Teach-Primary-Issue-19.7

Improvisation and roleplay don’t have to be reserved for the stage. Drama can help children learn about everyday skills such a problem-solving, and allow them to develop the ability to think on their feet when faced with challenges. I’ve also found that pupils discover that their intuition on how to solve a problemmight be better than they thought when undertaking these exercises. Rehearsing problem-solving skills through drama can help children navigate conflicts, learn how to work more collaboratively, and approach difficulties with creativity... 1 | THE MAGIC PROP Ask everyone to sit in a circle. Place an object such as a wooden spoon, empty box, or a tennis racquet in the centre of the circle. Explain to the class that this isn’t just any ordinary item, it’s a magical tool that can transform into anything they need, and they have to solve an imaginary problem using it. Demonstrate first, or ask a more confident pupil to volunteer and demonstrate. The player steps forward, picks up the object, and announces a problem they’re facing. Perhaps they’re stuck on a desert island, or their car has broken down, or they need to rescue a cat from a tree. The children can think up problems as they go, or you can have some suggestions on slips of paper for them to choose form. Then they demonstrate how this magical object solves their problem; maybe the wooden spoon becomes a telescope to spot rescue ships, or it’s a jump-start tool for the broken-down car, or it’s catnip on a stick to tempt the cat down from the tree. After about 20 seconds the player puts the object down, and the next child transforms the object into something completely different to solve a new problem. Continue around the circle until everyone who wants to participate has had a turn. START HERE MAIN LESSON WHAT THEY’LL LEARN l To problem solve through improvisation and role play l To listen to different perspectives l To develop empathy by listening and stepping into other people’s shoes l To build confidence by following intuition, expressing ideas, and making decisions Drama, PSHE For a warm-up, ask everyone to walk around the room. Start with a neutral walk, and then move onto some acting. For example, instruct your pupils to “Walk around the room as if it’s very hot,” and allow everyone to walk around for about 20 seconds, imagining they are very hot. You can add in questions to help prompt their actions, such as, “How do you move when you’re hot? Slow, fast, heavy, light?” Next, move onto other prompts, such as “Walk around the room as if it’s freezing cold, windy, or rainy.” Or “Walk around the room as if you’re late for school,” or “you’re lost in a forest,” “or “it’s raining, and you don’t have a brolly. You can then discuss as a class how the movements changed between prompts, and why. Build key social-emotional skills through games that encourage communication and resolution, with Samantha Marsden KS2 LESSON PLAN marsdensam.com @SamMarsdenDrama How do you solve a problem like...? © Rosalind Hobley 94 | www.teachwire.net