Pre-Show Activity

Learning Intentions

• Respond to provocations.
• Use prompts to improvise and develop scenes.
• Explore and experience different roles and situations.
• Respect everyone’s contribution to develop a shared outcome.

Key Terminology

• Provocation – A provocation is something that provokes action and stimulates thinking.
• Improvisation – Performing something unplanned. It is generally spontaneous, requiring actors to take on roles and situations to create dramatic action and to extend an idea with little preparation time.

Provocations

• On four large pieces of paper write the following provocations placing each one in a corner of the classroom.
  • Life on another planet looks like…
  • In 100 years, the world will be like…
  • The thing that makes a good friend is…
  • What makes me happy is when…
• Invite students to respond to each provocation using words or images.
  • The response should be anonymous.
  • Once one is completed scrunch up paper and place it with corresponding.
  • Repeat the process so each student has responded to each provocation.

Improvising a scene

Working with a partner or in small groups

Students work with a partner or in small groups to plan, prepare and present improvisations to express a situation, idea or experience based on the responses to the provocations.

Model the improvisation process

Improvisation is about ‘making it up’. Modelling the process will support students to understand the process.

One group or one pair volunteer to improvise a scene for others to watch and discuss the process.

Steps for modelling

• Reading out the chosen provocation.
• Select scrunched up paper and read the words or show image.
• As a whole class discuss what the ideas or images suggest and what the beginning scene might look like.
• Volunteer group performs their improvisation starting with the beginning scene and ideas from the class.
• If the group gets stuck, they ask the audience for “what next?” ideas.
• As a whole class discuss what they observed with the improvisation
• • What is something that went well?
  • What is one thing you would change?
  • What assisted the scene to move along?

Discussion Prompts

• What characters might be present.
• What could they be doing.
• What could they be thinking and feeling.

Time for small groups

Groups ‘have a go’ at their own improvisation.

• Select one of the scrunched-up pieces of paper from a provocation.
• Discuss their ideas and the role each person will take on.
• Improvise their group scene – approximately 60 seconds.
• Each group performs their improvisation for the class.

Learning outcomes – Drama Year 3 – 4

Creating and making
Improvise and/or devise and shape drama using the elements of drama to communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning. AC9ADR4C01

• Literacy
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability

Post-Show Activity

Learning Intentions

• Commenting and discussing the performance of Creation Creation.
• Exploration of everyday objects.

Being able to understand and respond to theatrical performances supports students to improve their own creative output and makes them better dramatic artists.

After the performance either as a whole class or in small groups students discuss the performance of Creation Creation. Following are suggested questions to start the ball rolling on the conversation.

• What do you think the purpose of Creation Creation was?
• What are some of the ways they told the stories in the performance?
• What did you find interesting or surprising?
• What features and ideas in the performance come from other cultures, times and places?
• Why do you think they chose to only use two actors on stage?
• What did the performance make you wonder?
• What questions did you have after seeing the performance?

Everyday Objects
When the two creators of Creation Creation stepped onto the stage, they unravelled the mysteries of the universe using whatever tools they had at their disposal. Cardboard boxes became battleships and ping pong balls became planets in a hilarious explosion of art, sculpture and puppetry.

Working as a whole class

• Ask students to recall the everyday objects they saw used in the production of Creation Creation – what were they.
• Introduce an everyday object, this could be any found object including things such as containers, toys, household objects to shapeless play materials such as clay, sand or cloth. Transform the object by offering an alternative use.
• For example, this isn’t a roll of tape – this is a camera. Demonstrate using the roll of tape as a camera.
• Pass the object on to the next person with each person transforming the object into something else. There are NO wrong answers. It is all about imagination.

Working in small groups (3 to 4 students)

• Have a range of everyday objects on a table, enough for each group to select 3 to 4 objects – one for each person in the group.
• Each group selects their items:
  • Create a short scene with a beginning, middle and end.
  • The scene starts with each object being used as they are meant to be used.
  • The object then transforms into something else – for example a ruler starts as a ruler and then becomes a microphone.
  • The object can transform multiple times within the short scene. The challenge is for students to attempt to link each transformation. For example, the ruler started as a ruler, became a microphone singing about what they were doing and then transforms into a rocket to leave the scene.

