Our Academy for Witches and Wizards
Transcription
Our Academy for Witches and Wizards
Thematic Unit (PMLD) Our Academy for Witches and Wizards OVERVIEW This unit suggests a range of activities centred on an imaginary school for witchcraft, wizardry, magic potions and spells. The title of this unit and the teaching and learning experiences suggested are delivered through the concept of your own class, department or the whole school becoming, for the duration of the theme, Our Academy for Wizards and Witches. The unit is focused mainly on Key Stage 3. It provides teaching resources, ideas, lesson plans and activities that you can adapt and modify to enhance the sensory curriculum for learners with PMLD. Please note: before beginning an activity, check that all the resources are suitable for your individual learners. For example, some essential oils may not be appropriate for young children and others may have contraindications for learners with complex medical needs, life-threatening conditions and/or epilepsy. It is advisable to consult a trained therapist before using essential oils. Contents Learning Activity 1 Sorcerer Sense Waking up and stimulating the senses.............................................. 2 Learning Activity 2 Welcome to Our Academy An interactive Whiteboard story......................................................... 4 Learning Activity 3 A Witch’s Story A patting story..................................................................................... 6 Learning Activity 4 Hat or Hand Tricks An art lesson........................................................................................ 8 Learning Activity 5 Potions and Lotions A mathematics lesson about pattern and sequences..................... 10 Learning Activity 6 A Witch’s Brew An interactive drama story................................................................. 12 Learning Activity 7 Bubble Trouble A science lesson about making bubbles.......................................... 14 Learning Activity 8 Levitation Balloons Encouraging body movements by keeping balloons in the air....... 16 Learning Activity 9 Magician Graduation Reflecting on past learning activities and awarding learners with graduation certificates............................................................... 18 Resources....................................................................................... 20 Acknowledgements................................................................... 26 Our Academy for Witches and Wizards 1 Learning Activity 1 Sorcerer Sense Setting the Scene What to Do Sorcerer Sense is a lesson that you could deliver each morning to help stimulate the senses and encourage your learners to be more alert and engaged throughout the day’s planned activities. Position your learners comfortably and dim the classroom lights. Begin playing the themed music in the background and display one slide at a time from the Resource 1: Waking the Senses. Each slide has an image that focuses on one sense: sight, sound, smell, touch or taste. Encourage your learners to participate in the following activities and photograph or record their reactions. The lesson incorporates Resource 1: Waking the Senses. This presentation takes each learner through a range of stimuli to awaken the five senses. Use magical textures, tastes, sounds, smells and visual aids as prompts and cues. Play magic-themed music in the background throughout the Whiteboard presentation. 2 Our Academy for Witches and Wizards Areas of Learning Post-Primary Environment and Society Mathematics Further Suggestions Change the stimuli Sight Darken the room and use a glitter mirror ball to stimulate the eyes. Sound Use a recording of an owl hooting or an owl musical whistle. Touch Add jelly sweets, such as worms, to the jelly to allow your learners to progress to exploring and experiencing more textures. Taste Make your own slimy lime jelly with the learners or experiment with colours and flavours to smell, feel or taste. Smell What You Need Resource 1: Waking the Senses (Whiteboard Slides) • Plasma screen or interactive whiteboard • Magic-themed music • Glow sticks • Chimes • Fresh aromatic herbs such as mint or a scented cream • Jelly • Popping candy or powder • Camera or device to take photographs and/or videos Invite your learners to smell witch-hazel gel or cream. Our Academy for Witches and Wizards 3 Learning Activity 2 Welcome to Our Academy Setting the Scene What to Do This learning activity has been designed as a sensory story. It aims to encourage learners to interact with and respond to sounds and visual stimulation using Resource 2: Our Academy for Witches and Wizards, which contains simple tracking and cause and effect