by Bernard Ashley
Teaching resources
by Mike Royston
The Play of Little Soldier
Contents
Introduction
3
Synopsis
4
Activate Prior learning
5
Activity sheets
●
Lesson 1
6
●
Lesson 2
8
●
Lesson 3
9
●
Lesson 4
11
●
Lesson 5
12
●
Lesson 6
13
●
Lesson 7
14
●
Lesson 8
16
●
Lesson 9
18
●
Lesson 10
19
●
Lesson 11
22
Teacher’s notes
●
Teacher’s notes
23
●
Further study areas
27
●
Short-term lesson plans
28
●
Medium-term lesson plans
40
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
2
The Play of Little Soldier
The Play of Little Soldier by
Bernard Ashley
Introduction
This Heinemann Play is supported by a 12-lesson study scheme including medium- and
short-term lesson plans and student, teacher and OHT resource sheets. These
resources help students to engage with the play and assist in your planning for close
study of a play.
These resources include a series of self-contained lessons which can be used to
supplement your own teaching plans, or to provide extra support for specific teaching
points. Each activity is individually mapped against the framework and Assessment
objectives. There are also suggestions for further study areas including speaking and
listening, writing, reading and drama activities.
The following pages can be downloaded and printed out as
required. This material may be freely copied for institutional use.
However, this material is copyright and under no circumstances
can copies be offered for sale.
The publisher gratefully acknowledge permission to reproduce
copyright material.
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Teacher’s sheet
3
The Play of Little Soldier
Synopsis
Kaninda, a 13 year-old African boy, comes from Lasai. The country is torn by a violent
civil war between two tribes, the Yusulu and the Kibu. Kaninda’s family are Kibu. The
play begins with their murder at the hands of Yusulu militia. Kaninda is left an orphan.
He is recruited as a boy soldier into the Kibu rebel army and trained to kill members of
the Yusulu tribe on sight.
When the Yusulu ambush Kaninda’s school in Lasai and shoot the teachers, he is sent
to London and taken in by the Rose family. Peter and Betty Rose belong to God’s Force,
an organisation like the Salvation Army. They are bringing up their 13 year-old daughter,
Laura, to be ‘God’s little soldier’. But Laura seems more interested in her relationship
with Theo, an Afro-Caribbean teenager. He is a member of the Crew, one of two gangs
(the other is the Federation) fighting each other for control of the dockland streets on
the Thames Barrier estate.
Theo and Laura drive a stolen car into Federation ‘territory’. Laura is at the wheel
when a young girl, Dolly, is knocked down and rushed to hospital in a coma. Since Dolly
lives in the part of the Estate controlled by the Federation, their gang leader, 16 year-old
Queen Max, vows revenge against the Crew. Queen Max is also Dolly’s sister. Both gangs
prepare for a showdown in the Millennium Mall shopping centre.
Meanwhile, Kaninda has started Victoria Comprehensive School. There he meets
another ‘new boy’ from Lasai, Faustin, who happens to be a Yusulu. Kaninda tries to kill
him, as he has been trained to do, only the intervention of a teacher saves Faustin.
Kaninda’s fighting prowess has been noticed with interest by the Crew. For the
second time in the play, he is recruited as a ‘little soldier’, this time by Baz, the Crew
gang leader. Kaninda only agrees to join the Crew because they promise to ‘deliver’
Faustin to him after the Millennium Mall showdown.
The showdown duly takes place. It is horrifyingly violent, the two rival gangs
mirroring the brutality of the Yusulu and Kibu tribes in Africa. The fighting is halted by
Betty Rose, but not before her daughter Laura (a member of neither gang) is seriously
injured and hospitalised.
Kaninda, whose only wish is to return to Africa, escapes from the Rose household and
plans to stow away on a ship bound for Mozambique. But first he needs to murder
Faustin. He confronts him in a dockland café. There Faustin surprises Kaninda by
showing no hostility or resistance. Instead, he expresses his view that warfare, either
tribal or gangland, solves nothing. He makes Kaninda realise that, back in Africa, he was
simply being used as a youthful assassin (a ‘little soldier’) by Kibu rebels who cared
nothing for him as a person. The play ends with Kaninda making peace with Faustin. At
last, he wrenches his thoughts away from Africa. He has found a new understanding and
a new home.
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Teacher’s sheet
4
The Play of Little Soldier
Activate prior learning
It is important to help students approach the play in an informed way before reading
begins. The three main areas which need advance preparation to set a context for The
Play of Little Soldier are:
1 Africa. In the play, an invented African country, Lasai, is embroiled in civil war. This
is tribally-based. Students need to know that African countries like Rwanda and the
Sudan have gone through, and are still experiencing, analagous situations. Extreme
violence and atrocities characterise these conflicts. This is faithfully mirrored in the
play. Some work, therefore, needs to be done to prepare students for the ‘African
dimension’ of The Play of Little Soldier, particularly since it is deeply embedded in
the action and does not immediately explain itself.
2 Inner city gang warfare. Much of the play’s action is centred on a teenage gang
‘war’ in London. This stems from rival claims by two gangs to the ‘ownership’ of
particular areas on a large estate. Students, especially those without experience of
the inner cities, need to be sensitively prepared for this. Newspaper coverage of
incidents like the open warfare in the Millenium Mall shopping centre is
commonplace. This, therefore, provides a helpful resource, especially if it is drawn
from Sunday broadsheets rather than the daily tabloids.
3 Teenage street culture and its language. The play depicts teenage gangs who
control the streets of their ‘territory’. There is a strict hierarchy in each gang and
commonly understood ‘rules of engagement’ – e.g. invasion of one gang’s territory
by the other calls for brutal reprisal and retaliation. The playwright describes this
brutality as ‘shaming’. Nevertheless, he depicts it graphically, in a way that
deliberately reflects the tribal warfare in Africa. Students need to be alerted to this,
as they do to the use of street vernacular and slang. In this edition of the play, a
glossary explains the teenage jargon that is such a striking feature of Bernard
Ashley’s text.
Themes
Although The Play of Little Soldier is explicit in its portrayal of violence, it is a highly
moral play. Kaninda, the central character who provides a bridge between the tribal
warfare in Lasai and the gang warfare in London, ends the play by overcoming his
entrenched hatred of the Yusulu.
Kaninda’s counterpart, Faustin N’gensi, is the play’s clear-eyed spokesperson against
the social and political corruption that leads to violence. He is not a sentimental pacifist.
But what he does understand is that the tragedy of Kaninda’s family has simply made
him prey to those who want to perpetuate warfare for political ends:
‘You think I killed your family? You think I blame you for my family? Yusulu, Kibu,
Banyarwamnda, Tutsi, Bakongo – tribal is political, boy. Them and us, you and me,
chiefs and followers. But not really you and me, not us ourselves – it’s the leaders make
it that way.’
Bernard Ashley asks us to ponder on which ‘leaders’, exactly, may have a vested interest
in stoking teenage violence on the street of our inner cities.
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Teacher’s sheet
5
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 1
The Play of Little Soldier: Main characters
Main Character
Background
Age
Group/Gang
identity
Kaninda Bulumba
African (Lasai)
13
Kibu Tribe
Laura Rose
AngloSeychellois
13
Theo Julien
Faustin N’gensi
Barrier Crew
African (Lasai)
Betty Rose
Peter Rose
God’s Force
English
45
Queen Max
Baz Rosso
Federation Gang
Anglo-Italian
Snuff Bowditch
Charlie Ty
Sergeant Matu
African (Lasai)
Mal Julien
–
Lydia Becky
–
Gifty
10
Sharon Slater
–
Dolly Hedges
–
Rene Hedges
–
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
OHT 1
6
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 1
Four extracts from the early part of the play
Extract 1
QUEEN MAX
What you two up to?
