Year 3 have been learning about how upper and lower class people were divided 100 years ago. We began our lesson by learning how rich and poor people were treated differently and about the number of servants who usually worked in a large house. The children were astounded to learn that on average a family of 5 would have between 20 and 30 servants!
Having learnt about the different roles servants may have around the Georgian household, the children were then allocated a role to play during our whole class drama. The classroom was divided into a kitchen area, living area, dining room, laundry room, nursery, bedroom, car and garden so that everyone could deliver their roles successfully. As the drama played out, the children were challenged to listen to the scenario described by their teacher and act accordingly. To name a few, the children had to make dinner, prepare the dining area and serve in the proper manner, cultivate the garden and transport the Lords to a farming meeting. As the drama continued to unfold, the children learnt how to behave in their role and what was expected of them.
To bring their role play to a close, an important telegram was delivered to the household. The footman answered the door and delivered the telegram to the butler, who then delivered it to the Lord of the house. As the news spread, we could see the looks of worry and shock on the children’s faces as they learned that Britain is at war with Germany.
What excellent acting Year 3!