activities. Display the slides from Resource 2: Our Academy for Witches and Wizards. Learners can activate these slides themselves. Photograph or film their reactions. Further Suggestions Make a magic wand Learners could create magic wands in an art lesson by wrapping dowelling rods, drumsticks or old paintbrushes in coloured paper and sticky tape. 4 Our Academy for Witches and Wizards Areas of Learning Post-Primary English Science and Technology What You Need Resource 2: Our Academy for Witches and Wizards (Whiteboard Slides) • Whiteboard or interactive touch screen • Magic wand (a stylus decorated silver and black) to touch the screen with • Camera or device to take photographs and/or videos Our Academy for Witches and Wizards 5 Learning Activity 3 A Witch’s Story Setting the Scene What to Do Reinforce the topic by decorating your room with images of witches on your display boards or floating from the ceiling, using electric fans to make them move. Create a storytelling area decorated with witch-themed items such as broomsticks, cauldrons and pumpkin fairy lights. The storyteller should dress as a witch. To prepare for the activity, position your learners in the storytelling area with their shoes and socks off and their trousers and sleeves rolled up. Over time, introduce them to a range of stories and poems about witches. Use the activities outlined in Resource 3: A Witch’s Story to enhance each learners experience.. Search online for images of witches. 6 Our Academy for Witches and Wizards Areas of Learning Post-Primary English Further Suggestions More witch stories You could use these stories as alternatives to read to your learners: The Twitchy Witch Visit www.shortstories.net and search under the witch stories category. What You Need Resource 3: A Witch’s Story • Witch wig and hat • Broomstick • Black cloak The Witch who was Frightened of Halloween Visit www.storynory.com and search for The Witch who was Frightened of Halloween. Read an extract from The Witches by Roald Dahl. Our Academy for Witches and Wizards 7 Learning Activity 4 Hat or Hand Tricks Setting the Scene In this activity, your learners will engage with and have time to explore materials to make wizards’ and witches’ hats and hands that will glow under ultraviolet light. Once created, you could use the hats throughout the rest of the unit. For example, each time the learners engage in an activity using the whiteboard or touch screen, they could wear the hats. This will help to connect learning and maintain continuity throughout the theme. What to Do For Witches’ and Wizards’ hats Using stiff paper or card, create a tall cone shaped wizard’s or witch’s hat with a wide brim for each learner. Encourage your learners to indicate the colour of card they prefer and to choose which materials they would like to use for decoration. Create a magical feel by using an area or room with ultraviolet light and mirrors for the learners to see themselves. Witches’ and Wizards’ hands Prepare your learners for the activity by introducing them to a plastic witch’s hand and encouraging them to explore it and compare it with their own hands. Offer your learners a choice of different paint colours. Encourage the learner to choose which hand they would prefer to have painted. Paint the learner’s hand in their chosen colour using different textures such as thin brushes, large decorating brushes, sponges or kitchen scourers. Support the learners to make a handprint, where possible encouraging them to make their print independently. 8 Our Academy for Witches and Wizards Create the fingernails using various materials such as silver card, brightly coloured paper, pieces of sandpaper or strips of coloured plastic bags. Don’t forget to curl the nails around a pencil for a 3D effect. Use glue to attach the fingernails onto the hands. Search online to find alternative wizard or witch themed art and craft activities. Further Suggestions Pictures Take photos and videos of your learners to project onto a screen so that they can see themselves as wizards and witches. You could use image manipulation software to distort these images to create a more magical feel. Areas of Learning Post-Primary The Arts (Art and Design) Mathematics What You Need • Glue • Scissors • Camera or device to take photographs and/or videos For witches’ and wizards’ hats: • Large sheets of coloured cardboard • Wizard hat template or instructions available from www.firstpalette.com (search for wizard hat) • Materials that glow in ultraviolet light, for example flourescent card, paint or material, white material • Sticky tape or stapler • Mirrors • Ultraviolet light For witches’ and wizards’ hands: • Plastic witch’s hand • Poster paint • A4 paper to make