KIRKHAM ST MICHAEL’S CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL
AREA OF FOCUS: Developing the use of performing arts across the curriculum to further develop and enhance the writing process
Background
As a school we have used the QCA Speaking and Listening materials and planned cross-curricular units of work based on the objectives.
Writing is an issue for us. As well as working to raise standards at both key stages, there is clearly a gender issue as girls are out performing boys.
Inset has worked to address this area. We have worked with both an English advisory teacher and a literacy consultant. The importance of talk for writing has been highlighted and this is used in cross-curricular teaching.
The impact that drama can have on writing was beautifully illustrated when a Year 5 child who finds writing extremely challenging wrote an amazing piece about the nativity. In this, he confidently used language and phrases previously unused in his spoken or written language but heard and internalised through performing in a Christmas play! He had experienced the story, lived it, spoken it engaged with it and then confidently enjoyed writing it.
Project Outline
Initially, two twilight sessions for teaching and support staff led by Chris Sudworth, a secondary trained drama teacher now working in theatre.
During the first session, techniques from the Speaking and Listening Framework were taught practically, including:
- Hot seating
- Freeze frames
- Thought tracking
- Conscience alley (character decision making)
- Forum theatre
- Paired improvisation
- Meetings – whole class, including teacher, in role
The first session also included ideas for warm ups, character sculpting, building up atmospheres and linking the strategies to literature such as ‘Beowulf’ and ‘The Firebird’ as well as reworking the story endings.
The second session concentrated on teacher narration and whole class in role, both very powerful in terms of language and empathy. Teachers then applied the learned strategies to enhancing the delivery of their own cross-curricular schemes of work.
One class from key stage one and key stage two then experienced five one hour sessions when Chris Sudworth worked with their class. The sessions were experiential and immersed and engaged the children through drama and role-play. The children were helped to build context, setting and narrative and most importantly, enjoy increased enthusiasm for the process of developing towards writing.
The sessions were once every two weeks. The week following each specialist led session, the teacher and support staff from each class worked with the children again using the technique learned but in a different context. The sessions were planned as part of cross-curricular writing – linked to R.E., History, Science and Literacy.
At key points during the project children undertook focused writing activities linked to the drama project.
Objectives and Success Criteria
- To engage the interest of reluctant writers, particularly boys
- To increase children’s motivation to write as well as improve the quality of their writing
- To further develop teacher expertise and confidence in the teaching of drama through observing and working with a drama specialist
- To embed and emphasise the cross-curricular use of drama to promote fun and enjoyment as well as to raise standards and further children’s creative and emotional development
Whole School Involvement
The project involved all teachers and support staff, then initially years 2 and 4. All key stage two children participated during a second phase enabled by additional funding.
As subject leader for literacy the project was led by the headteacher but delivered and embedded by Chris Sudworth, class teachers and support staff. Reports on the project were shared with Governors. We planned to perform extracts of the drama for parents.
Organisation
April:
- Initial planning meeting
- Twilight Insets
- Teachers planning meetings
May
- First block of class drama sessions and writing activity
June
- Second block of class drama sessions and writing activity
October
- Performance of ‘Red Riding Hood and the Wolves’ by a theatre company for years 3 to 6
- Drama session for each year group followed by writing follow-up
This was an additional development to the original project, looking at the impact of performance on writing.
Monitoring and Evaluation
- Feedback from children, particularly boys using a questionnaire as well as group feedback
- Feedback from teachers about development of expertise and their experience of peer coaching
- Impact on individual writing standards of target children, these are monitored through the year on a half termly basis. Monitoring by class teachers and literacy subject leader.
- Fun and enjoyment, engagement of children
- Video of some sessions to assess children’s involvement/progress and for children to undertake self-evaluation.
- Setting up a video diary option as the sessions were running!
Impact
During the sessions the quality of language used orally by the children was greatly enhanced. Over the weeks their confidence in participating in the sessions also increased. There is clear evidence from both boys and girls writing samples that the range and quality of language was enhanced following immersion through drama.
The lessons taught by the class teachers in between the drama specialist’s sessions were a key factor as skills were revisited and embedded. This impacted on teacher confidence, having watched the drama specialist and perhaps worked with groups they then used the techniques themselves and became familiar and confident with their delivery so there was effective transfer of learning. Year 4 made masks to use in their work on Theseus and the Minotaur, this resulted in a change of plan and an extension to the work already done instead of moving onto drama linked to a science topic.
As the project progressed the children developed a repertoire of techniques, which in turn enabled them to make progress in performance, working in role and self-evaluation. They became increasingly able to comment on dramatic effects, characterization and the overall impact of what they performed.
There was evidence in monitoring planning and visits to classrooms that drama and role-play was being planned for and used purposefully across the curriculum by class teachers.
Teaching assistants developed a story corner in Foundation/Key Stage 1 with a ‘storyteller’s chair’. During multicultural week this developed as a rainforest and became a stimulus for drama and role-play.
Teacher comments:
“Overall, the children have thoroughly enjoyed the drama sessions - bringing characters and stories alive. They stimulate the children and inspire them to write more creatively. The drama also allows those who struggle more with their writing to express themselves in a more accessible way, allowing the teacher to access their imagination and assess their understanding.”
“The children discussed how they felt – a lot of extensive vocabulary came out – especially from those who do not always contribute readily.”
“The writing, especially from the lower ability groups, was more structured and contained more variety of vocabulary than previous work.”
“Children wrote a letter as Paul explaining how he felt on the ship – able to comment because they had heard Paul speak and had felt what it was like to be on a ship during a storm.”
“Children were applying their experiences and reflections to their writing.”
“Children were engaged in the drama sessions and were stimulated by the activities.”
Children’s comments:
“The drama helps us to understand how the characters are feeling.”
Blind fold game: “Helped us to feel like Saul felt – didn’t know where we were going. All of a sudden we were blind and didn’t know when we would see again.”
“When Mrs. W was messenger coming to tell the people the news that Saul was coming – helped us feel like how the people in Damascus felt.”
Emotion corners: “Helped to think about the different emotions and what they looked like.”
“The drama helped me to imagine more.”
Where has it led – what next?
- A second phase of the project during October, as detailed above.
- Continue to embed the good practice that developed as a result of Inset and drama sessions with the children.
- Make provision for further sessions in the next financial year, a concert is planned for the spring term to help with funding!
- Plan to perform some examples of drama and role-play developed across the curriculum.
- Drama/Speaking and Listening to remain on the School Improvement Plan.