SNUFF BOWDITCH Dunno. Might go nicking. Lift a can o’ squirt an’ tag the
Federation F down the town …
CHARLIE TY
Yeah, the old F. Spray it over the Barrier Estate. Show that
slick estate what gang’s boss.
THEO
Lor, you got more lump than porridge these days.
LAURA
Well, with me being a little soldier for the Lord and all
that –
THEO
You need a rush of some sort, girl. Pos-it-ive! Some
Thorpe Park skin peeler you want, or I tell you, you’re
gonna turn sour as ol’ puss’s milk.
THEO
Well, little Lor! What’s up with you, baby? You had no
shine yesterday an’ you got no shine today!
LAURA
Tell me what’s to shine about?
THEO
Knowing me, Sis. Rodeo an’ Juliet.
LAURA
You mean Romeo.
THEO
I mean Rodeo – get off my back! Lighten up!
BAZ ROSSO
So tell me what they want on the Barrier.
THEO
Dunno, straight up. Could be Ken. Yeah, this African kid.
Gave Charlie Ty a right sortin’ out in school, showed him
up rotten. He’s prime crew,
I tell you. Real sool.
Extract 2
Extract 3
Extract 4
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Student sheet 1
7
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 2
Act One: selected questions
Staging
●
●
●
The pre-scene (page 3) is heard but not seen. What do you
think is happening in it?
They ‘all seem dead’. Which three are dead? Which one
survives?
Who seems to be responsible for these deaths?
Kaninda
●
●
●
●
When Kaninda arrives in London, he goes to live with Peter
and Betty Rose. What organisation do they belong to? Why
do you think they are taking Kaninda into their home?
How does Kaninada feel about his ‘new home’?
What evidence is there that Kaninda’s thoughts turn
frequently to his former life in the African country of Lasai?
Sergeant Matu appears in several ‘flashbacks’. Who is he?
Why do you think Kaninda recalls him so vividly?
The gangs
●
●
Who are the ‘Federation’ and the ‘Crew’?
How are we shown that they are extremely hostile to each
other?
Dolly
●
●
●
What causes the accident to Dolly?
What is she able to tell the police about it?
How and why does Dolly’s accident stir up strong feelings in
the Federation gang? What do you predict this could lead to?
Lasai
●
●
●
●
What are the main differences between Kaninda’s new
school, Victoria Comprehensive, and the school he went to
in Lasai?
What terrible incident happened at the school in Lasai? Who
caused it?
How has this incident affected Kaninda?
When Kaninda finds out about Faustin, the ‘new boy’ who
has also come to Victoria Comprehensive, what happens?
Why?
Laura
●
●
How does Laura react to the car accident she helped
to cause?
How is her reaction different from Theo’s?
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Student sheet 2
8
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 3
Act Two: selected questions
Joining the crew
●
●
Why does Kaninda agree to become a member of the
Crew gang? What test does he have to pass in order to
qualify?
Who helps Kaninda during his test? Does he pass it?
Kaninda
●
●
●
●
What is Kaninda’s ‘plan’ in Act Two Scene six?
What does Laura tell Kaninda about her plan?
What happens between Kaninda and Faustin in Act
Two Scene eight?
What does Faustin tell Kaninda about the tribal war in
Lasai between the Kibu and the Yusulu? How does his
attitude to it differ from Kaninda’s?
Baz Rosso
●
●
What is Baz Rosso planning? Why is Kaninda
important to his plans?
Kaninda agrees to go along with Baz’s plans. Why?
Laura
●
●
How does the Ford Escort’s number plate come into
Laura’s possession?
How does Laura react to the news that Dolly is
coming out of her coma
and has added the word ‘van’ to ‘white’?
The fight
●
●
●
During the gang fight in the Millennium Mall (Act Two
Scene fifteen) Kaninda finds himself in charge of the
Crew’s tactics. Whose way of speaking does he imitate
when he is giving orders?
The playwright puts in a stage direction in Act Two
Scene fifteen which describes the gang fight as
‘shaming’. What do you think are the most ‘shaming’
things about it?
Who ends the gang fight before those who are
fighting intend it to stop?
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Student sheet 3
9
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 3
Act Two (continued)
Laura
●
●
When Laura is speaking to Theo in Act Two Scene fifteen,
she is deeply relieved. Why? Why do you think she says,
‘We’ve still got to go to the police’?
How and why does Laura get viciously attacked in Act Two
Scene fifteen?
Kaninda’s changes
●
●
●
●
In Act Two Scene seventeen, Kaninda sets out intending to
murder Faustin. What does Faustin tell him that makes
Kaninda change his mind?
In Act Two Scene nineteen, the playwright’s stage-direction
reads ‘We’re not sure which scene Kaninda is in’. What
point do you think the playwright is making here?
What does Kaninda learn about ‘tribal war’ from the voice
of Sergeant Matu?
At the very end of the play, Kaninda changes. What has
Kaninda has finally learned, and who has been responsible
for him learning it?
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Student sheet 3 10
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
He is trained by Sgt.
Matu of the Kibu rebel
army to ……
Until the end of the
play, he wants to return
to Lasai because …
●
●
●
●
●
He hates the Yusulu
tribe because ….
●
At the end of the play,
he sees Laura in a new
light because …
He will not cooperate
with his tutor, Miss
Mascall, because …..
He dislikes living with
the Rose family because
……
Kaninda in London at
the Rose’s home and at
school
Kaninda in Africa
●
●
●
At the end of the play,
he regrets taking part
in the gang fight
because ….
He looks down on the
gangs’ ‘war’ because …
He joins the Crew gang
because …….
Kaninda and the Crew &
Federation gangs
●
●
●
At the end of the play,
he stops seeing Faustin
as a Yusulu and starts
seeing him as …..
When he listens to
Faustin in Act Two
Scene 17, he starts to
think ………
He wants to kill Faustin
because …..
Kaninda and Faustin
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 4
Charting Kaninda’s experiences in the play
Student sheet 4 11
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 5
Role-play question sheet
●
did
m Mall. How
iu
n
n
le
il
M
e
th
o you feel
The fight at
ening? How d
p
ap
h
as
w
it
n
you feel whe
about it now?
●
●
What happen
ed to Laura.
Who was to b
Has her seriou
lame?
s injury chang
ed your mind
gang fighting?
about
started
n
o
i
t
a
ve
r
de
and ha
e
the Fe
c
a
d
l
n
p
a
en
first
e Crew
they be
in the
e
’
v
r
a
a
Why th
h
w
,
‘
xactly
top?
g their
What, e
ble to s
.
a
o
fightin
e
s
b
g
o
t
n doin
going
e they
kept o
r
A
?
t
u
abo
fighting
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Student sheet 5 12
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 6
Journalist’s notes
Answer these questions for your front page story:
●
The red Ford Escort was a stolen car. How did it
come to be stolen in the first place and who stole
it? [Act One Scene six].
●
●
Who was in the car when the accident happened?
How did the car come to be in their possession?
●
●
Why did the Ford Escort have no number plates?
Who was driving? Why will this ‘hit the headlines’?
Where did the accident happen?
●
What is Dolly’s condition in hospital?
[Act One Scene twenty]
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
OHT 2
13
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 7
Laura Rose: ‘too good for heaven’?
She is in God’s
Force yet drives in
the car aged 13, with
Theo, without a licence
She wants to go with
Kaninda to Africa and
care for people
in need
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Student sheet 6 14
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 7
Scenes in which Laura plays a central part
Act One Scenes six to eight
from THEO
to THEO
Laura! Watcha, Lor (page 10)
Go on, turn right, down there (page 14)
Act One Scene thirteen
from THEO
to the end.
