The Arts · Year 2

Active learning ideas

Setting the Scene

Active learning helps students grasp how setting shapes behavior because physical and sensory experiences make abstract ideas concrete. When students move through spaces, manipulate light and sound, and embody environments, they connect emotional and physical responses to the drama they create.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9ADR2C01
• AC9ADR2R01

• 15–30 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Gallery Walk
• 25 min · Whole Class

Gallery Walk: Frozen Settings

Groups create a 'statue' of a specific setting (e.g., a windy beach). Half the class walks through the 'statues' as tourists, describing what they 'see' and 'feel' based on the actors' poses.

Analyze how a dark forest changes the way a character moves.

Facilitation Tip

During Gallery Walk: Frozen Settings, position students so they can observe and discuss each tableau without crowding, giving everyone time to absorb the scene.

What to look for

Present students with images of different settings (e.g., a busy market, a quiet library, a stormy sea). Ask them to draw or write one sentence describing how a character might move differently in each setting and why.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Simulation Game
• 15 min · Whole Class

Simulation Game: The Environment Walk

The teacher describes a changing environment (thick mud, deep water, hot sand). Students must move across the room, showing through their body tension and speed how the setting is affecting them.

Design what sounds or lights we could use to show it is morning on stage.

Facilitation Tip

When running Simulation: The Environment Walk, call out clear, contrasting environments so students have strong sensory contrasts to build their movement from.

What to look for

Give each student a card with a scenario (e.g., 'It is very early morning,' 'Two friends are arguing'). Ask them to write down one sound cue and one lighting cue that could help show this on stage.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Inquiry Circle
• 30 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Light and Sound Scapers

In small groups, students use a torch and one sound-maker to turn a corner of the classroom into a specific setting. They then explain to the class why they chose those specific 'mood' tools.

Explain how the space between actors shows their relationship.

Facilitation Tip

For Light and Sound Scapers, provide small, easy-to-use materials like colored gels or simple percussion instruments to encourage experimentation without distraction.

What to look for

Place two students a large distance apart and then have them move closer together. Ask the class: 'What does the changing space between them tell us about their relationship? How could they show they are still close friends even when far apart?'

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with students’ own experiences of places, then layer in drama elements so they see how professionals use space, light, and sound to guide an audience. Model your own thought process aloud as you make choices during activities, so students hear how a director thinks. Avoid rushing to ‘correct’ their first attempts; let them discover the effects through repeated practice.

Successful learning looks like students describing how setting changes movement, sound, and mood with clear examples. They should use drama vocabulary such as ‘space,’ ‘light,’ and ‘sound cue’ to explain their choices confidently.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Gallery Walk: Frozen Settings, watch for students who focus only on the image rather than the actors’ frozen bodies and facial expressions.

  Prompt them to notice how the actors’ posture, facial expressions, and spacing between each other show the character’s feelings about the place.

• During Simulation: The Environment Walk, watch for students who ignore the environment and move the same way in every scenario.

  Pause the action and ask, ‘How would your character stand on ice compared to a bouncy trampoline? Show me both ways.’

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Methods used in this brief

• Gallery Walk
• Simulation Game
• Inquiry Circle