Learning Resource
Contents
About Angel:
The story and why it’s important for young audiences
Page 2
Pre theatre visit activities
Brainstorm about ageing:
Speaking and listening
Page 3
Dictionary creation:
Non-fiction writing: definitions
Page 5
Memory and dementia:
Non-fiction writing: information leaflet
Page 7
Post theatre visit activities
1
Memory poetry:
Creative writing: simile and metaphor
Page 10
End of life poetry:
Creative writing: conceit
Page 12
Intergenerational interview:
Creative writing: autobiographical account of a friendship
Page 14
Elderly stereotypes:
Research skills, ICT
Page 16
How to care for someone with dementia:
Non-fiction writing: instructions
Page 19
Care home versus care in the community:
Research skills, drama - improvisation
Page 22
Risk walk:
ICT, community investigation and analysis
Page 24
A lifetime of memories:
Art and design: memory and friendship in words
Page 27
Paper fortune teller:
Design and technology, speaking and listening
Page 28
Fun activities and games:
Cross-curricular activities and memory games
Page 30
Useful websites
Page32
About Angel
Theatre Hullabaloo’s Creative Producer, Miranda Thain, explains the story of Angel and why she thinks it’s an important story for
young audiences.
“I first read Kevin Dyer’s play, which was originally titled Fool on the Hill, two years ago and was immediately struck by how
beautifully he had crafted this very unusual friendship between an eccentric old woman called Miriam and a lonely tomboy kid, Bill.
The friendship is unusual, not just because of our characters, but because, outside of families, young people rarely spend time with
older people. This is one of the reasons that I think the play is important because the relationship shows us that, however old we
get, we can still play and laugh and be friends.
The play is also important because it shows us the devastating effect of dementia on the life of Miriam, who is funny and witty and
brilliant, as she struggles with the frightening reality that she can no longer remember. The play addresses the difficult question that
many families face of how we appropriately care for older people – the battle between institutionalised tidiness of the elderly and
the fear that they are not safe. This is a play based on a real woman who lived in a house just like the one in the story. It is always a
privilege for a company to premiere a great new play, but Angel is particularly special. It is a timely play for us all”
The Story
Bill is a twelve year old girl with problems at home. She spends
a lot of time on her own and wishes that her mum and dad
would stop arguing so that they could be a proper family.
Miriam lives alone in a little house squeezed between two
others. Inside her house, every surface is covered with paper
because she hasn’t thrown anything away for fifty years.
Bill sees Miriam one day playing with the leaves in the park and,
when Miriam leaves her shopping bag on a bench, Bill follows
her home to return it. On entering Miriam’s house, Bill realises
that Miriam is unlike any of the other grown-ups in her life.
Miriam keeps her watch in the fridge, doesn’t lock the front
door (because she can’t find the key) and has a make-believe
dog called Satan to scare the horrible woman from Social
Services away when she calls.
Miriam is unlike anyone Bill has ever met before – she loves
playing games and is rude about people she doesn’t like. Miriam
is also very forgetful, she forgets her purse when she goes to the
Greengrocers and sometimes even forgets the name of her new
friend.
The one thing that Miriam does remember is the race on the hill
that was never run when she was twelve years old. Lewie was
the fastest boy in the school and one June day, Miriam
challenged him to a race on the hill. Her best friend Lily came
too to drop the hanky and shout ‘go’, but the race never
happened – instead, Lily convinced Lewie to go off with her and
Miriam was left frustrated that she never had a chance to show
she could beat him. Sixty years later, as Miriam’s memory gets
increasingly scrambled, she keeps coming back to the memory
of the race.
Bill decides to help her friend and concocts a plan whereby they
will find Lewie (who now lives in a nursing home at the top of
the hill) and they will run the race that never was. But when
they arrive at the nursing home, they find the shell of a man in
a chair who hasn’t spoken for years in a nursing home where
they are celebrating Christmas in November because it’s more
convenient that way.
But Bill is determined that the race will be run, so she and
Miriam steal Lewie from the home and take him to the hill so
that they can finish a race that started more than sixty years
before. And they do. But, up there on a cold, November evening,
Bill sees the vulnerability of her friend, now an old woman, and
wonders if she wouldn’t be happier, tidier, safer if she just
stayed in the home with Lewie. She also realises that the sad
reality of Miriam’s confused memory will mean that they
cannot really continue to be friends because, however much fun
they have together today, Miriam will not recognise her
tomorrow.
Bill is the angel who rights the wrong of the past and, in so
doing, realises that life does not provide easy ‘happy ever
afters’.
Angel began life as an original commission by Joe Sumsion at
Action Transport Theatre, where Kevin Dyer is Associate Writer,
and was titled ‘The Fool on the Hill’.
This version of the play was commissioned by Theatre Hullabaloo
in 2010. This is the first production of the play.
2
Brainstorm about Ageing
Pre theatre visit activity
Learning objective: To brainstorm information on
the topic of ageing.
Subject links: Literacy KS2 Primary Framework:
Strand 1: speaking: explore ideas topics and issues,
English KS3: Key process: speaking and listening
PSHE: Playing an active role as citizens (KS2),
Personal wellbeing (KS3).
KS2 & KS3
30 minutes
This activity can be used as a starting point for the study of ageing, prior to seeing the production of Angel.
In groups, pupils study a range of stimuli on the general topic of ageing. Include a selection of lines from Angel (see
worksheet) current statistics on ageing, (see worksheet), and photographs of elderly people, (source from Google
images.) Pupils record their ideas, focusing on key words and phrases about ageing, ask any questions and identify areas
related to ageing that they could research further.
If pupils need more support they could be provided with the following questions as further stimulus or be given
different questions in different groups to brainstorm information about:
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What does ageing mean physically/mentally?
When does ageing begin?
What form does ageing take?
What problems can ageing cause?
What provisions need to be made to take care of the elderly?
