Horrible Histories KS3 Alicia Pope KS3

Introduction Alicia Pope did a degree in English ’s markets itself as ‘history with the gory bits left in’ and it and Theatre & Media Drama at the doesn’t disappoint. The irreverent collection of books and the TV series, along with various University of Glamorgan, followed stage shows and recently a movie, offer children and adults alike a look at history with all the by a PGCE at UWE in Bristol. She ‘off with their heads’ that it entails. is currently in her ninth year of This scheme of work is based on five books from the series and offers ideas for practically teaching. exploring content through devising and improvisation. Although the activities are based on specific sections from specific books, many of the activities are designed to be adjusted to fit with many different Horrible Histories texts.

The Mysterious Maya Learning objective §§ To use the information from Angry Aztecs to create a vlog using multi role.

Discussion: Horrible Histories style Horrible Histories is essentially a comedy sketch show, but one of the reasons it has been so successful is that is written by an experienced team of adult sketch show writers who have perfected their craft and created a show that is sophisticated and engaging, so much so that many of its songs and sketches have had hundreds of thousands of hits on YouTube. The show is also popular because of its talented cast and its non-patronising, engaging tone, and its willingness to tackle the topics that children want to know about - death, blood, wee and poo. Text: Angry Aztecs by Terry Deary, Ask students to list the conventions that they are familiar with from Horrible Histories. These ISBN: 9781407104256 might include the short sketch format, often incorporating modern television show ideas; mult-roling; ensemble work; direct address; songs and irreverent humour, as well as the mix of historical fact and modern day life.

Warm-up: Zip, Zap, Boing Ask students to stand in a circle. Explain that you have a ball of energy which can be passed to the left by gesturing to the left with your left hand or to the right by gesturing to the right with your right hand and saying ‘Zip’. When the zip gets to you, you can either continue the zip in the same direction or you can stop the zip by raising both arms and saying ‘boing’. If a zip is boinged then the last person to zip must zip in the opposite direction and gesturing that way with their hand. Alternatively, they can ‘zap’. You zap by placing both hands together with arms extended and throwing the ‘energy’ across the circle whilst shouting ‘Zap!’ (It is important that students point clearly at someone or the game breaks down.) The person who receives the zap then continues with a zip in either direction. You cannot boing a zap. You can only zap after you have been boinged. You cannot zap a zap. Aim for speed for maximum effect.

Main activity 1: Miserable Mayan Children vlog Discussion: Who are your favourite vloggers/YouTubers? What conventions do you expect to find in their videos? What conventions do you use if you make your own videos? Read Miserable Mayan Children on pp. 20 to 24 and discuss what life was like for Mayan children. Discuss each of the ten items and how you might devise work around it, e.g.

The two wells §§ Vlogger introduces themselves – ‘Hey guys, here I am at the “speaking to the gods well” where they just flung six-year-old Suzy down the hole. Hey, Suzy! What’s up? That’s it, keep your head up.’ §§ Vlogger speaks to Suzy’s parents/siblings about what’s happening. www.dramaandtheatre.co.uk Autumn Term 2 2019/20 Drama & Theatre 1 Horrible Histories KS3

§§ Vlogger leans over into the well and shouts down to Suzy. §§ Suzy is hauled out of the well and reveals what the gods have told her. This could be very dramatic or very trivial. Or Suzy might not make it out of the well.

In groups of four, use the information from pp. 20 – 24 to create a Miserable Mayan Children vlog. As there is a lot of information, groups could just choose three or four elements to explore in their vlog. Actors frequently multi role in Horrible Histories, so this technique would be an ideal focus for this activity.

Things to consider: Multi role – Students might opt to have to have the same vlogger to introduce each item, or they might switch this role. Encourage them to opt for creating a different role in each scene so that they can consider their use of skills. For each character they should think about: §§ Who is your character? Think about age, gender, status. §§ How does your character interact with the other characters on stage? This might link to their status as well as their age. Is your character confident and outgoing or self-conscious and quiet? Why? §§ How does your character move around the space? Consider posture, gesture, gait. §§ How is your character feeling? How will you express this through your use of facial expressions? §§ How will you use vocal skills to create your character? Consider pitch, pause, pace, volume, accent and emphasis.