handprints on • Aromatherapy oils to match each of the paint colours for example lemon for yellow or mint for green • Shiny paper, brightly coloured card, sandpaper, plastic bags cut into pointy nail shapes Our Academy for Witches and Wizards 9 Learning Activity 5 Potions and Lotions Setting the Scene Movement sequence: This learning activity uses a multi-sensory hand massage involving textures and smells to enhance the experience. The primary mathematical focus in this lesson is sequence and pattern, although you could easily adapt this. For example if shapes are the focus, you could conduct the massage using circular motions and circular shaped resources. • While maintaining contact with the learner’s hand, repeat the above movements using a feather. Points to Note For most learners, lavender and tea tree essential oils are considered safe and suitable for use. However, for learners with complex medical conditions, including epilepsy, respiratory complications, high blood pressure or other conditions, there may be contraindications. Therefore, always seek advice from parents and a qualified aromatherapist or use scented creams. What to Do Create a calming environment in the classroom with dimmed lights. Encourage your learners to wear their hats from the previous learning activity. Use a slowly rotating coloured light or mirror ball to create a magical ambience. Play mystical themed classical music in the background. The sequence of your movements should be in time with the rhythm of the music. Begin massaging one hand at a time. Members of staff should carry this out with each learner on a one-to-one basis. Massage each hand using the same hand actions, sensory experiences and techniques. Wrap heated towels around the learner’s hands after the massage or if a learner has to wait, wrap their hands before the massage to ensure they are included in the lesson. 10 Our Academy for Witches and Wizards • Use a wet wipe and gently rub up and down from the palm of the hand to just above the wrist. Repeat this for the top of the hand. • Again, keep contact with the learner’s hand and drop half a teaspoonful of the oil mix or a basic scented hand cream onto the palm. Repeat the movements above. Then, with the palm facing up, start to massage the palm using your thumbs simultaneously. Gently start to massage each individual finger and thumb. Turn the hand with palm facing down and repeat the above sequence. • Retain contact with the learner’s hand and sprinkle on some talcum powder. Gently rub up and down on the top of the palm to just above the wrist and repeat for the back of the hand. • Finish by wrapping the learner’s hand in a heated towel. • Repeat the process for the other hand. • Take photographs or film your learners as they experience the massage. Areas of Learning Post-Primary Mathematics Environment and Society What You Need • Rotating coloured light or mirror ball • Wizard or witch hats (from previous learning activity) • Wet wipes • Feather • Essential oil such as tea tree or lavender (this must be mixed with a base oil by a trained therapist) • Scented hand cream • Talcum powder • Heated towels or heat packs • Shallow tray or table to rest your learners hands on • Suitable background music, for example the theme from a Harry Potter film • Camera or device to take photographs and/or videos Our Academy for Witches and Wizards 11 Learning Activity 6 A Witch’s Brew Setting the Scene Create a witch’s cauldron from black card, a flowerpot or a large saucepan. Depending on the size of the cauldron, fill it with green jelly, orange or green shredded paper or alternative creative resources. What to Do Darken the classroom. Add the jelly or shredded paper to the cauldron and stir, using a long wooden spoon. Create a spooky atmosphere by reciting some witch poems or spells such as: ‘Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble’ Macbeth by William Shakespeare 12 Our Academy for Witches and Wizards You can find alternative suitable poems online. For example, visit www.fizzyfunnyfuzzy.com and search for Witches Stew in the Halloween Howlers section of poetry themes. Encourage your learners to wear aprons. Position them around the cauldron and support them to touch, squeeze and explore the resources in the cauldron. If you have used cold jelly, if appropriate, encourage your learners to taste it. Begin to create a potion by adding appropriate ingredients one by one, for example chocolate mice or jelly sweets shaped like spiders, snakes or frogs. Describe each ingredient as you drop it into the cauldron, to involve your learners in the process. Areas of Learning Post-Primary English Mathematics The Arts (Drama) Resource 4: A Witch’s Song You can find ideas for