Class Acts

Subject: History
Level: Secondary
Age Group: 11 - 14
Order Number: 7114

Class Acts is exactly what its title suggests. It gives the members of your class a chance to act; to get out of their seats, stack their tables and chairs and recreate the events and issues of give key moments in time.

• to fight in the Battle of Hastings 1066
• to witness the murder of Becket in 1170
• to stand in a crowd with Luther as he attacks the Church 1517
• to rebel against Henry VIII's 'low born' advisers in 1536
• to sit in counsel with Elizabeth I and execute Mary Queen of Scots in 1587

Class Acts has been designed for 'mixed ability' groups aged 11-14. Classes love 'doing plays' and the active involvement of students, helps them to get a real feel for the great issues of the Past. They can develop a genuine empathy with the characters and this tends to assist memory and strenghen understanding.

The parts in the play have been designed to ensure the reading levels vary so that some will challenge the most able readers while other parts have few words or even on at all.

Each of the plays lasts for about 20-25 minutes and they can either stand alone or form part of a wider lesson. All of them can be done within a standard classroom or equally they could be performed on stage, or weather permitting, in the case of the Battle of Hastings, outdoors.