Show Students the Front Cover of Fast. Point out the Title. Give Students Two Minutes In

Fast Lesson 1

Learning objectives: To work well with others to share, develop and justify predictions. Assessment Foci: Speaking and Listening AF2; Reading AF3

Starter Show students the front cover of Fast. Point out the title. Give students two minutes in silence on their own to think about what the play might be about. Tell them to get ready to explain their prediction. Introduction Thought spinner: Put the class into two circles, one inside the other. Each student on the outside circle should face inwards; each student on the inside circle should face outwards. This means that everyone is facing a partner. Tell students to take it in turns to tell their partner their thoughts about what the play might be about, and why they think that. They should listen carefully to each other and then discuss and ask each other questions. After two minutes move the outer students one place clockwise and the inner students one place anti-clockwise. They now have new partners. Each of the new partners should take it in turns to tell each other what their original partner thought (rather than what they themselves thought) and then discuss. After a few minutes move the circles round again and repeat the process but with each partner telling their new partner about what both their previous partners thought. Development Gather a few thoughts from the class about their predictions and the clues that have prompted them. Ask the class what they have learnt from the thought spinner exercise (e.g. to listen carefully, to be prepared to question their own first thoughts). Use this process to establish the lesson aim. Turn the class' attention to the play's list of characters (on page iv of the play). Model for them how to infer things on the basis of clues. For example: “the word 'fasters' suggests that this is not about speed, but about two people who are fasting. Does anyone know what 'fasting' means? ….There seem to be different groups of characters. Perhaps there is conflict between different groups. Ask every student to work with the partner they ended up with in the thought spinner activity. The pairs should look carefully at The Welsh Fasting Girl text on Resource Sheet 1a, and use it to make predictions about what the play is going to be about, and what will happen. Give them five to ten minutes for this. Use the thought spinner activity again to spread the latest predictions between students. Plenary Ask students in groups of nine to read through the opening scene of the play and to consider which of their predictions about the play look like being accurate. What can they predict about the rest of the play from the first scene? How can they share ideas so that they support each other's thinking? Take five minutes of feedback. Homework/Follow-on Get students to do some research around this question: Who was responsible for the death of Sarah Jacobs?

Learning objectives: To use evidence to draw conclusions about characters. Assessment Foci: Speaking and Listening AF2; Reading AF2 and AF3

Starter Put the class into pairs and show them Resource sheet 2a. Give them five minutes to discuss what we learn about Emma. What first impressions do we get? What things give us these impressions? Students fill in the boxes on the sheet. Development Take some quick feedback about Emma. Concentrate on the clues students have used to make inferences about her: e.g. the fact that she is reading the leaflet might suggest that she is methodical. Her aside, “Aren’t we, Hollie?” might suggest a number of things – she is teasing Hollie’s devotion to appearances, or she is sharing that devotion. It might indicate that she is close to Hollie and knows what she is thinking. Use this process to establish the lesson aims. Now ask the class to tell you some of the impressions they have got of Charlie in scenes 1-3. Take these without comment and without requiring evidence. Note them down on the board. Look out for conflicting impressions. Now model for students how to look for evidence to confirm or deny impressions. Use some of the class’ impressions – especially conflicting ones. It is very important to focus on specific details in the script and then analyse those details to suggest interpretations of Charlie’s character. You could use Resource sheet 2b to draw the class’ attention to specific details. Give each student one of the following characters to study in Scenes 1-3: Hollie, Kate, Zoe, Jack or Bor. Tell them to use a simple table like the one in Resource 2a to note down their impressions about their given character and how they get these impressions. Give them ten minutes Plenary EITHER put the students into groups of three to five with each member having studied the same character, OR put the students into groups of five with each member having studied a different character. Appoint a chairperson for each group. Tell the group members to take turns in telling the rest of the group their ideas about the character they have been studying, and then to discuss differences and similarities in group members’ ideas. Encourage the chairperson to keep the discussion civilized. Encourage group members to use phrases such as: “What makes you say that….?” “I agree with you when you say…., but I’m not sure about….” “I wonder if that suggests that….” Write these helpful stems on the board Homework/Follow-on Write character notes for some of the main characters to give guidance to actors playing the characters. Write about 70 words for each character.