rhymes to support making the potion at www.kidsonthenet.org.uk by searching for Spellbook in the Creative Writing section. Support your learners to explore the potion. Help them to find the hidden creatures and lift them out of the cauldron one by one to feel, smell or taste, if appropriate. Use Resource 4: A Witch’s Song to engage your learners in a sensory activity. Further Suggestions More songs and rhymes You can find alternative literacy or drama activities at www.petewells.co.uk • • • • • • • • • • • Aprons Green jelly Shredded paper Jelly sweets White chocolate mice Wig Mushy peas Modelling clay Water spray Deodorant Sound of a scissor snip recorded onto a communication device • Brush • Damp sock • Fizzy drink or juice Our Academy for Witches and Wizards 13 Learning Activity 7 Bubble Trouble Setting the Scene What to Do This is a science-based lesson that aims to introduce learners to new textures and smells. By combining the ingredients listed opposite, learners will create a chemical reaction to make their own kind of magic. Continuing the theme, learners could wear their wizard or witch hats in this lesson and use their wands to stir the mixtures. Points to Note As with all chemical reactions, ensure your learners are safe. Learners should wear plastic goggles. If tolerated, this will be a new sensory experience in itself. Lay all the above ingredients on the teaching table. Give your learners an opportunity to explore each ingredient either independently or with support. Take all opportunities to involve your learners in making choices such as which food colouring they prefer. When all your learners have explored the ingredients, begin the experiment: • Place an empty bottle in the middle of a saucepan. • Pour or spoon baking soda into the bottle until it covers the bottom. • In a cup or mug, combine ¼ cup of vinegar, two big drops of washing up liquid and a few drops of food colouring. • Using the funnel, pour this mixture into the bottle. • Stand back and watch as your bubbles erupt! • Take photographs or film your learners’ reactions. 14 Our Academy for Witches and Wizards Areas of Learning Post-Primary Science and Technology Mathematics Further Suggestions What You Need Fun experiments • Clear bottle with a slim neck (like a large juice bottle) • Vinegar • Baking soda • Washing up liquid • Food colouring (selection of colours) • Saucepan • Glass or mug • Cup measure • Funnel • Spoon • Camera or device to take photographs and/or videos Try another experiment. There are plenty of simple experiments to do in the classroom using everyday substances. Visit www.sciencebuddies.org and search for Chemistry in the Physical Science section of the Project Ideas tab. Our Academy for Witches and Wizards 15 Learning Activity 8 Levitation Balloons Setting the Scene What to Do You should take this lesson in the school hall or a large room where there is plenty of space. The lesson aims to encourage learners’ independent movement and allows them to try key physical education skills such as multidirectional movement, speed and playing as a team. This physical activity ties into the Academy for Wizards and Witches theme by keeping balloons afloat in the air ‘magically’. The buoyancy and weight of balloons make them a great resource to use with PMLD learners, as little movement is required to make the balloons move. This also makes them safer to use with those with limited physical ability. Present each learner with a balloon to explore. They may try to push the balloons off their laps. Support each learner hand-over-hand to try to hit the balloon into the air. Staff could gently hit the balloon towards the learner to encourage the learner to reach out or try to hit it back. PVC pipes are the best way to make electricity. Plumbers usually have spare pieces of this or you can buy it from a DIY store. Charge the PVC pipe by rubbing it back and forth through your hair or the learner’s hair for 10 seconds. Hold the balloon above the charged pipe and let it drop and touch the pipe. The pipe should repel the balloon, making it float. You will usually have to ‘recharge’ the pipe before each levitation. Once they have mastered levitating balloons, try moving your learners as they try to keep the balloons afloat. Use a camera, tablet or video recorder to capture the learners’ participation. 