Groups perform their scenes and discuss:

• What worked and what didn’t?
• Were there objects you wanted to change?
• If you were able to swap an object, what would you have swapped it for?
• How the objects were transformed.
• What performance skills did you individually or as a group need to create the scene?

Learning outcomes – Drama Year 3 – 4

• Developing practices and skills
• Use the elements of drama to explore and develop ideas for dramatic action in improvisations and/or devised drama. AC9ADR4D01

• Literacy
• Critical and creative thinking

Pre-Show Activity

Learning Intentions

• Develop knowledge and understanding of documentary theatre.

Documentary Theatre
Background Information

Prior to attending Creation Creation discuss with students that the performance is a Documentary Theatre piece.

As a whole class watch the video Creation Creation: Documentary Theatre Explained.

What do students know about documentaries?
Small group discussion

In small groups students discuss and record on a poster sized piece of paper everything they know about documentaries. Following are questions to prompt discussion.

• Have they heard the word before – where and when.
• Are there different types of documentaries? What are they.
• What does the word documentary mean.
• Are documentaries true – how do you know this.
• Describe a documentary.
• Do documentaries use fact or opinion?

Gallery Walk

Display the posters created by the groups around the room. Students go on a Gallery Walk to view the posters and the different responses.

Whole class discussion

• Were there responses that were similar or different.
• What was something you found surprising?
• What would you like to know more about in relation to documentaries.

Watch the following films

Clovelly Park Primary students created mini documentary theatre works based on their most burning questions.

• What did the short films make you wonder?
• What do you want to know more about?

Learning outcomes – Drama Year 3 – 4
Exploring and responding
Explore where, why and how drama is created and/or performed across cultures, times, places and/or other contexts. AC9ADR4E01

Learning outcomes – English Year 3 – 4
Language – Text Structure and Organisation

Year 3
Describe how texts across the curriculum use different language features and structures relevant to their purpose. AC9E3LA03

Year 4
Identify how texts across the curriculum have different language features and are typically organised into characteristic stages depending on purposes. AC9E4LA03

Literacy

Year 3
Use interaction skills to contribute to conversation and discussion to share information and ideas. AC9E3LY02

Year 4
Listen for key points and information to carry out tasks and contribute to discussions, acknowledging another opinion, linking a response to the topic, and sharing and extending ideas and information. AC9E4LY02

• Literacy
• Critical and creative thinking
• Intercultural understanding

Post-Show Activity

Learning Intentions

• Generation of ‘burning question’ ideas.
• Research of a topic to prepare a performance.
• Integration of class responses to Creation Creation into their own creative piece.

Burning questions
When Windmill Theatre began making Creation Creation, they started by asking people what great mystery they would like an answer to. They took these unknowable questions and searched for the answers by recording interviews with members of the community and using these interviews to create the work.

Key Terminology
Fact – a thing that is known or proved to be true – there is evidence.
Opinion – a view formed about something, not necessarily based on act or knowledge.
Blurring the line – The line between opinion and fact can be blurred when there is a disagreement about facts.

Working with a partner or in small groups students:

• Discuss what are their individual burning questions.
• Discuss and decide on one idea – the theme for their short documentary theatre piece.
• Record on a large piece of paper everything they know about their question.
• Review and code their answers using two different colour highlighters – one colour for ‘facts’ and one colour for ‘opinion’. Do some answers have two colours. What does this mean?

Research and Interviews
Students work with their partner or in small group to:

• Undertake research on their theme.
• Identify interviewees and write the questions for the interview.
• Invite their interviewees and let them know about their project.
• Record their interviews using a computer, phone or voice recorder.
• Convert audio to text.

TIP: There are many free audio to text options to support students converting interviews to text.

Next steps
Now that students have:

• identified their ‘burning question’ and the theme.
• conducted interviews and turned the interview into text.