Learning objectives: To consider why Charlie continues the fast, and to understand the idea of inferring in the light of evidence. Assessment Foci: Speaking and Listening AF3; Reading AF3

Starter Put students into pairs (preferably boy/girl). Give each student Resource sheet 3a. Ask the pairs to rank order the offered reasons for Charlie's determination to continue with the fast. They can add up to two reasons of their own, using the blank boxes. Emphasise that students should work towards an agreement over their rank order, and they should be ready to justify their rank order. Development Take some feedback from pairs about their top two choices and why they chose them, OR – better – nominate one envoy in each pair and tell them to go to the next pair clockwise. With their new partner they should report their original pair's rank order and reasons for it, and then discuss differences between their pair's decisions and those of their new partner. You could move the envoys on again before returning them to their original partner for final discussion and amendment of their decisions where appropriate. Point out that there are likely to have been differences in the rank orders because the playwright has not given us the right answer; he has left us to interpret – to infer – on the basis of clues in the script. Draw the class' attention to Charlie's final quote at the end of Scene 4 (on page 25 of the play). Model for students how to make inferences about Charlie on the basis of what he says. Show the class how speaking the words in different ways might lead the reader/audience to make different inferences. Put the class into pairs (preferably boy/girl) and ask them to imagine and act out the conversation between Charlie and his mother that Charlie reports near the end of Scene 5 (“...we had a talk about it...”, line 155 on page 32). Before they start, ask them to discuss: ● the sort of relationship that Charlie and his mother have with each other ● Charlie's reasons for the fast (and the reasons he might give to his mother) ● Charlie's methods of persuasion. Plenary Ask a couple of competent pairs to perform their versions of the conversation for the whole class. Ask students to make comments on differences in the two versions and the different views of Charlie and his motives that are suggested. Which version is more believable? Why? Homework/Follow-on Students EITHER (a) explain – and give their reasons – why Charlie continues with his fast OR (b) write a script of the conversation Charlie has with his mother in which he wins her support.

Learning objectives: To improve students' ability to work effectively in groups, and to consider the impact of fame and publicity on the characters. Assessment Foci: Speaking and Listening AF2; Reading AF3

Starter Tell the class that they are going to explore one issue in the play through small group discussions. Quickly establish the meaning of 'discussion'. Put students in groups of four and give them five minutes to discuss and decide on a list of rules for good group discussion. As examples you could offer: listen carefully to what others say; don't shout. (Alternative: give students Resource sheet 4a and ask each group to agree on a mark out of five for each item on the list.) Development Take feedback from the starter and establish 10 key rules for group discussion. Try to make this one of the rules: respect other people's ideas. Ask the class how well the students in the script stick to the rules for good discussions. What is the result of how they talk to each other? Now ask the class: how do newspapers and other forms of publicity affect Charlie? Take an idea from a volunteer and then ask another volunteer first to comment on the previous point and then to build on that comment. You could model this for the class. Try to elicit more points, insisting that each speaker respects previous contributions by referring to them, re-phrasing or summarising them before making their own points. Point out that this is a way of building on and respecting other people's views. Tell the groups to discuss and answer the questions on Resource sheet 4b. Nominate one member of each group to take no part in the discussion but just to listen and observe, noting down examples of when other members do or don’t stick to the class rules of good discussion. Plenary Choose some of the observers to give feedback to the class (or their groups) on their evaluations. You could give the observers a few minutes to compare notes before feeding back. Homework/Follow-on Students write 200 words about how well their group discussed the questions and stuck to the rules for good discussions. What were they pleased with? What could they have done better?

Learning objectives: To improve students' ability to improvise plausibly around a given situation. Assessment Foci: Speaking and Listening AF3

Starter Ask students to imagine that two newspaper reporters are coming round to Charlie’s house to ask him and his mother about the allegations that Hollie has been cheating. Put students into pairs. Tell some of the pairs to talk about what questions the reporters would want to ask. Tell the rest of the pairs to decide how Charlie and his mother would plan for the arrival of the reporters: What do they plan to say to the reporters? Does Charlie see this as an opportunity to defeat Hollie? They should not act out the conversations; they should only plan what they want to say. They should look closely at Act 2 Scenes 4 and 5 for ideas. Development Gather some quick ideas about the sorts of questions the reporters would want to ask, and about what Charlie and his mother would want to say. Give the pairs two more minutes to develop their ideas. Tell the students that they are going to improvise (role play) the reporters arriving and then interviewing Charlie and his mum about the allegations of Hollie’s cheating. Tell them improvising is a way of getting ‘inside’ characters and situations and must be based on what we know from the play script: the characters must speak and behave in ways that fit the script. Show the pairs Resource sheet 5a which outlines the assessment criteria. Tell the pairs to look carefully at the criteria and decide what they will have to do in the improvisation to meet the grade they want. Put Charlie and his mother pairs together with reporter pairs and ask them to improvise the reporters’ arrival and the interview. Give them 10-15 minutes for this. Circulate and make assessments using Resource sheet 5b Plenary Ask students to offer comments against the criteria about other members of their group. Give some of your own feedback. Homework/Follow-on Ask students EITHER to write the interview as a play-script, OR to write an evaluation of their own improvisation skills, referring closely to the assessment criteria on Resource sheet 5a.

