Drama and Resilience (Early Stage 1, Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3)

ACTIVITY OUTLINE:

Branden from the Sydney Theatre Company reads a text and invites sutdents to think about what makes them happy.

Students will be invited to:

• Describe three items that make you happy and why they make you happy.
• What are some things in your school, where you live, your neighbourhood that make you happy? They could be really big or small?
• How does it feel? Is it cold, warm or hot? Smooth or rough? What colour/s is it? Does it have a smell or a taste?
• Draw a picture of the object, and label all its features. Share your drawing and explain why that special object makes you happy
• Listen to a text, ‘Where Happiness Hides’ (2020) [duration 3:17] by Anthony Bertini, illustrated by Jennifer Goldsmith. This text contains opportunities for embodiment through interpreting descriptive and onomatopoeic language that encourages movement and sound
• Create a soundscape

Teachers can use the pre-recorded YouTube clip, pausing to allow students to use drama to explore and build their resilience.

• Books and stories can help us to overcome our feelings through using drama strategies to build our resilience and try to turn negative situations into positives.
• There are many texts that enable the exploration of drama strategies and the building of dramatic skills and understanding. One such text is ‘Where Happiness Hides’ by Anthony Bertini, illustrated by Jennifer Goldsmith (2020).
• The text explores the things that make us happy, and the ways in which something negative can be turned into a positive.
• Through these transferrable drama strategies, students build skills in resilience, optimistic thinking as well as in drama.
• Explore these drama strategies with any book or subject

*Teacher resources to support this session are also available.