As a whole class:

• Circle back to their discussion about Creation Creation – what did they notice and learn.
• Recall the Clovelly Park Primary students’ mini documentaries from the Pre-show activity.
• Discuss how they will create their own mini documentaries.
• Mini documentaries ideas could be presented as a:
  • Performance
  • Animated Film
  • Audio recording

Learning outcomes – Drama Year 3 – 4
Exploring and responding
Explore where, why and how drama is created and/or performed across cultures, times, places and/or other contexts. AC9ADR4E01

Developing practices and skills
Use the elements of drama to explore and develop ideas for dramatic action in improvisations and/or devised drama. AC9ADR4D01

English Creating Texts
Year 3
Plan, create, rehearse and deliver short oral and/or multimodal presentations to inform, express opinions or tell stories, using a clear structure, details to elaborate ideas, topic-specific and precise vocabulary, visual features, and appropriate tone, pace, pitch and volume. AC9E3LY07

Year 4
Plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal informative texts, using visual features, relevant linked ideas, complex sentences, appropriate tense, synonyms and antonyms, correct spelling of multisyllabic words and simple punctuation. AC9E4LY06

• Literacy
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Intercultural understanding

Pre-Show Activity

Creating a pet alien

Learning Intention

• To design and create a pet alien based on knowledge and understanding of a planet’s environment.

As a whole class:

• Discuss the environmental factors that make the Earth habitable and compare them to other planets within our solar system.
• What is Mars like?
• What is Neptune like?
• What would animals they know about need to adapt to live in these environments.
• How could you make sure your pet alien would be suited for the environmental conditions on another planet, for example, no gravity or no oxygen, or very very hot.

Explore and Apply

Working individually or with a partner:

• Use creative thinking to design an alien life form by:

• • Posing questions.
  • Making predictions.
  • Solving problems through investigation and research.
  • Analysing and evaluating the information gathered.

Getting started

• Select a planet where the pet alien will live.
• Find out about the planet – what is it like and how is the environment different to Earth?

Characteristics of the pet alien
Based on the research, analysis and evaluation of the planet decide:

• What shape the pet alien will be and why?
• What will they eat and why?
• What colour will they be and why?
• How do they move about their planet?
• How do they communicate?
• How do they see?

Let’s meet the pet alien

Next students need to decide how to present their pet alien. For example, it could be:

• a model in a diorama.
• a poster showing all of the pet alien’s characteristics.
• a costume that could be worn.
• a performance.

Learning outcome – Science Year 3 -4

Science Inquiry
Questioning and Predicting

Pose questions to explore observed patterns and relationships and make predictions based on observations. AC9S3I01

• Literacy
• Critical and creative thinking

Post-Show Activity

Activity: How big is the Solar System?

Learning Intention

• To develop an understanding of the relationship of the planets in the solar system in relation to the sun.
• To communicate to others the relationship of the planets in the solar system.

As a whole class:
Watch the Youtube video – How Big is the Solar System.
The great thing about this video is that it helps with understanding and visualising the relationship of the planets to each other. After watching the video discuss:

• Any questions?
• If the video helped them to understand the relationship of the planets in the solar system to the sun.
• What would assist them to have a better understanding of the solar system?

The Challenge
To tell the story of our solar system that assists students to better understand the relationship of the planets in the solar system to each other and the sun.
The story should:

• Describe the relative distances of the planets to each other.
• Compare and show the sizes and distances of various planets to the Sun.
• Compare the size of the planets and the amount of space between the planets.

Working in small groups students

• Discuss how they would tell the story of how big the solar system is.
• Research how others have told the story of how big the solar system is.
• Decide how they are going to tell their story. Examples of other ways of the telling their story could include:
  • Build models of the solar system and display it with information.
  • Make an animation.
  • Devise a performance – voyagers visiting the planets and telling the story of what they can see.
  • Make a short documentary.

Learning outcomes – Science – Year 3 – 4
Science inquiry
Communicating
Write and create texts to communicate findings and ideas for identified purposes and audiences, using scientific vocabulary and digital tools as appropriate. AC9S3I06

• Personal and social capability

Pre-Show Activity

Learning Intentions

• Develop a knowledge and understanding of Documentary Theatre.
• Explore bringing everyday items to life using Object Theatre.