Well, little Lor (page 24)
Act One Scene twenty
Act Two Scene six
Act Two Scene eight
from LAURA Kaninda, I’ve been looking for you (page 63)
to KANINDA It’s here counts, just (page 64)
Act Two Scene eleven
Act Two Scene fifteen
from THEO
to THEO
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Lick-spittled (page 84)
I survive my way, you survive yours (page 86).
OHT 3
15
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 8
Question Sheet about producing your Scenes
Questions
Answers/notes
1 In what ways is Little Soldier
different from many other
plays in:
●
its use of settings
●
its use of scenery
●
its changes from scene
to scene?
2 In performing your chosen
scenes, how could you make
use of:
●
slides and projections
●
flown-in scenery
●
props?
3 What style of production would
best suit your chosen scenes in
performance:
●
‘open space’ set
●
‘in the round’
●
a traditional platformstage set
●
some sections done
in mime or tableau
●
full realistic costume
or just a few items to
mark out individual
characters ?
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Student sheet 7 16
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 8
Scenes to choose from:
●
The pre-scene (page 3)
●
●
Act One Scenes five and six, where we
first met the two gangs
Act One Scenes twelve and fourteen, where
the action includes ‘flashbacks’ to Africa
●
Act Two Scenes seventeen to twenty,
which make up the ending of the play
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
OHT 4
17
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 9
Who does the play’s title apply to?
Character A
Character B
Character C
Character D
Kaninda
because
Laura
because
Faustin
because
Queen Max
(or Baz)
because
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
OHT 5
18
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 10
Four Scenes you could choose
fourteen
Act One Scene
t school first in
a
a
d
in
n
a
K
e
e
where we s
en in Lasai.
th
d
n
a
n
o
d
n
o
L
Act Two Scene
two
where Kanind
a does his ‘run
’ and Laura
saves him from
falling into the
river.
coma.
twelve
r
e
e
h
n
e
f
c
o
S
ing out
Act Two
m
o
c
y
l
l
see Do
e
w
e
r
whe
Act Two Scene seventeen
where Faustin and Kaninda talk about
the tribal war in Lasai and make peace
with one another.
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
OHT 6
19
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 10
Three Questions about changing your chosen Scene
1 How will you change the events?
2 Will you keep exactly the same characters or introduce some new ones?
3 How are you going to make your version;
(i) clearly understandable
(ii) dramatic for the audience?
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Student sheet 8 20
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 10
Advice for writing your Script
1
The dialogue: you need to make
this realistic.
2
3
The stage directions: write these in the
same style as Bernard Ashley does.
You need to build up your scene to a
climax that will ‘work’ on stage and
grip the audience.
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
OHT 7
21
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 11
How will Laura feel about these events/experiences?
1 Her relationship with Theo.
2 The car accident.
3 Her visit to the hospital to see Dolly.
4 Her relationship with Kaninda, including her plan to go to Africa
with him.
5 The gang fight at the Millennium Mall.
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
OHT 8
22
The Play of Little Soldier
Teacher’s notes referred to in the following
12 short-term lesson plans
Lesson 1
Information to contextualise the play before reading begins
●
Refer to page 5 of these Support Materials, ‘Activate Prior Learning’, for detailed
information.
●
The key areas to cover as you provide a broad context for the play are:
1 The African dimension 2 Inner city gang warfare 3 Teenage street culture and
its language.
●
All three areas call for sensitive handling. All involve violence: tribal warfare in Africa
and gang warfare on the London streets. It is vital to stress to students that, sadly,
Little Soldier reflects the realities of the present day – the ongoing tribally-based civil
wars in Rwanda and the Sudan, the murders of Stephen Lawrence and Letitia
Shakespeare, for example. Events such as those Bernard Ashley incorporates into his
play are featured on the TV news every week.
Answers to OHT 1
Main Character
Kaninda Bulumba
Laura Rose
Theo Julien
Faustin N’gensi
Betty Rose
Peter Rose
Queen Max
Baz Rosso
Snuff Bowditch
Charlie Ty
Sergeant Matu
Mal Julien
Lydia Becky
Gifty
Sharon Slater
Dolly Hedges
Rene Hedges
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Background
African (Lasai)
Anglo-Seychellois
Afro-Caribbean
African (Lasai)
Seychellois
English
English
Anglo-Italian
English
Anglo-Chinese
African (Lasai)
Afro-Caribbean
Afro-Caribbean
African (Lasai)
English
English
English
Age
13
13
13
14
42
45
16
20
15
16
38
32
33
10
12
12
28
Group/Gang identity
Kibu Tribe
God’s Force
Barrier Crew
Yusulu Tribe
God’s Force
God’s Force
Federation Gang
Barrier Crew
Federation Gang
Federation Gang
Kibu Rebel Army
–
–
Kibu Tribe
–
–
–
Teacher’s sheet 23
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 6
5 characteristic features of journalistic writing
Headlines
Look at how they make a strong impression on the reader: dynamic verbs? word-play?
alliteration? bias? provocative language?
First paragraphs
Look at how they incorporate answers to the “wh” questions: brevity? conciseness? ‘the
heart of the matter’? factually orientated? use of proper nouns?
Interviews
Look at how they add detail and human interest to the story: the power of direct
speech? edited version of what interviewees said to suit the story’s angle? emotive
language? two interviewees set against each other to represent opposing viewpoints?
the ‘aaah’ factor?
Language
Look for: exaggeration? emotiveness? opinion presented as fact? strong use of
adjectives/adverbs? short sentences?
Presentational devices
Look for: photo-sensationalism? aggressive typography? function of sub-heads?
juxtaposition of visuals with printed text? misleading captions to photographs?
Lesson 9
Suggested answers for entries in Columns 2–4 OHT 5
CHARACTER B – Laura
●
She is being brought up by her parents in God’s Force to be ‘God’s little soldier’ (Act
One Scene two): the playwright emphasises the similarity between God’s Force and
the Salvation Army.
●
She tries to salve her conscience after causing the accident to Dolly by strenuously
acting out her ‘God’s little soldier’ role – e.g. (i) Act One Scene fifteen, where she is
seen leading the Junior God’s Force ‘shining, fervent, wanting to please God with
her activity for Him’ (ii) Act Two Scene eight, where she is seen planning to go to
Africa as a Christian soldier ‘to do good works for the people’.
●
She is a ‘soldier’ for truth in wanting to go to the police and confess her
responsibility for the accident to Dolly (Act One Scene twenty, where she opposes
Theo’s thuggish ‘Here’s to war’ with her determinedly moral response ‘Here’s to
truth’).
CHARACTER C – Faustin
●
Like Kaninda, he has been drawn into the Lasain civil war where he has seen a sister
raped and killed by Kabu soldiers (Act Two Scene seventeen). This makes him a
participant in the conflict, however reluctantly: he spends the play trying to find his
other sister, a mental casualty of the war.
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Teacher’s sheet 24
The Play of Little Soldier
●
Unlike Kaninda, he is a ‘soldier’ who stands out against war and historic tribal
hatreds (Act Two Scene eight – KANINDA ‘You all enemy, Yusulu’ FAUSTIN ‘I didn’t
start it. You didn’t start it. I’m me, just me. I’m a victim, same as you’).
●
At the end of the play, he is a more courageous ‘soldier’ for his cause of peace and
brotherhood than Kaninda is for his cause of vengeful violence (Act Two Scene
seventeen – ‘I don’t hate you. Tribal war did it, not you. War takes us all into its hand
and smashes us on the ground’). The true ‘soldier’ in Faustin condemns those who
ferment violence and war for their own ends and make victims out of innocent
children, as the Kibu rebel army has done in twisting Kaninda’s mind to accept the
role of youthful assassin.
