West End in Schools Blog
Teacher resources and the latest news from West End in Schools.
Discovering Diwali in the Primary Classroom
The Festival of Lights is fast approaching! And we have had the joy of touring schools across the country this month to help primary school children explore one of the most important stories behind Diwali - The Ramayana. An epic tale of good triumphing over evil, it is a story that can be traced back to 500 BCE (that’s a LONG time ago!) and it’s as much loved today as it was back then.
October Blues Busters!
Especially for new teachers, a sense of having a ‘competence crisis’ can take over as you adjust to the fast-paced, high-pressured, demanding world of education. Here are some creative, low to no-prep activities to lift your spirits and keep you smiling through to Christmas and beyond!
The Importance of Poetry in Primary Schools
When a child opens a poetry book and look at the pages, what do they see? Rarely do they see uniformity. They see words and letters making all different shapes across a page. Some short, some long. Some with rhyme and some without. Some poems even become the illustration of what they are describing.
Anti-Bullying Week and workshops to challenge bullying
Anti-Bullying Week takes place on 11th November to 15th November this year, and 2019’s theme is ‘change starts with us’. At West End in Schools we have been running Anti-bullying drama workshops for the past two years, but we are constantly developing and improving the workshops based on feedback from teachers.
Preparing for a Phizz-Whizzing Roald Dahl Day!
Roald Dahl Day isn’t just a time to celebrate a great author. It is a day to celebrate everything Dahl’s stories teach: creativity, perseverance and fun!
Classroom Dance Calendar 2019
So last term you read our Guide to Teaching Dance series and you’ve found your groove? Thought so! Well, to help you along this year we’ve put together a 2019 Dance Calendar! Providing a year round excuse for getting the whole class up and jiving!
It’s Behind You! Behind the Scenes of Panto Season
Putting together a panto season, complete with five different pantomimes on offer to schools, is no mean feat. As rehearsals draw to a close and with the first panto performances underway, we wanted to fill you in on what’s been happening behind the scenes at West End in Schools HQ.
Poppies and Propaganda - the original ‘fake news’?
Back in October a class of Year 6 children in London were taking part in a workshop about the First World War. Their session focused on the Battle of the Somme. As they explored the experience of the soldiers and the news reports from the time, something didn’t seem right. The explosive descriptions of the battle clashed with the reports that declared ‘Everything has gone well!’ It was confusing until they began discussing it in the context of today. Why would the news say something that wasn’t true? That just makes it fake news doesn’t it?
Top 5 Poems for Primary School
At West End In Schools we have lists (long, long lists) of poems we love, but we’ve whittled it down to just five, and this year we’ve been working on transforming these five fantastic rhymes into specially created drama workshops.
Pantomimes and PTA
“Can a pantomime really help the PTA?”
— Oh yes it can!
Many PTA’s help cover the cost of a school’s pantomime visit as a seasonal treat for the children, but did you know that pantomimes can be a fantastic fundraising tool as well?
First World War Centenary: how can we teach it in primary schools?
This year is the centenary of the end of the First World War and 100 years since the Armistice was signed on 11th November 2018. To mark the occasion we created Poetry and Poppies, an interactive workshop that combines poetry, drama, and history for the whole primary school. We spoke to Abi, the creator of the workshop, to find out exactly how the workshop came about and what its challenges were.
5 Ways To Get Creative With Roald Dahl
To celebrate Roald Dahl Day and the 102nd anniversary of one of the most phizz-whizzing writers of all time, we have compiled a list of our top five easy ways to get creative with Roald Dahl.
Touring school pantomimes Vs. panto at the theatre
Teachers often wonder whether they are better advised to visit their local theatre or to bring a specialist company into their school. When it comes to which option is best for your school, we think there are three main areas to consider: production quality, price and convenience.