Using Facebook as a stimulus

Love it, or hate it; have five friends, or five hundred, the social networking site Facebook provides the stimulus for this module. Lesson by lesson, students are invited to explore the way users interact with the site and with each other. In particular, the scheme deals with dissembling, appearances and dramatic irony.

Suitable for KS4, here you will find a range of assessment opportunities. Students explore a number of stimuli to create dramatic effects through improvisation and devised work. Links are made to the design of the National Theatre performance of a scripted play (Chatroom). Some students could follow this up by working on an assessed design element to support performances. In addition, you could use the scheme as a preparation or introductory unit leading to assessment/examination, based on the script of Chatroom. Furthermore, students can write about their peers’ performances for their ‘live theatre’ responses. Specifically:

• For Edexcel you can use the module to teach and assess Units 1 and 3 (Drama Exploration and Performance), as well using it to introduce Chatroom as a Unit 3 script
• For AQA, the module addresses Unit 2 skills, particularly Devised Thematic work. As well as providing material for the Unit 1 written paper elements A or C, with students reflecting on their own work and performances, it could also be used to launch work on Chatroom as a text for element B
• With OCR, use the unit to deliver Unit A582 Drama in the Making skills, or as the basis to formulate briefs for Unit A583 From Concept to Creation
• WJEC teachers can teach Unit 1 skills through this module, as well as using it as a starting point for Unit 2 or 3 script work and analysis

It is important to remember, that while the unit can lead to these different possible outcomes, some are mutually exclusive and students cannot write about the same stimulus or piece for two different parts of certain assessments. Please ensure you cross reference the scheme with your specification’s requirements. Be clear before you begin the unit, which aspects you will choose to assess and for what, and communicate this clearly, with success criteria, to your students.

Number of lessons: 13