Years 5 to 6
The Arts
ASARTDRAY56
Years 5 to 6 Drama Achievement Standard
6 statements aligned to content descriptors and elaborations
Achievement standard (as ACARA publishes it)
Achievement standard
Click any sentence to jump to its statement and linked content descriptors.
By the end of Year 6, students explain how the elements of drama are used in drama they create, perform and/or experience. They describe how drama created and/or performed across cultures, times, places and/or other contexts communicates ideas, perspectives and/or meaning. They describe how drama is used to continue and revitalise cultures.
Students work collaboratively as they combine elements of drama to shape and sustain dramatic action. They improvise and/or devise drama and/or interpret scripts. They perform their drama in informal and/or formal settings.
The 6 achievement standard statements
Open a statement to see the content descriptors ACARA links to it, then open a descriptor's elaborations.
By the end of Year 6, students explain how the elements of drama are used in drama they create, perform and/or experience.
Content descriptorAC9ADR6C01 Creating and making
develop characters and situations, and shape and sustain dramatic action to communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning in improvised, devised and/or scripted forms
Elaborations (6)
- Elaboration exploring physical, fictional or emotional spaces to create characters and respond to situations
- Elaboration varying use of voice/vocalisation using techniques such as projection, dynamics, pace, pause and pitch, to create and communicate characters’ intentions, or exploring how movement and gesture can be used without voice/vocalisation to communicate ideas or intentions
- Elaboration rehearsing, interacting and negotiating with others to interpret scripts and create characters and their relationships
- Elaboration using Viewpoints to ask questions when exploring character; for example, “How did the performers use the elements of drama and design elements effectively?”, “For what purposes did they make drama?”, “What evidence supports your judgement about the drama?”
- Elaboration devising drama based on research or knowledge about a project happening in their school/local community to encourage cultural awareness or to present different perspectives in a debate, such as a debate about an environmental issue
- Elaboration working collaboratively to devise drama for a school ritual, gathering (such as an assembly) or ceremony; for example, drama that explores a school motto, a health message or a campaign such as “no-packaging lunch”
Content descriptorAC9ADR6E01 Exploring and responding
explore ways that the elements of drama are combined to communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning in drama across, cultures, times, places and/or other contexts
Elaborations (3)
- Elaboration exploring how drama is used within their own communities to maintain, continue and revitalise culture
- Elaboration identifying and discussing use of elements of drama such as space, time, language, movement, character and/or relationships in the drama; for example, using Viewpoints to develop questions such as, “What did you see in the drama?”, “How did the actors make the characters believable?”, “When was the drama set? (For example, time, place or other context)”, “What was the purpose of the drama?”
- Elaboration exploring drama from other places and times, and discussing how it might contribute to their own drama, and how cultural understandings shape meaning in drama; for example, exploring how drama is used to share cultural knowledge in celebrations, ceremonies or rituals that happen in their local community and/or in another place, such as a country or region in Asia
Content descriptorAC9ADR6P01 Presenting and performing
rehearse and perform improvised, devised and/or scripted drama in informal and/or formal settings
Elaborations (4)
- Elaboration using props, costumes and available technologies such as light, sound or multimedia to create dramatic symbols and enhance dramatic action
- Elaboration focusing on communication with the audience by, for example, remembering lines, moves and cues in rehearsal and performance
- Elaboration showing understanding of the purpose of rehearsing and the need for collaboration
- Elaboration sharing ideas about their drama with audiences; for example, through choice of performance space, approach to entering or leaving the performance space, pre-show presentations or by creating an introduction such as a podcast that can be distributed when an audience member obtains their ticket
They describe how drama created and/or performed across cultures, times, places and/or other contexts communicates ideas, perspectives and/or meaning.
Content descriptorAC9ADR6E01 Exploring and responding
explore ways that the elements of drama are combined to communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning in drama across, cultures, times, places and/or other contexts
Elaborations (3)
- Elaboration exploring how drama is used within their own communities to maintain, continue and revitalise culture
- Elaboration identifying and discussing use of elements of drama such as space, time, language, movement, character and/or relationships in the drama; for example, using Viewpoints to develop questions such as, “What did you see in the drama?”, “How did the actors make the characters believable?”, “When was the drama set? (For example, time, place or other context)”, “What was the purpose of the drama?”
