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The fairy tree story (W3.1)

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Using story boxes throughout the curriculum – early primary (W3.4)

Helen Bromley describes her starting point:

The arrival of a set of toy woodland animals had caused great excitement in my class of 4 and 5 year olds. Looking across the classroom on one particular occasion, I noticed that, on the fourth day in a row, Paul James and Rees were playing with these toys. They were very involved with their play, showing signs of concentration and involvement that were not typical of their behaviour in class. They were working collaboratively and remained on task for long periods of time.

I decided to spend time observing their play more closely. I made several important discoveries. Not only were the children making up exciting stories, they also knew a great deal about the natural history of the animals they used, far more than I would have thought. This play deserved to be given high status and a regular routine developed in class. At the end of each day, children who had worked with small animals would be invited to retell their story. After the stories were told there was always an opportunity to reflect on them, and it was through this activity that I came to realise the potential of story for looking at children’s own knowledge of a wide variety of subjects.

I introduced a variety of activities in the classroom. Miniature worlds were set up in the sandpit and the water tray, for example. Pirate figures, mermaids and rocks were added to the water. Dinosaurs and fossils were put in the sand with a set of tools including a soft-bristled brush and a magnifying glass. On each occasion the results were the same – a wonderful selection of stories combined with children’s knowledge about a whole range of topics being made explicit to me. It was becoming apparent that certain situations showed how children (including those as young as four) are aware, not just of scientific facts, but also of the culture associated with being a scientist, historian, or whatever. Watching the children examining the fossils and discussing the rights and wrongs of removing the fossils from the ‘site’ was enough to convince me of this. Analysing children’s stories to look at where they had gained this knowledge was also revealing. Obviously, books provide some information, but interests of particular families were reflected, as were TV and DVDs.

It occurred to me that there must be other ways to promote the use of children’s storytelling across the whole curriculum. I had heard of something called Storyboxes from a colleague. These were boxes that contained a small number of objects for children to make stories with. This seemed a good way forward for all sorts of practical reasons. Children would easily be able to find space to work with the contents of a box, whatever the size of the classroom, and whatever else was going on at the same time. It also occurred to me that it would be possible to alter the boxes in some way so that they, too, would be part of the story. Initially, I set up a geography box, music box, a history box, a maths box, a science box and an RE box. As I have continued to work with children, the nature and content of these boxes has changed: the insides of the boxes have been used to form dragons’ caves, villages and even a polar landscape. Two examples are:

This is an extract from a longer chapter: Bromley, H. (1998) In which we are introduced to the boxes, in E. Bearne (ed.) Use of Language Across the Primary Curriculum. London: Routledge, pp. 156–171.

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Background paper: drama conventions (W3.5)

Drama conventions are not rigid structures but should be adapted for specific teaching purposes. The conventions listed here are not the only approaches that can be used but are perhaps the most familiar ones.

Decision alley (sometimes called ‘conscience alley’): Useful for comparing conflicting interests or dilemmas. Two lines of children (facing each other) act as an ‘alley’ through which the in-role character walks slowly. As the character passes each child, they voice their thoughts for or against a particular course of action.

Forum theatre: A key situation (in a novel, picture book, play or poem) is improvised by a group of children in the ‘forum’ of the classroom, which is watched by the class whose comments, mediated by the teacher if necessary, are discussed, and the situation re-presented in the light of the comments.

Freeze frame: Sometimes known as creating tableaux, still images or making statues. Individually, in small groups or as a whole class, the children create a moment, event or idea. The frames can be unfrozen, have subtitles added to them or sound effects. In addition, the words or inner thoughts of members of the freeze frame can be voiced when the teacher touches a child on the shoulder.

Hot seating: This is a very useful approach to getting under the skin of an event, particularly revealing a character’s motives. The teacher or other adult and/or an individual child or small group of children take on the role of one or more individuals from the drama and are questioned by the remainder of the class. (It is worth helping the children to think of questions beforehand.)

Improvisation: small group: In small groups, children discuss, plan and create a piece of prepared improvisation. In spontaneous improvisation, the group can let the action unfold as they create the drama. Prepared improvisations will have some discussion about the content or intention of the piece.

Improvisation: whole class: This also can be planned or spontaneous. Whole class role play can take the heat off being watched because the whole class is engaged together.

