Improving communication skills

What did the school do?

Activities

A cross-subject approach was taken in 'history topic afternoons'. The whole class had a history input from their teacher before being split into small groups and rotated between activities such as historical research, art and design, dance, drama and music. A plenary session at the end of the afternoon gave the pupils an opportunity to discuss, present and perform their work.

The project was introduced with a visit to a local Tudor home, The Oakhouse, which began with staff giving the pupils a guided tour in small groups. Their trip was interrupted by actors pretending to be the Tarlton sisters, two business women, who brought in a trunk of Tudor artefacts and letters and demanded that the staff research them to see if they were of any value. This set the scene for the pupils to take over researching the artefacts and investigating family history. They were asked to find and record information relevant to their enquiry on the Tudors.

Back in school, the emphasis in arts activities was on studying Tudor artforms, such as what a Pavan sounded like and how the rich were portrayed in portraits.

In music, the pupils were set the task of composing a Pavan and a Galliard in a group of four to six. All the pupils had to take part in the composition and were involved in appraising each other's work. In creating two contrasting pieces, the pupils explored elements of music such as 3/4, 4/4, tempo and form. Some of their Pavans were incorporated into the performance at the end of the term.

In dance, the pupils were taught two comparative dances -- the Pavan (a court dance) and a Tudor folk dance. They were then split into groups, given tapes and sent off to practise.

In art, the pupils analysed portraits of the Tudor monarchs before working on their own portrait in a similar way, thinking about the position and proportion of the figure and the backgrounds chosen. They also made collages, using materials to create examples of fabric designs that would have been worn by wealthy Tudors.

As the culmination of the project, the whole year group wrote and performed a play (eight small writing groups each composed a section). The focus of the play was persuading the Tarlton sisters -- first met on the visit to the Oakhouse -- to 'change their views'. The actors themselves were the target audience.

Teaching strategies

All of the work in this project was carefully planned to give pupils opportunities to:

• communicate with one another and with adults;
• gain a much clearer understanding of aspects of life in Tudor times by making connections between the arts and history.

Teachers used a wide range of teaching strategies, including:

• stimulating interest through different, exciting experiences;
• open-ended questioning and helping pupils to play with ideas and keep their options open;
• an emphasis on speaking and listening, both during group activities and the plenary, where the pupils displayed, performed, reported back and discussed their work;
• an emphasis on positive reinforcement;
• constant challenge based on high expectations of all pupils, ensuring that all contributed to the final performance;
• helping pupils make connections, eg between the rhythms used in the Pavan, the steps in the dance, the clothes worn and the social codes of behaviour;
• encouraging pupils to constantly evaluate their work and the work of others.

Use of time and resources

The pupils had one topic afternoon each week (as described above), plus one music lesson of about an hour per week for the whole of the autumn term. In addition, music compositional tasks were completed during topic afternoons. Towards the end of the project, when preparing for the performance, the pupils often worked as a year group.

On the whole, the pattern of staffing for the year group of 3 classes was the same as for any topic:

• three class teachers;
• the deputy head teaching music;
• the headteacher taking a writing group (again, a regular commitment).

A researcher was given the specific task of observing and collecting data for the project.

In addition, the school formed a close partnership with staff at the Oakhouse (the Tudor house), who played a crucial role in setting up the project. Regular meetings were held to ensure that everyone was clear about what was happening, to share observations and maintain enthusiasm.