What experience do you have of ageing?
How does ageing make you feel? Why?
Plenary: Class share ideas and group them into areas for further research, headed: ‘We want to find out the
following...’ For homework pupils could undertake further research. See list of useful websites that they could use to
help them. This activity could also lead onto the dictionary creation activity.
Success criteria
All pupils will:
Some pupils will:
Explore and communicate ideas to the discussion.
Listen to the discussion comments by others.
Adapt their talk to the discussion purpose and contribute
clearly. Listen carefully to others and ask questions that
respond to others’ comments
A few pupils will:
Use a variety of vocabulary and expression to activity
contribute to discussion. Show sensitivity to others’
contributions in discussion.
3
Brainstorm Worksheet
Use the following lines from the Angel play script to help you with your brainstorm. What ideas do you have
about ageing when you read them?
‘They won’t be happy till I’m stiff in a box.’
‘Thought so. Miriam, we’re gonna find the key, and tidy this place so Willetts, the horrible letter phone lady, sees that you
can cope on your own.’
‘She’ll only be happy when everyone who’s got grey hair is locked up in a home and key thrown in the sea.’
‘Look at my hands, skin like paper. In here, like black water.’
‘It’s the blood, can’t find its way to the end of my fingers.’
‘I buy three potatoes because only a saddo would buy one. Also, if you buy just one, people know you live on your own.’
‘When you go to the other place, the other time, in your head, what’s it like?’
‘Chairs round the edge of a big room and the smell of cabbage. Six hundred quid a week for being treated like a vegetable.’
‘I don’t need anyone to sort me out. I am happy in my house and my garden.’
My ideas about ageing, after reading the lines from the play:
Current statistics about the elderly:
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There are currently 750,000 people with dementia in the UK.
There are over 16,000 younger people with dementia in the UK.
There are over 11,500 people with dementia from black and minority ethnic groups in the UK.
There will be over a million people with dementia by 2021.
Two thirds of people with dementia are women.
The proportion of people with dementia doubles for every 5 year age group.
One third of people over 95 have dementia
60,000 deaths a year are directly attributable to dementia.
Delaying the onset of dementia by 5 years would reduce deaths directly attributable to dementia
by 30,000 a year.
The financial cost of dementia to the UK is over £20 billion a year.
Family carers of people with dementia save the UK over £6 billion a year.
64% of people living in care homes have a form of dementia.
Two thirds of people with dementia live in the community while one third live in a care home.
Source: alzheimers.org.uk
4
Dictionary Creation Activity
Pre theatre visit activity
Learning objective: To gather and collate
information about a topic. To write factually about
a topic.
Subject links: Literacy KS2 Primary Framework:
Yr 6: Non-fiction unit 4: formal/impersonal writing
English KS3 Key process: Writing: composition,
writing form: information text
PSHE: Playing an active role as citizens (KS2),
personal wellbeing (KS3)
.
KS2 & KS3
60 minutes
Give pupils the following three words and definitions jumbled up. Ask them to match them correctly.
Dementia:
A loss of brain ability beyond what might be expected from normal ageing. Affected areas of brain ability may be
memory, language and problem solving. If it occurs before the age of 65 it is known as ‘early onset dementia’.
Short term memory:
The capacity for holding a small amount of information in the mind for a period of time of a matter of seconds.
Ageing:
The accumulation of changes in a person over a period of time and the developing or appearance and characteristics of
old age.
Discuss the characteristics of a definition: (concise, factual information in a simple or complex sentence or two that
explains the meaning of the word or expression using appropriate precise vocabulary.)
Using the brainstormed information from the previous lesson, or a prepared list by the teacher, pupils are challenged to
create a class or group dictionary on the topic of ageing for some of the words they have brainstormed. The dictionary
must include definitions and facts about key words and expressions connected with the topic. It must be a reference
source that can be used by anyone interested in knowing more generally about the subject of ageing.
This activity could take the form of a game, where pupils have to find definitions and key words hidden around the
classroom and match them up. Or they could read pages from the following website, which provides comprehensive
medical information on the subject of ageing. http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Memory-Loss-and-Dementia.htm
Pupils could use the information in this website as the basis for creating their definitions, and focus on finding factual
information to define expressions such as: ‘alzheimers’, ‘long term memory’, ‘physical symptoms of ageing’, ‘memory
loss’ ‘care home’ and ‘care in the community.’
Plenary: Pupils share their written definitions and the class deduce the expression or word that is being defined. They
orally assess the success of the writing – are the definitions clear, concise and factual?
5
Success criteria
All pupils will:
Some pupils will:
Produce writing that contains organised, factual
information. Write sentences that are usually basically
grammatically correct.
Produce thoughtful, formal writing suitable for a factual
information text. Write simple or complex sentences with
precise vocabulary choices and usually accurate grammar.
A few pupils will:
Produce impersonal writing that provides clear and
concise factual information. Write using a range of
sentence structures and varied vocabulary to clarify
meanings.
6
Memory and Dementia Activity
Pre theatre visit activity
Learning objective: To gather information about
memory and dementia. To write an information
leaflet.
Subject links: Literacy KS2 Primary Framework:
Year 6: Non-fiction unit 4: formal/impersonal
writing, Year 5, unit 1: instructions. Note-taking skills.
English KS3 Key process: Writing: information
texts, note-taking skills.
PSHE: Playing an active role as citizens (KS2),
personal wellbeing (KS3)
.
KS2 & KS3
90 minutes
Pupils play a memory game. They study a tray filled with items for 2 minutes and have to memorise as many items as
possible. The tray is then covered and pupils write down or draw the items on the tray. Class then briefly discuss how
easy or difficult the activity was. Would it be more difficult for the elderly? Why or why not? Explain that in Angel – the
play they are going to see, one of the main characters Miriam is an elderly woman who is experiencing early signs of
memory loss and a disease called dementia. Before seeing the play pupils are going to do some research about
dementia and start to write an information leaflet about it aimed at the general public.