16 Our Academy for Witches and Wizards Areas of Learning Post-Primary Physical Education Science and Technology Further Suggestions What You Need More magic • Inflated balloons • Wands or pieces of PVC pipe preferably 1 inch wide and 24 inches long • Camera or device to take photographs and/or videos Try levitating an orb made from Mylar tinsel, which is available from fishing tackle shops or online. You can find instructions for this experiment at www.sciencebob.com by searching for The Amazing Levitating Orb in the Experiments section. Instead of using the PVC pipes, play parachute games with balloons. For example, try to keep the balloons on the parachute or see how high they can float. Have a game of Academy for Wizards and Witches balloon-ball, by using pipes or wands to try to pass the balloon from learner to learner without letting it fall. Our Academy for Witches and Wizards 17 Learning Activity 9 Magician Graduation Lesson Overview Further Suggestions This activity should take place after the learners have completed all the activities in the unit. It aims to revisit the learning experiences covered and uses prompts and visual cues to remind them what they have participated in and achieved. Scrapbook souvenir What to Do Ensure your learners are wearing their wizard or witch hats. Together, view the photographs and videos taken from the past week of activities on a large screen. Slowly present each picture, describing the events as they unfold. Pause the pictures, as and when appropriate, to allow your learners to connect with the resource that you have chosen to correspond with certain activities. For example, pause on a picture taken during the massage and let each learner smell the oil or cream that you used in the massage. Play the theme music from a Harry Potter film and present your learners with the certificates from Resource 5: Graduation Certificates. 18 Our Academy for Witches and Wizards Create a scrapbook of photos and textures used in the activities. You could give these to your learners to bring home, communicating to parents the achievements of the wizards and witches in our academy. Areas of Learning Post-Primary English Environment and Society What You Need Resource 5: Graduation Certificates • Whiteboard or plasma screen • Photos or videos from the activities downloaded and ready to be viewed on a large screen • Prompts and cues that represent the activities covered, for example oil or cream used in massage, a paintbrush used in art or a balloon used in PE • Celebratory background music Our Academy for Witches and Wizards 19 Resource 1: Waking the Senses (Whiteboard Slides) Available from the SEN and Inclusion PMLD Sensory curriculum at www.nicurriculum.org.uk Slide 1: Introduction Introductory slide with (school name) Academy for Witches and Wizards Slide 2: Sight Use glow sticks for the learners to track. You may need to adapt this lesson for visually impaired learners. Slide 3: Sound Stop the background music and play chimes to make a magical sound. Slide 4: Smell Restart the background music. Encourage your learners to smell the fresh herbs or a scented cream. Slide 5: Touch Guide your learners to explore the jelly. Gelibaf is an alternative that you can find in most resource catalogues. Slide 6: Taste 20 Where appropriate, let your learners taste the popping candy or powder. Our Academy for Witches and Wizards Resource 2: Our Academy for Witches and Wizards (Whiteboard Slides) (1 of 2) Available from the SEN and Inclusion PMLD Sensory curriculum at www.nicurriculum.org.uk Text, as listed below, to be spoken by the teacher. Slide 1: Title page Text: Welcome to Our Academy for Witches and Wizards Slide 2 : Images of witches and wizards Text: Deep in a forest, where no one can see Lies a magical place called our academy! Look very closely for a pair of eyes, Follow the trail and there the academy lies Slide 3: Blinking eyes appear Action: Support the learners to touch the screen to find the blinking eyes. Slide 4: Wizard and witch appear and disappear Text: Can you see the magic trail? I promise you it is real Use your wand, one, two, three, The magic trail you will see Slide 5: Pictures of feet forming a magic trail Action: Support your learners to touch the screen where feet will appear to form a magic trail. Slide 6: Wizard and witch follow trail Text: Well done! you found it, now follow me We’re nearly there, in time for tea Wave your wand and tap once more The Academy for Witches and Wizards will appear, Then enter through the door Slide 7: Image of a school with a sign saying ‘Our Academy’ Slide 8: Moving door and sound Action: Learner touches the screen to hear a magical door sound. Slide 9: Wizard and witch appear and disappear Text: Now I’ll show you a magical art Spinning hats is where we’ll start A tap of the wand and one, two, three, The hat will spin, you will see! Our Academy for Witches and Wizards 21 Resource 2: Our Academy for Witches and Wizards (Whiteboard Slides) (2 of 2) Slide 10: Wizard’s or witch’s hat Action: Learner touches the screen and a hat appears, spins and disappears. Slide 11: