This resource pack has been designed for 8 –13 year olds to accompany Sheffield Theatres production of Warrior Square. A thematic/issue based approach has been taken in looking at the play, most of which lead back to the central issue of refugees. There is also a section looking at the structure of the play with a script extract to find out how the company worked on the section and for students to dramatize it themselves.

The following information is designed to answer any questions about the content of the pack and its use.

When should I deliver activities?
Many of the activities are suitable for pre or post show work. Some however will only make sense once the class have seen the play and others will work better before the show in order to introduce ideas or to see whether the performance challenges some pre conceived ideas, for example about refugees.

Are all activities suitable across the whole age range?
As the age range is large, some activities will be better suited than others for particular classes and some of the discussion questions in particular may require a degree of maturity. This will depend not only on the age of the class but their previous knowledge and experience and their general maturity as a group.

Will some activities be unsuitable for children who have had particular experiences?
Some groups may also need special handling if particular topics are to be broached because of personal experiences of some students. Individual teachers will know the classes well enough to judge which are and are not suitable and which pupils may be comfortable sharing their experiences.

Which curriculum areas does the resource fit in with?
Generally the activities fit best into English, Drama or PHSE/Citizenship but there are also links in some ways to the history curriculum in terms of a sideways look at settlement and conflict. Subjects such as forgiveness can be linked to RE. For the PHSE/Citizenship aspect of the play, work covers the following statements from National Curriculum Online:

Key Stage 2:

1. Developing confidence and responsibility and making the most of their abilities

• to talk and write about their opinions, and explain their views, on issues that affect themselves and society
• to recognise their worth as individuals by identifying positive things about themselves and their achievements …

2. Preparing to play an active role as citizens

• to research, discuss and debate topical issues, problems and events             
• to realise the consequences of anti-social and aggressive behaviours, such
  as bullying and racism, on individuals and communities                         
• to resolve differences by looking at alternatives, making decisions and explaining choices                                                                                                     
• to appreciate the range of national, regional, religious and ethnic identities in the United Kingdom
• to explore how the media present information

3. Developing good relationships and respecting the differences between people

• that their actions affect themselves and others, to care about other people's feelings and to try to see things from their points of view

• to think about the lives of people living in other places and times, and people with different values and customs

• to realise the nature and consequences of racism, teasing, bullying and aggressive behaviours, and how to respond to them and ask for help
• to recognise and challenge stereotypes

• that differences and similarities between people arise from a number of factors, including cultural, ethnic, racial and religious diversity, gender and disability

4. Breadth of study - during the key stage, pupils should be taught the knowledge, skills and understanding through opportunities to:

•    feel positive about themselves …
• consider social and moral dilemmas that they come across in life (for example, encouraging respect and understanding between different races and dealing with harassment)

• prepare for change (for example, transferring to secondary school).

Key Stage 3:

Knowledge and understanding about becoming informed citizens

•    the diversity of national, regional, religious and ethnic identities in the United Kingdom and the need for mutual respect and understanding
• the importance of resolving conflict fairly
• the significance of the media in society

• the world as a global community, and the political, economic, environmental and social implications of this, and the role of the European Union, the Commonwealth and the United Nations.

Jacki Rowley

Warrior Square is supported by the Scurrah Wainwright Charity