Drama Teaching Tips

A selection of articles on drama teaching. These can be filtered using the blue buttons.

12 Tips for Learning Lines

Learning lines for plays or speeches is not always easy - here are twelve tips to help!

3D Living Pictures

Bring pictures to life through freeze frames, thought tracking and improvisation.

Anti-Bullying Drama Unit

Using drama to explore bullying issues, giving pupils the opportunity to try out anti-bullying strategies.

Books on Drama for Language Teaching and Learning

Recommended books on teaching and learning language through drama games and activities.

Bringing Fairy Tales to Life through Drama

Ways to develop fairy and folk tales into rehearsed performances, improvisations, tableaux and oral storytelling.

Cinderella – Listen To Me – Restorative Justice (5-11 years)

Explore bullying issues through the story of Cinderella using drama, writing and restorative justice techniques

Commedia dell’arte Drama Unit

Commedia dell’arte began in the marketplaces of 16th-century Europe as improvised theatre which was rude, funny and satirical.

Dorothy Heathcote – Pioneer of Educational Drama

The ethos of drama in education today owes an enormous debt to the inspiration of one woman - Dorothy Heathcote

Drama Across the Curriculum

Drama strategies can be used as everyday teaching tools for a wide range of subjects. (Extract from 'Learning Through Drama

Drama for Language Teaching

Drama is an effective way of helping students to learn languages including English as a Foreign Language (EFL), as it uses

Drama For Writing

Drama can provide children with a meaningful purpose for writing. (Extract from 'Learning Through Drama in the Primary Years').

Drama Games for Language Teaching (teenage to adult)

14 easy to use drama games and activities suitable for a range of ages and language levels.

Drop Of A Hat by David Farmer – Review January 2022

Review: "...a useful and helpful book for primary practitioners."

Hot Spotting

An amazingly fun and easy way to mix up hot-seating and freeze frames to develop characters

Imaginarium

An exciting and completely unpredictable way to quickly develop a scene

Keeping Control in the Drama Lesson

Classroom Management for Drama Lessons The challenge of managing the classroom during drama could be why some teachers are reluctant

Key Stage 1 Drama Lesson Ideas

A dozen fabulous ideas and helpful books for teaching drama at key stage one.

Key Stage 2 Drama Lesson Ideas

Ten brilliant ideas and worthwhile books for teaching drama at key stage two.

Music for Drama Workshops

A playlist of music for drama workshops, rehearsal or performance, including warm-ups, movement pieces and atmospherics.

My Favourite Drama Teaching Books

These books are ideal for practical ideas to use right away. The first two cover secondary as well as primary

Non-Verbal Communication

Discussion and activities exploring the power of non-verbal communication

Plays for Children

In this interview Alison Chaplin talks to David Farmer about her plays for children and how she got into writing

Podcasts and Webinars with David Farmer

Podcasts and Webinars about drama teaching featuring David Farmer

QR Code for Drama Resource and 3D Living Pictures

Drama Resource Website3D Living Pictures

Seven Levels of Tension

An approach to acting that enables performers to explore different levels of tension.

Shortened Shakespeare

Recommended shortened versions of Shakespeare playscripts for children and young people to perform.

Story Books for Drama Teaching

Stories can provide the launch pad for a one-off drama session or several weeks of work. Drama strategies can be drawn

Teaching Gold Mining in New Zealand through Drama

These five incredibly simple methods for drama teaching inspired a teacher in New Zealand to bring to life her social

Teaching Literacy Through Drama

Drama is a close ally in the development of literacy, especially speaking and listening.

The King’s Sentence – a world without words

Lesson plan and original story for KS2 exploring non-verbal communication through gesture and sign language.

The Musicians of Bremen Script

Sparkling short play script of the Brothers Grimm tale for KS2 performance.

The Tiger Child Drama Unit

A range of drama and storytelling activities based on a traditional Indian folk-tale for KS1 and reception.

Top 5 Books for Teaching Shakespeare to Children and Young People

These days Shakespeare can be taught to children and young people in very exciting and active ways - and there

What Are Drama Games?

Children's natural tendency towards make-believe play can be utilised at school through structured play and drama.

Whoosh! Bringing Stories Alive through Drama

An interactive technique in which participants become characters and objects in a story as it is told.

Why Teach Drama to Primary School Children?

Children's natural tendency towards make-believe play can be utilised at school through structured play and drama.