March 15, 2021
Holi School Workshop: The Story Behind the Festival of Colour
The ancient Hindu festival of Holi is celebrated every spring. But what's it all about? Join us for a look at the legends!
Welcome to our Creativity in the Classroom series! In this series, we share some of our favourite activities, games and challenges to stimulate creative learning on curriculum topics. All ideas come from our online teaching resource, Uno. To find even more engaging activities and interactive videos, visit the Uno website and sign up for your free trial!
On 15th April 1912, a tragedy occurred that endures in our nation’s history. The sinking of the Titanic took place in the early hours of the morning, after the ship struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean.
As April approaches, we wanted to share a great Titanic KS2 activity with you. Not only can you use this to help transport your pupils back in time to that cold and fateful night, but also to explore the historical context and characters involved in the ship’s final journey. Did you know that when the Titanic was built, it was the largest ship ever to have been made? When fully loaded, it weighed over 50,000 tons!
Hot Seat with Captain Edward Smith: Titanic KS2 Activity
In drama, ‘hot seating’ is a fun activity where we embody a character and our classmates ask us questions. We don’t answer as ourselves, but in role as that character! It involves doing a little research beforehand, but don’t worry if you don’t always know the right answer. The focus is on giving a convincing performance!
- To warm up, separate your class into pairs and label them A and B. As should find a space in the room and stay still, while Bs can walk around. When you say stop, Bs should find the nearest A and ask them an insightful question. For example: how old are you? What do you enjoy doing? Where’s your favourite place in the world?
- Repeat this game a few times, encouraging Bs to find a new A and ask a different question each time. Feel free to swap the roles around so everyone gets a chance at asking and answering questions.
- Once you’re warmed up, gather your class to share some facts about the Titanic’s captain: Edward Smith. You could say where he was born, what he did when he left school and what his character was like. Keep the details simple as we’re going to want to remember them later!
- After sharing these facts, see how many your pupils can remember. Ask them what other things they might like to know about Captain Edward Smith. Maybe how he became a captain? Or what family he had? Use your imagination!
- Using all you’ve learned about the Captain, create a statue to show his body language and facial expression. You could also think about how his voice might sound.
- Finally, replay the warm-up game. However, this time Bs should ask a question for Captain Edward Smith and As should answer in character! Try to remember all the facts you’ve learnt, but remember it’s okay if you don’t know the exact answer. Staying in character is the aim of this game!
If you’d like to integrate this Titanic KS2 activity into a written project, why not use the questions and answers to create a newspaper interview with the Captain?
If you’d like to learn more tips for improving Creativity in the Classroom, take a look at our online teaching resource, Uno. This easy-to-use website is packed with interactive videos and teacher guides on a wide range of topics. Please get in touch to find out more and begin a free trial for your school.