Session 3: Exploring sectarianism: case studies

PDF file: Drama lesson ideas

Session outline:

• Recap of previous lesson.
• Newspaper articles that raise the issues of sectarianism are passed around the class. (See Health Warning below) Children read and discuss their feelings about the stories. (Scottish newspaper websites can be found at: http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/scotland.htm)
• Using the newspaper articles groups act out the stories to the class.
• Children then mime (act out without using words) the same stories to the class. This is designed to highlight the subtleties of the situations.
• In a large circle children discuss whether mime or dialogue was a more powerful means of communicating the issues.
• Each group picks a tableau (a still picture to represent one scene) from their drama to highlight the main issue of their story to the class.
• The class discusses what they have performed and observed.
• The teacher leads a discussion on the events in the newspaper articles, how the people behaved and what has been learnt so far about sectarianism.
• Children split into groups to work on their projects.

Learning 0utcomes - by the end of the session children will (lessons 1, 2, 3):

• Movement and mime (M & M) - move inventively and appropriately in a given space.
• Using language - speak audibly and clearly, contribute to planning.
• Investigating - sustain fairly complex roles.
• Creating and designing - in response to the stimulus offer ideas which could be used to create the drama, going beyond the obvious stereotypes.

Extension activity

• Children jot down what they have done in their journal.
• Teacher suggests to the class that some of the work can be used in morning school assembly.

HEALTH WARNING!

• Be careful when selecting media stories for re-enactment that young people do not focus purely on the 'gory' and 'violent' aspects, e.g. who can be the most violent dramatically, thus losing the overall point of the exercise.
• Be aware of language and class dynamics particularly in relation to perpetuating sectarian prejudice and religious intolerance.
• The teacher is to gain trust from pupils prior to the session and vice versa.