Inspiring and promoting Able and Talented students.

Inspiring and promoting Able and Talented students. - by Wanda Barnes

Play writing; developing independent learning skills through critical thinking and creative project work.

In this unit the year 8s were given the task of researching, planning and writing a whole play based on the themes identified in Dickens’ Oliver Twist: child labour, child abuses within society.

Aims: to develop group skills, independent learning, creative writing, project management, working to deadlines, evaluation.

The structure of unit:

·         Mind-mapping class ideas

·         Skills audit-pupil strengths

·         Research-child labour and prostitution (Victorian and current)

·         Character profiles

·         Group work-script writing

·         Precision-script layout and punctuation-student led teaching

·         Group work-staging, costume, script writing, project management

·         Re-drafting

·         Completion

·         Evaluation

Although set up for project work took careful planning and direction initially, once students were clear on their responsibilities and independent focus within the group, my role became facilitator.

Not only were students leading their sessions but they also deferred to peers for clarification and direction where needed.  Several students showed initiative and took on assisting peers, re-drafting, re-directing support when needed. The ‘project managers’ (2 students nominated) were responsible for updating the folder and monitoring progress throughout, reporting to me where a problem existed.

The process was very rewarding and I enjoyed the creativity and energy displayed. The enthusiasm of the whole group led to achieving a great deal in a short time. I also learnt more about setting up successful project work.

Students designed their own feedback forms and this included feedback for me!

The final product is a play about child enslavement set in a nail bar in Portsmouth called,

Polished to Perfection.

Some of the reflective comments from students included:

“I have learnt to work in a team, take responsibility to get things done. I have also learnt about different types of staging and techniques and how to accurately plan the staging of a scene.”

Joe

“I have developed my English skills because I am now better at proofreading, improving work, script-writng…I know how to use different pieces of punctuation and my vocabulary has expanded.

Izzie

“I have worked on my team working skills as I am usually very bad at collaborating with others.”

Cameron

“I have learnt that making a play is harder than I thought! If people don’t fulfil their roles others can’t carry on their work. Also all the parts and scenes had to be completed by a certain time so we had to work extra hard to get it completed on time.”

India

“I have ambitions to be a teacher, so when I teach others it will be as useful to them as it was to me.”

Hannah

If anyone has any questions about this or would like to see the original resources please contact Wanda Barnes via her school email.

Some example slides used in the lesson