B. Drama / D. Visual Arts · Drama and Visual ArtsDrama: Current Issues from Multiple Perspectives
B1.1 B2.1About 45 minutes
Learning goals- I can find current issues, themes and relationships in a variety of sources.
- I can explore an issue in role from multiple perspectives, including ones I disagree with.
- I can use conventions such as conscience alley, hot seating and writing in role to examine a character's choices.
- I can build a personal interpretation of a drama and connect it to my own and others' ideas, feelings and experiences.
Words to know
current issue
A problem or question that people are dealing with and disagreeing about right now.
multiple perspectives
Many different points of view on the same issue, not just two sides.
relationship
The connection between two characters (friends, rivals, family) and how they treat each other.
source
Where ideas for a drama come from: a news story, a social media post, a poem, an interview, a photo, a novel.
conscience alley
A convention where the group forms two lines facing each other. A character walks slowly between them while each person speaks a thought, advice or a warning. Also called a decision alley.
personal interpretation
What YOU think a drama means or says about life, supported by evidence from the drama and by connections to your own ideas, feelings and experiences.
in role / out of role
In role: speaking and acting as a character. Out of role: being yourself, planning or reflecting.
Remember from Grade 6
Last year, in the Cedar Hill Community Garden drama, you explored one issue from many perspectives (more than two sides). You used hot seating, writing in role, role on the wall and mantle of the expert, and you gave personal responses with a feeling, a reason, a connection and a preference.
In Grade 7 you will focus on current issues (ones people are living with right now) and on relationships. You will also move from a personal response ("I felt...") to a personal interpretation ("I think this drama is saying...").
It started as a joke
Have you ever seen a photo or video of someone online that they probably didn't want shared? Maybe it was funny for ten seconds. But how did the person in it feel? And who is responsible once it spreads to hundreds of people?
That is a current issue: young people and adults are dealing with it right now, and they don't all agree on what is fair. Drama lets us step inside a situation like this safely, as made-up characters, and look at it from every side.
Our Grade 7 drama: "Shared"
This made-up (fictional) story runs through the drama lessons in this unit.
Fern Lake is a small Ontario town. At Fern Lake Public School, the winter talent show is coming up.
At lunch, Theo practises a song alone in the music room. On the high note his voice cracks, and he trips over a music stand. Through the window in the door, his friend since kindergarten, Maya, films ten seconds on her phone. She sends it to one person, Sam, with the message: "lol don't share this."
Sam posts it in the Grade 7 group chat, which has 40 people in it, with the caption "Fern Lake's Got NO Talent." By supper time, people from other schools have seen it. Theo says he is quitting the talent show.
Some of the people involved:
- Theo, embarrassed and hurt. He loves singing but has never sung in front of anyone before.
- Maya, who meant it as a private joke between friends and feels terrible, but also a bit defensive.
- Sam, a funny kid who likes making the group laugh. He says, "Everybody posts stuff like that."
- Priya, who is friends with Theo and plays on Maya's hockey team. She feels caught in the middle.
- Ms. Kowalski, the Grade 7 teacher who organizes the talent show.
- Mémère Bouchard, Theo's grandmother, who taught him the song in French.
Issues, themes and relationships
One story can hold several issues (questions people disagree about), themes (big ideas about life) and relationships.
- Issues: Who is responsible when a video spreads: the person who filmed it, the person who posted it, or everyone who shared it? Should Theo quit? What should the school do?
- Themes: trust, friendship, courage, responsibility, kindness online.
- Relationships: Theo and Maya (old friends, now hurt), Maya and Sam (friends who now blame each other), Priya with both sides, Theo and his grandmother.
Ideas from a wide variety of sources
In Grade 7 you can build a drama from many kinds of sources, from diverse communities: a kids' news story about online safety, a poem about friendship, a family member's story about a time they were embarrassed in public, a picture book, a song, or a news story from another country. Each source can add a new perspective.
| Source | A current issue it raises | A theme | A relationship to explore |
|---|
| A kids' news story about a town debating whether to close its only arena | Should the town spend money on a new arena or on other services? | community; fairness | a hockey coach and a town councillor who are neighbours |
| A poem about moving to Canada and learning English | How can schools welcome newcomers? | belonging; courage | a newcomer student and the classmate asked to be her buddy |
| An interview with an older relative about their first phone | How has technology changed how people talk to each other? | change; connection | a grandparent and a grandchild |
| A photo of a crowded shoreline after a storm | Who should pay to clean up and protect the shoreline? | responsibility; caring for the land | a cottage owner and a year-round resident |
A new convention: conscience alley
In conscience alley, the group makes two lines facing each other, like a hallway. One character walks slowly down the middle, facing a decision. As the character passes, each person speaks one thought, piece of advice or warning. People on one side may argue one way and people on the other side the other way, but you can mix it up so the character hears many different perspectives. At the end, the character decides, in role, and says why.
