This is one of a series of lesson ideas provided by Gill Chesney-Green from Derbyshire in the UK.  (Thanks a plenty Gill! - Kim Flintoff - Webmaster)

LESSON:    “The Party”

AIMS:

• To introduce drama to pupils who may never have experienced this before
• To stimulate curiosity and interest in Drama
• To gently encourage participation in Drama work

OBJECTIVES:

• To explore what it might mean to be an “outsider”
• To encourage insight into another person’s experience through the drama

STRATEGIES: 

• Teacher-in-role with one pupil
• Small group work
• Pair work
• Reflection: thought tracking discussion

Introduce drama as a process and outline what it will entail.

Ask if anyone has a birthday coming up soon ... this person will be the “volunteer” who will work with the teacher.

Set up a situation with the “volunteer” so that Teacher plays the parent while the pupil plays the offspring whose birthday party is coming up shortly. Stress that the parent has instructed that the child should write out a list of who they want to invite and then to show it to the parent .... but that the child has already asked his friends but has not, as yet, given his parent the list.

During a short scene (perhaps when the child has just got home from school) the parent asks when the child is going to give them the list before they ask their friends as there are only a few days left before the party. When the child “reads out” the list the parent will object to one of the names. This child cannot come to the party and if s/he has been invited well they’d better be “un-invited”. It is likely to be a child in the class ...who is it? The drama can stop here to discuss the implications.

This child will play the next scene with the first child . Tell this new child (in private) that they have spent a lot of money on the present and that when they see their friend that they are to stress this and how excited they are about the party. The object of the scene is to put the first child “on the spot” and to see how they manage the situation. Discuss with the class the scene they have seen and if there are any other “solutions” to the situation. Ask the participants how their character felt about the situation. Stress that there are no definite right and wrong solutions ....perhaps some are better than others.

From this point on ask the class which scenes they would like to explore.

Possibilities are:

•  trying to persuade parent to change their mind
• perhaps second child’s parent phoning up to ask why her child hasn’t been invited
• looking back to find out how the parent came to make their decision in the first place

RELATED ACTIVITIES: 

• Designing a party invitation (perhaps using I.T.)
• Writing a letter of thanks for a lovely present

CROSS-CURRICULAR LINKS:  Links with P.S.E.