Inspiring writing through drama : creative approaches to teaching ages 7-16

225 Pages·2012·2.426 MB·English

by  Patrice Baldwin and Rob John

INSPIRING WRITING
THROUGH DRAMA
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Also available from Bloomsbury
Getting the Buggers to Write (3rd edition)
Sue Cowley
School Improvement Through Drama
Patrice Baldwin
With Drama in Mind (2nd edition)
Patrice Baldwin
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INSPIRING WRITING
THROUGH DRAMA
Creative Approaches to
Teaching Ages 7–16
Patrice Baldwin and Rob John
LONDON (cid:129) NEW DELHI (cid:129) NEW YORK (cid:129) SYDNEY

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First published 2012 by
Bloomsbury Education
A n imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY10010
www.bloomsbury.com

© Patrice Baldwin and Rob John 2012
Foreword © Andy Kempe 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or
retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers.

Patrice Baldwin and Rob John have asserted their right under the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identifi ed as Authors of this work.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

EISBN:978-1-4411-7022-4

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Baldwin, Patrice.
Inspiring writing through drama : creative approaches to teaching
ages 7-16 / Patrice Baldwin and Rob John.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4411-5909-0 – ISBN 978-1-4411-5511-5 – ISBN 978-1-4411-9565-4 –
ISBN 978-1-4411-7022-4 1. English language–Composition and exercises–
Study and teaching–Great Britain. 2. Playwriting–Study and teaching–Great Britain.
3. Drama in education–Great Britain. 4. Role playing. I. John, Rob, 1950- II. Title.
LB1576.B257 2012
808’.042071–dc23

2012004196

Typeset by Newgen Imaging Systems Pvt Ltd, Chennai, India
Printed and bound in India

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Contents
Foreword ix
Acknowledgements xi
Introduction xii
PART 1 DRAMA AND WRITING
1 Breathing Life into Writing
3
Why does writing matter? 3
What skills and experiences do we need in order to become effective writers? 6
What can go wrong when we try to write? 1 1
How can drama help us as writers? 1 4
Drama provides contexts for writing 1 6
Drama provides purposes for writing 1 6
Drama provides audiences for writing 1 7
Drama provides motivations for writing 1 9
Drama can make writing a supportive, social experience 2 0
Drama can help build children’s confidence and self-esteem as writers 2 1
Drama generates ideas for writing 2 3
Drama provides structure to support and develop the writing 2 3
Drama uses and develops the thinking skills necessary for writing 2 5
Drama helps children acquire, use and apply knowledge needed by writers 2 6
2 How Drama Strategies Support Writing
28
What are drama strategies? 2 8
The role of the teacher 2 8
What do drama strategies actually do? 3 0
Examples of how drama strategies work together to support writing 3 3
3 Drama Strategies
50
Meeting and becoming people 5 0
Making decisions and judgements 5 2
Making images 53
Asking questions 5 4
Tracking thoughts 5 5
Making meaning through sound 5 6
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Making meaning through movement 5 7
Working in role 58
Telling stories 59
Improvising 59
Devising and performing 6 0
Forum theatre 60
PART 2 DRAMA UNITS
Introduction
65
The Units 65
Using the unit grids 65
Reading, speaking, listening and writing 65
Challenge and support 65
The writing opportunities 66
Creating your own resources 66
Unit 1 Mary Maguire: Housemaid
67
Introduction 67
Themes 67
Writing opportunities 6 7
Writing resources 6 7
Other resources 68
Mary Maguire: Housemaid 6 8
Unit 2 The King’s Daughters
76
Introduction 76
Themes 76
Writing opportunities 7 6
Writing resources 7 6
Other resources 77
The King’s Daughters 7 7
Unit 3 The Year of the Rats
87
Introduction 87
Themes 87
Writing opportunities 8 7
Writing resources 8 7
Other resources 88
The Year of the Rats 8 8
vi CONTENTS
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Unit 4 The Lost Bag
97
Introduction 97
Themes 97
Writing opportunities 9 7
Writing resources 9 7
Other resources 98
The Lost Bag 98
Unit 5 Lorry
108
Introduction 108
Themes 108
Writing opportunities 1 08
Writing resources 1 08
Other resources 1 09
Lorry 109
Unit 6 When the Bees Died
118
Introduction 118
Themes 118
Writing opportunities 1 18
Writing resources 1 18
Other resources 1 19
When the Bees Died 1 19
Unit 7 Invisible
130
Introduction 130
Themes 130
Writing opportunities 1 30
Writing resources 1 30
Other resources 1 31
Invisible 131
Unit 8 Once They Get Started
140
Introduction 140
Themes 140
Writing opportunities 1 40
Writing resources 1 40
Other resources 1 41
Once They Get Started 1 41
CONTENTS vii
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PART 3 WRITING RESOURCES
Introduction
151
Unit 1 Mary Maguire: Housemaid
152
Unit 2 The King’s Daughters
160
Unit 3 The Year of the Rats
166
Unit 4 The Lost Bag
173
Unit 5 Lorry
180
Unit 6 When the Bees Died
185
Unit 7 Invisible
192
Unit 8 Once They Get Started
197
References and Further Reading 2 03
Index 205

viii CONTENTS
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Foreword
At a time when so many aspects of education are becoming more m echanistic, mundane
and anaesthetic, this book presents a robust argument in favour of a creative approach
to the development of literacy. As its title proclaims, its project is to inspire writing through
drama. It seems to me that it certainly delivers what it says on the tin! Following a thorough
and thoughtful exposition of the relationship between drama and writing, the book provides
a plethora of practical strategies and excellent resources which have been carefully and
imaginatively structured to promote the development of both written and oral communication.
The richness of the ideas presented here is a celebration of the richness of our language, the
fl uidity of which is as astonishing as its capacity to evolve.
It has been estimated that Chaucer had a working vocabulary of around 8,000 words. Just
200 years later, Shakespeare was using some 24,000 words. Such a rapid expansion may be
put down to the explosion of discoveries emerging from the renaissance. New discoveries and
new ideas need new words. Today, the O xford English Dictionary states that there are currently
over 170,000 words in common usage. What’s intriguing is that not only is the language still
expanding, its forms are mutating so we have whole new modes of communication. Not so
long ago we might have said that written language could be divided between prose and poetry.
Spoken language could be categorized as conversation, narration, recitation and formal,
rehearsed speech. And there were hybrid forms in which spoken language was captured in the
written word: transcription, for example, and of course dramatic literature. It is here, in these
hybrid forms, that the mutation of language has been so prevalent in recent years. We may
now add text messaging, emails, blogs and tweets to the list of those forms of writing that
draw on and readily refl ect the directness and ellipsis of speech. Some of these new modes
even employ new forms of notating visual aspects of live oral communication through devices
such as emoticons and, lol, textspeak! How then might we embrace the exciting possibilities
of our propensity to communicate in new and creative ways while ensuring that what we
communicate is worthwhile and effective? Well, ‘Inspiring Writing Through Drama’ isn’t a bad
place to start.
When Alexander Pope wrote that ‘True ease in writing comes from art, not chance’ I suspect
he was referring to the care and the craft, the feeling and mastery of form that underpins the
most effective manifestations of notated language. In this timely new book, Patrice Baldwin
and Rob John not only embrace Pope’s aphorism but add another dimension. Neither Patrice
nor Rob are slouches when it comes to exercising their own considerable ability to write clearly,
purposefully and with feeling. They are both experts in the teaching of drama as a discrete
subject. They both have a fi rm grasp on how to use the art form as a means of exploring the
whole curriculum in order to help develop children’s knowledge, skills and understanding of a
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