary texts that adapt or combine aspects of texts students have experienced in innovative ways (ACELT1618)

• Literacy
• ICT capability
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding
• Intercultural understanding

Before Viewing the Play

ACTIVITY

This unit includes activities and assessment linked to English, Australian Curriculum. The activities provide a structure to view and explore the fairy-tale genre through the lens of:

• Literature and Context;
• Responding to Literature;
• Examining literature; and
• Creating literature.

The activities also provide an opportunity for students to generate class discussion and sharing of interpretations of the play.

Teachers can choose to use individual activities to complement existing English units or complete the entire unit of work with their students.

Learning Intention:

To be able to:

• Define a ‘fairy tale’;
• explain characteristics of fairy tales; and
• identify common themes and character traits found in fairy tales.

Success Criteria:

Year 5 – identifies aspects, details and information of fairy tales.

Year 6 – makes connections between own experiences and those of characters and events.

Tune-in

Discuss with students their upcoming visit to the theatre to see Baba Yaga, based on the original Russian fairy tale.

Discuss with students how they will undertake group investigations of the fairy tale story structure (linear narrative structure) and identify where this is evident in a range of traditional fairy tales they will be exploring.

Students will identify the main character types including: evil character (e.g.: wicked witch; evil stepmother; wicked sisters) and hero character (e.g.: Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel).  Reinforce the evil character wants to either control or harm the hero, sometimes using magical powers to do so; however, they are often unsuccessful in their attempt. The hero is likeable, kind-hearted and helped by others.

Students identify the purpose of these characters and why fairy tales were originally created. Reinforce for students the purpose was to entertain and provide a moral message, warning people of dangers and provide guidance in life. The characters were the vehicles for these messages.

Students suggest the moral message in the traditional version of the fairy tales and how the characters convey this message. Students consider whether this message is still relevant to a contemporary audience of their age group.

Create

In groups students will use the model JIGSAW LEARNING model toexplore differences and similarities across a range of fairy tales and develop an understanding of the structures in:

• Baba Yaga
• Cinderella
• Snow White
• Rapunzel
• Hansel and Gretel
• Sleeping Beauty

Note:

• This list could include fairy tales from a range of other countries where the witch is featured as the main antagonist.
• Each group should have individual copies of the fairy tale.
• A copy of the Russian Baba Yaga can be found online at https://www.therussianstore.com/blog/tale-of-baba-yaga-the-russian-witch

Jigsaw Learning Model

• Students work in small groups.
• Members of group are assigned a focus for their investigation.
• After investigations are completed students join with students with the same focus.
• Students share information they have gathered.
• Students return to their original group to share the information they have collected

Step One: Divide students into groups of 5-6. Each group is assigned a different fairy-tale to explore.

Groups should identify a person in their group as the leader. (The leader supports the group to stay on task and lead the discussions.)

Each group should have:

• 6 pieces of coloured A4/A3 paper. (The same colour should be used for each focus area for each group. For example, people – blue, place – green, etc.)
• Individual copies of their fairy tale

Students in each group decides what focus their exploration will be.

• People
• Place
• Rebellion
• Self-discovery
• Magical objects
• Rules and authority

Step Two: Together each group will read the story once.

The second time students read the story by themselves, taking notes on their coloured paper, details related to their area of focus.

Students could include diagrams, maps, and storyboards to assist with their note taking.

Step Three: Questions to guide reading and exploring could include:

• What are the characteristics of the different people in the story?
• How are the male and female characters represented?
• Who needs help and where does the help come from?
• What are the different settings in the story?
• Are there any magical objects and what do they do?
• Who rebels and why? What happens when they rebel?

Step Four: Give students time to read over their notes and become familiar with what they have written. There is no need for them to memorize it.

Step Five: Students move into ‘focus groups’ with one student from each group joining other students assigned to the same focus.

• Students discuss the similarities and differences between the stories related to their focus.
• Students continue to add notes to their sheet from this conversation.

 Note: This is where having the same colour piece of paper assists – all of the students with the blue together, green together etc.

Step Six: Students move back to their original groups. Each student shares information gathered from the discussion in their ‘focus groups’.