Rehearsal, performance and feedback After each performance, ask the audience for positive comments on the work they have seen. Encourage students to think in Drama terms about what they like or what has worked, e.g. ‘Sam’s facial expression was effective; her wide eyes and raised eyebrows worked well with her high pitched, tone of voice’, rather than ‘It was good’. Equally, with points of constructive criticism try to encourage students to offer practical suggestions of how to improve work.

Terrible Tudors Text: Terrible Tudors by Terry Deary Learning objectives and Neil Tonge, ISBN: 9780439944052. §§ To use a split stage to devise a Tudor doctor and patient scene §§ To use the information to devise a scene based on and punishment.

Warm-up: Who am I? This is an old favourite that students always enjoy. You might choose to play this in small groups and perhaps narrow the focus by giving each group a certain play, book or film and suggesting characters from one specific place rather than anyone in the world. Each person needs a pen and a sticky note. Ask each person to write the name of someone from their chosen play/book/film on their sticky note. It should be someone that everyone is likely to be familiar with rather than a more obscure character. Each person takes one of the names and without looking at it sticks the note to their forehead. Around the circle each person asks a question that has a yes or no answer, e.g. Am I man? Do I have a beard? Am I a baddie? If the answer to the question is yes, they can ask another question, if it is no then play moves to the next person. Continue for a set time or until everyone has guessed their person.

Main activity 1: Doctor, Doctor... Read pp. 22 to 25, Doctor, doctor…! and Patient, patient…!. In groups of four, ask students to use the information from the book to devise a doctor and patient scene which mixes a Tudor doctor with modern patients. The patients should present with modern complaints, but the doctor will offer Tudor advice, e.g. patient arrives with a very sore throat, possibly tonsillitis, doctor examines them and prescribes eating the scrapings from the skull of an executed criminal. The doctor should be very earnest with their advice and the patients should react in the way one might in the twenty-first century if, for example, your doctor prescribed eating live spiders to cure migraine. Whether the patients walks away or the doctor forces them to www.dramaandtheatre.co.uk Autumn Term 2 2019/20 Drama & Theatre 2 Horrible Histories KS3

accept their treatment is up to each group. One student should take on the role of the doctor while the other three play the patients. For higher ability groups, each patient could multi-role and create a second character with a different ailment. For staging, encourage students to use a split stage with the doctor on one side and the waiting room on the other so students are always acting. In the waiting room they may be obviously ill, waiting quietly, looking at their phone, reading a magazine as well as reacting to other patients coming out horrified with their prescription to swallow lice. §§ How will your Tudor character differ from your modern characters? §§ How will you show this in your use of movement, facial expression and vocal skills? §§ How will you create a modern character that is different from yourself? If you multi-role how will your characters differ from each other and from yourself?

Rehearse, perform and feedback.

Main activity 2: Crime and punishment In groups of four, using the information on pp. 42 and 43, ask students to create an ensemble piece exploring different and their Tudor punishments. Offer students the freedom to choose how they present the information. Discuss their suggestions as a class and create a list of ideas for students to choose from. Again, it works for this to be a mixture of modern and Tudor characters. There is potential for humour with a Tudor ‘punisher’ suggesting someone has their ears cut off for walking out of the supermarket with something they accidentally left in their trolley or a modern person suggesting rehabilitation or counselling in the face of a punishment of burning at the stake being presented. Suggestions might include: A game show – One student hosts the show while the other three play criminals accused of one of the crimes. The host asks each person to explain their crime (or protest their innocence), then asks the audience to vote for the punishment/spins the wheel to choose the punishment/asks the audience at home to vote for the punishment. A court room – A judge, defence and prosecution and the accused. A police station – The criminals have been arrested and are in front of the Tudor duty sergeant who doesn’t follow the correct procedure, but sends them straight to the appropriate punishment. Extension idea: Ask students to use A chat show – In the style of a daytime show where guests, in this case the accused, are the Rogues Dictionary on p. 47 to invited to talk about their lives/crimes perhaps with audience questions. add a further Tudor element to their performances. Rehearse, perform and feedback.

Groovy Greeks Text: Groovy Greeks by Terry Deary, Learning objectives ISBN: 9780439944021. §§ To create a series of tableaux with narration telling the story of Cronos §§ To animate some of the tableaux into live action §§ To improvise a range of interactions with the oracle.