Wizard and witch appear and disappear Text: At our academy, it is important to be, A math’s magician as good as me! Colours, sizes, patterns and more, Potions, lotions and magic galore! Slide 12: Five different coloured shapes with numbers appear, fly around the screen and then disappear. Action: Learners touch the screen to activate it. Slide 13: Wizard and witch appear and disappear Text: Maths magicians! You’re surely on your way, To becoming the best magicians our academy has today! Sorcery Science is what we’ll do next, To conjure up a magical bubble mix. Slide 14: Bubbles ascend from a cauldron Action: Learners touch the screen to see the bubbles appear from the cauldron. Slide 15: Wizard and witch appear and disappear Text: Now you know the bubble trick, Another taste of our academy’s magic. But can you make things float in the air And, better still, to disappear? Slide 16: Balloons that can be inflated and burst Action: Learners touch the screen to inflate the balloons and then burst them. Slide 17: Wizard and witch appear and disappear Text: 22 You are true magicians and learned so well, To float balloons and cast some spells. Now you are masters in wizardry Graduates from our academy! Our Academy for Witches and Wizards Resource 3: A Witch’s Story A Witch Story Sensory Activities I am a mean old witch wearing a wig Using your fingertips, tap the words all over the learner’s head. I ride on broom, which isn’t very big Pat up and down both legs, in time to the words. I wear pointy shoes but have no toes Strum your fingers up and down each bare foot. I have large pink nostrils upon my nose Gently tap your fingers across the learner’s nose. I have long curly claws just like a cat Strum your fingers down the learner’s arms and across the hands and fingers. And my spit is blue what do you think of that? Gently strum your fingers across the learner’s face towards the mouth area. My eyes can change from ice to fire Gently strum your fingers across the learner’s forehead, left to right and then right to left. And I HATE children with all my desire Pat the learner from head to toe. Our Academy for Witches and Wizards 23 Resource 4: A Witch’s Song Song Sensory Activities Wicked Webster Witch has had the notion, Of making a brand new ugly potion! She needs bits of slime and grease and snot, To put into her ugly pot! First she took some hair from (learner’s name)’s head, ‘Hmmm, not too greasy!’ the old hag said. Give learners a wig to feel ‘Next a bogey picked from (learner’s name)’s nose, Into my bubbling pot it goes!’ Give learners some mushy peas to taste ‘Next some sticky wax from (learner’s name)’s Give learners some modelling clay to feel ear, That’ll do nicely, thank you dear!’ ‘From (learner’s name)’s mouth I need some spit, To spice my mixture up a bit!’ Spray the learners’ hands, arms or feet with water A soggy drip from under (learner’s name)’s arm, Will make my potion work a charm! Give learners some deodorant to smell Next clippings from (learner’s name)’s fingernails, ‘My potion’s looking great!’ Webster wails! Play the sound of a scissor snip A botty burp from (learner’s name)’s bot, Will help this potion smell a lot! Blow up a balloon and let it go A bit of (learner’s name)’s hairy knee, Makes this potion as powerful as can be. Give learners a brush to feel A drop of sweat from (learner’s name)’s feet, And my potion will be complete! Give learners a damp sock to feel But Webster Witch has got it wrong, She made her potion much too strong! Instead of making a spell that’s horribly nauseous, The potion makes you completely gorgeous! Give learners a potion – a fizzy drink or juice – to taste and then support them to look in a mirror Copyright: Pete Wells 2006 Contact: pete.wells1@ntlworld.com 24 Our Academy for Witches and Wizards Master of Wizardry, Sorcerer of Senses, Mathemagician Date: Signed: Has graduated from This is to certify that Resource 5: Graduation Certificates Our Academy for Witches and Wizards 25 Acknowledgements: Illustrations sourced from Thinkstockphotos.co.uk Cover: iStock Collection © alexandrayurkina and Song Speckels Page 2/3: iStock Collection © colematt Page 4/5: iStock Collection © alexandrayurkina Page 6/7: iStock Collection © DesignLobe Page 7: iStock Collection © Yuan-Den Page 8/9: iStock Collection © artshock Page 10/11: iStock Collection © Marina Lvova Page 12/13: iStock Collection © Pedro Guillermo Angeles-Flores Page 14/15: iStock Collection © stock_shoppe Page 16/17: iStock Collection © Prikhnenko Page 18/19: iStock Collection © Skomorokh Page 18: iStock Collection © imagy Page 25: iStock Collection © Dmytro Beridze; ChrisGorgio; RKaulitzki; and johnny-ka 26 Our Academy for Witches and Wizards A CCEA Publication © 2014