Learning objectives: To explore Charlie's feelings and how the audience might react to him. Assessment Foci: Speaking and Listening AF2; Reading AF3

Starter Put students into pairs and give them this line:

CHARLIE: Not a word. Not a mention. It’s like I fell off the planet.

Ask the pairs to talk through a range of emotions that Charlie MIGHT be feeling at this moment. Conflicting possibilities are acceptable (e.g. angry, weary). They should list possible emotions and then try out the line in two or three different ways informed by different emotions. Development Ask some individuals to deliver Charlie’s line in a particular way. Ask the rest of the class to suggest what emotion is being used by the actor to inform the performance of the line. Use this process to establish the lesson aim. Explain that different actors can deliver the same line in different ways according to the thoughts and feelings they wish to convey. Explain also that the way they deliver the line will affect how the audience reacts to the character. Ask the class how the reactions of characters who are not speaking can also influence how we react to the speaking character. Get pairs to try the line again in different ways with Chloe responding to him in different, but appropriate ways. Show some of these versions to the class. Ask for comments on the thoughts and feelings conveyed and the appropriateness of Chloe’s reactions. Put the class into groups of 12 and tell them that they are going to prepare a performance of Charlie’s ‘rant’. Hand out Resource sheet 6a and tell them they could use the right-hand column for planning. They need to read the initial stage direction carefully and ensure that they use the movements to affect how the audience reacts to the rant. First they will need to quickly decide ● who each student will play ● who will be Charlie ● how they will organise themselves ● how they want the audience to feel about Charlie After 10 minutes stop the class to review progress and ensure the groups are on track. Then give them ten more minutes to finish their work Plenary See at least one performance of the rant. Ask the audience to comment on what impression of Charlie they got and how the performers tried to create that impression. Get the actors to respond to the audience’s impressions. Homework/Follow-on Imagine you are the director of a performance of the play. Write detailed notes for Charlie and the admirer group (Chloe, etc), explaining what impression of Charlie you want them to convey and how they should achieve that impression.

Learning objectives: To explore Charlie's feelings and how the audience might react to him. Assessment Foci: Speaking and Listening AF2; Reading AF3

Starter Put students into pairs and give them copies of Resource sheet 7a. Explain that it provides a bit of the script from near the end of the play. The dialogue between Charlie and Hollie could be played in different ways. The notes on the right-hand side suggest particular ways of playing the two characters and then give detailed guidance to each speaker throughout the section of script. Give the pairs a few minutes to prepare a performance of the script according to the performance notes that have been provided. Development See a couple of performances and elicit comments about how the actors tried to implement the performance notes. How successful were they? How plausible are these notes? What different interpretations of the characters would have been possible and plausible? Use this process to establish the first lesson aim and then tell the class that you are going to show them how to provide notes for a different interpretation and justify your notes by referring to parts of the script. Model for the class how the blank right-hand column on Resource sheet 7a could be filled with different performance notes based on a different interpretation of the characters and their motives and feelings. For example, Hollie could be angry or sarcastic; Charlie could be guilty and apologetic. Justify your interpretation by referring to specific parts of this section of dialogue and other places in the play. Give the pairs another few minutes to write performance notes for their own interpretations of Hollie and Charlie. Then take some suggestions and model for the class how to write some sentences justifying choices. For example, in relation to the interpretation on Resource sheet 7a you could write, “Hollie's sigh could suggest she is fed up with Charlie, but it could also suggest that she is miserable about what has happened to them, and that she wants to 're-build bridges'. Therefore when she says Will it be alright? She could be talking about their relationship, and so she would want to make herself speak gently.” Ask students on their own to begin writing a justification of the performance notes they have devised with their partner. Tell them to refer to details in the script and explain their choices. Plenary After five or ten minutes put students back into their pairs and ask them to share what they have written and give each other advice about improving what they have written. Homework/Follow-on Students should complete the writing, justifying and explaining their performance notes.

