Teacher Notes

Drama ChampionsThis year young people across the nation are becoming Champions of Change for BBC Children in Need.

Champions of Change is a unique initiative that encourages young people to play a more active role in BBC Children in Need than ever before. By working together to plan, promote and run fundraising activities across the school, they’ll develop valuable skills, have loads of fun and come away inspired and empowered.

Drama, with its emphasis on creativity and performance, offers fantastic opportunities for students to rise to the challenge and fundraise to change children’s lives for the better.

What can we do as a department?Why not encourage your students to put their drama skills to good use by giving them opportunities to take part in performance-related fundraising?

Do you have a Drama Club or Open Mic Club that could take the lead? If you have students working towards Arts Awards, could they take on the fundraising challenge? Or could you simply put together a fundraising group made up of your most enthusiastic performers?

The ‘Be a Drama Champion’ cards have been designed for you to pass straight on to your student fundraisers.

The activities suggested are flexible. We’ve flagged possible curriculum links and learning outcomes in case you are a key stage 3 teacher and want to incorporate them into lessons. Why not use a resource for a one-off lesson and then challenge the students to develop it further after

school or at lunchtimes? Or you may decide that the fundraising activities are more suited to lunchtime clubs, form time or homework.

Whatever you choose to do, remember that every penny raised is precious. Just one lunchtime activity will make a difference!

Idea for a starter activityWhether students are focusing on fundraising in lesson time, lunchtime or form time, it’s a good idea to begin by reminding them why they’re raising money.

A video introductionShow the ‘Video 2: Introduction to BBC Children in Need’ https://youtu.be/rifa0GrANuI and ‘Video 3: Where will your fundraising go’ https://youtu.be/3dvw9ZZ8FzoWarn students that they may find some of the children’s stories in the film upsetting and that you are available for them to talk to should they wish.

Had they remembered that BBC Children in Need supports projects across the UK?

Lead a class discussion using the following question prompts. Why do we fundraise? Is fundraising just about money? Have you ever taken part in fundraising activities? Should the government do anything to boost fundraising? Do you think we all have a responsibility to fundraise? How could you support someone else’s fundraising?

Fundraising activity one:

Open mic poetry

Make poetry inspired by BBC Children in Need the focus for an open mic session. Ask students to research poems related to childhood, champions or heroes and choose their two favourites. Which do they think will work best in performance? Get them experimenting with volume, pace, rhythm, pauses and different voices. How can they use non-verbal gestures, body language, eye contact and facial expressions to enhance their performance? Could they set their poetry to an instrumental track and do a spoken word performance?

To strengthen links with literacy, focus on elements like iambic pentameter, simile and metaphor with the students.

Hold an open mic session at lunchtime and/or after school during BBC Children in Need week and invite family, friends and staff to buy tickets to watch the students take to the stage.

See the ‘Be a Drama Champion – Open mic poetry’ student card near the end of this document for more information to inspire you and your students.

Going to deliver this in lesson time?

Learning outcomes Possible curriculum links

Students will: Research and choose

poems appropriate for performance

Experiment with different aspects of spoken word performance, including volume, pace, rhythm, pauses, non-verbal gestures and body language

Take part in a fundraising open mic session

Students will: Helping to develop pupils’

confidence in their own abilities, particularly in verbal and non-verbal communication

Developing an awareness of self and others

Enabling pupils to explore issues in a safe environment, through exploration and negotiation and helping them to structure solutions

Speak confidently and effectively Improvise, rehearse and perform

poetry in order to generate language and discuss language use and meaning, using role, intonation, tone, volume, mood, silence,

stillness and action to add impact

Fundraising activity two:

Stage a fundraising show

Organise a fundraising variety show inspired by and in support of BBC Children in Need. Help the students to pull together a programme of appropriate material and encourage them to identify a clear theme to give the show coherence. They could choose songs, sketches, poems and dances inspired by childhood, or focus on the theme of heroes and champions. Challenge them to think about how they are going to link the different items. Could they create their own sketches?

To get as many students involved as possible, why not give each class the opportunity to contribute an item to the show? Your Drama Club could take responsibility for pulling together the final performance.

Stage the show during BBC Children in Need week and sell tickets to raise money.

See the ‘Be a Drama Champion – A heroic performance!’ student card near the end of this document for more information to inspire you and your students.

Going to deliver this in lesson time?