CHARACTER D – Queen Max
●
She is a ‘little soldier’ of street fighting. Teenage leader of the Federation gang, she
issues orders for ‘war’ like a military commander: ‘I want these Crew hit and
punished’ (Act One Scene thirteen)
●
She plans strategy and leads her ‘troops’ in a way strongly reminiscent of the play’s
professional soldier, Sergeant Matu (Act Two Scene thirteen: ‘[To her troops] We go
to war! For Dolly!’)
●
She is not only a violent street soldier; she is also a murderous one (Act Two Scene
fifteen: ‘Kill that Rosso’).
The same points can be made about Queen Max’s counterpart in the Crew, Baz Rosso.
Lesson 10
Guidance for presenting/performing the ‘new’ scenes
●
The audience for the performance should be the whole class.
●
It is obviously better for performances to take place in the drama hall/school theatre
rather than in the classroom.
●
Emphasise to students that
– they need to rehearse on their own initiative before the nominated lesson
– the drama itself is the priority, not props, costumes, sound-effects, etc.
●
Allow students the choice of working with a script or mounting an improvised (but,
again, a rehearsed) performance.
●
Make it clear that you will be conducting a Speaking & Listening Assessment for each
student on the basis of the work they present. It focuses the audience’s attention if
you involve them in this assessment, with brief evaluative comments after each
performance. You could devise an Evaluation Sheet for this purpose, drawing your
criteria from the Framework Objectives for S&L drama-focused tasks.
●
If, during performance, any group’s work degenerates merely into ‘fighting’, abort it
immediately. Make clear to the class in advance that you will do this.
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Teacher’s sheet 25
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 12
The publicity campaign for The Play of Little Soldier in production: some advice
●
The basic principle underlying this activity is teamwork. Ensure students take real
responsibility for their work, especially during the Homework/Follow-on stage.
●
Equip yourself in advance of the lesson with
– a selection of publicity material from previous school productions (the Drama
Dept is normally willing to loan fliers, posters, rehearsal photographs, etc)
– a good range of professional theatre programmes (Drama Depts will have a stock
of these) for students to browse through.
●
The programme The following features of a theatre programme provide stimulus
for suitable media tasks from class members working either individually or in
collaboration:
– a striking and visually informative front cover
– a synopsis of the plot [maximum of 100–120 words]
– producer’s notes
– short pen-portraits of leading cast members with highlights from their theatrical
cv’s/credits
– box adverts from local firms and businesses who have contributed to the
production
One group of students could take overall responsibility for programme design and
production: use DTP. There is opportunity too for the imaginative use of ICT to produce
different sections of the programme.
●
Students with well-developed design skills could be responsible for the advertising
posters and fliers, in various shapes and sizes.
●
A time-gap of one week to ten days between the lesson and the completion of this
project is ideal. Leave it longer and you risk having the out-of-school work drag on
interminably.
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Teacher’s sheet 26
The Play of Little Soldier
Further Study areas
The following activities provide opportunities for creating interesting and stimulating
activities.
Writing to imagine, explore and entertain.
Imagine that Kaninda returns to Lasai a year or so after the play ends. The tribal war
between the Kibu and the Yusulu is still raging. Write entries in his diary for the week he
spends in the country, visiting some of the places he knew. Use your knowledge of the
play’s African scenes to help you decide what to write.
Year 7: Wr6
Year 8: Wr7
Year 9: Wr5
Drama-focused Speaking & Listening.
On his visit to Lasai (see above) Kaninda meets Sergeant Matu. Act out the conversation
they might have.
Year 7: S&L16
Year 8: S&L15
Year 9: S&L12
Group discussion.
What do you think are the main causes of gang warfare among teenagers, especially in
the inner cities? What, if anything, can be done to bring it under control? Use your
knowledge of Little Soldier to help you form your opinions.
Year 7: S&L1
Year 8: S&L10
Year 9: S&L9
Author’s craft.
One criticism that might be made of Little Soldier is that, with 40 scenes, it is too ‘bitty’
and disjointed. Some would say it is better suited to film or TV than to the stage. Do you
think that this criticism is justified, or would you defend the way the play is written?
Year 7: R15
Year 8: R10
Year 9: R18
Independent research/information writing.
Search the internet to locate facts about one of the civil wars in Africa. What caused it?
What effects has it had on the country’s population and economy? Is there any hope of
it ending? Produce an information leaflet based on your findings for others in your class
to read.
Year 7: R5, Wr11
Year 8: R1, Wr10
Year 9: R2, Wr9
Reading for pleasure
If students have enjoyed this play, they may also enjoy … Hope Springs
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Teacher’s sheet 27
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 1
60 minutes
Class:
Lesson coverage:
Lesson aims:
Prior learning/
knowledge:
Book activity:
Date:
The play’s cast list, Act One Scenes 1 and 2, and contextualising material in
Teachers’ Notes page 23.
1 To develop awareness of the play’s main characters through a reading for
information exercise.
2 To recognise the play’s use of colloquial language and compare it with
standard English.
3 To use inference and deduction to speculate about the nature of the play.
Understanding of the concepts of standard English and dialect.
Experience of reading inferentially.
Keeping Track (1) and (2)
Framework Objectives:
Year 7: S&L1, S&L13, S&L17, R2, R6
Year 8: S&L10, S&L16, R1, R3
Year 9: S&L11, S&L14, R2, R3
Starter:
Period:
Assessment Foci:
R2, R3
(20 minutes) To introduce the play, simply tell students at this stage that it has a
large cast. Display OHT 1 (a partly completed Dramatis Personae) on an OHP as
well as distributing it to the class. Direct the class to the List of Characters on
pages vi–1. Students scan for information to fill in the blank spaces on their
sheets about the characters’ background, age and group/gang affiliations. Allow
no more than 10 minutes for this. Students work by themselves. Challenge them
to fill in the sheet with speed and accuracy.
Take feedback. Confirm their answers (see Teaching notes on p23) by making
entries on the OHT. Then lead a brief class discussion predicting the kind of play
this will be. Highlight:
1 the wide range of nationalities
2 the way most characters are associated with tribes and gangs
3 the division of characters into teenagers and adults.
What does this lead us to expect? What further clues are given by the play’s title
and the images on the cover of the Heinemann Play?
Introduction/
Development:
(30 minutes) Note: for this stage, you will need to have read the Information in Teachers’
Notes, page 23. Divide the class into small groups. Distribute Student sheet 1 –
four short pieces of dialogue spoken by the London teenagers. The groups read
these aloud, then decide on standard English equivalents of what is said.
Take feedback from the groups. Ask: what kind of characters are these? where do
you think they live? does their dialect remind you of any TV programmes?
For the rest of this stage, draw on the information in Teachers’ Notes for this
lesson to outline to the class the play’s African dimension and the play’s focus on
inner-city gang warfare. Use your discretion here; you know your own students.
Plenary:
(10 minutes) Read aloud the pre-scene and Scenes 1 and 2. Speculate about what
is happening in them.
Resources required: OHT 1, Student Sheet 1, Teachers’ Notes page 23.
Personal teaching notes:
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Short-term lesson plans 28
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 2
60 minutes
Class:
Lesson coverage:
Lesson aims:
Prior learning/
knowledge:
Book activity:
Date:
Period:
Act One Scenes 3–20.
1 To read aloud from a playscript intelligibly and expressively.
2 To actively interrogate the text in order to make personal responses to
character and theme.
3 To listen attentively to others, modifying personal responses accordingly.
Experience of reading aloud in class.
Experience of finding personal relevance in literature.
Keeping Track (3)
Framework Objectives:
Year 7: S&L12, S&L15, R8, R12, R14, R18, Wr10, Wr11
Year 8: S&L7, S&L11, S&L16, R5, R10, Wr10
Year 9: S&L5, S&L7, S&L14, R6, R11, R12, R14, Wr9
Assessment Foci:
R3, R5, R6,
W2, W7
Starter:
(10 minutes) Through question-and-answer, briefly recap the knowledge students
gained about the play in Lesson 1. Then distribute Student sheet 2 – a list of
questions on Act One to help students keep track as they read. There is space in
the right margin to write answers: these should always be brief.