Review and list the features of an information text:
Bold heading, overview/introductory paragraph, information in small chunks with sub-headings, formal style, complex
sentences with subordinate clauses with extra information, a main image, possibly a glossary and use of different font
sizes and boxes to make sections stand out.
Read the following article from the Alzheimers society website as a class. You may wish to leave out some sections.
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/document_pdf.php?documentID=106
This text is a very detailed source of information about dementia. Pupils will need to select certain information only,
focusing on simply the information they will need to explain dementia in a clear, concise way. They should decide what
the key facts are that they need to include in their leaflet and explain their choices. Eg: What is dementia? What types
are there? What are the key symptoms of dementia? Who gets dementia? If they need more support use the
note-taking worksheet that accompanies this activity. Ask is there anything else they should include to make the leaflet
clear and informative and easy to read? (Pupils should not include a section on caring for people with dementia, as they
will be focusing on this in a later activity, after they have seen the play). Pupils then plan and write their leaflet, using
the notes they have made as a source of information.
Plenary: Pupils can compare their leaflet with the official government dementia campaign leaflet. They should
comment on the layout, content and language and decide how successful the leaflet is, as an information source, in
their opinion. See link below: http://www.nhs.uk/dementia/Documents/Dementia__campaign_leaflet.pdf
After seeing the play and how Miriam is helped with regard to her dementia, pupils can do further research and
complete the leaflet with a section on how to care for people with dementia. See post theatre visit dementia activity
on completing the leaflet.
7
Success criteria
All pupils will:
Some pupils will:
Locate and use information selected from reading a
text. Write an information leaflet about dementia.
Select essential points of information when reading a
text. Write an information leaflet conveying meaning
clearly in an appropriate style.
A few pupils will:
Clearly summarise points of information when
reading a text. Write an effective and interesting
information leaflet using a range of appropriate
sentence structures and formatting.
8
Memory and Dementia Worksheet
What is dementia?
Who gets dementia?
What are the symptoms?
What causes dementia?
What are the different kinds of
dementia?
9
Memory Poetry Activity
Post theatre visit activity
Learning objective: To write a poem about
memory loss using simile, metaphor and
imaginative imagery.
Subject links: Literacy KS2 Primary Framework: Yr
5: unit 1: poetic style
English KS3, Writing poetry: use imaginative
vocabulary and varied literary techniques to
achieve particular effects.
PSHE: Playing an active role as citizens (KS2),
KS2 & KS3
60 minutes
Show pupils the following simile from the play that Miriam says:
‘In my brain, it’s turning cloudy, like frogspawn.’
Review the definitions of simile and metaphor. Ask them to turn the above simile into a metaphor - my brain is cloudy
frogspawn. What do they think this simile suggests is happening to Miriam’s brain? What effect does this have on her
life in the play? How does she feel about it?
Pupils study the following similes and metaphors Miriam uses to describe her struggling memory in the play. What
ideas about memory loss are being communicated by the imagery? Encourage them to be as detailed as possible in
their discussion and to discuss exactly what the images ‘say’ to them, and how successfully they illustrate the struggle
of memory loss and Miriam’s feelings about losing her memory.
‘People’s brains are like those round sticky bats on the beach. My stickiness here is wearing out. Things get thrown at me
and they don’t stick.’
‘In my brain, it’s turning cloudy, like frogspawn. I can’t remember any more.’
‘In here it’s a stone and it’s sinking deep into black water. And I can’t pull it out again.’
‘And names are like lights, but the bulbs go. And no-one’s got a spare bulb; so it goes dark and you standing there in the
place without light, and you can’t find the switch.’
Ask which of the above lines from the play is a metaphor? If further clarification of the difference between simile and
metaphor is needed ask pupils to change the above similes into metaphors.
Play a memory game with the class. Say a string of numbers: eg: ‘2,6,4,8,9,1,5,6’ Pupils write them on their whiteboards.
Then ask them to show their answers. Start with strings of 7 or 8 numbers. Then make it progressively harder with
longer strings of numbers, and speak faster. Eventually make it almost impossible for pupils to recall and write down the
correct strings of numbers.
Stop the game and ask pupils to focus on how they felt while they were struggling to recall the number strings.
Ask them to make a list of objects they felt like:
I felt like a bicycle with a slow puncture,
I felt as useless as a bucket with a hole in it. (similes)
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Then ask pupils to imagine what their brain was doing while they were struggling to recall the longer number strings.
Ask them to make a list of objects that they can describe their struggling brain and memory as, eg:
My struggling brain is a knotted ball of wool.
My struggling memory is a rotting apple, turning brown and soft. (metaphors)
Pupils then use their ideas to create a poem using similes and metaphors to illustrate the struggle of memory loss and
how it feels to experience it.
Plenary: Pupils evaluate whether their imagery successfully communicates their ideas and justify their answers. Pupils
comment on what ideas their classmates were trying to convey.
Success criteria
All pupils will:
Some pupils will:
Write a poem about memory struggles using simile
and metaphor imagery.
Write a poem about memory struggles using and
developing sustained ideas and imagery.
A few pupils will:
Write a poem about memory struggles using
engaging and varied images that create precise
effects.
11
End of Life Images Activity
Post theatre visit activity
Learning objective: To write a poem about the
end of life using extended metaphor and conceit.
Subject links: Literacy KS2 Primary Framework: Yr
6, unit 1: power of imagery
English KS3 Key process: Writing poetry: use
imaginative vocabulary and varied literary
techniques to achieve particular effects.
PSHE: Playing an active role as citizens (KS2),
personal wellbeing (KS3)
KS2 & KS3
60 minutes
Pupils study the following lines that Miriam speaks in the play. What do they all have in common? (All referring to the
end of life)
‘Your thing you made (miming the fortune teller) that tells your future. Every page was blank. I have no future.’