Learning outcomes Possible curriculum links

Students will: Identify appropriate songs,

sketches and poems for a fundraising show

Rehearse their performance and consider how to make it as effective as possible, including costumes and staging

Perform in the show

Students will: Helping pupils to develop

relationships among peers, with teachers, other adults and wider audiences

Enabling participants to evaluate their achievements as individuals and evaluate the achievements of others

Encouraging mutual respect,

sharing and a sense of responsibility

Fundraising activity three:

Champion Charades

During BBC Children in Need week, ask the students to bring in donations to take part in a special Champion Charades game at lunchtime. Divide the students into teams and give each team a set of names of champions and heroes – everyone from Florence Nightingale and Winston Churchill to Ironman! Each team takes it in turns to act out one of the names, making sure that everyone gets a turn. Award points for both acting and guessing. You could provide props for the students to use in their mini-performances, but emphasise they’ll be penalised if they use sound effects.

To extend the activity and raise even more money, why not ask students to get sponsorship to spend a day as one of the characters on Appeal day? For example, they could dress up as Queen Elizabeth I and use her accent, body language, tone and pace of speech for the whole day.

See the ‘Be a Drama Champion – Champion Charades’ student card near the end of this document for more information to inspire you and your students.

Going to deliver this in lesson time?

Learning outcomes Possible curriculum links

Students will: Think creatively to act out

selected Champions Use silence and actions to

portray a character/person

Students will: Helping to develop pupils’

confidence in their own abilities, particularly in verbal and non-verbal communication

Enhancing pupils’ understanding and appreciation of society by giving them opportunities to experience another person’s life in another situation

Ideas for a plenary

Choose from the following plenary activities to round off your drama fundraisers.

Evaluating your fundraisingCongratulate your students on the total they have raised and give them an opportunity to evaluate their fundraising activities.

What happened? What went well? What could have gone better? What would you change if you were to run the event again? How could you have raised more money?

How will the money we raised make a difference?Share some facts and figures about how BBC Children in Need might use the money the students have raised through their drama-related fundraising. For example:

£1 helps an 11-year-old who has been bullied to make friends and grow in self-esteem at a local youth club

£10 pays for a music therapy session at a hospice where a six-year-old girl with a brain tumour can have some joy in the last weeks of her life

£15 helps support a five-year-old girl to feel safe, calm and unafraid as she testifies against her abuser

£20 pays for a therapy session for a young boy with alcoholic parents, helping him understand their illness and manage his anxieties

£40 helps support a 17-year-old girl who was dependent on drugs to turn her life around and find a job

How much would they like to raise next year?

For more ideas and inspiration, visit www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/championsofchange

DRAMA STUDENT CARD

Poise

Stand up and look

confident

Body Language

Relax and be natural

Eye contactLook at your audience

VolumeSpeak up but don’t shout

Be a Drama Champion – Open mic poetry!

Performing poetry is a fantastic way to express emotions and ideas and to tell stories. Choose your favourite poem inspired by BBC Children in Need, practise your performance and take to the mic!

Picking poems

What sort of poems do you like? Funny? Dramatic? Rhyming? Mysterious?

Taking BBC Children in Need as inspiration, find two poems that you like and think you will enjoy performing. Why not look for poems about:

BBC Children in Need – have any been written? Childhood in general Heroes or champions Helping others

Pointers for performancePractise performing your poems. Here are some things to be thinking about…

PaceIt’s easy to rush when you’re nervous – don’t!

PronunciationMake sure you know how to say every word

Voice

Are there different characters?

RhythmGo with the poem’s natural rhythmGestures

Emphasise points with gestures,

but don’t overdo it!

Pause

Use for d

ramatic effe

ct

Meaningshow you understand the poem and help your audience do the same

Take to the micPerform your poems to friends or the rest of your class and use any feedback you get to polish your performance. There will be a chance to take part in an open mic session with performance poets from across the school – even if it’s not your usual thing, why not give it a go? After all, what are a few nerves when you’re raising money to change children’s lives?

You’re in charge…Help to organise the open mic sessions, promote the event (you’ll find event posters at https://www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/championsofchange) and collect in the money raised! You could arrange for the best performance poets to star in your school’s Celebration of Champions.

