Teach Primary Issue 18.4

Bring stories, characters or historical events to life with these hands-on activities EMI LY AZOUELOS www.teachwire.net | 31 First, it is important to get the children used to handling objects and thinking deeply about them. Invite pupils to bring objects from home that are special to them, working through questions designed to get them thinking more deeply. Questions could include: What do you think this object is? How does it feel? Why have you chosen that object? Does it remind you of anything or make you think of a memory? Why do you find it interesting? A teller’s table is a useful whole-class activity to employ when first introducing a character. On one table, place interesting objects linked to a character. Encourage the children to look at, rather than touch, the objects as they form their ideas and questions. Hand out sticky notes and ask pupils to write down all the questions and ideas they have based on the props. Stick the questions on one side of the table and pupils' ideas on the other side ready for discussion. Use the thinking routine called parts and purposes to examine historical objects in greater depth and to spark discussion. • What are all the parts of your object? • What do you think is the purpose of your object? • How do the parts work together? • What would happen if a part was missing or changed? After the discussion, reveal the name of each object, explaining more about what the object is and how it was used in the time-period studied. Contact local museums and libraries for access to their loan box schemes. Before you use these items in class, explain to the children that they must hold each object with both hands, take care when passing them around and not force any moving parts. Group the children and assign an object. Use A3 paper to record their thoughts about the object. Explain that they can draw, write or annotate ideas. Leave time for groups to walk around, read the sheets and add questions or ideas in a different colour pen. Use discovery boxes to explore characters or settings, both fictional and non-fictional. Place images and objects connected to the area of study into boxes, alongside labels (creative or factual). Show the boxes to the class and use groups to encourage the children to examine the objects, read the labels and make suggestions about what these objects reveal, what they may be studying and what their initial thoughts are. Display their ideas to add to as they learn more. D o your pupils struggle to connect to characters or themes in the stories that you study? Could your class discussions do with a boost? Perhaps the children find it hard to imagine what life was like when studying historical events? Many children I’ve worked with had these same struggles, and I found that introducing objects helped to spark discussion, pique interest and engage pupils, leading to high-quality work. Here are some different ways you can use objects in your classroom. Emily Azouelos is an experienced primary teacher who moved to the world of heritage and arts-based organisations two years ago. She creates educational related content for a variety of settings. F EATURE S H I S TOR Y , ENG L I SH