The group leaders should encourage others in the group to ask questions for clarification.

Teacher note: Float from group to group, observing the process. If any group is having difficulties make an appropriate intervention. However, the group leader manages this task. Assist leaders with clarifying questions if this is a difficulty.

Critique

Together as a whole class, discuss what they discovered about the structure of a fairy tale.

• What are the similarities and differences?
• Are the stories relevant to our lives now?
• How could they be changed to be more relevant?
• Are there other fairy tales they know of that have been changed to make them more relevant to their audience? (for example fractured fairy tales).

Explore and Apply

Students read the Windmill Theatre Company’s synopsis of Baba Yaga, character description and theme (see the synopsis, character and themes sections of this resource).

With the knowledge and understanding of the structure of fairy tales each group selects one significant moment in their story and explores how they could change the story to make it more relevant to them. They should apply this change to their fairy tale and create a tableau of the change.

The tableau needs to communicate who is in the picture, what is happening and where it is set.

Groups then bring the tableau to life as a silent movie with no dialogue for 10 seconds. After 10 seconds the scene should then freeze again in a tableau.

tableau – French for ‘living picture’, a static scene where the actors are stationary and silent.

Note: Students should record the change they have made as this will assist them in the re-writing their fairy tale.

Whole class

Each group should present their tableaux scenes.

• Did the tableau clearly communicate the who and what? If not what could the group explore to make this clearer?
• What stereotypes did they notice?
• Did the tableau provide a contemporised version of the fairy tale?

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Year 5

Identify aspects of literary texts that convey details or information about particular social, cultural and historical contexts (ACELT1608)

Present a point of view about particular literary texts using appropriate metalanguage, and reflecting on the viewpoints of others (ACELT1609)

Recognise that ideas in literary texts can be conveyed from different viewpoints, which can lead to different kinds of interpretations and responses (ACELT1610)

Year 6

Make connections between students’ own experiences and those of characters and events represented in texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1613)

Analyse and evaluate similarities and differences in texts on similar topics, themes or plots (ACELT1614)

Identify, describe, and discuss similarities and differences between texts, including those by the same author or illustrator, and evaluate characteristics that define an author’s individual style (ACELT1616)

• Literacy
• ICT capability
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding
• Intercultural understanding

After Viewing the Play

Activity

Tune-in

In the original groups of 5 to 6 students spend 5 minutes discussing their initial responses to the play.

• How did you feel about what happened in the story of the play?
• What did you think about the characters in the play?

Individually students will create a road map of the Baba Yaga play.

Step One: On a large piece of paper draw a road from one side of the paper to the other. The road represents the whole story.

Step Two: Students should decide where the road starts.

Step Three: Along the road they will include stopping place, there should be no fewer than three stops and no more than five. These stopping places are the main events in the play.

Step Four: Students should include illustrations and road signs to identify the elements of the play. They could include sign posts to indicate: People, Place, Rebellion, Self-discovery, Magical objects and Rules and authority.

Students share their road maps with others in their groups. As a class, discuss the different events that students chose to include as “main events” in their maps. Discuss the sequence of those events.

Follow up with class discussion about:

• what caused specific events or why characters acted as they did
• whether the Windmill Theatre production follow the structure of the other fairy tales?
• What was different and how was it different?

Explore and Apply

Create your own fairy tale.

Working in their original groups students discuss how the fairy tale they have investigated could be rewritten so lower status characters could find courage to speak up to higher status characters.

Students should use the coloured sheets of paper they have worked on previously, which has identified the following in their fairy tale:

• narrative structure including introduction, development and resolution of tension;
• evil characters;
• kind-natured/hero characters;
• low and high status characters;
• evidence of significant symbols and their meaning;
• place/settings;
• moral message/s.

Returning to their original copy of the story the group has read and their group notes will assist them to recall details.

Students work together to change the fairy tale, making it relevant to their peer group. The story they construct together should focus on a lower status character finding their courage. The story should communicate a clear moral message to the audience.

Critique

Whole Class sharing and discussion.

• Groups bring their draft copies of their story to a whole class discussion.
• Each group reads their story. (Groups could read their story as a Readers Theatre piece with each of the group members taking on a role of a character in the story.)

