The Slave Trade)
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Drama for Schools (The Slave Trade) Abolition of slavery, drama workshops, Glasgow 2007 © Wendy McMurdo For more information, visit www.ntslearning.org.uk The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty is a charity registered in Scotland, Charity Number SC 007410 and depends for its support on the subscriptions of its members, donations and legacies. Copyright © 2010 the National Trust for Scotland. 1 The National Trust for Scotland Drama for Schools (the Slave Trade) Drama for Schools (The Slave Trade) This resource introduces teachers (and club leaders) to the use of drama, based around the transatlantic slave trade. It shows how drama can be used effectively with young people to learn about slavery, and to explore sensitive issues arising from our history. The resource pack is based on a project that took place in Glasgow and South Lanarkshire, involving pupils from two primary schools and a youth group (see Case Study). It demonstrates how drama contributes to the principles of the Curriculum for Excellence. Specific support is provided for creating workshops and performances, along with background information on the slave trade. The Workshops described are suitable for young people aged 10 years upwards. For more information, visit www.ntslearning.org.uk The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty is a charity registered in Scotland, Charity Number SC 007410 and depends for its support on the subscriptions of its members, donations and legacies. Copyright © 2011 the National Trust for Scotland. 2 The National Trust for Scotland Drama for Schools (the Slave Trade) Contents 1.0 Using Drama 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Why Use Drama? 2.3 Preparation & Research 1.4 Simple Techniques 1.5 Building a Story 1.6 Using Different Spaces 1.7 Props & Costumes 1.8 Performance 1.9 Using a Drama Expert 1.10 Pupils’ Comments 2.0 Case Study 3.1 Introduction 2.2 Warm-ups 2.3 Workshop 1 – Africa 2.4 Workshop 2 – The Ship 2.5 Workshop 3 – The Plantation 2.6 Workshop 4 – Scotland 2.7 Conclusion 2.8 Scripts 2.8.1 Script 1 – Dramatic Performance 2.8.2 Script 2 – School Assembly 2.8.3 Script 3 – Narration and Freeze Frame 3.0 Dilemmas 4.0 Resources 4.1 Books 4.2 Websites 5.0 Contact For more information, visit www.ntslearning.org.uk The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty is a charity registered in Scotland, Charity Number SC 007410 and depends for its support on the subscriptions of its members, donations and legacies. Copyright © 2011 the National Trust for Scotland. 3 The National Trust for Scotland Drama for Schools (the Slave Trade) 1.0 Using Drama Abolition of slavery, drama workshops, Glasgow 2007 © Wendy McMurdo For more information, visit www.ntslearning.org.uk The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty is a charity registered in Scotland, Charity Number SC 007410 and depends for its support on the subscriptions of its members, donations and legacies. Copyright © 2011 the National Trust for Scotland. 4 The National Trust for Scotland Drama for Schools (the Slave Trade) 1.1 Using Drama Intro This section shows how drama can be used effectively to learn about the slave trade, allowing the pupils to explore their own thoughts and feelings. 1.2 Why Use Drama? Teamwork © Sandra Cushnie The use of drama and drama techniques enhances learning and provides an inspiring experience within a safe framework. Drama allows young people the chance to become: • successful learners • confident individuals • responsible citizen • effective contributors by helping them to: • make informed choices and decisions • work as an individual or part of a team • communicate effectively • understand different beliefs and cultures • learn about people and place • develop self esteem and respect for others • resolve conflict • develop critical thinking • solve problems For more information, visit www.ntslearning.org.uk The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty is a charity registered in Scotland, Charity Number SC 007410 and depends for its support on the subscriptions of its members, donations and legacies. Copyright © 2011 the National Trust for Scotland. 5 The National Trust for Scotland Drama for Schools (the Slave Trade) Drama enhances personal and social development, aiding understanding of self and others. By using role play and other methods, drama helps students to empathise with and understand the lives of other people. It gives them the chance to put themselves into the place of other people and see things from a different point of view. Drama stimulates imagination and concentration. It encourages listening and observation skills. It develops language. Drama allows young people the chance to make sense of the world around them and try out new ideas, thoughts and solutions. This can increase their confidence. Performance is an important part of drama. Performance can take many forms. It may be a full stage production, the sharing of a scene with class-mates, or a short monologue. Within these areas, pupils learn to work together and as individuals. They can also learn different areas of expertise – for instance, as performers, directors or stage managers. 1.3 Preparation & Research © Alistair Devine Before creating a dramatic piece, the pupils need to know about the subject (in this instance, the slave trade). They can learn more as the workshops progress – but they have to start with a knowledge base so that the drama exercises are meaningful (how can you become a slave owner, for instance, if you don’t know what one is?) To build scenes, the pupils need to understand about the people, places and stories involved. This is true of any scene but is particularly important when dealing with historical events and issues. For more information, visit www.ntslearning.org.uk The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty is a charity registered in Scotland, Charity Number SC 007410 and depends for its support on the subscriptions of its members, donations and legacies. Copyright © 2011 the National Trust for Scotland. 6 The National Trust for Scotland Drama for Schools (the Slave Trade) Investigating and collating the information for a historical scenario (set of scenes) can, of course, become part of the project. 1.4 Simple Techniques Freeze! © Alistair Devine Below are some simple techniques for drama work. Using some or all of these will help pupils create a set of scenes. See the Case Study for more techniques. Teacher–in–Role Teacher adopts a role: a) To introduce the lesson b) To move the drama on c) To give information d) As a control method e) To facilitate the action f) To change the direction that the action is taking Hot seating The teacher or pupil becomes a character who can be questioned by others. First, you choose a character – then you spend some quiet time imagining that you are that character. You should know all about your new self. For instance: What do you wear? How old are you? Where do you live? Who is in your family? What is your favourite food? For more information, visit www.ntslearning.org.uk The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty is a charity registered in Scotland, Charity Number SC 007410 and depends for its support on the subscriptions of its members, donations and legacies. Copyright © 2011 the National Trust for Scotland. 7 The National Trust for Scotland Drama for Schools (the Slave Trade) When a character is ‘hot-seated’, he or she can be asked any questions by the others. The teacher can create a structure if required – perhaps a time limit or the class is told that they may only ask 10 questions - so they need choose the most useful ones. The pupils learn about the character. The person in the hot seat gets to understand and empathise with their character. Hot seating can be used as a general exercise – or it can be more specific. It is useful for helping pupils understand how a character is thinking. For instance, with the slave trade drama, a slave owner and an enslaved person might be questioned (individually) in the hot seat. The pupils in character will become those people – and the whole class will learn about two points of view. Conscience alley The teacher or pupil is placed between two groups who have opposing opinions. Each group in turn must try to persuade the person in the centre to join their side. The pupils on either side must know their arguments. They might be arguing for something that they would not support in their own lives. They are taking on roles. Role play The teacher or pupil takes on the role of a person different from themselves. They consider the character carefully and know how they think and feel. They might show their character to the others – with a short mime or monologue, or by interacting with others. Drama is good for language work. As well as dialogue, your pupils could practise their listening and writing skills. When asking pupils to adopt a role, they might write about their characters. The teacher could provide a list of questions to help them begin. To keep the sense of drama - the pupils could interview each other – one is a television interviewer and the other the character (then they swap over). What do they want to know? Improvisation The pupils are divided into groups. Each group of pupils creates a scene which they develop as they work through it. The teacher can introduce the exercise with some simple instructions.