Divine Pursuits
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At the end of the Summer Term the Primary 6 boys entered into the familiar ritual of preparing for the all singing, all dancing, musical presentation that is commonly known as ‘The P6 Show’.
Enriching the curriculum
Drama is taught from the very earliest stages, but it changes radically as the children mature. In early years, the children ‘pretend’ in the home corner of the classroom. The teacher will support this improvised drama by providing props and costumes. Sometimes the teacher will step in and develop more focused activities, building on what the children have already done.
In upper years there is a shift towards the teaching of a wider range of dramatic techniques. Teachers may focus on mime for instance.
The context will still be cross curricular, but over time the children will develop a repertoire of dramatic skills. These skills are developed informally through class assemblies, which frequently involve the use of drama to put across a message.
Shows
More formal presentations come in the form of shows that are performed each year. Musicals are very much held together by the songs, but they are enlivened by the acting abilities of our children. Indeed, by the end of Primary 6, the children are well equipped to tackle ambitious projects. For two years running they have performed works by Gilbert and Sullivan to rapturous applause
What did the children think?
P4 show: Sombrero for SantaWe had a fun night when we did the Sombrero for Santa show. All the P4 classes took part. Before the show started some boys played their recorders, violins and violas; they were very good. The show started when Mrs Donaldson played the piano and we all walked in. The show was about Santa getting stuck in Mexico. He had gone there to learn Spanish because he couldn’t read the letters from the Mexican children. He had a lot of problems ahead because he got stuck in Mexico. He couldn’t get a train or a plane out of Mexico to get back to his reindeer at the workshop in the North Pole. So Rudolph came to the rescue once again by flying to Mexico to get Santa. |
Songs
The show ended with Santa getting home to the North Pole and he managed to deliver all his presents in time. Everyone clapped and cheered because it was a brilliant show. |
P1/2 Show: The Litter Muncher
I really enjoyed coming into school in my clothes and not the uniform! It reminds me to put my litter in the bin, and help Mrs Becher recycle cans and paper. I think my favourite part was when we sung ‘The Old Counting Song’. I loved the costumes and make-up. I think it made us sing better. Our make-up was so good that Calder, Mack’s brother, even asked if we were supposed to be Jesus in the show? I felt a bit worried at first but then I felt a lot better later. My mum and dad thought it was a great show. I think we all did really well and the costumes and make-up were both great. |
P4 show: The Glint of GoldI was a hieroglyph. When the show started, I was a bit nervous because I was standing in front of my parents. Fraser was Hatshepshut and the handmaidens were Alexander, Connor and Tarquin. My parents thought it was very good and my favourite part was when Hatshepshut’s hat fell off. The make-up was a bit annoying because it went into my eyes. I was sort of nervous but when the first song ended it was okay. My mum was sitting right in front of me. My mum and dad thought it was brilliant. The costumes were good except that we had no trousers! I liked the face-painting. It looked cool. At the end, everybody gave us a round of applause and even my wee brother gave us a wee clap. |
P3 Show: Ballooning ....My favourite part was when the Russians were dancing. I thought their wellies would come flying off and all the mums, dads, grannies and grandpas were watching our show .... We went to Russia, Jamaica, Scotland, Egypt and Spain. Then we landed in school. What a dreadful thing. What do you think? Was it good or bad? Let’s see. |
Round the WorldI was a Caribbean and I played the metallophone. I was a Scotsman. I liked when we sang ‘We are Scotsmen from the Munroes’. We danced and sang. I liked the Russian music. I was a Russian. My favourite bit was the dancing. |
We sang lots of songs during the show. The first one was ‘Sombrero for Santa’. Mr Tully played the drums and Mrs Donaldson played the piano. The second song was ‘We are gonna need shades’. My favourite song was the ‘Travel Song’ because it was fast and cool. The audience were tested on their Spanish skills by singing along to ‘How do you say “Hello”?’. .jpg)
It was great that so many boys got a speaking part. This page is: Edinburgh Academy / juniorschool / curriculum / drama.htm