Introduction/
Development:
(45 minutes) Read Act One Scenes 3-20 around the class. Most scenes are short
or very short. However, 45 minutes may not allow enough time. If this is the case,
regard Lesson 12 in this sequence as expendable, thus creating an extra lesson to
read the text.
Use Student sheet 2 at your discretion. It can, of course, provide the basis for
written homework, in which case it fulfils the function of a Reading Journal.
In the course of this lesson’s reading, highlight the following:
1 Kaninda’s African experiences and how they affect him.
2 The personnel of the Crew and Federation gangs (students can
easily get ‘lost’ about this).
3 The causes and consequences of Dolly’s accident
4 Laura’s ‘split’ character.
Plenary:
(5 minutes) Ask the class to speculate briefly about whether the Crew and
Federation are going to clash – and, if so, what the outcome might be and
whether Laura and Theo are going to be found out.
Homework/
Follow-on:
If this option is taken, students make brief notes either on their sheets or
in their Reading Journals in answer to the questions.
Resources required: Student Sheet
Personal teaching notes:
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Short-term lesson plans 29
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 3
60 minutes
Class:
Lesson coverage:
Lesson aims:
Prior learning/
knowledge:
Book activity:
Date:
Period:
Act Two Scenes 1–20.
1 To read aloud from a play script intelligibly and expressively.
2 To actively interrogate the text in order to make personal responses to
character and theme.
3 To listen attentively to others, modifying personal responses accordingly.
Experience of reading aloud in class.
Experience of finding personal relevance in literature.
Keeping Track (4)
Framework Objectives:
Year 7: S&L12, S&L15, R8, R12, R14, R18, Wr10, Wr11
Year 8: S&L7, S&L11, S&L16, R5, R10, Wr10
Year 9: S&L5, S&L7, S&L14, R6, R11, R12, R14, Wr9
Assessment Foci:
R3, R5, R6
W2, W7
Starter:
(10 minutes) Through question-and-answer, briefly recap the knowledge students
gained about the play in Lesson 2. Then distribute Student Sheet 3 – a list of
questions on Act Two to help students keep track as they read. There is space in
the right margin to write answers: these should always be brief.
Introduction/
Development:
(45 minutes) Read Act Two around the class. Most scenes are short or very short.
However, 45 minutes may not allow enough time. If this is the case, regard
Lesson 12 in this sequence as expendable, thus creating an extra lesson to read
the text.
Use Student sheet 3 at your discretion. It can, of course, provide the basis for
written homework, in which case it fulfils the function of a Reading Journal.
In the course of this lesson’s reading, highlight the following:
1 Laura’s reasons for wanting to join Kaninda when he plans to go
back to Lasai.
2 The reasons why Kaninda joins the Crew gang.
3 The course and outcome of the Millenium Mall gang fight.
4 The reasons why Kaninda changes his mind at the end of the play
about murdering Faustin and returning to Lasai.
Plenary:
(5 minutes) Ask students to look back over the play, then jot down one or two
sentences saying what they think Bernard Ashley’s purposes were in writing it.
Homework/
Follow-on:
If this option is taken, students make brief notes either on their sheets or in
their Reading Journals in answer to the questions.
Resources required: Student sheet 3
Personal teaching notes:
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Short-term lesson plans 30
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 4
60 minutes
Class:
Lesson coverage:
Lesson aims:
Prior learning/
knowledge:
Book activity:
Date:
Whole play, focusing on the scenes to which Kaninda is central.
1 To locate, in a wide-ranging text, material relevant to purpose and to
separate it from that which is not.
2 To identify key character traits of Kaninda, relating these to his social and
cultural context.
3 To write a recount essay using textual reference, including some quotation.
Pre-reading of whole play.
Experience of selecting from a literature text material for a given task.
Activity 1 – Tracing Kaninda’s story and character development in the course of
the play
Framework Objectives:
Year 7: S&L5, S&L6, R6, R12, Wr16, Wr19
Year 8: S&L5, S&L8, S&L11,R6, R10, R13, Wr17, Wr18
Year 9: S&L2, S&L7, R6, R11, R12, Wr16, Wr17
Starter:
Period:
Assessment Foci:
R2, R3, R6, R7
W3, W4
(20 minutes) In class discussion, ask students to identify the key events in
Kaninda’s life as the play presents it. Follow chronological order, which the text
does not do. Start with the murder of his family in Lasai, then proceed to his time
as a boy soldier in the Kibu rebel army, then to the ambush of his Lasai school,
then to his move to London.
Create a class flow-diagram on the board as students offer responses. Stick strictly
to the ‘facts’ about Kaninda. List a maximum of 10 key events, ensuring that the
final item is his decision at the end of the play to make peace with Faustin.
Introduction/
Development:
(30 minutes) Divide the class into small groups. Distribute Student sheet 4 –
a chart for recording Kaninda’s feelings about, and motives for, his experiences/
actions in the play. In their groups, students complete the 3 sentence stems in
each of the 4 columns: twelve in all. Instruct them that they need write no more
than a phrase for each stem. All students fill in their sheets: they will need these
for the homework task.
After 20 minutes, take brief feedback from the groups. Establish broad class
agreement about Kaninda’s feelings and motives.
Plenary:
(10 minutes) Ask students to take an overview of Kaninda in the play, reflecting
on the ways in which he changes by the end and the main reasons for the
changes in his character and outlook. The play gives clear, unambiguous
answers, but it is important that students internalise them. End by setting the
homework task below.
Homework/
Follow-on:
Ask students to write an account of Kaninda’s experiences in Africa, how these
influence his behaviour when he moves to London , and how, by the end of the
play, he throws off the influence of what happened to him in Lasai. They should
write three paragraphs in all and quote from the text to back up the most
important points they make.
Resources required: Student sheet 4
Personal teaching notes:
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Short-term lesson plans 31
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 5
60 minutes
Class:
Lesson coverage:
Lesson aims:
Prior learning/
knowledge:
Book activity:
Date:
Period:
Whole play, with the focus on the gang fight between the Crew and the
Federation at the Millennium Mall.
1 To participate in role-play in a small group.
2 To use inference and deduction from reading the play to imagine a
scenario outside it.
3 To explore some of the key issues raised in the play: e.g. the reasons for
teenage gang fighting, the problem of serious violence on the streets, the
perceptions adult society has of modern youth.
Pre-reading of whole play.
Some experience of taking part in role play.
Activity 2 – Group-based role play of ‘peace talks’ between the rival gangs after
the play ends.
Framework Objectives:
Year 7: S&L15, S&L16, S&L17, R12, R16, Wr11
Year 8: S&L14, S&L15, S&L16, R4, R8, Wr16
Year 9: S&L10, S&L12, S&L14, R1, R14, Wr9
Assessment Foci:
R1, R3, R5, R7
W1, W2, W5
(Note: Throughout the whole of this lesson students will be in role as members of the two gangs)
Starter:
(10 minutes) In role as Betty (or Peter) Rose, announce that Laura is still critically ill
in hospital. As her parent, you blame neither gang more than the other. However,
the gang warfare must stop. You have arranged a ‘peace talks’ meeting at the God’s
Force Citadel. You expect representatives from the Crew and Federation gangs,
including their leaders Baz Rosso and Queen Max, to be there. Come out of role
to divide the class into groups of 6–8. They should then allocate parts to themselves:
a Baz and a Queen Max, plus equal numbers from the two gangs they lead.
