Citizenship and Community SoW

• Published in: Playwriting Across the Curriculum pp. 111 - 127
• Main Authors: Jester, Caroline, Stoneman, Claire
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: United Kingdom Routledge 2012; Taylor & Francis Group
• Edition: 1
• Subjects: Secondary schools; Teaching of a specific subject; Theatre studies; Cross-curricular Project; Black History Month; Estate's Response; SoW Resources; GCSE English Language; GCSE English Literature; Citizenship Days; Sticky Notes; EAL; Drugs Education; Birmingham Repertory Theatre; Drama Queen; Question Wall; Transitional Project; Focus Weeks; GCSE English; Open College Network; Paper Girl; Home Towns; PSHE Theme; UK Independent School; Final Lesson; Community SoW; EAL Learner
• ISBN: 9780415590969; 9780415590952; 0415590957; 0415590965
• DOI: 10.4324/9780203816202-5

This SoW has been designed to bring students together to focus on elements of Citizenship and community at all levels: in school, in their local communities and home towns, cities or villages and on an international level. The process of this group play could work in many different ways within school and at any key stage. It could also work with mixed-age or mixed-ability groups. Some suggested ideas for using this SoW to support the exploration and discussion of ideas around community and Citizenship would be: Incorporating it into Citizenship days or focus weeks for KS3, KS4 or KS5. Many UK state schools incorporate the teaching of Citizenship into a number of themed whole days across the academic year where the usual curriculum is collapsed and only Citizenship is taught. Other schools have Citizenship focus weeks where a Citizenship theme is taught across the course of the week in all subject areas. Developing it into a transitional project for year 5 and 6 students from feeder primary schools working with current year 7 or older students. A transitional project for prospective AS/A2 level sociology, history, geography or English students moving from KS4 to KS5 to inspire them and explore issues and ideas prevalent in their new courses. A family learning community project where students and their families explore issues that affect their local communities. This SoW offers the opportunity for different generations to work together, enriching each other's understanding of what is a pertinent issue for them and how different members of the community behave and are treated. A cross-curricular project where teachers from different curriculum areas collaborate to plan a project on a specific theme based on community - e.g. Black History Month; carnival; the school's chosen charity; slavery; the Holocaust etc. The development of the play is a culmination of the same theme explored in all subject areas. Initial research around events and incidents that have affected the communities and/or periods of history students are focusing on will need to be done or incorporated into the lesson plans.