This week, we were asked to prepare a talk about a children’s book in small groups. We were to apply what we had learned in the previous weeks and have a short micro-teaching session with the rest of the section. Me and a fellow student decided to do Georges Marvellous Medicine. This was chosen, as I had already previously engaged in drama with this book through my placement school.

First, we gave a brief outline of the plot to the rest of the class, which allowed them to understand the story line without wasting a lot of time reading the entire book. We then selected an excerpt near the end, and read this out to the class.

Once this had happened, we asked the rest of the class to split into groups and use a freeze-frame technique. This gave a visual example of the chapter for everyone to see. We then asked them to explain their chosen scene, giving the rest of the class more detail and explaining the thought processes behind it.

Another technique we asked the groups to use was a thought tunnel. This involves standing in two lines so that the “teacher” can walk down the middle. Each person takes it in turn as the teacher walk to say who they are in the story and how they feel. However, if they feel uncomfortable or do not know what to say, they have the choice to pass. For example, they could say “I’m Grandma and I’m really annoyed at George.” This is another useful technique to get children to understand the characters in more depth.

As a teacher, this could come in useful. It can allow children to open up and explain how they feel. It also allows others to hear what each pupil is feeling. After implementing these tasks within my own age range, I now feel very comfortable about taking a drama lesson in my school. Due to the previous engagement in this book, I could perhaps spend more time on the activities, with only a brief overview at the start of the lesson.