At home, with only one or two people, you can write each voice on a card, lay the cards along a hallway floor and read each one aloud as you step past it.
From response to interpretation
A personal response says how you felt. A personal interpretation says what you think the drama means, what it says about people or life, and backs it up:
- Claim: "I think this drama is about..."
- Evidence: a moment from the drama that shows it.
- Connection: to your own ideas, feelings or experiences, and to other people's ideas (a classmate, a book, the news).
Two people can interpret the same drama differently, and both can be strong if they have evidence.
Worked exampleExample: Conscience alley for Maya
Maya has to decide: should she tell Ms. Kowalski that she filmed the video, or stay quiet? Let's hear the voices in the alley.
- Voice 1 (Priya): "You didn't post it. Sam did. Why should you get in trouble?"
- Voice 2 (Theo's point of view): "I trusted you more than anyone. I need to hear it from you."
- Voice 3 (Maya's own fear): "If I tell, everyone will know it was me."
- Voice 4 (Mémère): "A good friend owns her mistakes."
- Voice 5 (Sam): "If you tell, I get in trouble too. Thanks a lot."
- Maya decides, in role: "I'm going to tell Theo first, then Ms. Kowalski. I didn't post it, but I'm the one who filmed it. It started with me."
- Out of role, notice: the voices showed five perspectives (Priya, Theo, Maya's fear, Mémère, Sam), not just "tell" or "don't tell."
Conscience alley turns one character's inner conflict into voices the audience can hear. It shows how many perspectives press on a single decision.
Worked exampleExample: Building a personal interpretation
After hot seating Sam, a student steps out of role and interprets the drama so far.
- Claim: "I think 'Shared' is about how a small choice online can grow much bigger than anyone meant."
- Evidence: "Maya only sent it to one person, but by supper people at other schools had seen it. In the hot seat, Sam said he 'didn't think it would go anywhere.'"
- Connection to my own experience: "Once, a photo of me making a weird face was posted in my hockey team's chat, and I felt like everyone was laughing at me for a week."
- Connection to others' ideas: "My friend thought the drama is about Theo's courage instead. I agree that's part of it, because the big question now is whether he'll still sing."
A personal interpretation makes a claim about meaning, supports it with evidence from the drama, and connects it to your own and others' ideas, feelings and experiences.
Just for funConscience alley is the only hallway in school where you're supposed to walk slowly while everyone talks to you. Your hallway monitor would be amazed.
Keeping the drama safe and respectful
- We use made-up characters so nobody has to talk about a real person.
- If the topic brings up something that happened to you, you can share as much or as little as you want, or step out and talk to a trusted adult.
- Play every character fairly, even Sam. Give each one real reasons.
- Out of role, you are yourself again. Disagree with ideas, not with people.
Hands-on activityHallway of voices
You need: paper, a pencil, a hallway or a long space on the floor, and a family member if possible.
- Read the "Shared" story again. On one sheet, write three issues and three themes you find in it.
- Choose a character with a decision: Theo ("Should I quit the talent show?"), Maya ("Should I tell?") or Priya ("Should I say something in the group chat?").
- Write six voice cards, each from a different perspective (another character, a fear, a hope, a parent, a stranger who saw the video). Make sure the cards do not all say the same thing.
- Lay the cards in a line along the floor. Walk the conscience alley slowly as your character. Read or have a family member read each card as you pass.
- At the end, stop, turn and announce your decision in role, with a reason.
- Writing in role: write a short message your character sends that night (4 or 5 sentences).
- Step out of role and write a personal interpretation: claim, evidence, a connection to your own experience and a connection to someone else's idea.
Bonus: find a short, age-appropriate news story about a current issue in your community. Make a perspective web with at least four stakeholders.
Your turn
1What makes an issue a current issue?
People are dealing with it and disagreeing about it right now, in today's world.
2Name two issues in the drama "Shared."
Any two, for example: Who is responsible when a video spreads? Should Theo quit the talent show? Should Maya tell a teacher? What should the school do about sharing videos without permission?
3Name two themes in "Shared."
Any two: trust, friendship, responsibility, courage, kindness online, embarrassment, forgiveness.
4Describe one relationship in the drama and how the video changed it.
Example: Theo and Maya have been friends since kindergarten. The video breaks Theo's trust in her. (Other answers: Maya and Sam now blame each other; Priya is pulled between Theo and Maya.)
5How does conscience alley work?
The group forms two lines. A character facing a decision walks slowly between them while each person speaks a thought, advice or warning. At the end the character decides in role.
6What is the difference between a personal response and a personal interpretation?
A response mainly says how you felt. An interpretation says what you think the drama means, supported by evidence and connections.
