Drama is an integral component of primary English teaching. It is the engine that drives creative responses to stories, helping children explore characters, settings and predicaments. Yet the primary National Curriculum for England (DfE, 2013) makes scant reference to drama. Some generic guidance indicates the importance of speaking, listening and performing although these points are both too obvious and too generalised to be useful to teachers and subject coordinators hoping to embed drama across the whole school. When writing our forthcoming book, Teaching Shakespeare in Primary Schools: All the World's a Stage (Routledge, David Fulton, 2021), both Maureen and I felt that whole-school drama guidance for primary teachers - so integral to teaching Shakespeare's plays - was notably lacking from online resources currently available (apologies if you have produced such a document but we could not find it!). We decided to compile our own. In fact, you may have found this blog post...

Hello! 你好!    My name is Stefan Kucharczyk and I am an experienced primary school teacher, lecturer and writer based in Leeds (UK). I have always loved losing myself in stories: in books, films, computer games, theatre, lego and anything and everything else. But my real passion has always been writing. Now, I work with primary school children and teachers to support them in making writing an immersive, creative and fun experience. I am interested in the potential of creative, enquiry-based learning to change the way we think about education in primary schools (and education in general) and to help prepare young learners to live and flourish as literate citizens in an exciting world. I also work in Higher Education as a university lecturer and tutor. No, I am not an all-seeing expert with schemes of work under my arm, but I have experience, passion, imagination and the willingness to take a risk - all that you need to change the world. To book me for workshops, CPD, speaking ...

I wrote the following article for publication on the TES online 'Subject Genius' blog series. The original article can be found at: www.tes.com/blog/author-way-a-shift-pedagogy-writing An author way: a shift in the pedagogy of writing A recent report by the National Literacy Trust into child attitudes towards writing indicates that the number of children who write for pleasure is on the increase. This is undoubtedly a cause for celebration for those of us who write for joy, work or for any number of assorted reasons. However, for many pupils aged 8-18 years – almost half of those surveyed in fact – writing is still an activity that fails to capture the imagination and for some remains an unenjoyable slog. I can empathise with both the joyful and the joyless. I often wonder how my former teachers who cajoled, bullied and dragged me by the pencil tip to produce writing of any quality might now feel if they knew that I enjoy writing as an adult. The laying down of words is no ...

Star Wars: Return of the Shadow Saber (2017)   The Star Wars saga continues with Star Wars: The Return of the Shadow Saber produced by ARTiculate Education and Trinity Vision.  In this continuation of the sci-fi epic, the Sith, the Jedi and a group of vile bounty hunters are on a quest to reclaim the legendary Shadow Saber - a weapon of unspeakable power. Who will get their hands on it first and claim the ultimate power in the galaxy? This film was written, designed and performed by twelve children from Little London Primary School and Pudsey Lowtown Primary School, Leeds. May the force be with you!

I am delighted to announce a new training course for primary teaching assistants. Supporting Creative Writers is specially designed to help staff engage and guide children through the writing process. The full-day course is on Friday 11th November 2016 at Bowery Cafe and Visual Arts Centre , Headingley, Leeds. See the poster below for details! To book a place or for more information, please email me . 

The Great Wave - Creative writing workshop, Year 6 Week 2: Drafting a narrative After our previous work on vocabulary, this week's workshop was a chance for the children to put their rich language and ideas into action. A first draft of writing based on The Great Wave (Hokusai) - Year 6 boy, Leeds primary school Writing from the perspective of one of Hokusai's cowering sailors, we tried to convey the right mood and atmosphere as the fishermen face down the monster wave. The superb example above, by a Year 6 boy, shows how we captured this scene perfectly... "One again, we faced our nemesis, the flowing nightmare: The Great Wave." Zing! A good author needs a strong command of language. This writing, although excellent, didn't just happen! It was built upon the foundations of creative thought, a rich bank of vocabulary and the experience of applying it in sentences. These were key parts of the process:  Children read a model text to see how a pi...

Turn your most wayward apprentices from scruffy-lookin’ nerf herders into Jedi Masters with this creative writing and illustration workshop. Creative writing workshop -- six sessions -- fiction EPISODE I I - T HE PROCESS BEGINS! Darth Vader illu stration by Vict o r in ink, charcoal a nd wat ercolou r Picking up this tale from where we left off, six boys who find writing challenging were chosen to join a creative writing workshop using Star Wars graphic novels as their inspiration. After having time to watch snippets of Episode IV and freely pore over various graphic novels, their enthusiasm for Star Wars had been well and truly tapped into. It was time to start the process of producing a piece of writing. My basic ethos with writing is not revolutionary. Guiding children through a detailed and immersive process rather than springing a writing assessment on them might seem like an obviously, preferable route. It is, however, surprising how seldom this approach is really f...

ARTiculate Bulletin wc 22.2.16 Have you tried Flotsam by David Wiesner Buy this book! Image copyright by the owners.  This is a strange book; the good kind of strange. The sort of book that will keep you and the children puzzling and poring over it in the hunt for hidden meaning and the intricate details you almost certainly missed the first ten times you read it. Almost completely wordless, children of any age or ability will find this a stimulating and thought-provoking starting point.  If you try any of the ideas I'd love to see the work your children produce. A  'Have You Tried?'  ideas sheet for  Flotsam  can be found  here .  To request this in pdf format, please join the mailing list by clicking  here  and sending me your details.

