Subject areas - Literacy, Drama and PSHE (Indicated in bold)

These lesson plans are intended for Post show work, but some of the idea could be adapted to be used pre show.

Please see Extracts from the play. These cover five different drama techniques; diary, flashback, letter, narrative and non - verbal communication.

Jago's Box - Literacy PSHE

• Discuss the play, the characterisations, the story, setting, conflict / climax, resolution themes, war, refugees, relationships, cooperation, friendship, bullying, death and bereavement, journeys.
• Read through the synopsis. Ask the children to write a short story imagining what it would be like if they were in that situation. Ask them to consider, why Jago became a refugee, what happened to him, what he felt in the orphanage and when he first met Graf. Did Jago or Graf change throughout the play?
• Get the children to write Jago's diary from the start to the end of the play. Consider what might happen to Jago next.
• Get the children to continue the story of Jago and Graf, what could happen to them, how they moved on in their lives, both practically and emotionally. This could be a narrative or play script.
• Ask the children to imagine that Jago is coming to their school. Write about his first day at their school. How would he feel, what would he do, what would be the reaction from his peers, teachers, and head teacher? How would it be different from their first day at the school?
  

Refer to Diary scenes (see Extracts from the play) - Drama PSHE

Read the script with the class and discuss the concept of not being able to trust, children telling lies, and why. Look at the written words (in Graf's diary) and using exaggerated movements; develop these into spoken words using expression and vocal variation. Allow the children to create still pictures of the images.

Refer to Flashback scenes (see Extracts from the play) - Literacy Drama PSHE

Read the script with the class and discuss PSHE issues, consider what refugees might take and leave in their journey to safety. Introduce these activities by explaining that sometimes refugees have to leave their home quickly. Often refugees may not know where they will be going and how long they will be away.

Ask the children to compare packing for a holiday in comparison to packing as a refugee. Using mime and freeze frame create images reflecting the process of packing. Compare the two contrasting situations and emotions. Consider using a narrator with the other children miming the holiday packing scene and then packing as a refugee.

Children to make their own two lists of things that the children would take.

• Packing for a holiday
• Packing as a refugee

Prompt the children into imagining that they could be in danger and that they have decided to flee. They do not know where they are going. Get them to imagine that they have to pack quickly - just essential things, unusual objects or very special objects that are really 'special' to them. Think about the symbolic importance of these special objects. It could be that they just have 15 minutes to pack 10 items in a small bag.

The class could then make a list of things that they value, that they would have to leave behind. They should include non material things, like friends in their list.

Use mime to dramatise the objects and emotions felt whilst packing, or having had their 'box' taken away. Other issues and topics to consider could be World War Two evacuees, the story of Anne Frank, packing for the holocaust etc.

As an extension get the children to add negative / positive emotional adjectives to their suitcase e.g. anger, hate, love, happiness. Finally ask how would they feel, if their special things in their 'bag', 'suitcase' or 'box' was taken from them, how would they feel?

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Refer to Flashback scene (see Extracts from the play) - Literacy PSHE

Give children pieces of paper or 'post it' notes, putting on them reasons why people move homes. Come together to make a single list of why people move. Put into two columns

a) Reasons why people move when they want to
b) Reasons why people move because they are forced to.

Reinforce the idea that refugees are people who move against their will.

The class could be asked to imagine what it would be like to arrive in the UK from another country. Each child can decide which country they have come from. In small groups the children can discuss their arrival in Britain, their new home, the first day at school and other new experiences. The children's own experiences of starting school can be used as a prompt for discussion. There may be children in the class who did not speak English when they started school and their experiences could be discussed.

Each child could then write a letter to an imaginary friend they left in their home country. The letter should describe how it feels to be living in a new country and starting at a new school.

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Refer to letter scene (see Extracts from the play) - Drama PSHE

Hot seat Jago, maybe just using facial gesture, showing emotions, just answering with no and yes nods. Maybe allow Jago to speak his thoughts, or allowing others to speak his thoughts for him.

Sitting in a circle pass round a piece of paper, allow the children to imagine that it is a letter. Consider what type of letter it could be for example an invitation to a party. They should then imagine that they have just received this letter and that they are going to pass the 'letter' around and open it and 'read' it in their head. Encourage them to show what they are feeling through their facial expressions. Go around the circle and ask them to say who their imaginary letter was from, what was in the letter and how they felt about it. In pairs talk about their letter and explain how they might have felt.