Class discussion:

• How was the original story changed to make it more relevant to the audience? This could include:
  • change to storyline (including non-linear narrative structure);
  • choice of setting;
  • inclusion of new characters;
  • absence of or change to original characters;
• What was the moral message in the story and was it relevant to the chosen audience?

The groups use the feedback from the class discussion to refine and publish their re-written fairy tale.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Year 5

Create literary texts using realistic and fantasy settings and characters that draw on the worlds represented in texts students have experienced (ACELT1612)

Year 6

Create literary texts that adapt or combine aspects of texts students have experienced in innovative ways (ACELT1618)

• Literacy
• ICT capability
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding
• Intercultural understanding

Prepare

YEAR 7 AND 8 ACHIEVEMENT STANDARD ADDRESSED

Receptive modes (listening, reading and viewing)

Year 7

By the end of Year 7, students understand how text structures can influence the complexity of a text and are dependent on audience, purpose and context. They demonstrate understanding of how the choice of language features, images and vocabulary affects meaning.

Students explain issues and ideas from a variety of sources, analysing supporting evidence and implied meaning. They select specific details from texts to develop their own response, recognising that texts reflect different viewpoints. They listen for and explain different perspectives in texts.

Year 8

By the end of Year 8, students understand how the selection of text structures is influenced by the selection of language mode and how this varies for different purposes and audiences. Students explain how language features, images and vocabulary are used to represent different ideas and issues in texts.

Students interpret texts, questioning the reliability of sources of ideas and information. They select evidence from the text to show how events, situations and people can be represented from different viewpoints. They listen for and identify different emphases in texts, using that understanding to elaborate on discussions. 

Productive modes (speaking, writing and creating)

Year 7

Students understand how the selection of a variety of language features can influence an audience. They understand how to draw on personal knowledge, textual analysis and other sources to express or challenge a point of view. They create texts showing how language features and images from other texts can be combined for effect.

Students create structured and coherent texts for a range of purposes and audiences. They make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions, using language features to engage the audience. When creating and editing texts they demonstrate understanding of grammar, use a variety of more specialised vocabulary and accurate spelling and punctuation.

Year 8

Students understand how the selection of language features can be used for particular purposes and effects. They explain the effectiveness of language choices they make to influence the audience.

Students create texts for different purposes, selecting language to influence audience response. They make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions, using language patterns for effect. When creating and editing texts to create specific effects, they take into account intended purposes and the needs and interests of audiences.

Year 7 and 8 English content descriptions addressed

Year 7

Identify and explore ideas and viewpoints about events, issues and characters represented in texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1619)

Reflect on ideas and opinions about characters, settings and events in literary texts, identifying areas of agreement and difference with others and justifying a point of view (ACELT1620)

Recognise and analyse the ways that characterisation, events and settings are combined in narratives, and discuss the purposes and appeal of different approaches (ACELT1622)

Create literary texts that adapt stylistic features encountered in other texts, for example, narrative viewpoint, structure of stanzas, contrast and juxtaposition (ACELT1625

Year 8

Explore the ways that ideas and viewpoints in literary texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts may reflect or challenge the values of individuals and groups (ACELT1626)

Share, reflect on, clarify and evaluate opinions and arguments about aspects of literary texts(ACELT1627)

Recognise, explain and analyse the ways literary texts draw on readers’ knowledge of other texts and enable new understanding and appreciation of aesthetic qualities (ACELT1629)

Create literary texts that draw upon text structures and language features of other texts for particular purposes and effects (ACELT1632)

• Literacy
• ICT capability
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding
• Intercultural understanding

Before the Play

ACTIVITY

This unit includes activities and assessment linked to English, Australian Curriculum. The activities provide a structure to view and explore the fairy tale genre through the lens of:

• Literature and Context
• Responding to Literature
• Examining literature
• Creating literature.

The activities provide an opportunity for students to generate class discussion and sharing of interpretations of the play.

Teachers can choose to use individual activities to complement existing English units or complete the entire unit of work with their students.