Introduction/
Development:
(35 minutes) Allow the groups 15 minutes’ preparation time. Distribute Student
sheet 5 – a role play question sheet asking gang members to reflect on their ‘war’
as it is presented in the play. They should use this to plan what they will say at
the Citadel meeting though they should not write a full script. The questions are
very specific; students should plan equally specific responses. It is helpful, though
not essential, for students to spend this preparation time in role. Planning then
becomes a genuine ‘rehearsal’. Work with individual students who find difficulty
in recalling clearly the relevant events in the play and projecting themselves into
their allocated character. Then start the role-play proper. Allow 20 minutes. Go
round the groups discreetly, prompting them if their exchanges ‘dry up’, ensuring
that students remain in role and seeing that the exchanges do not become overheated. Take the opportunity to make Speaking and Listening assessments.
Plenary:
(15 minutes) Go back into role as Betty (or Peter) Rose. Ask the gang-leader role
players in each group to report in turn what they have decided, and why. Other
role players may offer brief comments but keep the focus on those enacting Baz
and Queen Max.
Homework/
Follow-up:
If this option is taken, students write a summary account of what was said in
their group in the form of ‘minutes’. These should be written in a formal style,
using the third-person.
Resources required: Student sheet 5
Personal teaching notes:
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Short-term lesson plans 32
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 6
60 minutes
Class:
Lesson coverage:
Lesson aims:
Prior learning/
knowledge:
Book activity:
Date:
Act One Scene 20 and earlier parts of the play.
1 To make notes based on the text with speed and accuracy.
2 To analyse the structural and stylistic conventions of a newspaper report.
3 To plan and write a front page story for a local newspaper.
Pre-reading of the play up to and including Act One Scene 20
Some experience of journalistic writing
Activity 3 – Planning and writing a newspaper report about the accident to Dolly.
Framework Objectives:
Year 7: S&L4, R4, R8, Wr1, Wr10, Wr11
Year 8: S&L10, R3, R6, Wr1, Wr2, Wr7
Year 9: S&L6, R2, R3, Wr4, Wr9, Wr12
Starter:
Period:
Assessment Foci:
R1, R3,
W1, W6
(15 minutes) Tell the class their task for this lesson and the homework that
follows from it: in role as journalists on The Thames Reach Gazette, to plan and
write a front page story about Dolly’s accident and what caused it. Students
should assume the journalists know the whole story, including facts about the
theft of the car and why Laura came to be driving it.
Display OHT 2 (you could also distribute it to the class). Students supply
answers to the questions on it. As they do so, they make notes – brief but clearly
focused. Remind them that, as journalists, they need to gather information for a
story quickly and accurately.
Introduction:
(20 minutes) Distribute photocopies of a report from your local paper involving
crime. Analyse with the class its use of the following: the headline, the first
paragraph, interviews, language and presentational devices. A list of prompt
questions about journalistic writing can be found in Teachers’ Notes, pages 23–4.
Development:
(20 minutes) In pairs, students plan the report they will write for The Thames
Reach Gazette. During this stage they should decide (a) whether to reproduce the
headline quoted in Act One Scene 20 or make up their own (b) who to interview
(Rene Hodges? The police officer investigating the case?) (c) which ‘angle’ or
slant they will give the story (d) whether to write in a sensational style or in a
more measured way. Write (a) to (d) on the board. End this stage by asking the
pairs to draft between them the report’s opening paragraph (no more than 2 or 3
sentences).
Plenary:
(5 minutes) Use this to set the homework task below. Emphasise the importance
of consciously shaping the reader’s response to events as well as describing them
and using presentational devices to enhance the desired impact on the reader.
Homework/
Follow-on:
Ask students to use the work they have done in this lesson to write a front page
story for The Thames Reach Gazette about the accident to Dolly. If possible, they
should produce their final version on computer and make full use of presentational
devices such as clever headlines, columns, photographs and captions.
Resources required: Photocopies of a local newspaper report, OHT 2, Teachers’ Notes, pages 23–4.
Personal teaching notes:
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Short-term lesson plans 33
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 7
60 minutes
Class:
Lesson coverage:
Lesson aims:
Prior learning/
knowledge:
Book activity:
Date:
Whole play, with the focus on scenes to which Laura is central.
1 To examine a complex character in detail by a close reading of the text.
2 To make diagrammatic notes to develop an understanding of the way the
playwright presents a character.
3 To weigh up two sides of a question and reach a personal conclusion about it.
Pre-reading of whole play.
Experience of responding personally to character in a play on both page and
stage.
Activity 4 – Profiling the character of Laura and formulating a personal view
about her
Framework Objectives:
Year 7: S&L5, S&L16, S&L17, R12, R18, Wr9, Wr14
Year 8: S&L10, S&L11, S&L16, R3, R10, R13, Wr16, Wr17
Year 9: S&L2, S&L9, S&L14, R3, R5, R14, Wr13, Wr17
Starter:
Period:
Assessment Foci:
R2, R3, R6
W2, W3, W4
(10 minutes) Establish with the class that differing views can be taken of Laura.
At times in the play, she states a genuine wish to be ‘God’s soldier’. At other
times, she gets herself into serious trouble and behaves in ways that would shock
her parents in God’s Force.
The main aim of this lesson is for students to examine Laura’s behaviour in detail
and reach their own conclusions about her. Distribute Student sheet 6 – a partly
completed character-gram for Laura. In the course of the lesson, students will fill
in the four empty segments to show how far they agree with Theo who describes
her in the play’s final scene as ‘too good for heaven’.
Introduction:
(20 minutes) Display OHT 3 – a list of scenes or extracts from scenes in which
Laura plays a leading part. In pairs, students read these aloud with as much
expression as possible, as if performing on stage. The same person always reads
Laura. Their partner should read Theo, Kaninda etc. There are never more than
two characters speaking.
Development:
(20 minutes) Divide the class into small groups. Students draw on their readings
in the introduction stage to discuss their view of Laura (too good for heaven?)
and make entries on their character-gram. Support individuals in formulating a
personal viewpoint and resisting the temptation simply to accede to others’
opinions.
Plenary:
(10 minutes) Lead a summative discussion about whether, on balance, the
playwright presents Laura in a good or bad light, or somewhere in between. End
by taking a class vote: on the evidence of the play, would she go to heaven if she
were to die of her injuries?
Homework/
Follow-on:
If this option is taken, students use their character-grams to write a personal
profile of Laura. They should cite specific evidence from the scenes they have
read in this lesson.
Resources required: Student sheet 6, OHT 3
Personal teaching notes:
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Short-term lesson plans 34
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 8
60 minutes
Class:
Lesson coverage:
Lesson aims:
Prior learning/
knowledge:
Book activity:
Date:
Period:
Whole play.
1 To become familiar with some conventions of staging a play and the
terminology relating to this.
2 To work in role as a producer, envisaging scenes from the play in performance.
3 To write to explain, inform and advise about key aspects of staging in the
form of production notes.
Pre-reading of whole play.
Familiarity with the basics of staging a play.
Activity 5 – In role as the play’s producer, writing production notes for a
performance of 2 or 3 scenes
Framework Objectives:
Year 7: S&L1, S&L5, S&L13, R4, R5, Wr11, Wr13
Year 8: S&L4, S&L11, S&L16, R3, R10, Wr1, Wr10
Year 9: S&L4, S&L5, S&L10, R2, R3, Wr4, Wr9, Wr12
Assessment Foci:
R4, R5, R6, R7
W2, W3
Starter:
(10 minutes) Read with the class Bernard Ashley’s Note on staging the play
(page v). Clarify the terminology: ‘gobos’, ‘slides’, ‘projected’, ‘flown in’, ‘prop’.
Then tell students their task for this lesson is to consider how two or three
specified scenes should be staged and, in role as the producer, to write
production notes on them.
Introduction:
(25 minutes) Distribute Student sheet 7 – a question sheet about the possible
production style of The Play of Little Soldier. Work through the questions with the
class and have them make brief notes in the space provided on their sheet.
