Why do I do Drama? I have been using Drama conventions as part of the way I deliver the curriculum for over thirteen years. My interest arose from my observations of children in my role-play area. Whilst I felt that it was well structured and challenging to the children in it's various contexts: home, hospital, castle, space ship etc the children were not always playing as well as they might. I felt that I needed to spend more time there with the children enriching their play, but there are so many other pressures in my setting that there never seemed to be enough time. My solution was to introduce some whole-class drama sessions to act as both a stimulus to the children's play, to apply the learning they had already done, and to move their learning on in an enjoyable way. Drama in the Foundation Stage builds upon the children's experiences of pretend play and dramatic play. Drama can be structured to address specific areas of the curriculum. Children enjoy pretend play; they share this play with others and use communication skills to make it work. Drama provides a holistic learning experience. Whilst I understand the need for children to initiate their own imaginative play and would vigorously defend their need to do this, using a structured adult-led drama is a stimulating learning experience for the children, and another teaching tool in the repertoire. The leading proponent of Drama in Education, Dorothy Heathcote, says, " It seems sensible to me that if there is a way of making the world simpler and more understandable to children, why not use it." (Dorothy Heathcote 1984) How do I do Drama? I develop my use of drama with the children over time. I begin with simple work with puppets and games, laying down the rules which allow drama to work. Then I introduce a strongly structured activity such as this one around Bonfire Night, which allows the children to engage their imaginations at different points, but not to lead the activity. As the children's experience develops I provide them with more opportunities to lead. How do I actually do the Bonfire Night Drama? I begin this Drama in the story area using a very quiet voice to tell them that we are going to make a drama story. I ask them if they can remember what Drama is and ask them to remind me of the rules of the Drama game: it is a 'let's pretend', we all join in, we take turns and share, we don't rush ahead but take it slowly. We briefly discuss Bonfire Night and what happens. I have found that some children don't understand what a bonfire is, although they know about Bonfire Night, so I usually have to clarify that. I then ask them to close their eyes and I begin with the rhyme 'Remember remember the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot'. I ask them to join in and we repeat it a few times quietly. They open their eyes and I alter the tone of my voice to denote a change, and tell them that we all need to get ready to go out, as we are going to the woods to get wood for our bonfire. I then ask them what we will need to wear and, taking the children's ideas we all get dressed together. I may comment on the colour of the hat I am putting on and ask a child about theirs. The children usually start talking about their own clothing. They begin to engage their own imaginations. Any other adults in the classroom are well briefed and they take part too, encouraging the children where necessary. I would certainly not recommend this type of activity with young children without another adult taking part. The children now understand the situation, their role in it and the focus. These are essentials to Drama activities. In this Drama there are no real problems or conflicts to resolve, these will come in future activities. What I am doing is leading this as a storyteller, something all early years practitioners are experts at. Off we go to the woods. I move from my classroom into the hall as I am going to need a large space. I talk to them exactly as I would if we were out on a real walk looking at things on the way. We stop to cross the road and I ask them to remind me how to do that. We go into the woods following the path, jumping streams, climbing over logs. We stop and listen, 'Was that a squirrel?' or 'Oh look I can see a small hedgehog'. The children are sent to see what they can find and return to the adults bringing all sorts of things. This is where they use their imaginations and I am always pleased to receive conkers, baby rabbits, spiders, snakes, acorns, and leaves. Once one child takes the lead, following on from my lead of pointing out one or two things the rest follow suit. They are encouraged to return small animals to their homes and put leaves etc, in their pockets to take back. If something unusual or inappropriate arises then a quick response is called for, but still accepting the child's contribution. A tiger, for example, may have escaped for the zoo - 'But look I can see that man looking for it, take it to him quickly. It needs to go back to the zoo'. Then I move them on. It can get a bit noisy as the children are still inexperienced and excited, but a quick calling back and gathering together to look at something using a quiet voice usually works well. If not I use 'freeze'. Our voices are a key teaching and controlling tool. We then move into the 'field'. We choose where to build our fire and I send them to collect wood to burn. The children bring their sticks and branches. I ask two or three to help carry a heavy log and put it on the bonfire. When I feel it is finished we make a circle around it - as big as reasonable, and then sit down. 'Who will light it?' The children make suggestions and then I talk briefly about fire safety and that an adult must do it. My TA does this, and demonstrates looking inside the bonfire to check nothing is hiding inside. She rescues a hedgehog and someone is chosen to put it in a safe place. Then she lights the fire and I talk them through the early stages of the crackling, sparks, and flames growing bigger. We watch and I ask the children what they see. They always rise to the occasion; smoke, flames, different colours, sparks. I take their answers and enhance them as necessary. I ask them what they can smell, hear etc. Then we light the fireworks - again using the situation to talk about safety, and once again the children are encouraged to say what they can see hear and smell. Finally we stand up and circle the fire chanting 'Remember, remember the fifth of November'. I follow this by having a few real sparklers, first having disarmed the fire detector. I have a bucket of water to put the sparklers in when they are finished, and I don't let the children hold them. We discuss the firework code. Again I encourage them to use language to describe what they see, smell and hear. We make it fun. As we are now all very tired I 'walk' them back home and we take our coats off and sit down for a warm drink. I finish by telling them to close their eyes and think about what they have done. When we open our eyes the Drama is over and I talk with the children about it using questions like: What did they like? What didn't they like? Do they enjoy Drama? What did we do? What else could we have done? There may be one or two children who will not seem to be joining in. The adults will try to involve them but I accept that some children may be quiet observers, not quite ready to play the game, and that does not necessarily mean that they are not learning. How do I follow it up? Follow up work can be very varied as the possibilities are endless. All those activities we plan around this time of year, leaf printing, firework collage, making a class book about seasons or celebrations, are appropriate. Making lists of describing words, reading Autumn stories, learning rhymes and looking at appropriate non-fiction books support their literacy development. Sorting Autumn leaves and seeds and conkers, counting these or making patterns support mathematical development. Ensuring Autumn items are available enhancing the continuous provision gives children the opportunity to explore their own ideas. I add Autumn leaves and some large branches to my outdoor area, and the children may play at making bonfires, or not, as they wish. They love making dens out of the branches, which are used for all sorts of games and stories. We have a large classroom tree on the wall in our exploratory area under which we put boxes, a tunnel and drapes creating an 'under the ground' area. We add British wildlife animal puppets, conkers, acorns, pine cones, leaves and dressing up items. This is planned with the children making a mind-map of what we wish to do and what we will need. They make many items we use themselves. How do I plan? My medium and short-term planning has the detail about the Early Learning Goals I intend to cover and the outcomes I am looking for. My weekly plan has references to which stepping-stones I hope the children will be achieving in each of the Foundation Stage Curriculum areas. I then have a separate drama plan available from the FSF resource library: Drama Plan (downloadable document in MS Word) So what have they been learning? To take part in group drama To contribute ideas To share and take turns To understand the difference between pretence and reality To identify seasonal changes To use theme specific vocabulary To take part in a cultural event To understand about firework and bonfire safety To talk about their experiences To respond to dramatic stimulus through creative work And most importantly that playing the drama game together is fun! Contribute to discussions on the theme of bonfire night and/or this article, by visiting this sub-forum.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.