ANTHONY BROWNE HITS THE TV TRAIL
Children’s laureate Anthony Browne features in a new series for Teachers TV in which he visits a primary school to talk to pupils about his work. View it at www.teachers.tvvideosgreat-children-writers-anthony-browne
NASEN LAUNCHES ADHD GUIDE
Special needs body Nasen has published a new guide to working with children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: ADHD: what can teachers do? For more information, see www.nasen.org.uk
GEOGRAPHY AWARENESS GETS FRESH
Freshwater is the theme of this year’s Geography Awareness Week, which runs November 14-20. The event is part of the My Wonderful World campaign by National Geographic magazine, which has produced a range of resources and activities for schools. For more details, go to www.mywonderfulworld.orggaw
ENGLISH
What the lesson is about
This is the first part of an introduction to drama aimed at KS2 pupils.
Aims: pupils will -
- understand and develop skills in how to build a conversation while improvising;
- understand what “blocking” means and provide alternative suggestions during improvisation.
Getting started
Introduce the term “improvisation”. Ask the pupils what it means. Explain that it means making something up on the spur of the moment and give an example, such as asking somebody to talk about cats with no preparation. Get pupils to suggest a subject and then ask volunteers to say a sentence about that subject.
Put the pupils into pairs and explain that their task is to continue a conversation for as long as possible by agreeing on an idea and then adding to it, such as: “Let’s go to the cinema.” “Yes, let’s, and let’s get popcorn.” See how long each pair can keep the conversation going for a variety of starters. Spotlight good examples.
Taking it further
Swap partners and explain that blocking a conversation is when one person gives a negative response. Demonstrate with a volunteer - for example, saying, “Let’s make a cake,” to which they must respond “No” and explain that this ends the conversation as there is little the other person can do.
Tell the pupils that a negative response can be turned into a positive one if an alternative is added, such as, “No, it’s too hot, let’s make ice lollies instead.” Explain that their task is to block the conversation starter but give an alternative, and then keep the conversation going for as long as possible. Give pupils a variety of starters and see who can keep the conversation going the longest. Spotlight good examples.
Ask the pupils to discuss the work they have done. What was good about the spotlighted examples? What did they find difficult? What did they learn about improvising?
Where to find it
This lesson was originally uploaded by travel n teach and can be found at www.tes.co.ukdrama-improv
SEN
What the lesson is about
This looks at exploring movement imaginatively and recognising how our bodies communicate feeling to others. It is suitable for children with special educational needs and can also be used for early years drama or PE.
Aims: pupils will -
- move with confidence, imagination and in safety;
- move with control and co-ordination;
- show awareness of space;
- respond to significant experiences, showing feelings where appropriate;
- express and communicate their ideas, thoughts and feelings using movement.
Getting started
Ask the children to find a space in the hall and pretend they are going for a walk in the park. Play music and when it stops, pupils should find someone to shake hands with. Get them to walk around the park without bumping into anyone else, using a variety of steps - giant strides, marching or on tiptoe.
Taking it further
Encourage the pupils to think about how their movement might be affected by different feelings. How would they move if they were tired? Or worried? Hold up emotion cards showing different feelings and ask them to move accordingly. Divide the class into groups and give each one a card. They then demonstrate moving according to the emotion on the card and the others have to guess the emotion.
Where to find it
The original lesson was uploaded by hattie and is at www.tes.co.ukdance-movement
Citizenship
What the lesson is about
This is designed to help children explore the role of respect in their lives. It is aimed at KS2 pupils.
Aims: pupils will -
- develop empathy skills;
- develop problem-solving skills;
- understand that we all affect our surroundings;
- learn about litter and its social and environmental implications.
Getting started
Show the pupils the cartoon where Holly is upset when Max borrows her pen, available on the link below. Has anything like that ever happened in the class? If so, how was the problem resolved? Ask pupils what else they could have done. When else might this sort of problem arise and how could it be prevented? Ask the children to draw a cartoon showing another scenario involving respect for other people’s property. Get them to design a poster for the classroom about respect for property, improvise a drama or write a first-person account as if they were Holly or Max.
Taking it further
Show the cartoon of a child tripping on litter in the playground, available on the link below. Why do they think no one did anything about the rubbish until it got really bad? If there was a problem like that in school, how would it be resolved?
Where to find it
The lesson is part of a range of respect resources put together by ChildLine and uploaded by pinknoodles. It can be found at www.tes.co.ukchild-line-pack.
