TP-14.4

www.teachwire.net | 19 HOME L EARN I NG 2 Back & forth The following game is a fun and quirkyway to generate a story arc. You’ll need at least two people, taking turns. The first person shares a sentence beginning with theword ‘fortunately’ – their role is to tell a happy, optimistic tale. The next person begins with ‘unfortunately’, and responds, trying tomake the story sad. The playful back and forth is fun in itself, but can lead to inventive story ideas. 3 Home theatre Mousetrap Theatre Projects has launched a new ‘stay-at-home’ theatre initiative to bring the merriment and creativity of the stage into every living room in the country. Every week, it sets different creative challenges which explore different themes, genres and techniques. Week one involves working with your household to create a theatre-inspired video clip. Try a Shakespearean speech, a parody of your favourite show or the famous clicking battle fromWest Side Story. Visit mousetrap.org.uk/ every-home-a-theatre Variety show Link up pupils with each other on an online platform like Google Classroom. Give each child a different topic, ideally covering the breadth of the curriculum. For example, one pupil can research the excavation of the tomb of Tutankhamun, while another researches the significance of the Rosetta Stone for Egyptology. Ask pupils to create a three-minute ‘show’ about their topic, demonstrating and articulating their research in engaging ways. Focus on presentational skills as much as the content being researched. 6 7 Life stories During this period of social distancing and self-isolation, many older people in our communities and families may be feeling particularly lonely. This project can help to keep children occupied in a meaningful way that benefits others. If you’re a parent, think of relatives or neighbours who may like to take part. If you’re a school, investigate linking up with a local nursing home. Children can prepare questions in advance and call their chosen older person to hear their stories. They can then write these up and send them to their interviewees, or phone them up and read it to them. 5 Read, read, read It would be remiss of us not tomention one of the simplest andmost effective home learning activities: read books, and read them well. If children are lucky enough to have lots of books at home, they can start with any they’ve not read before. Many children’swriters have authorised teachers to read their books in online videos. Pupilswill love seeing a familiar face. Family comic Sometimes we overburden children by expecting them to invent a story, plot, characters and dialogue from scratch. By using their real life as fuel, children can focus on the humour and storytelling. Provide a comic book template for them, or they can make their own. They can then create a comic showing the peculiar life of their household. The Beano is a great source of inspiration. Its website contains lots of comic strip examples. 4