Actively Exploring Picture Books Through Drama at KS1
- 11th Feb 2026
- Online
- Drama
- Spaces
- Early Years, Primary
- Teaching & Learning
- Free For Partner Schools
- Non-members From £80.00+VAT
This session will explain how to enter and actively explore a picture book with your class, using a range of drama strategies, to focus their attention specifically on the characters, settings, narrative sequence, significant moments, the text, images, and the interplay between them. An exemplar lesson will be presented, based on a high-quality picture book. Each strategy choice will be explained in relation to the learning opportunities it offers, and how it can support the children to deepen and communicate their knowledge and understanding of the book through the medium of drama.
HANDOUTS
• A Drama Contract • Drama Strategies booklet • An edited copy of the Powerpoint (as a PDF) • Two KS1 lesson plans • A relevant published article
This session will explain how to enter and actively explore a picture book with your class, using a range of drama strategies, to focus their attention specifically on the characters, settings, narrative sequence, significant moments, the text, images, and the interplay between them. An exemplar lesson will be presented, based on a high-quality picture book. Each strategy choice will be explained in relation to the learning opportunities it offers, and how it can support the children to deepen and communicate their knowledge and understanding of the book through the medium of drama.
HANDOUTS
• A Drama Contract • Drama Strategies booklet • An edited copy of the Powerpoint (as a PDF) • Two KS1 lesson plans • A relevant published article
Patrice Baldwin Drama Consultant Patrice Baldwin is an international ‘Drama for Learning’ teacher trainer, workshop leader and conference speaker. She is Chair of the Council for Subject Associations (CfSA) and a Higher-Level Action Learning Facilitator, (recognised by the Institute of Leadership and Management), and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Patrice has written several books for teachers, most recently, ‘40+ ‘Drama’ Strategies to Deepen Whole Class Learning’ (Routledge, 2024) and ‘Process Drama for Second Language Teaching and Learning’ (Bloomsbury Academic, 2021). She writes regularly for ‘Drama and Theatre’ magazine.
Patrice was a Primary Headteacher, Arts Education and School Improvement Adviser and an Ofsted inspector. She was Sir Jim Rose’s Editorial Expert for Drama for his proposed primary national curriculum and Oak National Academy’s Primary Drama subject leader during the pandemic. She worked regularly with Pie Corbett for several years, delivering their ‘Talk and Drama for Writing’ conferences across England and Wales. From 2012 to 2020, she organised many primary curriculum courses and leadership conferences for Norfolk schools, through ‘Inspiring Professional Development and School Improvement’.
Patrice was President of the International Drama Theatre and Education Association (IDEA) from 2010-2013, Chair of National Drama (2004- 2015) and was a BBC Education scriptwriter and Drama series consultant. She founded and directed, Drama for Learning and Creativity (D4LC), a school improvement initiative which was supported by Norfolk County Council, QCA, Arts Council England, Creative Partnerships and NESTA, and was presented at UNESCO’s 2nd World Arts in Education Conference in South Korea.