7List three different kinds of sources you could use to build a drama.
Any three: a news story, a poem, a novel or picture book, an interview, a photograph, a song, a social media post, a painting, a family story.
More practice: warm-up
1True or false: a good issue drama has only two sides.
False. Strong issue dramas show multiple perspectives.
2Who filmed the video in "Shared"? Who posted it to the group chat?
Maya filmed it. Sam posted it.
3Is "trust" an issue or a theme?
A theme (a big idea). An issue would be a question, like "Should Maya tell?"
4What does it mean to step out of role?
To stop being the character and be yourself again, to plan or reflect.
5Why does the drama use made-up characters instead of real people?
So we can explore the issue safely, without hurting or talking about a real person.
More practice: on your own
1Why is Priya an important character even though she didn't film or post the video?
She is caught between her friends, so she shows a perspective many people share: a bystander who must decide whether to speak up. Her choice adds tension and gives the audience someone to relate to.
2Write three conscience alley voices for Theo, who is deciding whether to quit the talent show. Each must show a different perspective.
Example: Mémère: "You sang that song perfectly in my kitchen. Sing it for me." Theo's fear: "Everyone will be waiting for your voice to crack again." Ms. Kowalski: "Lots of performers have a bad rehearsal. That's what rehearsals are for." Look for three different points of view.
3Sam says, "Everybody posts stuff like that." Play fair: give one possible reason Sam acts this way, then explain why it is still a problem.
Example reason: Sam wants to be liked and gets attention by making people laugh. It's still a problem because the joke is at Theo's expense, and Theo never agreed to be posted. A reason explains an action; it doesn't make it harmless.
4Write a personal interpretation of "Shared" with a claim, evidence and one connection.
Example: "I think the drama is about how trust can break quickly (claim). Theo and Maya were friends since kindergarten, but one ten-second video changed that (evidence). It reminds me of when a friend told my secret, and it took a long time to feel okay again (connection)." Look for all three parts.
5Turn this headline into an issue for a drama, with four perspectives: Town considers closing library early on weekends to save money.
Example issue: "Should the library close early on weekends?" Perspectives: a student who studies there on Saturdays; a librarian who might lose hours of work; a town treasurer trying to balance the budget; a parent who brings young kids to weekend storytime. Look for four different, reasonable views.
Challenge
1Two classmates interpret "Shared" differently. One says it is about cruelty online. The other says it is about forgiveness. Can both be strong interpretations? Explain what each would need.
Yes. Different interpretations can both be strong if each is supported with evidence from the drama. The "cruelty" interpretation could point to Sam's caption and how fast it spread. The "forgiveness" interpretation would need a moment where a character tries to repair the harm, like Maya deciding to tell Theo. Each also needs a connection to people's ideas or experiences.
2Invent a new source that could change the direction of "Shared," and explain what new perspective it adds.
Example: a voicemail from Mémère telling Theo that she was booed the first time she sang in public as a girl and kept singing anyway. It adds the perspective of an older generation and the idea that embarrassment can be survived, which might change Theo's decision. Look for a source, a new perspective and its effect.
3Explain why exploring a current issue in role can help people understand it better than just arguing about it.
In role, you have to think and feel like someone else, including people you disagree with. That builds empathy and shows the reasons behind each side. Arguing out of role often means defending only your own view. Drama lets you test choices and see consequences safely.
Quiz
1. Which is a current issue?
2. In conscience alley, the character in the middle ___.
3. Which statement is a personal interpretation?
4. Why is it important to play Sam with real reasons?
5. Which is a theme in "Shared"?
6. Which source would add a new perspective to a drama about an arena closing?
Big idea: In Grade 7, drama exploration and role play focus on examining multiple perspectives related to current issues, themes and relationships from a wide variety of sources and diverse communities (B1.1). Students construct personal interpretations of drama works, connecting issues and themes to their own and others' ideas, feelings and experiences (B2.1).
About the topic: "Shared" deals with a video posted without permission. This is a common real-life situation for this age. It is a good chance to talk about online kindness and consent to be photographed, but keep the drama focused on the made-up characters. If your child connects it to something real, listen first, stay calm, and contact the school if a real situation needs adult help.
How to help:
- Take a role in the conscience alley or the hot seat. Play characters fairly, including Sam.
- Ask interpretation questions: "What do you think this drama is really about? What moment shows that?"
- Notice current issues in local news together and ask, "Who else is affected? How would they see it?"
Common difficulties:
- Only two sides. Ask, "Who else is affected? A bystander? A parent? Someone at another school?"
- Interpretations without evidence. Ask, "What happened in the drama that makes you think that?"
- Making Sam a pure villain. Ask, "What might Sam want? What is he afraid of?"
Keep the character list and notes: the "Shared" drama continues in the next lessons.