This week's bulletin features creative ideas for Black Dog by Levi Pinfold. This spooky tale has lots of unnerving qualities: Victorian sepia photos, objects that seem to move around from picture to picture and , oh yeah, a huge slathering hound on the prowl. Perfect for murky autumnal weather. If you try any of the ideas I'd love to see the work your children produce. To request this in pdf format, please join the mailing list by clicking  here  and sending me your details. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Black Dog by Levi Pinfold -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The sinister, murky tone of this book is ideal for gloomy, autumnal weather.  Buried deep in the snowy forest, a large beast is prowling around the house giving the Hope family the scare of their lives. But all is not as it seems in this spooky tale. Is it really a really a giant be...

In this workshop, I am using art as a means of developing a sense of character perspective. Our artwork looks at 'the people' and how they might react to the intruder. The art and writing are different accounts of the same event. W hen used in the right way, art can enhance great writing even further. Creating art that speaks to writing Week 5 "If an illustration only repeats what the text is already saying then either the text or the illustration is superfluous... The pictures carry the story on their own."  Armin Greder, The Great Bear (1999) It is always warming to hear an enthusiastic teacher describe a great book as a 'goldmine'. I find it comforting to imagine them burrowing through the themes, vocabulary and ideas to take their classes to the heart of a book. Teaching that aims to dig below the surface can immerse children in new worlds and, almost inevitably, produces great writing.  Another rich vein of creative possibility for literacy...

Week 2: A good author gets into the mind of his characters. The man who arrives on the island is a nobody. We don't where he is from, or how he came to be on the mysterious island. We don't even know his name. The information gaps in this story are seemingly waiting to be filled and drama and imaginative discussion are the key ways to deepen and shape a child's understanding of the man and his situation. This week's workshop explored the man's origins . How has he come to arrive on this island on his flimsy little raft? He's an escaped prisoner! A castaway! A fisherman swept out to see! A man on a secret mission! He is a refugee from a war-torn land! He was sent away like Moses in a basket! He is simply searching for a new, better life! We then used hot-seating and interviews to develop these ideas with the children playing the exhausted, weary man just after his arrival. One question leads to another... Where did the raft come from? What ...

An art collection collage - created by a Year 4 child for Gorilla. This workshop was an excellent way of getting children to analyse pieces of art, looking for symbols, colours and themes and explaining how paintings and their artists are trying to communicate with them.  It was like a flash back from Every Which Way But Loose this week as I  was back on the road in Leeds with my trusty Gorilla companion. We didn't even have time to stop for a burger at a road-side diner or for a bare-knuckle dust-up as there was plenty of work to do with some incredibly articulate Year 4 children.  This week, the focus of our work was the emotional tire swing of Gorilla, alone and trapped by modern life in his specially modified zoo cage until rescued by his unlikely companion, Clint Eastwood...erm I mean a little cat called Beauty. Same same. Anthony Browne's references to art as a means of of communicating with the reader is at the heart of why his books are such fert...

You’ve heard the old expression: There’s no such thing as a free creative literacy and art workshop. Right? Poppycock. Here at ARTiculate, we are passionate about art. And writing. So we put them together and SHAZAAM… we deliver the finest creative workshops in the land. Using text, drama and discussion to inspire children to write, people in Leeds are raving about the work we do. “Very inspirational and creative – lots of new ideas to improve writing and unlock children’s imaginations.” Nadia, Teacher Y4 To be in with the chance to win a FREE taster workshop for your school, all you have to do is click here and email us your school’s details. Winners will be announced on Monday 1 st June! Still here? Get typing! *Leeds (W Yorks) primary schools only, sorry folks.

ARTiculate is launching an exciting new range of workshops linking artistic creativity with scientific experimentation. The first workshop explores how the principles of chromatography work and how they can be used to create stunning artwork! What is included? -5 focus sessions with a group of 6-8 children. -2 sessions with the whole class. -Delivered by an experienced, qualified primary school teacher. - All materials provided by ARTiculate. For more information, click this link or contact me here .  

Check out ARTiculate Education on Pinterest! There are some great ideas for creative art activities with Early Years! uk.pinterest.com/articulateeduca/

Creative Literacy Workshop: The DIY Writer Friday 13 th February 2015 A satisfying and engaging morning with teachers from local primary schools talking through the processes that support children’s development in writing. The group got to grips with talk as a basis for writing, explored their artistic response to a book and saw how model texts can help children shape their own compositions. Thank you to all who took part for your enthusiasm, positive child-centred attitude and for making it such a fun morning! I am delighted the staff found it useful and gave some great feedback: “[The session gave me] lots of ideas I can take home and implement next term.” Michelle, Teacher “I will be changing my practise so the provision for children is better.” Bryan, Teacher “Lots of ideas about how to use picture books and ways of breaking down modeled writing.” Calum, Teacher Y3 “Inspiring ideas.” Ali, Teaching Assistant “Very insp...

Our first workshop started yesterday with children from a Year 4 class from an inner-city primary school in Leeds. The ' On the Outside ' workshop is a six week masterclass in developing creativity through art and writing and is built around The Island a captivating picture book by Armin Greder. The children loved it and reflected that they had learned lots of new things in such a short space of time. Roll on next week! Follow the 'WORKSHOPS' tab to find details of this session.

We are delighted to announce the launch of a new workshop aimed at inspiring GIFTED and TALENTED children to independent and challenging collaborative work. The 6 part workshop called 'Through the Magic Mirror'  is built around the fantastic book of the same name by Anthony Browne. With it's deceptively simple story and the surreal illustrations, this is the ideal starting point to get talented children thinking. Created specifically for Gifted and Talented groups, this masterclass is designed to encourage: Imaginative discussion.  Collaboration and independent project work. Creative writing and the skills needed for high quality art. Freedom to think differently. In this workshop, children will: Write, edit and present a piece of structured writing. Create pieces of high quality art work. Explore creative processes of authors, artists and illustrators. Develop confidence, interpersonal skills and enjoy themselves. For more information or to boo...