Drama Diagnostic Lesson | Baseline Assessment

Drama Diagnostic Lesson | Baseline Assessment | Devising from a Traditional Tale

This Drama diagnostic / baseline assessment lesson is designed to be used at the start of the year, with a new class, or at the beginning of a drama course. It allows teachers to observe students’ existing drama skills through a short, low-pressure devising task, with no pre-teaching or modelling required.

Using the traditional tale The Old Man and His Grandson (Brothers Grimm), students work collaboratively to create a short interpretation of the story, focusing on meaning rather than retelling events. This makes the lesson ideal for gathering clear baseline evidence of students’ collaboration, creativity, confidence, and performance skills.

This resource is intentionally open-ended and minimally scaffolded, allowing teachers to see what students can already do independently when asked to interpret a stimulus using drama.

What’s included:

Clear teacher overview and lesson structure

Step-by-step baseline diagnostic lesson plan

Student task sheet focused on interpretation, not re-enactment

Teacher observation & diagnostic checklist

Full text of The Old Man and His Grandson (public domain)

Skills assessed:

Participation and focus

Cooperation and group work

Ability to follow instructions

Imagination and creativity

Use of role and character

Audience awareness

Vocal clarity and confidence

Lesson details:

Age range: 11–14 (Year 8–10 / KS3 / Middle School)

Duration: 50–60 minutes

Group size: 4–5 students

Assessment type: Diagnostic / baseline (not graded)

Why teachers use this resource:

Ideal first lesson for a new drama class

Supports interpretation and meaning-making, not copying

No specialist knowledge or preparation required

Works with mixed-ability and mixed-confidence groups

Provides clear observational data to inform future planning

Curriculum compatibility:

Suitable for use in KS3 Drama (UK), NZ Curriculum Drama, Australian Curriculum: Drama, and US Middle School Theatre / Performing Arts.

Search keywords (TES-friendly):

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