Introduction
These dramas are set up to develop Speaking and Listening for 7–11-year-olds.
We have indicated the target ages, but some of the dramas, with some adjust- ment, have been used across the full age range we are catering for here. ‘The Snow Queen’ was even adapted for children of ages 5 and 6.
To show you the sort of work we think we are generating, we illustrate some of the areas of Speaking and Listening and the language demands made on par- ticipants during the dramas in this book:
Drama Ages Language areas
‘The Wild Thing’– based on 7–9 What is good and acceptable Where the Wild Things Areby behaviour and what harms others
Maurice Sendak Relationships between humans and
with others
Deductive language Interpreting evidence
Avoiding anger and confrontation Comparing the drama to the picture book
‘Daedalus and Icarus’ – 7–9 Language of ancient technology based on the Greek legend Language of ancient architecture
Language of parents and children Language of morality – secrets and/or lies
‘The Snow Queen’ – based on 7–9 Poetic language the story by Hans Christian Poetry reading
Andersen Oral structure of poems, rhythm metre
Power and language Geography/mapping
‘Charlie’ – based on Voices in 7–9 Language of compliance
the Parkby Anthony Browne Appropriate language to break down inappropriate compliance
Class and language and culture Exploring children’s private language Prejudice and challenging it
‘The Maasai Boy’ 7–10 Geographical language of various sorts of maps and places, of animals and people of another country, of artefacts and ways of life, of here and there About responsibility
About ownership
About gender and prejudice About difference and similarity About adults and children
Drama Ages Language areas
‘The Governor’s Child’ – based 8–11 Language of community – and on the Caucasian Chalk Circle community under threat – the outsider by Bertolt Brecht Language relating to the power of a
child – in relationships, i.e. mother or family or community
Protection and lying Love and loyalty
‘The Highwayman’ – based on 9–11 Using evidence from poem
the poem by Alfred Noyes Look into and understand – listen to … Persuasive language
Appropriate language for handling a difficult/aggressive situation
Comparing the characters and themes of the drama and the poem
‘The Victorian Street Children’ 9–11 Use of archaic language To explore and identify moral standpoints
Using the technical language of historians
‘The Workhouse’ 9–11 Usage of analytical language – to interpret and develop ideas from a primary source
Use of empathetic language
‘The Egyptians’ 9–11 Language of archaeology
Language of privilege and exclusion Religious language – ritual and ceremony
Loyalty to family against faith
‘Macbeth’ based on the play 10–11 Playing with Shakespeare’s language by William Shakespeare Use of language relating to power and
powerlessness
Language relating to trades and tasks – in an Elizabethan culture
Symbolic language associated with witchcraft and ‘murder’
‘Ebenezer Scrooge’ – based 10–11 Language of journalism
on A Christmas Carol by Language of epitaphs and eulogies Charles Dickens Language of youth and testament and
obituary
Language and viewpoint
Persuasion and supposition defence
The dramas are developed from materials related to three other areas:
Literacy, the wider curriculum and PSHE and Citizenship. In the following table the bold type refers to the emphasis we have put in the example dramas.
However, the other elements are also there and teachers may if they wish high- light those areas instead.
Introduction 97
Drama Ages Language areas
‘Christopher Boone’ based on 10–11 Prejudice and challenging it The Curious Incident of the Persuasive language
Dog in the Night-Timeby Appropriate language for handling a
Mark Haddon difficult/aggressive situation
Language as an indicator of personality traits
Language of reconciliation
‘The Dream’ based on 10–11 An introduction to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream language
by William Shakespeare Dealing with a difficult and prejudiced person
Using language diplomatically Dealing with a headstrong girl The language of relationships
Drama Relates to Relates to Relates
Literacy PSHE and to other
Citizenship curriculum areas (especially History)
‘Wild Thing’– based Themes and The issue of Geography – special on Where the Wild characters arising class layouts and journeys Things Are by in the story can prejudice
Maurice Sendak be compared to the drama
‘Daedalus and Greek legend The Technology in an Icarus’ – based on consequenceshistorical context
the Greek legend of being Leonardo Da Vinci’s
inquisitive inventions Telling the Art and History truth to
parents
‘The Snow Queen’ Creating poetry Sibling Geography – maps – based on the with narrative relationships – and climate.
story by Hans Purpose of loyalty, Christian Andersen poems courage and
Poetic form jealousy
‘Charlie’ – based on Book as script/ Family, class Art – illustration Voices in the Park differences in and language and reading pictures by Anthony Browne register
Drama Relates to Relates to Relates Literacy PSHE and to other
Citizenship curriculum areas (especially History)
‘The Maasai Boy’ Researching in A child being Geography – the non-fiction books punished for a study of distant and on the Internet mistake place. Kenya and a Recording and Ownership of particular place reporting cultural objects
information
‘The Governor’s Text as a basis The power of Isolated
Child’ – based on for drama a child in communities – social
The Caucasian society implications
Chalk Circleby of the outsider
Bertolt Brecht
‘The Highwayman’ Themes of Choices in Poetry within an – based on the Romantic Love personal historical context poem by and ‘The Hero’ relationships (changing values/
Alfred Noyes Author’s viewpoint mores)
Expressive/
descriptive language
‘The Victorian Non-fiction texts Children, The historian as a Street Children’ and history, poverty and researcher, sorting
source material to society evidence, asking
understand and questions
use words, fact and opinion
‘The Workhouse’ Study of the rules Oppression of History – can be and the language the weak local history based if
you have material from the local workhouse – rules, names, etc.
‘The Egyptians’ Graphology and Personal Social stratification iconography choices and beliefs and ritual in
family/peer Ancient Egypt pressure
‘Macbeth’ – based A way of making Issues of Using a painting to on the play by accessible the stimulate a shift back William complex consequences in time and create Shakespeare text in KS2 of actions historical context.
Shakespeare’s language
‘Ebenezer Scrooge’ Using pre-text to Personality Class and social – based on A generate text and character attitudes in the Christmas Carol How characters formation nineteenth century by Charles Dickens are presented