Lesson Plans

One-off workshop: The Car

This one-off 90-minute workshop or cover lesson is easy and exciting for KS3 or 4. You can rework an old idea for a productive session with students who have some basic drama knowledge already.
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Each working group is allowed four school chairs and no more. This is their car and a convincing short story must be made around it, inside it or outside it.

They will need to adopt credible characters who make the story work, and then collaborate with their peers to explore ideas, personality traits and ways of conveying meaning through a range of drama techniques.

It will encourage devising skills from a stimulus. It needs no lighting, props or costumes, though if any are around they might be useful. If there are, make sure you don't let them become a distraction.

Warm-up (15 mins)

For each group, place two chairs in front of two others to represent a car. One of the group is outside the car as a hitchhiker. The car stops to take them on board, but they eats messily, talks relentlessly, makes silly suggestions and farts.

What is the outcome? Do they tip the hitchhiker out? What if the hitchhiker pulls a gun?

Discussion and set up (10 mins)

Lead a short discussion about how that warm-up exercise went and its outcome. The car theme is going to stay this lesson, but it doesn't have to include a hitchhiker. Some may prefer to stick with the hitchhiker theme.

In groups ask students to devise a short scene in a few minutes of real time (with no flashbacks and no additional scenes) which must include the four-chair car and no props or other furniture.

Share Chart 1 below with a few suggestions. It's not exhaustive.

Questions to ask

Who are the characters? How old are they? Why are they together? Do they trust each other? Do they like each other? Is one a liar? Is one very sick? Is one a leader? Is one afraid? Is one a bit dopey? Are they all able-bodied? Is one or more elderly? What is this car in the story of their lives?

Chart 1

The car itself Inside the car Outside the car
It 's a heap of junk Window doesn't open It's parked in car park
It's a top of range model A seat is broken It's parked in a layby
It's hybrid Seat belts are dodgy It's parked outside shops
It's electric High end supercar It's on a minor road
It's petrol run Latest technology It's on a motorway
Rear brake light out Music and refreshments It's in a town
Front light out Loads of room It's at lights
It's a James Bond car A real squash It's pulled over by cops
It's got a roof-rack Boot has a body, guns or drugs in it It's broken down
It's stolen Boot has family holiday stuff in it It's got a puncture
It's borrowed Boot has shopping in it It's waiting for someone
It's hired Carpet is excellent It's being vandalised
It's a police car Carpet is worn and torn It's a get away car
It's a mafia car Drugs under the seats Its wheel raps have been nicked
It's a learner's car Guns under the seat It's in garage for repair
It's on a trial drive Dash cam front and back It's on a house drive
It's an antique car Two, four or five doors It's crashed
It's a taxi It's automatic or manual It's leaking petrol

Can they use mime that is convincing enough to accurately show someone getting in/out of the car, doing up seatbelts, reversing and steering?

Drama skills

Useful this workshop will be mime, gestures, facial expressions, vocal tones, volume, proxemics, levels, non-verbal communication, individual gaits, stances, sitting, eye contact and relationship with audience. Do they need a narrator?

Devising time (25 mins)

As students devise their short scenes, you circulate to make sure all are on a track, all contributing and are not short of ideas. They will need a punchy start and a satisfactory ending.

Sharing time (25 mins)

Time allowing, ask each group in turn to share their scenes, even if it's not a finished product. Sharing is good discipline and training for GCSE Drama.

Reviewing time (15 mins)

You can personally review each group or invite students to review each other and/or themselves. Insist that all comments are constructive with proper suggestions for improvement. If they keep notebooks, they should record ideas and comments for future use.

Future work

Remind them that learning on miming, quick creation of locations, actions and characters will be useful for further drama work.

Resources