‘Look at my hands, skin like paper.’
‘Life doesn’t work out. It ends up a mess, like a ball of string all unwound.’
‘(Holding the watch to her ear) Stopped. Broken. Something else that’s utterly useless.’
Discuss how these are all very powerful images but also entirely negative. Why do you think this is? In what way could
the end portion of life be considered in a positive light? Explain the pupils are going to write a poem about the end of
life, using a ‘conceit’. Explain this is a metaphor, but extended for an entire poem. The idea is to write about one thing,
entirely in terms of another.
Show them the following example:
‘The end of life is a piece of paper worn almost to holes with rubbings out.
It’s a scrunched up piece of paper, quivering with creases, unable to be smoothed out.
The paper is stained with spills, dripping layers of mess.
It’s been cut up and stuck back together and it’s just about in one piece.’
What is the object used as the extended metaphor? What issues in life do they think are being referred to by each
detail about the piece of paper? Are the images positive or negative? Elicit further ideas using the same extended
metaphor.
In groups, pupils brainstorm what the end of life means to a person. They should think of both positive and negative
ideas. Consider the feelings of someone who has a religious faith and how that might affect their feelings about coming
to the end of their life. The class should then create a list of objects that they could use as a ‘conceit’ to communicate
their ideas. The class share and organise their ideas into a mind map on the board, to provide support for pupils if
necessary. Support could also be provided by a group working together on a poem, contributing a line each.
Plenary: pupils read out their poems, and comment on the overall impression of each other’s ideas. What is the object
that each pupil has defined the end of life as being like? Can pupils identify the positive and negative images in the
poem and explain what issues in life each image is referring to?
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Success criteria
All pupils will:
Some pupils will:
Write a poem about the end of life using conceit
and extended metaphor.
Write a poem that conveys its meaning clearly through
imaginative vocabulary choices.
A few pupils will:
Write a poem that engages and sustains the
reader’s interest through precise vocabulary effects.
13
Intergenerational Interview Activity
Post theatre visit activity
Learning objective: To prepare and ask a person
questions, for research purposes
To write an autobiographical account
Subject links: Literacy KS2 Primary Framework:
Year 6 unit 1: biography and autobiography.
English KS3: Writing composition, write
imaginatively, creatively and thoughtfully, writing
accounts.
PSHE: Playing an active role as citizens (KS2),
personal wellbeing (KS3)
.
KS2 & KS3
two 45
minute
sessions
Pupils arrange to interview an elderly person that they know. If this is difficult, then perhaps someone could come into
school to be interviewed by the whole class? The interview needs to focus on details of a significant friendship from the
elderly person’s life, as well as their general experiences at school. It will form the basis of a piece of autobiographical
writing about this childhood friendship. The writing needs to be based on facts from the interview and then expanded
imaginatively by the pupil, to enable opportunities for detailed, descriptive, creative writing.
Read the following lines from the play where Miriam talks about her childhood friends.
‘Sitting on the grass, Lily standing there.’
‘The boy running. Run, run, run. Fast he is; fastest he thinks he is. Fastest in the school. I don’t think so. Lily, ask him if he
wants a race, me and him, but not here with everyone sticking their noses in.’
These are facts she recalls from her life. How can they be exaggerated and expanded with more details, to make them
more interesting and gripping to read? Eg: add description of how Lily is standing and what she looks like. Describe the
way the boy runs and why he thinks he’s the fastest. Expand on why Miriam doesn’t want people watching. If necessary
model a second example: this time from teacher’s life:
Discuss the types of questions for the interview. Elicit that questions need to be open, using question words:
why/when/where/who/how/what. Questions need to focus on different aspects of the friendship. What are different
aspects could they choose? Ideas could be:
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who the friend was and what they were like (appearance/character/circumstances)
when and how the friendship started
why did they become friends
how the friendship developed
what events happened that affected the friendship in a positive or negative way
how did the friend influenced the elderly person
what the elderly person thinks of the friend now, looking back
Pupils write specific questions for each aspect they decide to focus on. They can also include some general questions for
background detail – eg about school and life at the time. See worksheet. Before the interview, discuss the need to take
notes and not write down every word the person says. They should focus on key words and facts that they will need for
their piece of writing. Class/pupils undertake the interview.
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In the second lesson, remind pupils they will use their notes from the interview to write an autobiographical piece
about the childhood friendship. Discuss the features of autobiographical writing:
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First person: ‘I met him at school.’
biased and personal viewpoint and opinions, written from the point of view of the writer:
‘In my opinion...’
description of feelings, appearances, actions and places, using adjectives and adverbs
use of compound sentences to include details: ‘I met him at school and he was the tallest in the
class.’
use of complex sentences to include details: ‘I met him at school, while standing in the playground.’
Use of time connectives: ‘on the first day, after that, later on, finally’
Subjective writing: based on personal thoughts.
Ask a pupil to read out the notes they made during the interview on one aspect of friendship. Model expanding and
exaggerating the facts, with imaginative details, (see last lesson). Pupils do the same with a different aspect of their
notes and compare and comment on their attempts with a talking partner.
Once pupils have expanded their interview notes they write the account of the friendship.
Plenary: Pupils can use the marking ladder below to self assess their work. At least three pupils should read out their
work, and class can comment on how the writer has brought the friendship to life, through use of language and
expanding/exaggerating the facts from the interview.
Success criteria
All pupils will:
Some pupils will:
Write an imaginative account of a friendship, in first
person. Use effective vocabulary and sustain ideas in
an interesting way.
Write using simple and complex sentences and make
precise vocabulary choices. Write in a varied way,
conveying meaning clearly, in a subjective personal style
A few pupils will:
Engage and sustain interest through using a range of
sentence structure and varied vocabulary. Write with
accuracy and demonstrate bias and a subjective
viewpoint.