Warm-up: Giants, Gnomes and Wizards Split the class in half and send each half to opposite ends of the room. Each half must then quietly discuss and decide whether they are going to be giants, gnomes or wizards. When they have agreed, they stand in a straight line facing the other group. When both groups are ready they step forward in time until they meet near the middle. (If they start about three large paces from the middle it makes this a bit easier.) When they meet they must pause and wait for you to count to three; after you have said three they perform the action for their character. Giants: Punch their arms in the air and shout ‘Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum!’ Wizards: Throw both arms forward and shout ‘Kapow!’ Gnomes: Go down on their knees, put their hands on their heads, wiggle their fingers and say ‘Wibble, wibble, wibble!’ Giants beat wizards because they stamp on them, wizards beat gnomes because they make them disappear and gnomes beat giants because they curl up into a ball and trip them over. This is how teams win; they do not have to ‘perform’ these actions!

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The winning team gets a point. The team with most points after a certain number of challenges wins the game.

Main activity 1: Gruesome Gods 1 Read the story of Cronos on pp. 11-15 and discuss what students consider to be the main points. In groups of five ask students to condense the story into six main points and present each one as a tableau with four students creating the frozen image and one narrating what is happening in the image. The narrator should change each time.

Things to consider: §§ The images are frozen so your facial expressions, posture and use of proxemics are really important to tell the audience who you are, what is happening and how you feel. §§ Smooth transitions between images are important to make your work controlled §§ Narration is a form of storytelling so consider how you will use your vocal skills to make your narration exciting.

Rehearse, perform and feedback.

Main activity 2: Gruesome Gods 2 In their groups ask students to discuss their six images and decide on the four best ones. They should then repeat Activity 1, but after holding their tableau they should bring it to life for approximately thirty seconds before freezing again and then moving into the next image and repeating.

Rehearse, perform and feedback.

Main activity 3: Creating Oracles Read or summarise pp. 66 to 69. Divide the class in half and label one half A and the other B. The As are the oracles and the Bs are the visitors. All the As should find a space in the room and stand or sit in a position that best reflects the type of oracle they want to be. They could be friendly and unwelcoming or stern and hostile; this should be reflected in their stance, posture and facial expressions. Ask students to consider how they will use their vocal skills to create their character. Ask all the Bs to consider who their character is and what they wish to know from the oracle. It could be trivial, e.g. Will I find the keys I lost last week, or life changing, e.g. Will I ever find true love. They should also consider before they begin who their character is and how they will use vocal and physical skills Ask all the Bs to choose an oracle and on your word they should approach their oracle and the pair should improvise an encounter. You might put a time limit of a minute on the Extension idea: Ask pairs to interaction. At the end of the minute ask if any pair wishes to perform their work before choose their best improvisation asking each visitor to choose a different oracle, create a different character and start a and rehearse it to create a more new improvisation. After three or four improvisations, swap and ask the Bs to be oracles developed piece for performance. performing examples of work as you go.

Incredible Incas Text: Incredible Incas by Terry Deary, Learning objectives ISBN: 9781407104270. §§ To devise a TV advert based on Inca traditions §§ To perform in a three-way split stage, stopping and starting as requested.

Warm-up: Prisoner Divide the group in half; one group must have three more people than the other. The bigger group each take a chair and place them in a circle, then they stand behind their chair. The smaller group sit on the chairs. Three empty chairs are left. The prison guards (those who are standing) take a step backwards. The object of the game is for the guards always to have someone (a prisoner) in their chair. To start the game, those guards with an empty chair must wink at the prisoners (sitters) to release them from their chair. If a prisoner is winked at, they must move to the winker’s chair. However, the prisoners may be prevented from leaving by the guard behind their chair tapping them on the shoulder. As soon as a guard has an empty chair, www.dramaandtheatre.co.uk Autumn Term 2 2019/20 Drama & Theatre 4 Horrible Histories KS3

they must wink to get another prisoner. You can rotate guards and prisoners so everyone has a go at each role.

Main activity 1: Inca TV Read the following pages: p. 17 – Making it into manhood pp. 31 and 32: Becoming a chosen woman p. 41 – Wee women Discussion: What are the conventions in memorable TV adverts? What adverts do you remember the most? Why are they memorable? Ideas might include: §§ Slogans §§ Endorsement often by celebrities §§ Unique selling point (USP) such as a secret ingredient §§ Product demonstration §§ Persuasive language §§ Music/jingles.

In groups of four, ask students to choose one of the three pages of information from the book to create a thirty-second TV advert for making it into manhood, becoming a chosen woman or a wee woman using the ideas from your discussion of advertising conventions to persuade their audience.