Ensure that the basic concepts of staging are secure. You may need to reiterate
points about scenery, scene changes, set, mime, tableau etc. This stage gives
strong opportunity for students’ own viewpoints: take full advantage of this.
Development:
(20 minutes) Ask students to work in pairs. Display OHT 4 on an OHP – a list of
scenes from which students must choose two or three for writing their
production notes.
Allow pairs to choose their scenes and draw on their work in the introduction
stage to begin noting down production features. Write these 5 headings on the
board: (1) Scenery (2) Slides and Projections
(3) Costumes (4) On-stage grouping of characters (5) Any other points. Students
use these headings as they work. Advise them that they are writing notes, so
bullet-pointing and ‘pseudo-sentences’ will be fine.
Plenary:
(5 minutes) Use this to set the homework task below. Emphasise that this is not
easy. Give generous praise for good work in the lesson and encourage students to
build on this in the homework. End by reminding them that their productions
notes do not include ‘telling the actors how to speak their lines’.
Homework /
Follow-on:
Ask students to write production notes for the scenes they chose in the lesson.
Their notes should describe how the scenes will be presented on stage and explain
briefly their reasons for presenting them in a certain way.
Resources required: Student Sheet 7, OHT 4
Personal teaching notes:
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Short-term lesson plans 35
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 9
60 minutes
Class:
Lesson coverage:
Lesson aims:
Prior learning/
knowledge:
Book activity:
Date:
Period:
Whole play.
1 To relate the play’s title to the major characters in it.
2 To read inferentially and make deductions from the text.
3 To write a formal literature essay, observing its structural and stylistic
conventions.
Pre-reading of whole play.
Familiarity with the conventions of a literature essay.
Activity 6 – Considering how the play’s title applies to its characters and themes
Framework Objectives:
Year 7: S&L1, S&L5, S&L13, R14, R15, Wr16, Wr19
Year 8: S&L1, S&L10, R4, R10, R13, Wr13, Wr18
Year 9: S&L2, S&L5, S&L9, R2, R6, Wr2, Wr16
Assessment Foci:
R1, R2, R5, R6, R7
W1, W2, W3, W4, W5
Starter:
(15 minutes) Write the names of four characters on the board: Kaninda, Laura,
Faustin and Queen Max (or Baz). Give students 3 minutes to decide which
character is the ‘Little Soldier’ or which characters are the Little Soldiers.
Take responses. Challenge students to justify their choices. Establish with the
class that all the listed characters have some claim to be considered different
kinds of ‘little soldier’.
Introduction:
(15 minutes) Show OHT 5 on an OHP – a chart for noting how the play’s title can
apply to all 4 characters. The main purpose here is for students to put forward
reasons and cite evidence. Take responses from the class for Character A,
Kaninda, and enter in column 1 at least three bullet-points. Tell students that
before you make any entries they must convince you their points are valid by
quoting evidence from the play.
Development:
(20 minutes) Divide the class into small groups and distribute OHT 5 (which you
should display on an OHT for the rest of the lesson). In their groups, students
follow your model from the Introduction stage and make entries in the remaining
three columns as they discuss the characters in turn. Emphasise that they must
make at least two entries in each column. Work with groups or individuals who
have difficulty in recalling the play well enough to make text-based decisions and
thinking laterally. A list of relevant points to enter in Columns two to four can be
found in Teachers’ Notes, page 24.
Plenary:
(10 minutes) Begin by setting the homework task below. Through question-andanswer, revise the main conventions of a literature essay: (a) planning and
structuring in response to the precise wording of the essay title (b) supporting
key points by reference and/or quotation (c) working towards a balanced
conclusion (d) using a formal, third-person style.
Homework/
Follow-on:
Ask students to: Explain why you think Bernard Ashley chose Little Soldier as the
title of his play. How does it apply to several of the characters, though in different
ways? Use evidence and quotation from the text to back up the points you make.
Resources required: OHT 5, Teachers’ Notes, page 24
Personal teaching notes:
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Short-term lesson plans 36
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 10
60 minutes
Class:
Lesson coverage:
Lesson aims:
Date:
Period:
Whole play.
1 To collaborate with a partner on a creative drama-based task.
2 To assume the role of playwright and invent plot, dialogue and stage
directions for one new scene based on the play.
3 To enact, as on stage, the newly-scripted scene to an audience of peers.
Prior learning/
knowledge:
Pre-reading of whole play.
Some experience of writing dialogue for drama and acting to an audience.
Book activity:
Activity 7 – Reformulating one scene from the play by imagining it has a different
outcome
Framework Objectives:
Year 7: S&L16, S&L17, S&L19, R6, R8, Wr6, Wr7
Year 8: S&L10, S&L11, S&L14, R10, R16, Wr6, Wr7
Year 9: S&L10, S&L12, S&L14, R6, R14, Wr5, Wr11
Starter:
Assessment Foci:
R3
W1, W5, W7
(20 minutes) Explain to students their task is to work with a partner, to select a
scene from the play and imagine it takes a different course, to script an
alternative version of this scene and to perform the new scene to another pair
during a lesson in the near future.
Then display OHT 6 on an OHP – a list of four scenes the pairs might choose.
Tell them they can either pick one scene from the list or select a scene from
elsewhere in the play. Allow them 10 minutes to choose. Then take brief feedback:
which scene have they chosen and why? Discreetly persuade any pairs who have
chosen totally inappropriately to think again.
Introduction/
Development:
(35 minutes) Keep the class in pairs. Distribute Student sheet 8 – a list of three
questions they need to answer before they begin scripting. Allow them 10
minutes to write brief answers on their sheets. Then display OHT 7 on an OHP –
an advice sheet to be followed as scripting proceeds. The advice is very terse.
Insist, however, that pairs take note of and follow it: if they do not, their work is
likely to be of poor quality. Leave this OHT displayed for the rest of the lesson.
Now move the pairs on to scripting. Work with pairs who ‘finish’ in a few
minutes. Explain why this is an unsatisfactory response to the task and help them
relaunch their efforts.
Plenary:
(5 minutes) Use this to nominate a lesson in the near future for the performances.
Guidance on setting up and superintending this can be found in Teachers’ Notes,
page 25.
Homework/
Follow-on:
Students refine their scripts to a point where they are ready for performance.
They will need to recruit other students from the class to enact some of the parts
they have written. It is the students’ responsibility to arrange this. The principle
of a ‘returned favour’ usually works powerfully.
Resources required: OHT 6, Student sheet 8, OHT 7, Teachers’ Notes page 25
Personal teaching notes:
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Short-term lesson plans 37
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 11
60 minutes
Class:
Lesson coverage:
Lesson aims:
Prior learning/
knowledge:
Book activity:
Date:
Period:
Whole play, with the focus on scenes to which Laura is central.
1 To reflect on the play’s events from the viewpoint of a main character.
2 To project inside a character using a combination of textual knowledge and
empathy.
3 To role write a personal letter in a style appropriate to the character.
Pre-reading of whole play.
Experience of writing empathetically.
Activity 8 – In role as Laura, writing a confidential letter to her parents reflecting
on her experiences in the play.
Framework Objectives:
Year 7: S&L12, S&L14, R6, R9, Wr6, Wr12
Year 8: S&L5, S&L7, R5, R10, Wr5, Wr7
Year 9: S&L5, S&L7, R6, R11, Wr1, Wr5
Assessment Foci:
R2, R3, R7
W1, W3, W7
Starter:
(20 minutes) In role as Theo, announce to the class that Laura is still in hospital
but on the road to recovery. She came close to death; however, she is now
thought to be out of danger. She has no brain damage. Come out of role to review
with the class how Laura will now, looking back, feel about her experiences
during the play. Put the emphasis on ‘feel’. Display OHT 8 on an OHP to help
focus this discussion.