Marking Ladder: A Friendship: autobiographical writing
‘I can’ statements for writing an
autobiography
I can use the ‘first person’ in my writing.
I can use time connectives.
I can use adjectives and adverbs to describe
feelings, actions, appearances, places.
I can use compound sentences.
I can use complex sentences.
I can use mainly accurate spelling and
punctuation.
I can write from a biased and subjective
viewpoint.
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Tick if you can,
½ if almost there.
Comments
Elderly Stereotypes Activity
Pre or post theatre visit activity
Learning objective: To gather, collate and evaluate
information about elderly stereotypes
Subject links: ICT KS2: Finding things out: 1a, 1c.
ICT KS3: Finding information: use and refine search
methods, analyse and evaluate information
Literacy: KS2 Primary Framework: Yr 6, unit 1:
biography and autobiography
English KS3 Key process: Reading for meaning,
extract and interpret, select and compare
information
PSHE: Playing an active role as citizens (KS2),
personal wellbeing (KS3)
KS2 & KS3
several
45 minute
sessions
The aim of this activity is to research examples of elderly achievers who break the stereotype that old people are frail,
sedentary and confused. Through interviews, internet research, newspapers – local and national, record books, local
organisations for the elderly etc, pupils find examples of ageing people who do not conform to stereotype. They use the
information to create an informative display.
Look at the worksheet listing website links to news items about elderly achievers in a variety of jobs and circumstances.
Read one or two with the class and;·
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·
Discuss how the elderly people featured have broken free from stereotypes.
Consider the sources of the information and take into account its purpose and context.
Does anyone know any elderly people who have done amazing things?
Pupils use the websites listed in the worksheet as starting points, or research examples of their own. They may find local
community and regional examples as well. They should remember to assess the information sources and critically
evaluate their purpose and authorship. They make notes and print out images of what they find out, and use this
information to create a display poster, or class wall display.
This could be an on-going activity for several weeks before or after the visit to the theatre. When displays are
completed, they could be used as the basis for a class assembly about elderly stereotypes. Pupils should consider how
their own views on what the elderly can achieve, have changed as a result of their research. They should comment
critically on how to approach using ICT information sources.
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Success criteria
All pupils will:
Some pupils will:
Gather information about elderly achievers and
collate it into a visual display
Retrieve and collate information from a variety of
sources. Assess the sources of information that they
gather, and comment on its purpose.
A few pupils will:
Summarise a range of information from a variety of
sources. Reflect critically on the sources of
information and evaluate its validity and authorship.
Set Model for Angel. Designed by Bek Palmer for Theatre Hullabaloo.
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Elderly Stereotypes Activity Worksheet
http://www.seniorsforliving.com/blog/2010/01/11/11-extremely-old-athletes-seniors-who-athleticallydefy-their-age/elderly athletes
older athletes
http://www.seniorsforliving.com/content/article/over-75-and-still-working-on-the-job-seniors-defy-notions-of-old-age/146/
working into old age
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1106323/At-91-new-success-story-Elderly-author-winsaccolade.html
writer wins award at 91
http://www.helpandcare.org.uk/cms/site/news/news-and-events/inspirational-older-people-star-incalendar.aspx
inspirational older people in calender
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latestnews/centralleeds/armley_man_wins_leeds_award_
for_inspirational_older_people_1_2767756
award-winning older man
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/6183988/Dame-Vera-Lynn-becomes-oldest-living-artist-to-have-number-one-album.html
number one for oldest living recording artist
18
How to Care for Someone with
Dementia Activity
Post theatre visit activity
Learning objective: To write an instructional leaflet
about dementia.
Subject links: Literacy KS2 Primary Framework:
Year 5, unit 1: instructions. Note-taking skills.
English KS3: Writing instructional leaflet: explaining
and describing information, note-taking.
PSHE: Playing an active role as citizens (KS2),
Personal wellbeing (KS3).
KS2 & KS3
60 minutes
After seeing Angel, pupils read a factsheet about dementia:
http://www.nhs.uk/dementia/Documents/Dementia__campaign_leaflet.pdf
and watch a video about living with dementia:
http://www.nhs.uk/Video/Pages/Livingwithdementia.aspx?searchtype=Tag&searchterm=Conditions__Dementia&
While reading and watching these information sources pupils make notes on how to care for people with this condition.
If necessary they can use the following headings to support their note-making. See worksheet.
•
•
•
•
•
What are the signs of dementia?
What are the first steps a carer should take to help?
What practical help can a carer give?
What emotional/mental help can a carer give?
Where can a carer get helpful information from?
In pairs and as a class, pupils compare and share their notes and the class complete a mind map of facts about caring
for people with dementia. Don’t forget to discuss ideas about caring that the class have from seeing the play. Pupils
use this mind map to complete the final section of their dementia leaflet that they started in the pre-show memory
and dementia activity. This could also be a stand-alone leaflet. They must aim to write clear instructions about how to
look after someone with dementia, using accurate factual English, organised into a clear, easy to read format. You may
like to review the layout of an instructional text and appropriate language use, such as: imperative verbs, present tense,
topic words, detailed descriptions, and adverbs, headings and subheadings, bullet or numbered points.
Plenary: Tell the class you will be leaving the room for a moment and that when you return you will be in the role of a
new carer for someone with dementia and will have some questions for the class. Leave the room for a second and on
your return ask a series of question. Pupils take turns answering your questions by reading out sentences/sections from
their instructions. Give feedback on clarity and effectiveness of their information and ask the rest of the class for their
feedback as well.
19
Success criteria
All pupils will:
Some pupils will:
Locate and use information selected from a range of
sources. Write an instructional leaflet about caring
for someone with dementia.
Select essential points of information from a range of
information sources. Write an instructional text
conveying meaning clearly in an appropriate style.
A few pupils will:
Clearly summarise points of information from a
range of information sources. Write an effective
and interesting instructional leaflet using a range
of appropriate sentence structures and formatting.