Learning Intention:

To be able to:

• Define a ‘fairy tale’
• explain characteristics of fairy tales
• identify common themes and character traits found in fairy tales.

Success Criteria:

Year 7– Identifies and explores viewpoints of characters in fairy tales

Year 8 – Analyses the differences and similarities found in the investigation of the fairy tales

Tune-in

Discuss with students their upcoming visit to the theatre to see Baba Yaga, based on the original Russian fairy tale.

Discuss with students how they will undertake group investigations of the fairy tale story structure (linear narrative structure) and identify where this is evident in a range of traditional fairy tales they will explore.

Students will identify the main character types including: evil character (e.g. wicked witch; evil stepmother; hungry wolf) and hero character (e.g. Snow White, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood). Reinforce the evil character wants to either control or harm the hero, sometimes using magical powers to do so; however, they are often unsuccessful in their attempt. The hero is likeable, kind-hearted and helped by others.

Students identify the purpose of these characters and why fairy tales were originally created. Reinforce for students the purpose was to entertain and provide a moral message, warning people of dangers and provide guidance in life. The characters were the vehicles for these messages.

Students suggest the moral message in the traditional version of the fairy tales and how the characters convey this message. Students consider whether this message would be relevant to a contemporary audience of their age group.

Create

In groups students will use the model JIGSAW LEARNING model toexplore differences and similarities across a range of fairy tales and create an understanding of  the structures in:

• Baba Yaga
• Cinderella
• Snow White
• Rapunzel
• Hansel and Gretel
• Sleeping Beauty

Note – This list could include fairy tales from a range of other countries where the witch is featured as the main antagonist.

Jigsaw Learning

• Students work in groups of 6.
• Each group member is assigned a focus for their investigation – People, Place, Rebellion, Self-Discovery, Magical Objects, Rules/Authority.
• After investigations are completed students join with other students with the same focus.
• Students share information they have gathered.
• Students return to their original group to share the information they have collected.

Step One: Divide students into 5 or 6-person jigsaw groups. Each group is assigned one of the fairy-tales. A copy of the Russian Baba Yaga can be found online at https://www.therussianstore.com/blog/tale-of-baba-yaga-the-russian-witch

Step Two: Each group should identify a person in their group as the leader. (The leader supports the group to stay on task and lead the discussions.)

Each group should have 6 pieces of coloured A4/A3 paper. (The same colour should be used for each focus area for each group. For example, people – blue, place – green, etc.)

Students in each group decides what focus their exploration will be.

• People
• Place
• Rebellion
• Self-discovery
• Magical objects
• Rules and authority.

Step Three: Together each group will read the story once.

The second time students read the story by themselves, taking notes on their coloured paper, details related to their area of focus.

Questions to guide reading and exploring could include:

• What are the characteristics of the different people in the story?
• How are the male and female characters represented?
• Who needs help and where does the help come from?
• What are the different settings in the story?
• Are there any magical objects and what do they do?
• Who rebels and why? What happens when they rebel?

Step Four: Give students time to read over their notes and become familiar with what they have written. There is no need for them to memorize it.

Step Five: Students move into ‘focus groups’ with one student from each group joining other students assigned to the same focus.

• Students discuss the similarities and differences between the stories related to their focus.
• Students add notes to their sheet from this conversation.

Note: This is where having the same colour piece of paper assists – all of the students with the blue together, green together etc.

Step Six: Students move back to their original groups. Each student shares what they found out from the discussion in their ‘focus groups’.

The group leaders should encourage others in the group to ask questions for        clarification.

Teacher note: Float from group to group, observing the process. If any group is having difficulties make an appropriate intervention. However, the group leader manages this task. Assist leaders with clarifying questions if this is a difficulty. 

Critique

Whole class discussion

Together as a whole class discuss what they discovered about the structure of a fairy tale.

• What are the similarities and differences?
• Are the stories relevant to our lives now?
• How could they be changed to be more relevant?
• Are there other fairy tales they know of that have been contemporised? (for example fractured fairy tales)

Explore and Apply

Students read the Windmill Theatre Company’s synopsis of Baba Yaga, character description and theme (see the synopsis, character and themes sections of this resource).

