Devonshire Pirates - using drama to improve speaking & listening
In March 2008, Devonshire Infant School began their enquiry into the impact that providing practical, exciting opportunities for speaking and listening would have on standards in literacy.
They enlisted the help of drama practitioner Gillian Twaite and embarked on their voyage of discovery. During the summer term, Gillian worked with 90 reception children and in autumn she will work with them again as they move into Year 1.
During the summer term, the theme was pirates which immediately captured the imagination of pupils. Further to this, one room in the school is constantly being re-invented for creative sessions. For this purpose the room was transformed into a desert island complete with sand, palm trees and sea. The children dressed up as pirates and invented their own pirate names. They went on treasure hunts and discovered hidden treasure boxes, they then discussed in detail what they found inside the treasure chests and what the items would be used for.
One of these role play sessions involved Gillian the practitioner being lost on a desert island and wondering what she could safely eat? This led to a discussion whilst the children tried lots of different exotic fruits. They also debated what she should write as a message to send to sea in a bottle to ensure her rescue.
Head teacher at the school Sharron Philpot said of the sessions “The children have really enjoyed it. Their vocabulary was great. The pupils who are normally quiet were confident and stepped forward. We have also seen independent writing improvements – we have given them the experiences to write about”.
Pupils and Devonshire Infant School take part in 'pirate' role play