20
How to Care for Someone with
Dementia Activity Worksheet
Read the dementia campaign leaflet and watch the NHS video: Living with dementia
Make notes in the boxes to answer the following questions:
What are some of the signs of dementia?
What are the first steps a carer should take to help?
What practical help can a carer give?
What emotional/mental help can a carer give?
Where can a carer get helpful information from?
Any other information you think is important?
21
Care Homes vs Care in The
Community Improvisation
Post theatre visit activity
Learning objective: To use drama to explore the
issue of care homes versus care in the
community for elderly people. To read and select
appropriate information from a non-fiction text.
Subject links: KS2 Literacy Framework: Strand 7:
understanding and interpreting texts, Year 6, unit 2:
reading and writing non-fiction. Strand 4: drama:
use dramatic techniques to explore ideas and
texts.
English KS3: Key process: speaking and listening
PSHE: Playing an active role as citizens (KS2),
personal wellbeing (KS3)
.
KS2 & KS3
90 minutes
Pupils work in mixed ability groups to explore, through improvisation, the issue of living in a care home vs. care in the
community for elderly people. The two scenarios they will improvise are:
•
•
A worried son and daughter discussing with an elderly parent about whether they should live alone
at home any more.
A happy care home resident talking to an elderly friend about life in a care home.
Give them the following lines from the play and ask for initial opinions and ideas about the issues.
‘She’ll only be happy when everyone who’s got grey hair is locked up in a home and the key thrown in the sea.’
(representative from social services)
‘I’d rather eat slugs than go in there. Chairs round the edge of a big room and the smell of cabbage. Six hundred quid a
week for being treated like a vegetable.’ (in a care home)
‘There’s food and someone to pick the paper off the floor and buy the milk and there’s someone to remember for you
when you forget.’ (in a care home)
‘It’s warm. And the doors work, don’t they? And it’s tidy.’ (a care home)
‘I am happy in my house and my garden.’
Pupils then read pages from the charity Age UK’s factsheets about care in the community and care homes. These are
long factsheets and teachers may like to choose certain pages only.
http://www.ageuk.org.uk/Documents/ENGB/Informationguides/AgeUKIG23%20Care%20At%20Home%20Guide_inf.pd
f?dtrk=truecare in the community factsheets
http://www.ageuk.org.uk/Documents/ENGB/Informationguides/AgeUKIG06%20Care%20Homes%20Guide.pdf?dtrk=tr
uecare home factsheets
22
While reading they should make a group list of facts in favour of each option that they could incorporate into their
improvisation. To provide more support the class could create a joint list of facts to base the drama work on. Prompts
suggesting what to look for in the factsheets could also be given.
Pupils then develop improvisations to illustrate the issues and aim to clearly show the different views and ideas that
there are. Support in creating the improvisations could include:
•
•
•
•
hot-seating the main characters and interviewing them to clarify what they are thinking.
creating a freeze frame of each scenario, and then bring individual characters to life to explain their
feelings to the rest of the class.
discussing what the body language and facial expressions could mean in each freeze frame.
each group could improvise one scenario, instead of two.
Plenary: Pupils watch each others’ improvisations and comment on the ideas expressed and how clearly they are
communicated to the audience. They should reflect on how drama work helps to explore issues. Based on what they’ve
learnt, the class vote on which type of care they would choose and justify their choices.
Success criteria
All pupils will:
Some pupils will:
Contribute to the creation of an unscripted
improvisation on the topic of elderly care. Locate
and use some ideas and information from non-fiction
texts.
Use drama conventions to explore general themes
within the topic of elderly care. Successfully retrieve
and collate information from non-fiction texts.
A few pupils will:
Use a range of drama techniques to explore in role,
the topic of elderly care. Identify and summarise a
range of information as well as layers of meaning
from non-fiction texts.
This lesson could lead onto pupils writing a report, creating and giving a powerpoint presentation, or having a formal
debate on the subject of elderly care. Extra information could be gathered using the websites listed in this resource
pack, further internet research and live interviews.
23
Risk Walk Activity
Post theatre visit activity
Learning objective: To investigate the risks that
elderly people experience using ICT
Subject links: ICT: KS2: Developing ideas and
making things happen: 2c. ICT: KS3:
Exploring ideas and manipulating information: 1.3,
Developing ideas: 2.2.
PSHE: Playing an active role as citizens (KS2),
personal wellbeing (KS3)
.
KS2 & KS3
60 minutes
Pupils begin by discussing the risks that Miriam experiences in the play. Recall the general plot points and then focus on
her actions and her thought processes and how these potentially, and actually, place her in risky situations. How are her
actions and thoughts linked to her age?
Pupils use the following website: http//maps.google.com
The goal is to undertake a virtual walk from a house on an imaginary shopping trip as if they were an elderly person and
investigate the risks involved.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pupils choose a set of personal conditions that an elderly person might typically have
(eg. short-sightedness, poor balance, easy confused etc). Write these in the first column on
the worsheet.
Pupils choose a set of errands to be completed on the walk (eg. taking money out of the cash point,
changing library books, meeting friends in a cafe etc). Write these in the second column on the
worksheet.
Based on the criteria chosen in steps 1 and 2, what are the potential risks the elderly person might
encounter on the walk?
Pupils choose their nearest town and using the website, find the aerial photographs map of that
town, and then locate the main shopping streets and zoom in. By clicking on the person symbol at
the top of the vertical zoom bar, they can enter the ‘streetview’ option, allowing them to ‘walk’
virtually along the streets.
Starting at a house a little way from the main shopping streets, pupils ‘walk’ along the street and
complete their errands. Click and drag the person icon to move it, and rotate the compass to change
direction. They write down the potential experiences the elderly person could have on the
worksheet.
After completing their chosen errands, pupils assess the risks they encountered. They produce a
summary report of what could have happened to the elderly person in the course of a daily walk
and why.