Raise more money than ever before!Organise open mic sessions at lunchtime and/or after school and ask friends, family and teachers to make a donation or buy tickets to attend. You could sell refreshments to raise extra money for BBC Children in Need.For more fundraising tools and details of how to pay in your money please visit our website: www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/championsofchange

DRAMA STUDENT CARD

Think of musicals with

relevant songsLook for short sketches

or extracts from books

Create dance inspired

by your theme Find poems to perform

Short of material? You could

always write your own!

Be a Drama Champion – Heroic performance!

Fancy yourself as a dramatic hero? Well now’s your chance! Take to the stage to create a fundraising show for BBC Children in Need.

Choose a themeWhat’s going to be the focus for your performance? As it’s a fundraiser for BBC Children in Need, how about organising a show made up of songs, sketches and poems inspired by childhood? Or you could pick up on the theme of heroes and champions, with a series of heroic performances.

Once you’ve got an overall idea, think of a catchy title for your show.

Songs, sketches, poems and more!Carry out research to identify items you could include in the show.

A show with flow! Once you’ve got a list of possible items, decide on a running order and think about how you’re going to make the show flow. Will you have a compere to introduce each performance? If so, you’ll need to write a script. Try to inject some humour into the links, to keep the audience’s attention and get them laughing!

Practice makes perfectLearn your lines, practise your song, choreograph your dance and rehearse, rehearse, rehearse! Make sure you’ve organised props and costumes. Have you got a backstage team who can help out with lighting and sound?

Posters and programmes

Get your best artists to create eye-catching posters to promote the event and a programme to sell at the show.

You’re in charge…Work with your drama teachers to make arrangements. Decide on a date, book the hall, choose material for the show, organise a running order, promote the event with posters and on the school website, sell tickets, organise rehearsals, design a programme… It’s going to be a busy few weeks!

Raise more money than ever before!Sell as many tickets as you can! Why not have two performances – one at lunchtime for everyone in school, and one in the evening for family and friends? How about raising extra money at the event by selling programmes, having a raffle and offering refreshments? For more fundraising tools and details of how to pay in your money please visit our website: www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/championsofchange

DRAMA STUDENT CARD

Be a Drama Champion – Champion charades!

Will your friends be able to tell the difference between your William Shakespeare and your Superman?! Now’s your chance to find out in a fun-filled game of Champion Charades for BBC Children in Need.

Pay to play!Make a donation to join in with a game of Champion Charades at lunchtime.

The aim of the game…The aim of charades is to act out the names of famous heroes and champions so that other players can guess who you are. You score points for acting and points for guessing!

Number of words in the name

Hold up three fingers

Length of the word

Little or big sign with fingers/arms

Number of syllables

in the word

Two fingers on arm

Acting out the whole name at once

Make a circle with arms

A sporting hero

Pretending to throw a ball

A king or queen

Pretending to put crown on

headA soldier or fighter

Pretending to shoot a bow

A singer or musician

Pretending to sing

A film star

Cranking a movie camera

A superhero

Superman pose

The rules

Divide into three or four teams

Your teacher will give each team a set of hero and champion name cards

Look at the names together (make sure you keep them secret from the other teams). Decide who is going to act out each, making sure that everyone has a turn. If you don’t recognise some of the names, ask your teacher!

Each team takes it in turns to act out a hero’s name. You’ve got two minutes acting time

Remember – no speaking or sound effects allowed!

If the character is guessed within one minute, two points go to the acting team and one to the guessing team

If the character is guessed within two minutes, one point goes to the acting team and one to the guessing team

The team with the most points at the end wins!

Learning the Lingo!

Now over to you for more!

Get sponsorship to stay in characterTo make the fun last and raise more money, why not get sponsorship to spend a day in character on BBC Children in Need Appeal day? For example, you could dress up as Queen Elizabeth I and use her accent, body language, tone and pace of speech.

You’re in charge…Help the Drama department to organise the charade sessions and count the money raised. How about collecting together a set of props for everyone to use?

Raise more money than ever before!Make generous donations to take part in champion charades! Then encourage as many people as possible to get sponsorship to stay in character on BBC Children in Need Appeal day. You can download sponsorship forms from the BBC Children in Need website: www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/championsofchange

A lasting mementoGet a budding film-maker or photographer to capture the funniest charades and most spectacular characters on camera then display them at the Celebration of Champions. Afterwards, give people the option of buying their photo for a donation to BBC Children in Need.