- Elaboration exploring drama from other places and times, and discussing how it might contribute to their own drama, and how cultural understandings shape meaning in drama; for example, exploring how drama is used to share cultural knowledge in celebrations, ceremonies or rituals that happen in their local community and/or in another place, such as a country or region in Asia
Content descriptorAC9ADR6E02 Exploring and responding
explore the ways that First Nations Australians use drama to continue and revitalise cultures
Elaborations (4)
- Elaboration exploring how performances that tell stories maintain culture; for example, narrative drama that communicates knowledge about land, sea, sky or waterways
- Elaboration identifying and discussing the role of storytelling in First Nations Australians’ cultural traditions, through direct engagement or using online resources created or co-created by First Nations Australians
- Elaboration identifying examples that illustrate how cultural expressions change over time; for example, by using available resources published by First Nations Australian communities and organisations
- Elaboration investigating the ways that a diverse range of First Nations Australian drama makers and performers embed themselves and their communities in drama in a range of representative forms as a visual declaration of identity, storytelling and resilience; for example, exploring how drama is used to share cultural narratives
They describe how drama is used to continue and revitalise cultures.
Content descriptorAC9ADR6E02 Exploring and responding
explore the ways that First Nations Australians use drama to continue and revitalise cultures
Elaborations (4)
- Elaboration exploring how performances that tell stories maintain culture; for example, narrative drama that communicates knowledge about land, sea, sky or waterways
- Elaboration identifying and discussing the role of storytelling in First Nations Australians’ cultural traditions, through direct engagement or using online resources created or co-created by First Nations Australians
- Elaboration identifying examples that illustrate how cultural expressions change over time; for example, by using available resources published by First Nations Australian communities and organisations
- Elaboration investigating the ways that a diverse range of First Nations Australian drama makers and performers embed themselves and their communities in drama in a range of representative forms as a visual declaration of identity, storytelling and resilience; for example, exploring how drama is used to share cultural narratives
Students work collaboratively as they combine elements of drama to shape and sustain dramatic action.
Content descriptorAC9ADR6C01 Creating and making
develop characters and situations, and shape and sustain dramatic action to communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning in improvised, devised and/or scripted forms
Elaborations (6)
- Elaboration exploring physical, fictional or emotional spaces to create characters and respond to situations
- Elaboration varying use of voice/vocalisation using techniques such as projection, dynamics, pace, pause and pitch, to create and communicate characters’ intentions, or exploring how movement and gesture can be used without voice/vocalisation to communicate ideas or intentions
- Elaboration rehearsing, interacting and negotiating with others to interpret scripts and create characters and their relationships
- Elaboration using Viewpoints to ask questions when exploring character; for example, “How did the performers use the elements of drama and design elements effectively?”, “For what purposes did they make drama?”, “What evidence supports your judgement about the drama?”
- Elaboration devising drama based on research or knowledge about a project happening in their school/local community to encourage cultural awareness or to present different perspectives in a debate, such as a debate about an environmental issue
- Elaboration working collaboratively to devise drama for a school ritual, gathering (such as an assembly) or ceremony; for example, drama that explores a school motto, a health message or a campaign such as “no-packaging lunch”
Content descriptorAC9ADR6D01 Developing practices and skills
explore ways to combine the elements of drama to communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning in improvisations, devised drama and/or scripted drama
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration experimenting with empathy to develop characters and relationships in drama, considering situations from the perspectives of different characters, exploring responses and challenging stereotypes; for example, when interpreting scripted drama
- Elaboration imagining and developing a “new scene” to include in a dramatic re-telling of a known narrative
- Elaboration using Viewpoints to ask questions to explore the role of cultures in the use of elements of drama, such as “How are relationships, language and symbols shaped by cultures?”, “How do we use our own cultures to create shortcuts of meaning and ideas?”, “How do we understand the cultures of others?”
- Elaboration using improvisation or process drama to compare different ways that improvised and scripted drama can create characters and action, or evaluating drama they experience in live performance and considering how they can use specific techniques in their own work
- Elaboration imagining that they are in the time/place of an historical event and considering why people involved in the event made (or will make) certain decisions and/or what they could have done differently
Content descriptorAC9ADR6P01 Presenting and performing
rehearse and perform improvised, devised and/or scripted drama in informal and/or formal settings
Elaborations (4)
- Elaboration using props, costumes and available technologies such as light, sound or multimedia to create dramatic symbols and enhance dramatic action
- Elaboration focusing on communication with the audience by, for example, remembering lines, moves and cues in rehearsal and performance
- Elaboration showing understanding of the purpose of rehearsing and the need for collaboration
- Elaboration sharing ideas about their drama with audiences; for example, through choice of performance space, approach to entering or leaving the performance space, pre-show presentations or by creating an introduction such as a podcast that can be distributed when an audience member obtains their ticket
They improvise and/or devise drama and/or interpret scripts.
