Contents Page First Steps in Drama Introduction 2

Age 7 - 9 1. The ship 4

Curriculum area: History - 2. The Sutton Hoo treasure 5 Anglo-Saxons

Learning objectives: to explore through drama what we can learn Introduction about Anglo-Saxon life in this coun- Aims of the series: try from the archaeological discovery at Sutton Hoo; to First Steps in Drama aims: consider who should have owner- ship of the artefacts discovered in • to develop imagination and creative responses such archaeological excavations. • to provide opportunities for careful, focused listening using a range of voices and a variety of styles • to enable children to see issues and dilemmas from a number of points of view • to build pupils’ confidence in drama, gradually introducing more complex tasks Other School Radio drama • to engage pupils in drama activities involving: discussion, co-operation, planning, enacting and presenting series: • to provide opportunities for ‘teacher in role’ to extend pupils’ vocabulary, speaking skills and imagination • to offer a flexible cross-curricular resource, meeting drama and other subject goals

Let’s Make a Story - the series for First Steps in Drama provides carefully structured language and drama activities that encourage imaginative, co-op- 5 to 7 year olds. Traditional stories erative work. It provides a rich stimulus to fully support teachers who are less confident in using drama and can be are explored through simple move- adapted and developed by those with more drama experience. It targets key areas of the National Curriculum that ment and language activities. Go to: can be explored and supported by the programmes. www.bbc.co.uk/learning/schoolradio/subjects/ Before using the programme: drama/letsmakeastory • listen to the programme and read through these notes in advance – assess suitability and note areas for Fun, interactive learning! development or extra support • use the best equipment available – it makes a real difference to the children’s concentration and work • you will need a fairly large, cleared space • allow at least 40 minutes to complete the work for each programme • larger groups may need longer to allow time for everyone to feed back and participate (the amount of time allowed for groups to show each other their work is a key factor in determining how long the material takes). 2 Preparation: Drama skills - are pupils:

• Pupils should dress to allow easy movement. They do not need • using their imaginations as they become part of the situation and Feedback PE kit. act out aspects of the story? • No warm-up is necessary as the programmes build in a • showing empathy with the characters and their situation? We are always pleased to hear how you progressive development but settle the pupils in the correct • joining in with acting activities? All or some? use our programmes and, in particular, groupings quietly to listen at the start – the notes for each • able to translate the ideas that arise from discussion into drama? how your own school performance has programme give details of the activities. • using the information they have gained from the programmes to gone. Please send any feedback to: appropriately inform their work - eg with regard to language? During the programme: BBC School Radio Social skills: 3rd Floor Bridge House Refer to the programme notes. They provide: MediacityUK • how well do pupils work together in twos, larger groups, with the M50 2BH • a brief synopsis of the story whole class? • the programme structure – the activities that will take place • are they able to see things from another point of view? Or email us at: during the programme • teacher guidance – ideas for teacher involvement intended to Cross-curricular skills: [email protected] get the most out of the programmes • • are the pupils thinking in a historical or scientific way if required by In most programmes you will hear: a unit? • in relation to PSHE, how are they responding to the ethical dilem- Downloading these • short, dramatised scenes with a narrator – these set the scene mas posed in many programmes? programmes and give instructions • in relation to Citizenship, how do they respond to the challenges • sections of background sound effects – these provide a stimulus offered by the programmes such as decision making and working These programmes can be downloaded for pupil activities as part of a community? for 60 days following transmission. • instructions from the narrator – these tell pupils what to do Go to this page of the BBC Podcast and the groupings to work in Directory: • the stop signal – usually music – used to indicate either that it’s time to bring an activity to a close (stop the programme and www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/fsid focus the children to hear the next part of the programme) or that the programme should be stopped so pupils can perform If you subscribe to the podcast your an activity, often discussion or enactment, following the narra- computer will automatically search for tor’s instructions any new content, meaning you should • short pauses in the narration – so that pupils can get organised never miss a programme. Alternatively (switch off and start the programme as necessary) refer to the transmission dates right to  see when programme becomes avail- Assessing your group’s use of the series: able.

