Using drama to explore a character 'low'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can take part in role play to deepen my understanding of characters’ perspectives in a key part of the build-up in ‘A Kind of Spark’.
Key learning points
- The events culminating in the meeting between Miss Murphy and Addie's sisters are a key part of the build-up.
- When we write these events, we will need to understand the characters' actions and feelings.
- We can use drama to help us understand and remember these actions and feelings.
- We will also want to use internal monologue to show Addie's inner thoughts.
- We can practise saying these inner thoughts using drama.
Keywords
Build-up - the part of a narrative where problems are introduced and tension rises
Dialogue - a conversation between two or more people, written in a text or story to show what each person is saying
Internal monologue - the inner voice of a character - their thoughts to themselves, not spoken aloud
Common misconception
Pupils may feel they have to stick rigidly to the dialogues and Addie's thoughts as shown in the book.
Explain and model how we can use our own imagination to build on the ideas in the book and make the drama our own.
Teacher tip
Allow lots of time for the drama activities; you will want to pause occasionally to showcase good examples and to model your own ideas for extending and deepening the drama.
Equipment
You need a copy of the 2020 Knights Of edition of ‘A Kind of Spark’ written by Elle McNicoll, illustrated by Kay Wilson, for this lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following are character traits of Miss Murphy?
Q2.Which character has the following traits? Inconsiderate, thoughtless, self-centred.
Q3.Which of the following are common features of autism?
Q4.Which element of the story structure comes last?
Q5.Which part of the story structure is where the action and drama reaches its highest point?
Q6.Which part of the story does the following event fall into? Addie learns about the witch trials.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following elements happen in the build-up of a story?
Q2.Which of these events fall into the build-up of 'A Kind of Spark'?
Q3.Put these events from the build-up in order.
Q4.Which of the following best describes 'dialogue'?
Q5.Why is writing a character's internal monologue a useful choice that a writer can make?
Q6.Which character's internal monologue might include the following idea? 'I know she was wrong to do it, but what Emily did was terrible!'
To help you plan your 6 English lesson on: Using drama to explore a character 'low', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 English lesson on: Using drama to explore a character 'low', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 English lessons from the 'A Kind of Spark': narrative writing unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.