This term's mantle is 'The Beggar Queen', loosely based on planning which can be found here, (sign-up required but for only £1).
I currently have a problem which all teachers in England have at one point or another: Ofsted is looming. In my 18 months at my current school I'm sure I've produced more curriculum paperwork than in the previous 10 years at my previous school (a school which was Ofsteded before the current 'deep dive' framework and all its related joys).
Anyway, what this means is that my mantling is not as creative, free or meaningful as I would like it to be. I have very set learning objectives, very set outcomes and very set vocabulary that I am supposed to make sure I teach the children, all in a very set order. Thankfully I have some freedom as to how I teach (no schemes of work or death by powerpoint here) but still, something is missing.
Up to this point:
the children had learn about features of their own village and then features of a medieaval village. We co-created a medieaval village and then added in people at work: blacksmiths, farmers, millers and so on. The children heard that over in the fields some more people were at work: the serfs. The poorest peasants, with only a small plot of land in exchange for a lot of work for the lord of the manor. We did some enacting in role as serfs.
However, before I moved on to the next part of the story (meeting the beggar queen), I really felt that the children needed spend more time becoming invested in their roles a serfs. We'd done the curriculum bit - learning what serfs were and about some of the jobs they had to do - but the children needed to go deeper into the story if the next sessions were to have meaning for them.
With this in mind:
I went away from the plan, the learning objectives, the granular detail documents (yes, we have such things) with every piece of learning carefully outlined.
And we did two extra mantle sessions.
1. A plot of land
Using a map of the medieval village the children had created, I invited them to choose a place for their own plot of land (that precious piece of land and wattle-and-daub cottage they were allowed). Each child took a sticky label, wrote their name on it and added it to the map.
Then I wondered aloud what would be on that plot of land, and using a short presentation I taught the children about some of the animals and crops serfs might have had, and what their wattle-and-daub cottage might have looked like inside.
I provided green sugar paper, white paper to draw on and cut out, pencils, scissors and glue, and the children created their own plots of land.
2. I introduced a bit of tension
At the start of the following session, I laid out the plots of land (as above). Then I added a further plot - the one on the right with the yellow post it notes. I said: there's a bit of a problem amongst the serfs. One of their number - Hannah - hasn't been seen for a few days. Her crops are withered, her pigs haven't been fed and her eggs haven't been collected. As her neighbours, what would you do?
The children started looking for Hannah (in a noisey but fairly invested sort of way).
I marked out a drama square with masking tape, and invited children to gather around it. I said something like, 'has anyone thought to check inside Hannah's cottage yet?'
We called and knocked on the door, then agreed that we needed to break in, in case Hannah was in trouble. I then explained that I would represent Hannah.
I stepped into the drama square and represented Hannah as the children-in-role broke down the door. I explained that I didn't know what to do - I was getting too old to do much work and the Lord of the manor had told me I had to leave my home and plot of land.
Of course, the children quickly offered to help and before long they were in role around the hall carrying out Hannah's jobs.
The result.
I felt as though the children were more invested in their role as serfs and ready for the story to move on. We are, however, now a week or so behind with what we *should* be learning (according to all the paperwork).
Time well spent.
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