Speaking and listening skills: Programmes reamins available from the School Radio website and iPlayer Radio • how well do pupils listen to the ideas of others and contribute following transmission. their own? • do some pupils find it hard to talk about a situation or solution if asked? • are they using new vocabulary introduced during the unit? Reconstruction of the in the 3 Drama activities Teacher guidance The Sutton Hoo ship Programme 1 Pairs. Carefully excavating inside Remind the children again of the the ship to reveal the lines of need to work with great care to Programme structure iron rivets. ensure that no damage is done. En- courage them to co-operate both in Drama activities Teacher guidance terms of their work and is their use Individual. of the space. Move among the pairs, 1 joining in alongside them and asking Making contrasting still Emphasise that the mood of the pictures showing first a two pictures should contrast. questions to encourage less confi- The Sutton Hoo Saxon invader, then a Saxon Encourage children to make use of dent pupils and to establish detail. settler. previous class work on Saxons as Whole group. Direct the discussion by asking ship appropriate. Considering how the ship questions. Remind the children of Focus on a slow, smooth change might have come to be bur- some of the relevant details - eg from one picture to the next. Switch ied in a field through class that a river runs near the site. Synopsis: off the tape if you wish to practise discussion. If the pupils already know the a controlled transition from one circumstances of the ship burial the picture to the next. activity will be an opportunity to Becky, a young archaeologist, welcomes recap their knowledge. For those the group to Sutton Hoo. She begins Individual. who do not it is an opportunity the story of the famous archaeological Digging carefully in the earth Remind the children to take care to speculate using the facts gained discovery at the site. In 1938 Mrs Edith at the start of the excavation with their digging movement - since from the programme. Encourage Pretty approaches a local archaeologist of the burial mounds. each turn of the spade may reveal a pupils to use their imaginations and called to begin excavations discovery. Observe which pupils are welcome suggestions that demon- on the site. At his insistence the largest engaging with their role and which strate careful thinking, even if not of the mounds is left untouched. are having difficulty. strictly accurate. However, the smaller mounds yield Pause the programme and allow the very few artefacts. activity to continue longer if you Whole group. Allocate roles and then space chil- wish. Recreating the process by dren to suggest the outline of the In May the following year Mrs Pretty Individual. which the ship is brought ship and move among them to work engages Brown again and this time Revealing what Basil Brown Pause the programme at the signal. from the river to the burial on individual areas of the picture. he begins excavations on the largest is thinking - at the end of a Ask pupils to recommence the place in a still picture. When the whole group is ready cre- mound. Within four days he and his long day’s digging without digging, emphasising that they are ate the still picture at a signal given helpers have uncovered the impression finding anything - by speaking feeling tired. At a suitable moment by you. of the Sutton Hoo ship. his thoughts. ‘freeze’ the action. Then pass among Extend the activity by bringing the pupils and invite them to speak their still picture to life! Emphasise the They are on the verge of a great thoughts. enormity of the task - moving the discovery... ship would have required close co- operation. You could choose some- one to lead, calling out when to pull to co-ordinate the group’s efforts.

4 2 The Sutton Hoo treasure Drama activities Teacher guidance Whole group. Programme Considering the evidence Lead the discussion by asking open- to decide what can be said ended questions. Remind the chil- Programme structure about the person buried dren of all the relevant details that in the ship through class have been discovered so far. Draw Drama activities Teacher guidance discussion. on class work as appropriate. Extend the activity by asking volun- Pairs. teers to summarise what has been 2 Recapping the first session Remind the children of the type of decided in role as archaeologists by by creating a ‘phone con- details the discussion should include giving a verbal report to the group. versation in which either by asking questions. Move among The Sutton Hoo Basil Brown or the pairs listening to conversations Whole group. explains the discovery of the and joining in as necessary. Listen Taking it in turns to per- This activity is likely to work best treasure ship to an archaeologist who to see which pupils are able to use suade Edith Pretty (teacher with you in role as Edith Pretty. doesn’t know about it. vocabulary associated with archae- in role) what she should do Invite the children to speak in turn. Synopsis: ology and the Sutton Hoo discovery. with the treasure. Encourage them to sustain and develop their opinions by asking Pairs. questions of your own. Encourage Becky welcomes the group for their A sequence of movements Emphasise again the need to work the children to consider what the second session at Sutton Hoo. She working inside the ship to with painstaking care. Listen for just thing would be to do with the takes them back to the summer of reveal the first treasures of instructions from the narrator and treasures. 1939 and the discovery of the Anglo- the site, prompted by the repeat these as necessary. Saxon burial ship. voice of the narrator. Move among pairs observing their Whole group. work and joining in as necessary. Recreating the coroner’s Allocate roles and shape individual court at which the owner- sections of the picture taking into A team of expert archaeologists from Pairs. Move among pairs listening to their ship of the treasure will be account the key focal points of the around the country visits the site and Talking in role as one of the descriptions, noting which children decided. coroner (the ‘judge’) and Charles Charles Phillips assumes responsibility archaeologists to describe have based their finds on informa- Phillips / Mrs Pretty. for from Basil Brown. The exca- a spectacula