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English:
Children should be encouraged to "adopt, create and sustain a range of roles, responding appropriately to others in role (both verbally and non-verbally)”.
History:
Children should be taught about "an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066". (DfE, 2013)

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Here, I have included a selection of drama warm ups/ starters from two drama-based online resource websites that can be used in schools.

Where appropriate/ time permits, please feel free to use them as starter/ plenary activities with the class.

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Drama Games

Drama Games for breaking the ice, physical warm-ups, group dynamics and encouraging creativity. These activities are drawn from a wide range of sources, including traditional games, as well as exercises developed by directors, actors and teachers. View each category by clicking on the tabs below.

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Drama Games by David Farmer for breaking the ice, physical warm-ups, group dynamics and encouraging creativity.

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(Children in pairs to improvise responses between evacuee/ parent)

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Host families interview

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Context

For many children evacuation provided their first real contact with the countryside.

Many children helped with work, for example on farms.

The experience was often a complete contrast to life in the city and some children expressed fear of farm animals that they had never seen before.

Life was not necessarily any easier in the countryside, but food was usually less scarce and many children enjoyed more physical exercise than previously.

This is another interview from September 1939 and the BBC programme 'We have been evacuated'. As you'll hear, chips were as popular then as they are today!

'I've been married 16 years with no children of my own...and I'm very glad to have these two girls...for I've always longed for two...and we've been over the hills, rambling and running about...and we have a girl, Frances, their friend with them, she comes and goes out with us...and on Sunday tea we had a party for them...Blind Man's Bluff and Hide and Seek...all the games we could think of...and I think they had a grand time. They're here with me now and they're thinking of going swinging this afternoon...enjoying their selves.'

'What does your husband think about it?'

'Oh he's glad to have them - he's just thrilled at having them. And he says he hopes they stay forever.'

And here's another housewife from the same town. She has two children of her own but she's no less ready to welcome the newcomers...

'I ask them what they'd like...and they just say that as long as it's home-cooked food they're satisfied...they've had a cooked dinner each day...I asked each of them yesterday what they'd like for tea and they said 'Oh anything' and I said 'Do you like home-made chips?' and they said 'Yes we love them!' They both had a second helping of them and enjoyed them!

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For many children evacuation provided their first real contact with the countryside. Many children helped with work, for example on farms. The experience was often a complete contrast to life in the city and some children expressed fear of farm animals that they had never seen before.

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Evacuee child talking about host family

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Context

The families who received evacuees were called 'host' families. When evacuees arrived in the 'reception areas' in the countryside they would be taken to a public place, often a village hall.

Here they would be the responsibility of a 'billeting officer' who would line them up, ready for selection by the host families

Strong, healthy-looking boys were often chosen first so that they could help with work - e.g. on farms.

Host families were often reluctant to accept mixed groups of boys and girls, which was a problem for brothers and sisters who did not wish to be parted. Those who insisted on remaining together were often the last to be chosen.

Evacuation meant upheaval and disruption for host families just as it did for evacuees. But many life-long friendships were forged between evacuees and the children they met in their new homes.

The boy speaking here was interviewed by Olive Shapley of the BBC in September 1939.

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Children in World War 2: A host child describes his experiences

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The families who received evacuees were called 'host' families. When evacuees arrived in the 'reception areas' in the countryside they would be taken to a public place, often a village hall. Here they would be the responsibility of a 'billeting officer' who would line them up, ready for selection by the host families Strong, healthy-looking boys were often chosen first so that they could help with work - e.g.

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Evacuee children taking about experience

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Context

The Evacuation was an extraordinary achievement, but it was certainly not without problems. Hundreds of children arrived in the wrong places and in some areas there were insufficient host families to look after all the children.

Then there was the emotional trauma experienced by many children, which often began when they were lined up in the local village hall for selection.

Thereafter evacuee children had contrasting experiences: some enjoyed happy, care-free times with a second family. But for others evacuation remained a painful experience and, for some, a time of mistreatment.

Olive Shapley of the BBC interviewed these evacuees near Manchester for a programme broadcast in September 1939 called 'We have been evacuated'.

Transcript

'Now what about you two...what's your name?'
'Cynthia Green.'
'And you're...?'
'Francis Ravenscroft.'
'And you were both evacuated on...?'
'September the first.'
'You know about all that! How are you liking it? What do you think of it all?'
'I think it's very nice, we've been taken into the homes of the people and made very homely on the first night...'
'Everybody speaks to you.'
'Is it very different from town life do you think?'
'Oh yes, oh yes, it's a lot nicer than the town life...the country air's a lot different than the town air and...a lot nicer in the country than in town...especially Manchester!'
'You don't feel homesick or anything?'
'No! Not got a chance for that!'

'Hello Mum and Dad. Don't get worried about us...we're all very happy here and I don't think anybody wants to go home yet. We go on the moors nearly every night and watch all the cows...and sheep...grazing...and the river flowing...we're quite near it now. And we go playing football on the football pitch...and watch the colliery. Last week the boys and girls had a match of netball...and there was 14 girls and three boys...but the girls won us!'

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Evacuees in World War 2: Evacuees from Manchester interviewed

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The Evacuation was an extraordinary achievement, but it was certainly not without problems. Hundreds of children arrived in the wrong places and in some areas there were insufficient host families to look after all the children. Then there was the emotional trauma experienced by many children, which often began when they were lined up in the local village hall for selection.

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Lesson 1: Neville Chamberlain - Teacher Hot seating 

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Lesson 1: Neville Chamberlain - Teacher Hot seating 

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(30 children in the class)

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The aim of this digital resource is to educate children in a Year 5 class about an aspect of World War II. Since World War II is such a broad topic, with many different subject areas, it would be impossible to teach the whole series of lessons over 3-4 lessons. Due to this reason,  I have decided the focus of this padlet is Evacuation. The first lesson is a teacher in role/ hot seating activity where the teacher plays the role of Neville Chamberlain and the children ask questions they have thought of previously. The second lesson is a role-play evacuee day, this lesson entails the children arriving at school as 'evacuees' and following a similar journey that the evacuated children would have experienced during the War. The third lesson is a pair - improvisation activity where children are split into pairs (1 A, 1 B). The children are given a very short time to rehearse a response from a scenario and they have to adopt the persona of that character, they then perform to the class sitting back to back, mostly improvising. Drama is a very cross-curricular subject that lends itself across the curriculum. For example, a cross-curricular link to this padlet and the series of lessons could be the build up to a writing activity in Literacy (such as letter writing, newspaper articles, diary entries in the perspective of evacuees/ government/ Chamberlain/ Churchill/ Parents of evacuees/ host families etc.) Drama also develops some childrens speech and language, confidence, ability to show emphathy/ sympathy etc.

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(30-32 children sat in tables of 8 - split into groups of 4 to play beetle)