Learning objectives: To explore how the play is structured. Assessment Foci: Speaking and Listening AF2; Reading AF4

Starter Tell students that the structure of something is all those items that hold a thing or an experience together: it is all of its parts working together. Pattern and repetition contribute to the structure of Fast. Put students into and give them a few minutes to discuss and make a list of all the patterns and repetitions in the play. Introduction/Development Join pairs into fours and ask them to share their ideas about patterns and repetitions. Take some very brief feedback. This should include the way scenes start and finish with Bev and Barb, and the use of just one setting – the canteen. Point out that there are many things that hold the play together, are typical of it, are repeated, make it interesting, etc. What are these other things that make the play feel whole and satisfying? Give the groups of four a few minutes to discuss this and make a list of other 'structural features'. This is a very challenging task. An alternative would be to give a list of structural features to the class and get groups to discuss how some of them are used in the play. Features might include: development of themes or characters; characters' journey from innocence through experience to understanding; humour; a satisfying ending (or not); conflict; suspicion; tension. Get each group to choose an envoy. They should go to the next group and report their own group's ideas, discuss them and get new ideas from the visited group. Send the envoys on and repeat the process a couple of times before returning them to their own group. Back in their own group they should report the ideas they've gathered, so that the group can then finalise their own ideas. At this point you could ask if there were other ways that the play might have been structured. For example, some of the events we hear about – the news interviews, etc – could have appeared as scenes in the play. Plenary: Tell students to work on their own to begin planning this task: Explain at least two structural features of the play and how they are used by David Grant. Homework/Follow-on Tell students that they will continue this work as an assessment next lesson. Suggest that they continue to make notes to use in their writing in the assessment.

Learning objectives: To continue to explore how the play is structured. Assessment Foci: Speaking and Listening AF2; Reading AF4

Starter Remind students that today they are going to write about the play's structure, using the title: Explain at least two structural features of the play and how they are used by David Grant. Put students into groups of three or four. If possible, organise the groups so that all the members have planned to write about the same structural features. Hand out copies of Resource sheet 9a. Explain that the left-hand column contains empty boxes for each student to note down the structural features they have chosen to focus on. Ask students in their groups to share their ideas about their structural features and to note down any ideas they get from the group in the right hand columns. Tell them that the purpose is for them to help each other. After five minutes draw the groups’ attention to the assessment criteria grid at the bottom of Resource sheet 9a. Ask the group members to tell each other which level they will be aiming for. Ask the group members to help each other to understand what they will have to do to meet the criteria for their target level. Tip: use a visible countdown timer to keep a sense of urgency. Development Point out that students' writing on their given title will be marked against the assessment criteria on Resource sheet 9a. Make it clear that they must explain their ideas and give examples from the play-script. Give students 35 minutes to do their writing on their own in silence. Plenary Collect in students' writing and tell them when you will hand it back to them. Set the homework. Homework/Follow-on Tell students to consider whether there is any chance that Charlie was cheating throughout the fast: in other words, was he secretly eating? Tell them that the second half of the assessment will based on this question.

Learning objectives: To continue explore to how the play is structured. Assessment Foci: Speaking and Listening AF2: Reading AF4

Starter Tell students to imagine that after the fast a journalist writes a newspaper article with the title Was Charlie Cheating? Tell them that today's assessment will be based on this question. Put students into groups of three and ask them to discuss whether there is any evidence that Charlie might have been cheating during his fast. Warn them not to come to a firm conclusion. Tell them to choose one member to write down their ideas. Tell the groups to consider the following areas of evidence: ● Charlie's personality ● What matters to Charlie ● His attitude to cheating generally ● How he is and how he behaves during the fast ● How much he wants to win After eight minutes tell each scribe to take their group's ideas to the next group, report their ideas to the new group and receive their ideas. Give them only one or two minutes for this before – if possible – sending the envoy on to the next group and repeating the process. The envoy should then return to their starting group. Once there, they should report the ideas they have gathered before the group has a final discussion.

Tip: use a visible countdown timer to keep the timings tight. Development Give each student a copy of Resource sheet 10a and tell them to write the newspaper article, Was Charlie Cheating? Tell them to read the level description boxes at the bottom of the sheet before doing the task. Plenary Ensure students have written their names on their work. Collect in their writing. Tell them when you will give them feedback on their work. Homework/Follow-on You will probably need to allow students to complete the article for homework. Tell them to draw a mark in the margin to show the point at which they stopped in class.