Key Terminology

• Documentary theatre – Documentary theatre refers to theatre-making processes that ‘draw from’ or ‘bear witness’ to real events, people, places or circumstances in the world around us.
• Object Theatre – Object theatre uses everyday/found objects to bring a story to life instead of specially designed props.

The objects can be used ‘as is’ or transformed into other things.

Creation Creation is a moving comedy about the greatest mysteries in the universe. The work was developed as a documentary theatre piece and uses the idea of object theatre, which takes available objects to tell the story.

The following interview with Roslyn Oades provides an overview of the documentary theatre process. Oades is an award-winning actor, voice-artist and theatre maker who specialises in the creation of documentary theatre-works.

Working with a partner students:

• Read the short article – Creating Creation Creation: What is documentary theatre? 
• Discuss and note the main points.
• Write questions the article raised for them about documentary theatre.
• What do they need to know more about?
• Write a description/definition of documentary theatre.

As a whole class discuss and share:

• Main points.
• Descriptions.
• Any additional questions or wonderings.

Object theatre

Object theatre offers opportunities for humour and playful creativity. Objects are determined by the way we interact and relate to them. Within theatre objects can be:

• Physical props.
• Items with symbolic importance.
• Animated characters.

In Creation Creation, the performers use everyday objects to create the performance and bring the story to life.

In the following activity students use playfulness to explore and find the ‘movement’ of a chosen object and its animation possibilities.

 As a whole class:

1. Students sit in a circle with an assortment of everyday objects in the centre of the circle. Note – there should be twice the number of objects as students.
2. Students look at and inspect the objects and put them back.
3. Now small groups of students choose their individual objects.
4. Once everyone has one object students explore different ways it can move.
5. Provide students with a character for the objects. How can the object move as:
   • a baby
   • an elderly person
   • an animal
   • a superhero
   • a villain

6. Students keep their original object and then select another object and explore its movement.
7. Give each object a character and develop a short scene where the two object interact – no words, just sounds and movement.
8. Split the class in half – one half views the other half of the class’s object improvisations.

 Working with a partner

• Each partner selects one of their object characters.
• They improvise a short scene where two of the objects interact.
• Pairs perform their improvised scenes.

 Extension activity – Caring for a delicate object.

Working in small groups (4-5 students)

The following activity encourages students to work as an ensemble to complete the challenge.

The challenge

• To move an egg across a tilted table with the aid of other objects.
• The table has an egg cup with the egg sitting in the cup at one end and an empty egg cup at the other. The group must move the egg from one egg cup to the other without it falling.
• The group can only use the objects they have chosen to move the egg and never directly touch the egg.

Resources for each group

• One egg and two egg cups.
• One table with a slight tilt.
• A selection of objects to assist with the lifting and safe travel of the egg.

Each team should nominate members of the team as

• An observer.
• Helpers/movers.

At the completion of the challenge the group discusses their experience and swap roles.

As a whole class discuss

• What did they do to ensure the safe travel of the egg.
• What was easy and why.
• What was difficult and why.
• What did they change when they swapped roles.

Learning outcomes – Drama Year 5 – 8

Year 5 and Year 6

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. AC9ADR6D01

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. AC9ADR6C01

Presenting and performing
Rehearse and perform improvised, devised and/or scripted drama in informal and/or formal settings. AC9ADR6P01

Year 7 and Year 8

Developing practices and skills
Develop performance skills relevant to selected drama styles and/or forms. AC9ADR8D01

Creating and Making
Improvise and devise drama and/or interpret scripted drama, manipulating elements of drama and applying conventions relevant to the style/form. AC9ADR8C01

Presenting and performing
Rehearse and perform improvised, devised and/or scripted drama to audiences, using performance skills and conventions relevant to style and/or form. AC9ADR8P01

• Literacy
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability

Post-Show Activity

Learning Intentions

• Analysing Creation Creation and the intended impact or effect? Asking, “Did it work?”
• Evaluating – identifying and describing how the artist/s created the intended impact or effect?