Plenary: Class share their summaries and feelings about the walk. How could these risks be minimised in your local
town and nationally, or do elderly people simply have to endure them? How do these risky encounters make them feel?
This virtual walk could lead to a piece of art, representing the journey and risks involved, and the pupils’ feelings about
this. Or a factual report/powerpoint/presentation with suggestions on how to minimise the risks? Perhaps a letter to
the local MP if there are obvious improvements that could be made to the local high street, that would reduce risks for
the elderly?
24
Success criteria
All pupils will:
Some pupils will:
Complete a virtual walk using ICT and identify
potential risks on the route.
Interpret their findings on the virtual walk and use this
information to comment on the potential risks they
have identified.
A few pupils will:
Make clear predictions about potential risks and
use ICT to assess their ideas.
25
Risk Walk Activity Worksheet
Elderly person’s
conditions:
(eg: short-sighted)
Elderly person’s errands
to be completed on the
walk: (eg: take out
money from cash point)
Elderly person’s potential
experiences and why:
(eg: dropped half of
money withdrawn from
cash point and didn’t notice)
1
2
3
4
5
Summary of experience of walk:
26
A Lifetime of Memories Activity
Post theatre visit activity
Learning objective: To create a collage that
visually represents elderly people’s memories of
their lives and friendships in words.
Subject links: Art and design KS2: investigating and
making art and design, using a range of starting
points.
PSHE: playing an active role as citizens (KS2),
personal wellbeing (KS3)
.
KS2 & KS3
90 minutes
This activity gives pupils an opportunity to use some of Miriam’s dialogue from the play, where she talks about her
memories of her life and friendships, or else to use memories given to them in an actual interview with an elderly
person. (See intergenerational interview activity).
Pupils are asked to create a collage using these memories in written form. Discuss as a class how elderly people’s
memories may be woven together into a tapestry of different experiences, or may be clearly separated into ‘boxes’, and
how they might represent this in a collage. Discuss how memories in word form may be represented, such as written
out, printed, in sentences, phrases or single words.
Pupils choose words/sentences to use and explain their choices to a partner. Have they chosen sentences that represent
different kinds of memories, or are they focusing solely on friendship and what form it took? Offer pupils a range of
materials to use, and discuss different construction choices, such as cutting, tearing, sticking, layering, weaving of
materials to create the collage. Pupils then create their collages and at intervals give and receive critical but supportive
feedback from a talk partner.
Plenary: The class evaluate how they have communicated their ideas and feelings about the subject matter, and explain
their artistic and design choices. This activity could be a follow up to the intergenerational interview activity or follow
the poetry activities, which will have facilitated a close study of the Angel play script.
Success criteria
All pupils will:
Some pupils will:
Create a piece of art visually illustrating lifetime
memories and friendship. Comment on similarities
and differences with others’ work.
Clearly communicate their ideas through the artistic
choices they make. Adapt their work to realise their
own intentions, and comment on ideas and methods
used by themselves and others.
A few pupils will:
Effectively interpret visual qualities of materials
and content, to communicate their ideas and
meanings. Analyse and comment on how ideas
and meanings are conveyed in their own and
others’ work.
27
Paper Fortune Teller Activity
Post theatre visit activity
Learning objective: To make a paper fortune teller.
To discuss ideas, facts and opinions about ageing.
Subject links: Literacy KS2 Primary Framework:
speaking strand: explore ideas topics and issues
English KS3: Key process: speaking and listening
PSHE: Playing an active role as citizens (KS2),
personal wellbeing (KS3)
Design and Technology: Work with tools,
equipment, materials and components to make
quality products (KS2)
KS2 & KS3
60 minutes
This lesson can be used as a summary lesson after seeing Angel and undertaking work on the topic of ageing.
Pupils use a square sheet of paper and fold it to make a paper fortune teller. An instructional video can be found here:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2053986_make-paper-fortune-teller.html. Pupils write names of colours on the outside
flaps of the fortune teller and numbers on the next level of flaps. They leave the inside four flaps blank. If pupils need
extra help folding the paper, the first folding step can be done in advance for the pupils.
In pairs or groups, pupils brainstorm and discuss answers to the question: What will happen to you when you are old?
Consider physical/mental/social/financial issues. They use ideas generated by the play, their research, and discussions on
the topic of ageing. They may like to look back over the work they have completed. They must be able to explain and
justify their reasons and provide evidence if possible. eg: Sixty year olds will be given automatic organ transplants to
reduce hospital care costs. (This could be based on the problems the NHS currently has with the cost of long term
hospital care of the elderly).
On the inside flaps of the fortune teller, pupils write four different answers to the question. Once the class have
completed their fortune tellers they walk around the room with them for 10 minutes and ask and answer the question
with other pupils. They should explain and justify the thinking behind their answers.
Plenary: The class share examples of the range of answers in their fortune tellers.
How many answers are based on current facts about ageing, the play, hopes for
the future, or simply unlikely, creative options? Can all the ideas be justified?
You may like to have a class discussion about what would be the preferred
answers and why.
28
Success criteria
All pupils will:
Some pupils will:
Make a working paper fortune teller, following
instructions. Communicate their ideas about what
they think will happen to them when they are old
Clearly explain the reasoning behind their ideas and
opinions about what they think will happen to them
when they are old. Ask questions to respond to other
pupils’ ideas and views
A few pupils will:
Use a wide range of vocabulary and expressions to
clearly express ideas to other pupils. Listen
sensitively to other pupils ideas
29
More Fun Activities and Games
Age yourself:
Take a photograph of yourself and then make yourself look older in the photograph, using pen, pencil, paint or collage
over the top of the image, or manipulate the image digitally. How old can you make yourself look? What visual changes
did you make?
Skeleton leaf art:
Draw a leaf skeleton picture, but use sentences describing ageing symptoms as the skeleton lines of the leaf.