Mantle of the expert: This approach was first developed by Dorothy Heathcote (1995). Cremin and Pickard (2009) explain that it:

Role on the wall: This is a means of exploring characters’ motivations or their role at a particular point in a drama/narrative but can be added to as the narrative proceeds. An outline is drawn around a child in role as a key character as they lie on a large piece of paper. Comments about the character (perceptions, feelings, opinions, facts) are written into the shape by class members. For example, the space outside the shape may have comments about the character as others see her/him and inside the shape could have the character’s own feelings and views.

Teacher in role: Cremin and Pickard explain that:

Thought tracking: The private thoughts of individuals are shared publicly, during a freeze-frame, forum theatre or improvisation. The teacher touches individuals on the shoulder, asking them to voice their thoughts or the class could simultaneously speak aloud their thoughts and fears in a particular situation.

For a fuller set of conventions, see Cremin, T. and Pickard, A. (2009) Drama: Reading, Writing and Speaking Our Way Forward. Leicester: United Kingdom Literacy Association.

Reference

Heathcote, D. and Bolton, G. (1995) Drama for Learning: Dorothy Heathcote’s Mantle of the Expert Approach to Education. (Dimensions of Drama series) London: Heinemann.

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Using a picture book as a basis for drama – middle primary (W3.7)

Roger McDonald suggests:

With children aged 7–9, try the excellent Rose Meets Mr Wintergarten by Bob Graham. Children’s imaginative interpretation can be sparked by looking at the first double page picture which shows a house for sale and people either moving in or out. Next door is a large, grey, unkempt house which looks particularly out of character for the area. In pairs, the children can discuss what might be happening in the picture and come up with one question they want answered.

The book then introduces us to the Summers family who are moving in to the street. The author has created a contrast between the two houses and states that:

This was the first mention of the occupier’s name and is an opportunity to explore who this person might be. The children might draw their visual interpretation of who this person might be, what he might look like and the type of character he might have.

Following their pictures, children can be introduced by teacher in role (TIR) to the various stories and rumours that were being whispered about Mr Wintergarten in the village: ‘Well there were stories all over the village about Mr Wintergarten. After church on Sunday whilst sipping coffee people would turn to each other and whisper “Have you heard?, Did you know? You will never guess what I saw…” Even at the greengrocer’s as people waited in the queue, snippets of information would be shared.’ After this, the children take on the roles of different people in the village. They move around the classroom to share a rumour or gossip about Mr Wintergarten and on the signal of a hand clap move on to the next person.

The problem in the story occurs when Rose, one of the Summers family children, accidentally kicks her ball over into Mr Wintergarten’s garden. She of course has a dilemma of whether to try to get the ball back or to leave it, which can be explored through a decision alley. Eventually, Rose decides to go up the pathway towards Mr Wintergarten’s door. Here there are many opportunities for writing and drama. Children could be invited to write a description of Rose’s thoughts and feelings as she makes her way up the pathway drawing on previous ideas from the drama conventions. When Rose arrives at the door a group sculpture can be made where two people are chosen to depict Rose and Mr Wintergarten and the rest of the class decide how they should be standing, what they should be looking like and what words they speak.

Rose goes into the house and presents Mr Wintergarten with a gift as well as asking for her ball back, however the response she gets is ‘No… Clear off’. In the pages leading up to Rose leaving we are given some information about Mr Wintergarten’s life style but this could at this point be expanded through hot seating Mr Wintergarten. The children could take on different roles and the teacher and possibly two children take the role of Mr Wintergarten. By doing this the teacher can ensure that the narrative nature of the work continues and can support what the children, in role as Mr Wintergarten, say as well.

Finally Mr Wintergarten does something that he has not done in years and opens his curtains. He ventures into his garden and triumphantly kicks the ball back over the fence for Rose and her friends. The future relationship between Mr Wintergarten and the village can be explored by showing the final double page spread which depicts a scene of renovation for his house and cooperation with the villagers. Children could at this point project their thoughts forward and predict what the scene may show in 1, 5, 10 years. Would the house still be there? Has it turned into a community centre run by Mr Wintergarten? The possibilities, as imagination is, are endless.

Adapted from Roger McDonald ‘Windows to the imagination: the power of drama in developing children’s imagination, Part 2’ in English 4–11, Spring, 2007.

Children's Books

Bob Graham (2003) Rose Meets Mr Wintergarden. Walker Books. ISBN 9780744598292.