With the knowledge and understanding of the structure of fairy tales each group selects one significant moment in their story and explores a change to the story, which will contemporise the moment. They should apply this change and create a tableau.

The tableau needs to communicate who is in the picture and what is happening.

Groups then bring the tableau to life as a silent movie with no dialogue for 10 seconds. After 10 seconds the scene should then freeze again in a tableau.

tableau – French for ‘living picture’, a static scene where the actors are stationary and silent.

Note: Students should record the change they have made as this will assist them in the re-writing their fairy tale.

Whole class

Each group should present their tableaux scenes.

• Did the tableau clearly communicate the who and what? If not what could the group explore to make this clearer?
• What stereotypes did they notice?
• Did the tableau provide a contemporised version of the fairy tale?

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Year 7

Identify and explore ideas and viewpoints about events, issues and characters represented in texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1619)

Reflect on ideas and opinions about characters, settings and events in literary texts, identifying areas of agreement and difference with others and justifying a point of view (ACELT1620)

Recognise and analyse the ways that characterisation, events and settings are combined in narratives, and discuss the purposes and appeal of different approaches (ACELT1622)

Year 8

Explore the ways that ideas and viewpoints in literary texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts may reflect or challenge the values of individuals and groups (ACELT1626)

Share, reflect on, clarify and evaluate opinions and arguments about aspects of literary texts (ACELT1627)

Recognise, explain and analyse the ways literary texts draw on readers’ knowledge of other texts and enable new understanding and appreciation of aesthetic qualities (ACELT1629)

• Literacy
• ICT capability
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding
• Intercultural understanding

After the Play

Tune-in

In the original groups of 5 to 6 students spend 5 minutes discussing their initial responses to the play.

• How did you feel about what happened in the story of the play?
• What did you think about the characters in the play?

Continuing in their groups should create a mind map of the play Baba Yaga and their experiences.

People, Place, Rebellion, Self-Discovery, Magical Objects, Rules/Authority.

How did the Windmill Theatre production of Baba Yaga communicate:

• the characteristics of the different people in the story?
• how were the male and female characters represented?
• Who needs help and where does the help come from?
• What are the different settings in the story?
• Are there any magical objects and what do they do?
• Who rebels and why? What happens when they rebel?

Whole Class Discussion

Groups bring their observations to a whole class discussion.

• Did the Windmill Theatre production follow the structure of the other fairy tales?
• What was different and how was it different?

Explore and Apply

Contemporise a fairy tale.

Working in their original groups students discuss how the fairy tale they have investigated could be rewritten so lower status characters could find courage to speak up to higher status characters.

Students should use the coloured sheets of paper they have worked on previously and the tableau scene they have worked on to assist the group to identify the following in their fairy tale:

• narrative structure including introduction, development and resolution of tension;
• evil characters;
• kind-natured/hero characters;
• low and high status characters;
• evidence of significant symbols and their meaning;
• place/settings;
• moral message/s.

Students work together to contemporise the fairy tale making it relevant to their peer group. The story they construct together should focus on a lower status character finding their courage. The story should communicate a clear moral message to the audience.

Contemporise– to place in or regards as belonging to same age or time – to modernise setting. 

Critique

Whole Class – sharing and discussion.

• Groups bring their draft copies of their story to a whole class discussion.
• Each group reads their story. (Groups could read their story as a Readers Theatre piece with each of the group members taking on a role of a character in the story.)

Class discussion:

• How was the original story contemporised to make it more relevant to the audience? This could include:
  • change to storyline (including non-linear narrative structure);
  • choice of setting;
  • inclusion of new characters;
  • absence of or change to original characters;
• What was the moral message in the story and was it relevant to the chosen audience?

The groups use the feedback from the class discussion to refine and publish their re-written fairy tale.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Year 7

Create literary texts that adapt stylistic features encountered in other texts, for example, narrative viewpoint, structure of stanzas, contrast and juxtaposition (ACELT1625

Year 8

Create literary texts that draw upon text structures and language features of other texts for particular purposes and effects (ACELT1632)

• Literacy
• ICT capability
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding
• Intercultural understanding