Introduction/
Development:
(30 minutes) Leave OHT 8 displayed. Divide the class into small groups.
Students should each take a different bullet-point from the OHT list: allow them
two minutes to arrange this. Then, in role as Laura, they each write one
paragraph of her confidential letter based on their bullet-point. Emphasise that
Laura will be less concerned to tell her parents the facts of what happened to her
than to say what her feelings were at the time and what her feelings are now.
Support individuals who find difficulty in projecting themselves into Laura’s
character/empathising with her and writing the letter in an appropriate style.
In the last 10 minutes of this stage, ask students to read aloud in their groups the
paragraphs they have written. These should follow the order of bullet-points on
OHT 8. Each group, therefore, will be able to read and hear the whole of their
version of Laura’s letter.
Plenary:
(10 minutes) Set the homework task below. Lead a brief discussion on the manner
in which Laura’s letter should be written. Emphasise that she is an intelligent 13
year-old who feels deeply about things and that she will write in a direct, sincere
way and in a straightforward style. End by pointing out that Laura is one of the
few teenage characters in the play who does not use slang.
Homework /
Follow-on:
Ask students to write, as Laura, a confidential letter from hospital to her parents.
‘She’ should tell them the full truth about the things that happened to her during
the play. Express her honest feelings about these as she looks back now. She
should also tell her parents what she has learned from her experiences and what
she plans to do with her life in the future.
Resources required: OHT 8
Personal teaching notes:
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Short-term lesson plans 38
The Play of Little Soldier
Lesson 12
60 minutes
Class:
Lesson coverage:
Lesson aims:
Prior learning/
knowledge:
Book activity:
Date:
Whole play and examples of publicity material for a theatrical production.
1 To collaborate with other students on a media-based assignment.
2 To produce information for a peer audience in a variety of visual and written
forms.
3 To plan, and share responsibility for the success of a large-scale class project.
Pre-reading of whole play.
Experience of some involvement with a theatrical production, either
on stage or as a member of the support team.
N/A
Framework Objectives:
Year 7: S&L1, S&L10, R1, R3, R5, Wr9, Wr11
Year 8: S&L4, S&L12, R2, R7, Wr7, Wr10
Year 9: S&L1, S&L10, R1, R4, R7, Wr4, Wr6, Wr7, Wr12
Starter:
Period:
Assessment Foci:
R4, R7
W1, W2, W3, W5, W7
(20 minutes) Tell the class to imagine that your Drama Dept has decided to
perform The Play of Little Soldier as its main school play. The class is responsible
for publicity, including the programme. You are the Publicity Manager; the
students are your team.
Mindmap with the whole class what needs to be done. A list of suggested tasks
can be found in Teachers’ Notes, page 25. Then allocate the necessary tasks to
individuals, pairs or small groups. Ensure that the talents of your students are
appropriately deployed and that everyone in the class takes on some welldefined role/responsibility.
Introduction/
Development:
(30 minutes) By themselves, with a partner or in groups, students begin their
tasks. Those working on the programme will benefit from looking at a selection
of theatre programmes (see Resources required below and Teachers’ Notes).
Distribute these now. Also distribute examples of posters, fliers and other
advertising material borrowed from the Drama Dept (see Resources required
below and Teachers’ Notes).
Ensure that all students are productively employed. Act in your role as Publicity
Manager rather than English teacher. Give guidance and support in this spirit.
The main purpose of this Activity is to draw on and develop students’ media
skills to achieve a media-based outcome.
Plenary:
(10 minutes) Lead a review of the work in progress. Nominate a specific lesson,
about a week ahead, in which students’ various contributions will be collated,
assembled and displayed. Emphasise to students that the responsibility for a
successful outcome to their project now rests squarely with them.
Homework /
Follow-on:
Students continue with their allocated tasks, taking these as far as possible by
themselves. If they are working in pairs or in a group, they should do their best
to liaise out of lesson time with their partners. Use the concept of a ‘strict
deadline’ at your own discretion. Experience of this Activity suggests that most
students will commit to completing the project without needing to be coerced.
Resources required: A selection of theatre programmes, a selection of publicity material for previous
school productions, Teachers’ Notes, page 25.
Personal teaching notes:
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
Short-term lesson plans 39
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
6+
5
R1, R3
W1, W6
R1, R3, R5, R7
W1, W2, W5
+ Indicates suggested written homework where this is integral to the learning achieved in the lesson
To make text-based notes with speed and accuracy.
To analyse the structural and stylistic conventions of a
newspaper report.
To plan and write a front page newspaper story.
To participate in a group role play.
To use inference and deduction to interpret the text.
To explore some of the main social issues raised in the play.
Whole play: focus
on the gang fight at
the Millennium Mall
Act One Scene 20
and earlier parts of
the play
To locate in the text information relevant to purpose.
To identify key character traits of a main character.
To write a recount essay including reference and quotation.
Whole play: focus
on scenes to which
Kaninda is central
R2, R3, R6, R7
W3, W4
R3, R5, R6
W2, W7
To read aloud intelligibly and expressively.
To respond personally to character and theme by actively
interrogating the text.
To listen to others, modifying personal responses accordingly.
Act Two Scenes 1–20
Week of study: 2
R3, R5, R6
W2, W7
To read aloud intelligibly and expressively.
To respond personally to character and theme by actively
interrogating the text.
To listen to others, modifying personal responses accordingly.
Act One Scenes 3–20
R2, R3
Assessment foci
To develop awareness of the main characters by reading
inferentially for information.
To analyse the differences between colloquial speech and
standard English.
To speculate about the nature of the play.
Objectives and lesson outcomes
The play’s cast-list
and Act One Scenes
1 and 2
Week of study: 1
Coverage
4+
3
2
1
Lesson
Medium-term study plan for The Play of Little Soldier by Bernard Ashley
Act Two Scenes 1–20
Act One Scenes 3–20
Act One Scenes 1 and 2
Reading through the play
The Play of Little Soldier
Medium-term study plans 40
© Harcourt Education Limited, 2006
12
11+
10
9
8
7
Lesson
R1, R2, R5, R6, R7
W2, W3, W4, W5
To relate the play’s title to its characters and themes.
To read inferentially and make deductions from the text.
To write a formal literature essay using appropriate structural
and stylistic conventions.
Whole play
R2, R3, R7
W1, W3, W7
To reflect on the play’s events from the viewpoint of a main
character.
To project inside a character using a combination of textual
knowledge and empathy.
To role write a letter in a style appropriate to the character.
To collaborate with others on a media-based assignment
To produce information for peers in a variety of visual and
written forms.
To help plan, and share responsibility for, a large-scale class
project.
Whole play: focus
on scenes to which
Laura is central
Whole play and
publicity material
for a production and
theatre programmes
+ Indicates suggested written homework where this is integral to the learning achieved in the lesson
R4, R7
W1, W2, W3, W5, W7
R3
W1, W5, W7
To collaborate with a partner on a creative drama-based task.
To invent plot, character and stage directions for a dramatic
scene.
To act to an audience of peers.
Whole play
Week of study: 4
R4, R5, R6, R7
W2, W3
To become familiar with some conventions of staging a play.
To work in role as a producer.
To write to explain, inform and advise.
Whole play
R2, R3, R6
W2, W3, W4
Assessment foci
To examine a complex character by using close textual
analysis.
To make diagrammatic notes to develop understanding of a
character.
To weigh up two sides of a question and reach a personal
conclusion.
Objectives and lesson outcomes
Whole play: focus on
scenes to which
Laura is central
Week of study: 3
Coverage
Medium-term study plan for The Play of Little Soldier by Bernard Ashley
Reading through the play
The Play of Little Soldier
Medium-term study plans 41