YR/1/2 Year
Context
Problem solving with
King Arthur
School
Gooderstone C of E Primary
Number on roll 62
Name of teacher (optional) Mrs Pamela Downs
The school’s approach to drama:
Drama is used to promote children’s learning
practically and creatively in all areas of the curriculum.
We use drama to increase motivation and enjoyment so
that the children can really take ownership of what
they are learning.
The school’s reasons for seeking involvement in D4LC:
As a school we have identified writing as an area for
improvement, we want to use drama to promote
children’s creativity and motivation in writing.
Age Group: YR, Y1 and Y2
Size of class: 26 children, 4 children with 1:1 adults +
another TA + me!
Length of lesson: 1 hour
Subject links: History, RE, PHSE, English
Resources: Books that had been studied for this
subject before this lesson
The aims of the lesson

For children to be able to immerse themselves in
the time of King Arthur

For them to take on roles and responsibilities to
work out a problem

To be able to work co-operatively as a group
D4LC phase 2 – lesson exemplars

To understand that some things are special to
people
Lesson
exemplar
D4LC phase 2 – lesson exemplars
The teacher wanted to …
The children had worked on problem solving before
within drama but I wanted them to use their historical
knowledge of the period that they had learnt and their
understanding of how the knights did good deeds to
work out a problem that didn’t use all the fighting that
they seemed to enjoy so much! It was the PHSE side,
the working together, I wanted them to really consider
including the sense of something being very special to
someone.
Before the lesson …
We had been working on castles as a topic and had
done lots of in role drama to find out what it would be
like to be a knight or a lady in the time of King Arthur.
We had made a castle from extremely large cardboard
boxes complete with drawbridge which the children
then used with suitable dressing up clothes; armour,
shields, swords, jester and servant outfits, ladies
formal dresses and head wear etc. The castle was
outside leading into a gazebo so was available for free
play at relevant times for children to act out their own
situations.
They had been introduced to relevant language and
customs of the period such as trebuchet, quest,
jousting etc.
We made hobby horse horses so we could do jousting,
we hung a ‘body’ (stuffed sack) from a tree so we could
have our own quintain; within English we wrote with
quills (swans feathers); we used natural wool to do
simple weaving; and used hessian to do our own
tapestry. All these things helped to immerse the
children in what it would be like to live in those times.
The children especially enjoyed the work about the
toilets, but that is children for you!
We had read three different quest stories, relating them
to how the Knights of the Round Table were Christians
who did ‘good deeds’ including the quest for the Holy
Grail and what that was..
D4LC phase 2 – lesson exemplars
The teacher began the lesson by …
On this occasion I started the children off sitting round
the round table (the floor of the classroom) and I was
King Arthur with a letter that had come by horseback
that morning.
I told my knights that Lady Charlotte had had her most
precious possession stolen and that whoever had taken
it had left a letter to say there were three things they
had to do before they could get it back.
The teacher then …
I put the children into four mixed age and mixed ability
groups and explained that certain children within the
group (Y2s) were the head knights and they were in
charge. This was so these children could be assessed
for their speaking and listening within a group
situation. They had to make sure everyone had their
say and all ideas for discussed equally. They though
had the final word.
I read out that the first obstacle was to cross a raging
river.
The pupils …
The children had to talk amongst themselves and
decide how they were going to get to the river and then
how they could get across.
They discussed this and then tried out their ideas.
The teacher then …
Once I felt the children had worked at this I then told
them the second task which was to get a tail feather
from a golden eagle without hurting it.
Again the children discussed the problem together and
tried it out.
For the third task they had to find the secret pathway
behind the waterfall and there they would find Lady
D4LC phase 2 – lesson exemplars
Charlottes most precious possession. We talked
together about what they thought it might be.
Again they discussed the problem as a group and then
worked on it together.
All adults moved around the groups at all times, either
offering support or ideas or just listening and observing
if this was what was needed. The children knew at all
times that what they were doing was valued.
At the end of the lesson …
We came together and I got the children to act out one
part of their drama to the whole class. I let them
choose.
I then put a box containing Lady Charlotte’s most
precious possession in the place where their waterfall
was.
They brought the box back into the group as we’d
started where I became the King again (cloaks are
wonderful!)
They opened their box to find the treasure which was in
fact a photograph of Lady Charlotte’s family.
After the lesson the teacher …
I asked the children whether they were surprised by
what was precious to Lady Charlotte. We talked
together about what was precious to them and why and
about how things that cost a lot of money are not
always the most important to us. I linked this to their
own families and then also to the Holy Grail and how
when we’d had that story we discussed about it
probably not being covered with jewels because Jesus
hadn’t been a rich man.
After the lesson the children …
The children were able to talk about something being
precious to somebody and how they should treat these
things. They talked about how they had helped each
other when thinking about the problem they’d been
given.
D4LC phase 2 – lesson exemplars
The teacher …
I felt the children had been stretched in what they had
been doing even though they didn’t realise it. It really
made them think about each other and their own part
within their group and the whole concept of something
being precious to one person although it might not be
to somebody else.
The children said …
As above
In this lesson there was evidence of creativity when …
The children showed creativity when they used the
language within their groups. They talked through
together how they would work it out and then used
appropriate language in the period when ‘performing’ in
their groups.
In this lesson there was evidence of learning when …
Evidence of learning was shown when children took
lead roles in the group discussions and in the
organising of their ‘play’.
Children who wouldn’t normally speak out were
confident in the situation to do so because they felt
secure within their group and they had been a part of
deciding what would be done.
Children went on to write about their own precious
object the next day and learning was shown because
they were able to transfer the empathy to their writing.
They also continued to act out the quests within
activity time in our castle.
Can you offer evidence of a rise in standards (for
any/most/all of the pupils) that can be attributed to this
lesson? Please be as precise as possible and try to
mention NC levels and/or sub levels.
D4LC phase 2 – lesson exemplars
Drama
strategies and
conventions
used

Speaking and listening was assessed for the year
two who I was focusing on. Two children obtained
aspects of level 3, four obtained aspects of level 2
and two obtained aspects within both level 1 and
level 2.

Within YR aspects of personal, social and
emotional development were highlighted for five
children and all seven YR children obtained
aspects of communication, language and literacy.
Why use drama?
Drama enables all children to be engaged in their own
learning. This lesson enabled my children to work in a
mixed age group and whatever the age to see that their
ideas and contributions were useful and valued.
They were able to use their imaginations in a
structured ‘environment’ but then go on to practise
these on their own when playing outside. I saw
evidence of this within our play castle.
My advice to someone else doing this lesson would be
Enjoy yourself – if you enjoy what you do the children
will see this and enjoy it too.
Please return this lesson proforma when completed to
danielle.youngs@norfolk.gov.uk long with any
scanned children’s work or digital photographs linked
to this lesson. It will be placed unedited on the D4LC
website and may be selected and edited for a D4LC
folder supplement of published lessons.
PLEASE ENSURE THAT ALL IMAGES OF CHILDREN
HAVE FULL PARENTAL PERMISSIONS INCLUDING
FOR INTERNET PUBLICATION
I didn’t take any photographs during the lesson but we
did have a Knights and Ladies day at the end of the
whole topic and photographs of this are on our school
website. www.gooderstone.norfolk.sch.uk
D4LC phase 2 – lesson exemplars