Working with a partner discuss the performance and:

• Identify three key moments/scenes.
• Provide details about how the scene was created – the objects used, dialogue, music & costumes.
• Describe what made the moment/scene effective.

Pairs join with another pair:

• Each pair shares their three key moments in the performance.
• Identify the similarities and differences in their key moments.
• Select one key moment/scene that stands out for both of them.

As a whole class:

• Groups share their key moments/scenes.
• Identify similarities and differences.
• What do the similarities and differences suggest.

Learning outcomes – Drama
Year 5 and Year 6
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. AC9ADR6D01
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. AC9ADR6C01

Presenting and performing
Rehearse and perform improvised, devised and/or scripted drama in informal and/or formal settings. AC9ADR6P01

Year 7 and Year 8
Developing practices and skills
Develop performance skills relevant to selected drama styles and/or forms. AC9ADR8D01

Creating and Making
Improvise and devise drama and/or interpret scripted drama, manipulating elements of drama and applying conventions relevant to the style/form. AC9ADR8C01

Presenting and performing
Rehearse and perform improvised, devised and/or scripted drama to audiences, using performance skills and conventions relevant to style and/or form. AC9ADR8P01

• Literacy
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability

Post-Show Activity

Documentary Theatre

Documentary theatre relies on direct quotes from primary and secondary sources to create the text and the narrative.

English & Drama activity

 Learning Intentions

• Develop skills, knowledge and understanding of Documentary Theatre.
• Generate a ‘burning question’ and its related theme.
• Research an identified theme to develop and write a script for a short documentary theatre piece for performance.
• Integrate analysis of class responses to Creation Creation into their own creative piece.

Creating a short documentary

When Windmill Theatre began making Creation Creation, they started by asking people what great mystery they would like an answer to. They took these unknowable questions and searched for the answers by recording interviews with members of the community and using these interviews to create the work.

The following activity takes students through the process of making a short documentary piece.

Working with a partner or in small groups students:

• Each share their personal ‘burning question’.
• Discuss and decide on one ‘burning question’ and the central theme OR angle for the short documentary piece.
• Make a list of questions to find answers to “The Question”.
• Put questions in order of how they will be answered. Treat the order of the questions like an individual scene.
• Start collecting information:

Primary sources – interviews with others.

Secondary sources – books and online information.

Example

Burning question: Does everyone have smelly feet?

Central theme/angle: Body odour

Possible Questions:

• Why do we get smelly feet?
• What is body odour?
• What are microorganism?
• Is stinky sweat good for you? (Apparently it is!)
• Do all animals have body odour?
• What is the structure of human sweat?

Interview Success

• Write the interview questions before the interview.
• Interview questions should be brief.
• Questions need to be open-ended not just questions that you could just answer yes or no to.
• Don’t just interview your friends – try and include different perspectives!
• If possible, make sure the interviewee gets to see the question/s before the interview so that they have time to think about their answer/s.
• Check that the recording device used for the interview is working.

Create the script

• Use excerpts from the primary and secondary sources to create the script that tells a story.
• Finalise the script, read it through – does it make sense, does it tell a story.
• As a group or with partner read the script out aloud. Talk about any changes to the draft script. Make changes and get ready for bringing the story to life.

Before rehearsing

• Remind students of their evaluation of Creation Creation – what learning can they transfer.
• Remind students of the improvisation they had completed in the object theatre (see Pre-show activity)

Performance and Presentation

• Performing and presenting for an audience supports students to develop confidence, skills and appreciation of process.
• The performance and presentation also includes considering and reflecting on process and outcomes individually and with others, as they share their short documentary pieces.

