Improving communication skills

What did the school want to achieve?

School improvement

The school wanted to raise pupils' attainment across the curriculum by improving their communication skills and their historical knowledge, skills and understanding. It was keen to see an increase in both the quantity and quality of pupils' communication, and a greater willingness to share ideas with both adults and peers. It wanted pupils to develop their historical understanding of life in Tudor times and to communicate this through a play.

By generating excitement and enthusiasm through the arts, the school hoped to create a learning environment in which pupils felt more interested and involved in their education.

History

The project focused on developing pupils' historical understanding of the everyday lives of men, women and children in Tudor society. It wanted pupils to find out about different aspects of life in Tudor times from a range of sources and to communicate their knowledge and understanding through a play.

The school wanted to see an increase in both the quantity and quality of pupils' communication, and a greater willingness to share ideas and knowledge with both adults and peers.

Pupils' arts education

The school provided opportunities for pupils to share arts experiences and increase their cultural awareness. In particular, the school wanted the pupils to:

Music

• gain an understanding and appreciation of two Tudor dance forms (the Pavan and Galliard) by creating their own pieces;
• focus on melody, exploring direction, repetition, structure and form;

Art and design

• explore Tudor portraits, including symbolic aspects of paintings;
• design and decorate a piece of fabric as worn in Tudor times;

Drama

• develop characterisation through improvisation, using the 'five Ws' (who, where, when, why, what);
• understand play structure, elements of Tudor dramatic style and how to move an audience;

Dance

• learn and peform two Tudor dances (the Pavan and a folk dance).