Content descriptorAC9ADR6C01 Creating and making
develop characters and situations, and shape and sustain dramatic action to communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning in improvised, devised and/or scripted forms
Elaborations (6)
- Elaboration exploring physical, fictional or emotional spaces to create characters and respond to situations
- Elaboration varying use of voice/vocalisation using techniques such as projection, dynamics, pace, pause and pitch, to create and communicate characters’ intentions, or exploring how movement and gesture can be used without voice/vocalisation to communicate ideas or intentions
- Elaboration rehearsing, interacting and negotiating with others to interpret scripts and create characters and their relationships
- Elaboration using Viewpoints to ask questions when exploring character; for example, “How did the performers use the elements of drama and design elements effectively?”, “For what purposes did they make drama?”, “What evidence supports your judgement about the drama?”
- Elaboration devising drama based on research or knowledge about a project happening in their school/local community to encourage cultural awareness or to present different perspectives in a debate, such as a debate about an environmental issue
- Elaboration working collaboratively to devise drama for a school ritual, gathering (such as an assembly) or ceremony; for example, drama that explores a school motto, a health message or a campaign such as “no-packaging lunch”
Content descriptorAC9ADR6D01 Developing practices and skills
explore ways to combine the elements of drama to communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning in improvisations, devised drama and/or scripted drama
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration experimenting with empathy to develop characters and relationships in drama, considering situations from the perspectives of different characters, exploring responses and challenging stereotypes; for example, when interpreting scripted drama
- Elaboration imagining and developing a “new scene” to include in a dramatic re-telling of a known narrative
- Elaboration using Viewpoints to ask questions to explore the role of cultures in the use of elements of drama, such as “How are relationships, language and symbols shaped by cultures?”, “How do we use our own cultures to create shortcuts of meaning and ideas?”, “How do we understand the cultures of others?”
- Elaboration using improvisation or process drama to compare different ways that improvised and scripted drama can create characters and action, or evaluating drama they experience in live performance and considering how they can use specific techniques in their own work
- Elaboration imagining that they are in the time/place of an historical event and considering why people involved in the event made (or will make) certain decisions and/or what they could have done differently
They perform their drama in informal and/or formal settings.
Content descriptorAC9ADR6P01 Presenting and performing
rehearse and perform improvised, devised and/or scripted drama in informal and/or formal settings
Elaborations (4)
- Elaboration using props, costumes and available technologies such as light, sound or multimedia to create dramatic symbols and enhance dramatic action
- Elaboration focusing on communication with the audience by, for example, remembering lines, moves and cues in rehearsal and performance
- Elaboration showing understanding of the purpose of rehearsing and the need for collaboration
- Elaboration sharing ideas about their drama with audiences; for example, through choice of performance space, approach to entering or leaving the performance space, pre-show presentations or by creating an introduction such as a podcast that can be distributed when an audience member obtains their ticket
This achievement standard describes the expected learning for Years 5 to 6 Drama. Use it to plan teaching and assessment with the Australian Curriculum v9.
At a Glance
| Strand | Substrand | CDs | Elaborations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creating and making | Drama | 1 | 6 |
| Developing practices and skills | Drama | 1 | 5 |
| Exploring and responding | Drama | 2 | 7 |
| Presenting and performing | Drama | 1 | 4 |
| Total | 5 | 22 | |
Frequently Asked Questions
What should students know by the end of Years 5 to 6 Drama?
By the end of Year 6, students explain how the elements of drama are used in drama they create, perform and/or experience. They describe how drama created and/or performed across cultures, times, places and/or other contexts communicates ideas, perspectives and/or meaning. Read the full standard
How many Content Descriptors support this standard?
5 Content Descriptors support this Achievement Standard (Creating and making: 1, Developing practices and skills: 1, Exploring and responding: 2, Presenting and performing: 1).
How does this compare to Years 3 to 4?
The Years 3 to 4 Drama standard (ASARTDRAY34) covers the preceding curriculum level. Standards build progressively, with Years 5 to 6 expectations extending what was introduced in Years 3 to 4.
Is this from the latest Australian Curriculum?
Yes, this Achievement Standard is from the Australian Curriculum version 9.0 (AC v9), the most current version published by ACARA.