Learning outcomes – English

Creating Texts
Year 5 – 6

Plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts whose purposes may be imaginative, informative and persuasive, developing ideas using visual features, text structure appropriate to the topic. AC9E5LY06

Year 7

Plan, create, rehearse and deliver presentations for purposes and audiences in ways that may be imaginative, reflective, informative, persuasive and/or analytical, by selecting text structures, language features, literary devices and visual features, and using features of voice including volume, tone, pitch and pace. AC9E7LY07

Year 8

Plan, create, rehearse and deliver spoken and multimodal presentations for audiences and purposes, selecting language features, literary devices, visual features and features of voice to suit formal or informal situations, and organising and developing ideas in texts in ways that may be imaginative, reflective, informative, persuasive and/or analytical. AC9E8LY07

• Literacy
• Critical and creative thinking

Pre-Show Activity

Learning intentions

• To consider the meaning of renewable energy
• To communicate an understanding of renewable energy.

Renew the world!

Creation Creation is, among many things, concerned with the future of the planet and considers how younger generations can live more harmoniously with the world around us.

How can renewable energy help fight climate change?

In small groups or as a whole class consider/brainstorm the following.

• What does ‘renewable energy’ mean?
• What are the four types of renewable energy? (water/wind/solar/geothermal)
• How does renewable energy fight climate change?
• What might be some of the problems with renewable energy?

Working with a partner

• Choose one renewable energy source to investigate.
• Research using books and the internet providing:
• A description of the renewable energy.
• Information about where this technology is currently being used.
• Information about any problems with this technology.
• The future of this renewable energy source.
• Decide on a way to present the information. For example: poster, PowerPoint presentation, short film.

Learning outcomes – Science Year 5 – 8

Use and influence of Science
Year 5 and Year 6

Investigate how scientific knowledge is used by individuals and communities to identify problems, consider responses and make decisions. AC9S5H02

Year 7 and Year 8

Examine how proposed scientific responses to contemporary issues may impact on society and explore ethical, environmental, social and economic considerations. AC9S7H03

• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding

Post-Show Activity

Learning intention:

• To develop an understanding and knowledge of what defines a planet.
• To develop an argument for or against the status of Pluto as a planet.

Whole class activity – Poor Pluto

• Brainstorm all of the planets known in our solar system and their relationship to our sun.
• What do they know about rotations, distance travelled and specific visual cues to identify each planet?
• Discuss what they know about the definition of a planet.
• Discuss what they know about Pluto.

Working in small groups of three

• Half the class is given the challenge to build an argument about why Pluto should remain a planet.
• Other half builds an argument about why Pluto should no longer be considered a planet.
• Research to form the argument can be taken from books and on-line, but could also include surveys and interviews, collating statistics and using all information to create a compelling argument.
• Groups present their arguments – debating with another team. A winner is decided for each debate.

Learning outcomes – Science

Questioning and predicting
Year 5 and 6

Pose investigable questions to identify patterns and test relationships and make reasoned predictions. AC9S5I01

Year 7 and 8

Develop investigable questions, reasoned predictions and hypotheses to explore scientific models, identify patterns and test relationships. AC9S7I01

• Literacy
• Critical and creative thinking

Pre or Post-Show Activity

Learning intentions

• To develop an understanding and knowledge of creation stories.

How was the world created?

One of the most unanswerable and baffling questions in Creation Creation is how did the world begin’?

Creation stories provide important information about culture, values and beliefs and the environment that they have come from. These stories are passed from one generation to the next. Sharing creation stories should always be done respectfully.

While there might be similarities each culture will have their own distinct stories. For example, in Australia there are hundreds of different Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and nations with their own stories and language.

As a whole class

• Provide students with information about creation stories from different parts of the world.

Individually or with a partner

• Select a creation story to research and investigate.

Share the learning

• Students decide how they will present what they have found out about their creation story. This could include:
  • A poster
  • Animation
  • Performance
  • Video
  • Short documentary

As a whole class

Students share what their presentations.

• Discuss the similarities and differences between the stories.

• Examine the points of connection that exist across cultures.

Learning outcomes – Science Year 5 – 8

Communicating
Year 5 and Year 6

Present descriptions and explanations, drawing ideas, findings and viewpoints from sources, and using relevant terms and conventions AC9HS5S07

Communicating
Year 7 and Year 8 – History

Create descriptions, explanations and historical arguments, using historical knowledge, concepts and terms that reference evidence from sources. AC9HH7S08

• Literacy
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability