Developing drama from a popular children's story is a useful approach for early years practitioners. Stories enable children to understand how one situation leads to another as a result of action and behaviour. Key moments in stories, such as when characters are under pressure to make an important decision, offer an exciting opportunity to unpack the meanings embedded in the narrative.
This is different from simply re-enacting a known story, which brings the story to life but does not enable children to explore the significance or underlying reasons for the sequence of events. Instead, a key moment in a story can provide a starting-point for the children's own play, which the practitioner would then seek to challenge in order to illuminate an aspect of their social understanding.
The picture story Where's My Teddy? by Jez Alborough (Walker Books, Pounds 4.99, big book version 12.99) contains many features similar to traditional folktales - not least, a strong stranger-danger theme. The narrative follows a little boy, Eddy, who wanders alone into the woods to look for his lost teddy. There he encounters a giant teddy and then an enormous bear, carrying Eddy's teddy and looking for his own lost teddy. They are mutually terrified of one another, and in the furore they rush back home to their respective beds, clutching their teddies!
The vivid illustrations of a vulnerable bear challenge the stereotype of 'big' being brave and bold, and it is this theme that the following drama aims to explore, by deviating and taking licence with the story as known.
This lesson was carried out with a group of 17 children at Suffolk College nursery. The eldest was almost five and the youngest just two. Some had only joined a matter of weeks before and one little boy also had impaired hearing.
There were four adults involved - one practitioner led the session and one other took character roles (one as Eddy and the other as the Bear), while the other two worked alongside the children, playing themselves caught up in the make-believe. Towards the end, the two 'characters' switched roles (in full view of the children) to enable the lead practitioner to keep control of steering the drama towards an appropriate learning area. The lesson was planned and had series of objectives.
OBJECTIVES
To consider how to show appropriate ways to be friends
To interact and negotiate with others, taking turns appropriately
To understand and use language of size and position
To notice changes and differences between props within the drama
To move and stop on cue, and walk quietly on tip-toe
To use objects symbolically and relate to others within the make-believe.
RESOURCES
Selection of teddies masking tape fake fur wrap red T-shirt (adult size) brown and green card (to create tree cut-outs) large sheets of paper and marker pens tambourine large picnic rug lengths of cloth big book version of Where's My Teddy?
INTRODUCTION
Warm-up As a way of focusing on the key prop and establishing the group, chant 'Teddy bear, teddy bear, teddy bear'. Encourage the children to clap rhythmically and join in the chant, then look for tiny teddy (Freddy) perched on a surface near the story corner.
Story Read the story and invite comment and reflection on themes.
Use of space To help the children understand the transformation of the familiar into something other, explain that they are going to pretend to go to the same wood with Eddy, and involve them in creating the 'set'. Move furniture; block out the 'set' using masking tape to create a path; make cut-outs of trees and stick them on chairs; and create the facade of the Bear's house by outlining windows and a door on paper and sticking it on a piece of furniture such as the back of the library unit.
Practitioners in role Dress one of the practitoners in a fake fur wrap (or similar) to demonstrate clearly to the children that the adult is taking the role of the Bear. Position the 'Bear' asleep in the house, but still in view of the children. Place alongside the Bear a box of teddies (including Freddy) and, to allow the children to empathise with the Bear, explain how he loves to play with teddies and takes them to bed.
As lead practitioner, show the children Eddy's red T-shirt, put it on in front of them and explain, 'When I next talk to you, I'll be pretending to be Eddy'. Allow a brief pregnant pause.
STARTING POINT
Lead practitioner in role To bring the children immediately into the make- believe and to allow them to 'bond' with Eddy, greet the group as Eddy, and ask them to go back to the wood with you because you are too scared to go alone. Explain that you've got the wrong teddy and want to find your Freddy! How do the children feel about the idea? Do they think you should go?
Rehearsal To practise a skill that the children will need later, practise tip-toeing, as they will need to be very quiet in the wood! Introduce signals for starting (a tambourine shake) and stopping (sudden sharp beat on tambourine).
GETTING INVOLVED Follw-my-leader game To heighten the tension and establish a safe place in the drama, lead the group on tiptoe through the wood, freezing occasionally on signal (a shake then a sharp beat on a tambourine). The Bear snuffles and stirs slightly as the group tiptoes past to sit on the picnic rug.
INTRODUCE PROBLEM
Lead practitioner in role Heighten the dramatic tension by having Eddy suddenly spot the box of teddies right next to the sleeping Bear - perhaps Freddy is in there. What do they think about the dilemma? And what do they suggest doing about it?
A resolution!
* Several children suggested we try to take the teddies from the box, which raised the question of whether it was right to take something without asking.
* Rather than letting them all rush headlong to grab the teddy, I slowed down the action through a turn-taking game, in which small groups of children took turns to tip-toe along the path to try to retrieve Eddy's teddy. This was given structure through a chant adapted from the text in the book, and controlled by a tambourine accompaniment: (Susan and Jack are) off to find Eddy's teddy Eddy's teddy's name is Freddy He lost him in the wood somewhere It's dark and horrible in there (They) tiptoed on and on until Something made them stop quite still Look out, (Susan and Jack!) There's something there!
Quick run, it's the giant Bear!
* So Freddy had still not been retrieved from the Bear's trove of teddies. To avoid the drama ending on this unsuccessful note, I asked what we should do.
* One girl suggested hiding near the Bear's house, then dashing to retrieve Freddy. Everyone hastily bunched under improvised lengths of cloth, with one member of staff with each group of children. We approached cautiously, with the tambourine guiding our movements, and one little girl spontaneously slipped out and rescued Freddy.
* The children were jubilant, but it was important that they were not left with the impression that it was acceptable to take things without permission! Freddy's return hadn't yet provided the opportunity for them to reflect on the consequences of their chosen course of action. To enable the children to see events from the Bear's point of view, I explained that the drama would be stopped briefly ('like putting the pause button on the video'), so that I could switch roles to play the Bear (props were swapped in full view of the children), and so keep control of the action and manipulate the learning through the role of the Bear.
* The children watched enthralled as the Bear counted out the teddies and searched in vain for the missing teddy. They realised immediately why one was missing! As the Bear, I 'played up' being scared of the children and desperate to find my teddy, as I had no friends.
* Across the room, at a safe distance, so mirroring the children's ambivalence at being scared yet wanting contact with the Bear, I was able to ask them about how to show you are friendly. One boy said you could play a game together, and a girl shyly said you hold hands, whereupon two children then rushed to hold hands with the Bear. The Bear then approached the rest of the group and all held hands, no longer scared of one another.
* Taking the lead from another boy, the children broke into song, with a version of 'Farmer's in the Den', and the Bear interjected a new verse: 'The Bear wants a teddy - we all stroke the Bear'! And the fur wrap, and so the role of Bear, was passed momentarily to one of the children.
WHAT WAS LEARNED
Staff 'de-roled' with the children's help and explained clearly that the drama had now stopped. The lesson moved into a period of reflection to consolidate the new narrative, to challenge the children's previous understandings and to help them make connections to the real world.
The children were helped to recall the sequence of events, and to reflect on the learning area: How can you show you want to be friends? Was the Bear really scary once they got to know him? Is it right to take things without asking first?
It was then time for teddy to go (we sang a goodbye song) and the room was returned to its original state with the children's help, to make clear that the drama had finished and normality had resumed.
A VALUABLE LESSON
The lesson had been planned to last 45 minutes, but in the end, the children were so engrossed that their concentration held for over an hour!
They readily contributed ideas and help in constructing the 'set'. All were intrigued and accepted the staff in role, and though some were more cautious, others were enthralled. They all participated in the drama - one boy was initially resistant, so he was found a role 'on the edge' of the action: he had gone on ahead to find a place for the picnic rug and was motivated by being offered charge of the large teddy.
The lesson integrated many areas of learning within the Foundation Stage and was pitched so that children at a range of levels could participate meaningfully.
The drama had provided an ideal opportunity for children to learn from one another, and for more mature children to model appropriate responses for the less mature to imitate. It also revealed some surprises. Some children who were usually quiet and withdrawn showed a sudden confidence and assertiveness, while others became untypically cautious and reflective. The drama had offered important assessment opportunities and provided another context in which certain children could demonstrate latent abilities, and so enabled a more holistic view to be obtained of these children.
So, why not have a go? It is possible to start small - a few minutes at storytime. Talk to the children in role as one of the characters, offering a perspective on the story from the character's point of view. Stories will never be the same again!
