It worked for me: key stage 2 cameos

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Using history topics successfully as a focus for class assemblies

Judith Holmes, history subject leader at Awbridge Primary School, has discovered the benefits of using history topics as the focus for her class assemblies.

As Judith became immersed in her key stage 1 history topics, it became increasingly clear that they all provided excellent opportunities for drama/role play, dance and speaking in front of an audience – all essential elements for a class assembly.

Furthermore, she began to realise that assemblies provided an excellent opportunity to share other cross-curricular work linked to history, such as art, design and technology and PSHE. And if you are a history subject leader, what better way to promote the status of history in the curriculum? Judith said, ‘So, after a rather tentative start, my class assemblies for my year 1 and 2 children have become something to look forward to rather than something to dread! And the children just love doing them.’

Over the past four years Judith has managed to successfully produce assemblies on Victorian schools, the sinking of the Titanic, Victorian seaside holidays and the Great Fire of London. They only require simple costumes and resources and take a relatively short time to organise and rehearse.

Here is a brief outline of her ideas for an assembly about the Great Fire of London: Hopefully you might find some useful tips or even avoid a few headaches.

Resources required:

Costumes worn by children (if required):

The assembly starts with ‘Mr Spielberg’ announcing his aim to make a disaster movie about the Great Fire of London. A researcher finds two children from the school to help. Meanwhile, two funny modern-day firemen arrive with their fire appliance only to find themselves reprimanded by the children for obvious reasons (there were no telephones to dial 999 in 1666!).

The children share their knowledge of London in 1666 including the style of housing. This provides an opportunity to display cross-curricular art or design and technology work. During the presentation some children climb onto the A-frames (houses). When the children describe how smelly and dirty London was, the rest of the children enter from behind, walking between the two A-frames, holding their noses due to the smell, before sitting in two rows in front of the A-frames, facing the audience. Children sitting in the houses pretend to throw rubbish down onto the streets below. (They really enjoy this bit!)

The audience can be involved at this stage by being asked to look at an OHP of London in 1666, to see if they can identify the fire hazards.

Meanwhile at the front of the stage some more confident children can be introduced as Charles II, Samuel Pepys and the mayor, Mr Bludworth.

On one side of the stage, the two children continue as narrators, retelling the events of the Great Fire and pausing to allow the actors to perform their parts. For example, the baker can check the ovens, pretend to go to sleep, then wake up to find his bakery on fire. He can wake up his family sitting on the A-frame and helping them escape out of the attic window by climbing off the A frame.

When the narrator describes how the flames spread, all the children sitting on the floor in rows can perform a simple yet effective flame dance (making curling shapes with their hands and bodies while keeping their feet still). In turn, groups can step forwards to act out four different methods used to put out the fire, for example:

The rest of the children continue as flames until they are ‘put out’. When appropriate, the teacher can call out ‘freeze’ to allow each group to explain what they are doing.

After a visit from Samuel Pepys, Charles II can order soldiers to take barrels of gunpowder to blow up houses to create fire breaks. Again some children can act out placing the barrels under the A-frames and setting the fuse. While the children pretend to cover their ears, the teacher can count down to zero. Then the children jump up pretending to be the explosion, and percussion instruments can be used for sound effects.

Samuel Pepys can take over some of the narration, pretending to write in his diary. The children on stage can pretend to pack their belongings and either walk or row away to safety across the river.

Finally the king and Christopher Wren can return to the stage to inspect the damage and make plans for a new London.

At the end of the story, Mr Spielberg can return to thank the two children who helped him and the assembly can finish with all the children singing ‘London’s burning’ as a round.

Much of the assembly preparation will hopefully arise during the topic. For example, when the children are examining pictures showing different ways to put out the fire, why not have a real purpose to their role play? You could say ‘We can use the best ideas in our class assembly.’

Have fun!