Rehearse, perform and feedback.

Main activity 2: Channel hopping Ask three groups who are performing different ads to set themselves up in the stage space split into three. Ask a member of the audience to act as the person with the remote control. Group one begins to perform and when the audience member pauses them they freeze and group two begins. When they are paused, group three begins. The controller can move back and forth between each of the groups as they choose. The performers must freeze until they are unpaused and must begin exactly where they stopped.

Vile Victorians Text: Vile Victorians by Terry Deary, Learning objectives ISBN: 9780439944045. §§ To improvise a short scene using melodrama conventions §§ To explore physical skills creating Sweeney Todd and/or Mrs Lovatt §§ To explore the character of Sweeney Todd by hot seating §§ To devise a scene based on the story of Sweeney Todd.

Warm-up: Geordie Bowling or Up the Buttons If possible use one of the games on p. 54 as your warm-up activity. Alternatively, set a research homework task on Victorian games and ask students to come to the lesson with game suggestions.

Main activity 1: Victorian Melodrama improvisation Discussion: What is melodrama? What does melodramatic mean? Discuss some of the conventions of melodrama. In pairs ask students to improvise a short melodrama scene ensuring that they include some of the key conventions of the style. Offer students a list of ideas or make a list of scenes as a class so time is not lost thinking of ideas. After a couple of minutes ask students to perform some more before swapping partners and creating a different scene. Repeat until students have improvised three or four scenes.

Main activity 2: Victorian Melodrama Read the extract from ‘Ten Nights in a Bar-Room’ by William W. Pratt on pp. 66-69. In groups of six ask students to rehearse the scene with two students playing Mary and Morgan and the rest taking on the role of the chorus and any other parts students want to include. Ensure that www.dramaandtheatre.co.uk Autumn Term 2 2019/20 Drama & Theatre 5 Horrible Histories KS3

the focus of the performance is to include the conventions of melodrama that students have discussed.

Rehearse, perform and feedback.

Main activity 3: Sweeney Todd shape sculpting Read the story of Sweeney Todd on pp. 119 to 122. In pairs ask students to label themselves A and B. As should stand in a line facing the front and their partners should stand in front of them. A is going to be a lump of clay and B is going to be a sculptor. B must now mould A into an image that they feel best shows Sweeney Todd. They should concentrate on posture, body language and facial expression. A must do exactly as B asks, if necessary B should demonstrate to A how they would like them to position themselves or hold their facial expression. When the Bs have completed their sculpture they should swap and A should sculpt B. Next, ask all the students to stand in a space in the shape they have been sculpted into. Ask them to consider how it feels to be positioned in this way. You could ask individuals to describe how certain elements of their image make them feel, e.g. what the position of their hands suggests to them or how they think they should move considering their posture. Next, ask them to consider how they think they would portray their character vocally. They should think about pitch, pace, volume, tone, accent and emphasis. On the count of three, ask students to say a line of dialogue. You could allow them to make up their own line or offer them some choices from a script. Repeat this with several lines and extend the activity by adding movement around the space. Discussion: Discuss the vocal and physical choices students made as well as the choices their partners made when sculpting them.

Main activity 4: Sweeney Todd hot seating Ask for four volunteers to sit or stand in the performance space and take on the role of Sweeney Todd. They must remain in character throughout. Ask the class to sit facing them and lead a question and answer session where each Sweeney is asked a question in turn about his dreadful activities and must answer as fully as possible in role. You could repeat the activity with Mrs Lovatt and ask the class to question her about her collaboration in Sweeney Todd’s crimes. Discuss the idea of direct address.

Main activity 5: Retelling Sweeney Todd In groups of three, ask students to use the text to devise their own retelling of the story or story based on the idea in the tale. Ask them to consider carefully what techniques they might use including: §§ Tableaux with narration §§ Freezing the action at different points and using direct address §§ Telling the story from different points of view perhaps exploring the one that got away §§ Alternative endings §§ Exploring Sweeney Todd outside of his barber shop, e.g. on a date or visiting his parents. In true Horrible Histories style this could mix the idea of a modern TV show such as First Dates. §§ Exploring Mrs Lovatt: e.g. customers congratulating her on her delicious pies and questioning her on the recipe §§ Telling the story from the point of view of someone who has come to search for one of Sweeney Todd’s victims.

Rehearse, perform and feedback. D&T

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