What makes a perfect friend?
Draw an empty body outline, and fill it with words and phrases to describe the perfect friend. Share and compare your
ideas with a friend.
Elderly or friendship acrostic poem:
Create an acrostic poem using the following words. Write the word ‘elderly’ or ‘friendship’ down the side of a page and
start each line of the poem with the next letter down in the word. The poems must be about the vertical words.
E
L
D
E
R
L
Y
end of life
last few years
death coming soon
everything muddled
race to the finish
last requests
young at heart though
F
R
I
E
N
D
S
H
I
P
feeling close to someone
rely on them for help
in each other’s lives
endless talking
need to be with them
dear to each other
safe and sound
happy to be with
important
perfect – well almost!
Word pictures:
Draw a word to show an aspect of its meaning, eg: ‘dementia’ drawn as if it was melting across the page, or ‘friendship’,
as if the parts ‘friend’ and ‘ship’ were hugging each other.
Paper fortune teller:
Make a paper fortune teller and write future predictions about friendship. See this website for a video about how to
make a fortune teller http://www.ehow.com/how_2053986_make-paper-fortune-teller.html
Memory games:
Play one of the following memory games.
I went to market and I bought...
Play in a circle, round a table. One person begins by completing the sentence: ‘I went to market and I bought...’ The next
person says ‘She/he went to market and she/he bought...’ (fill in gap with first person’s shopping), and then says: ‘and I
went to market and I bought...’ and completes the sentence with their own shopping. Each person has to remember the
shopping of the people in front of them, and add their own. If they can’t remember the list, they drop out. The winner is
the last person to remember everyone else’s shopping.
ABC memory lists:
People choose a category, eg biscuits, food, animals, hobbies, countries etc, and in pairs have to go through the alphabet
and say an item from that category starting with each letter of the alphabet in turn. This could be a group game as well.
30
Rhythm memory:
Sitting round a table, one person claps a rhythmic pattern and the other people round the table have to remember
the pattern and copy it. People take it in turns to clap the pattern, and make it progressively more challenging by
making the pattern longer and longer each time.
Visual memory:
You can play this as a group. You place objects in the centre of a table in a pattern. Everyone studies the pattern of
objects and tries to remember it. One person turns their back and another makes a change to the pattern. The first
person looks back and has to remember what has changed. If they get it right, they make the change for the next
person.
Two of a kind:
You could make a set of matching cards, with matching pictures on them, or use matching number cards. Spread
them out face down on the table, then take it in turns with another person to turn over two at a time to try and
find matching pairs. If you find a pair you keep it. The winner finds the most matching pairs.
Online memory games:
http://primarygames.com/puzzles/memory.htm
http://www.kidsmemory.com/
http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/memory_games.html
Ageing word search:
Find the following words in the word search:
Words can go forwards or backwards, horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
D
G
C
N
W
Q
U
O
C
L
M
E
Z
F
E
T
H
O
T
U
Y
S
A
F
A
A
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G
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M
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confusion
dementia
depression
elderly
age
retirement
memory
frail
loss
wisdom
experience
care
grandparent
old
Now try
making
your own
word
search
using words
connected
with
friendship.
Useful Websites
http://www.nhs.uk
National Health Service website. For videos about dementia and Alzheimers, click on ‘video’ on bar at top of screen,
then choose ‘conditions’ in the browse video options, and then ‘dementia’. There are five videos about the experience of
living with dementia.
http://www.nhs.uk/Dementia/Pages/dementia.aspx?WT.mc_id=91103
New government campaign about dementia: Slogan: ‘If you’re worried, see your doctor.’ This page has the government
information and television advert. Government information includes: facts about dementia, including signs to look for,
what to do, understanding it and advice and support.
http://www.nhs.uk/dementia/Documents/Dementia__campaign_leaflet.pdf
Government leaflet about dementia
http://alzheimers.org.uk/
A charity leading the fight against dementia
http://alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/document_pdf.php?documentID=100
A factsheet about alzheimers.
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/document_pdf.php?documentID=106
A factsheet about dementia
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/uk/2004/ageing/default.stm#
A special report on ageing published by BBC news online.
http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Memory-Loss-and-Dementia.htm
Comprehensive medical information, as provided by doctors to patients during consultations.
http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/healthnotes.asp?Resource=%2Fassets%2Ffeature%2Fa-mind-with-purposepreserves-brain-health_13601_1%2F~default
Advice on how having purpose in your life, helps your brain to stay healthy in older age.
http://www.mind.org.uk/help/people_groups_and_communities/older_people_and_mental_health
Mind is a charity that helps people take control of their mental health. This link focuses on the mental health issues
that affect the elderly.
http://www.ageuk.org.uk/publications/home-and-care-publications-/
Age UK is a charity that works to improve later life for everyone, by providing vital services and support.
Please note that Theatre Hullabaloo has no responsibility for the content of any external websites referred to in this resource.
32
Engage with Theatre Hullabaloo
Social Networks
We’re on FACEBOOK
Become a fan of Theatre Hullabaloo on Facebook to keep up to date with the tour, see pictures of rehearsals and be
notified of reviews & competitions.
We’re also on TWITTER
Follow HullabalooTweet and they will be able to get links to reviews and production shots as they happen.
Watch Theatre Hullabaloo videos on YOUTUBE
Visit our YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/TheatreHullabaloo?feature=mhum to watch promotional videos of
our work, “work in development” clips and “Blue Peter” style activities.
See picture from our shows on FLICKR
View slideshows of production shots and photos taken during rehearsals or in workshops with children
www.flickr.com/photos/theatrehullabaloo/sets/
Sign up to our NEWSLETTER
Sign up to our newsletter, they will be updated quarterly about what’s going on at Theatre Hullabaloo.
Sign up on our website www.theatrehullabaloo.org.uk/newsletter-signup.asp
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