Refer to Narrative Scene (see Extract from the play) - Drama PSHE

Read extract with class and consider how Jago is feeling, his thoughts. Imagine Graf walking up and down, creating a threatening atmosphere. Consider teasing and bullying issues. Is Graf nice or horrible? Look at the scene as a collage of worlds coming together.

Ask each child to sit quietly on their own and think about something special that they remember from when they were younger. Encourage them to recall as much as possible. In pairs get the children to share their memories. Working in small groups, each group might create a still image of an important early memory, such as starting school. Bring them to life for a few seconds. Encourage the children to make the memories as real as possible. Put all the still images together to create a whole class drama by bringing the still pictures to life as you pass each group. To extend this you could use ritual, chants or dance to expand the drama.

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Refer to Letter Scene (see Extracts from the play) - Drama PSHE History

Discuss Second World War evacuees with the children. Think about the emotional impact that it had on the children. Read aloud this 'postcard' from an evacuee child.

Dear Mum and Dad
Arrived safely. We were all tired but we had to stand in line and wait for people to choose us. It was horrible. Mrs Lewis picked me. She's nice but she talks funny and sometimes I can't understand her. Rose is my age. She says I don't talk right and makes fun of me. There's lots more food here. We had eggs for tea. I miss you very much. I hope I can come home soon.
Lots of love
Alice

Ask the children to imagine that they are about to be evacuated. Brainstorm words which describe how they would feel. Write these words up on the board for reference. Divide them into positive and negative emotions.

In pairs, ask the children to create two still images, the first showing a parent and child saying goodbye, the second showing something of new life described in the postcard. Share these images.

In groups of about four, ask the children to create a scene showing the first meeting between the evacuated child and their new family. Encourage the children to think about how each individual reacts at this first meeting.

Each child sits in a space of their own with their eyes closed. Ask them to imagine that they are in their new bedroom on the first night away from home. Encourage them to think about how they feel. Say that when you tap each of them on the shoulder, you want them to say just briefly how they are feeling.

Ask each child to write their own postcard home after a few days away.

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Refer to non - verbal communication scene (see Extracts from the play) - Drama PSHE

a)

Allow the children to act out this scene, encouraging them to develop focussed movements; consider bullying and the power struggle. Consider the rules already set in place, non-verbal versus verbal status games. Who has the most power?
Reverse the scene, with Jago speaking and Graf remains silent. Consider status, language and positions. Invent own language and then try to communicate. Think about circle type games where one child is purposefully left out, for example Chinese whispers - how would you feel?

b)

Start a discussion on bullying, asking what is meant by bullying. In small groups, ask the children to decide what can start this sort of trouble at school. In the same groups, ask them to create a still image of someone being bullied whilst others participate or watch. They must each know who they are and what they are doing.

Each group shows their still image to the whole class without introduction. You ask the class if they can understand what is being shown. Then the class can ask the 'characters' what they are thinking or what they are saying.

Chose one group's idea to work with for the rest of the lesson. The class should decide whether to backtrack to where the situation started or move towards some sort of resolution. They need to ask questions and direct the characters in the still image. They may also need to bring in new characters as appropriate. Are there a number of different solutions?

Extension activities - ask the class how they think an adult could have helped in the dramatised situation. Ask one group to create a still picture of the best moment for an adult to intervene. Do the others agree with the group? What else might be done? Which adults would be most useful?

c)

You will need a box, putting in a number of items to put in, which have strong associations with image / identity, for example a pair of sunglasses, a baseball hat, a personal stereo, a teen magazine, a can of drink, a torn plastic bag, a bar of chocolate, a lipstick etc. Talk about what is meant by image / identity. Ask which famous person has a good positive image. Which famous person has a negative imagine.

Talk about the different items in the box. What sort of image is associated with each? Ask for a volunteer to stand by. The rest of the class choose three items from the image box that create a character with a negative image. Then the volunteer wears or holds them. Discuss why these items were selected.

Do the same thing with a new character and a positive image, again discussing the reasons for the items. In small groups, the children create short scenes, such as a job interview, a family wedding, a school outing, they enact the scenes twice, once with the positive character and once with the negative. Discuss reactions to the character's appearance. Ask them whether appearances really are a good guide to a person's nature?

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