Participants' perspectives Y5&6 Easter Pause Day: Jurneys Overall aim: Prvide an pprtunity fr children t investigate the Easter stry in greater depth by cnsidering the cntrasting views f the peple wh were present. Outline f the day: Lk again at the Easter stry and becme mre familiar with the key events. Apprach the day thrugh drama t be able t empathise with the peple wh were present. Create a bard game as a way f evaluating the emtinal jurney f the events f Easter week fr thse wh were there. Please be aware that yu may find that there is far t much material, s please select what yu need and nt wrry abut items that cannt be fitted in. Preparatins required befre the day: Phtcpies f relevant sheets Bibles (ne between tw) Set up prayer area (ptinal) Create a quiet, reflective and peaceful area (e.g. an pen sided gazeb with cmfrtable cushins. Have a central crss nt which children can attach prayers and play sme reflective Christian music. Suggest that the theme fr the prayers reflects their thughts frm the day. Resurces fr making the bard games as required (utlines available t dwnlad)!1
Overview f the Day: Sessin Aim 1 T revisit the Easter stry starting frm Palm Sunday and wrking thrugh Jesus time in Jerusalem, his crucifixin and the resurrectin. 2 T plan a bard game which cnsiders hw different characters in the Easter stry wuld have respnded t the events. Activity Use the stry circle technique t unpack the key events f the Easter week. Once re-familiarised with the events, use freeze-frame drama techniques t unpack hw different characters might have felt during the week. Children t wrk in 2s r 3s t plan their bard game. Each grup t be given a character perspective frm which t design their game (and crib sheet t supprt them with this). 3 T cnstruct their bard game. T create the game frm the standpint f ne character. Time given t create and play bard games. Children may chse t wrk n their wn, using the ideas frm their grup in sessin 2, r may wish t cntinue cllabrating. 4 Play games with friends whse perspective is the game created frm? Spend time playing the games f ther grups. Whse perspective is the game frm? Hw can yu tell? Unstructured sessin: T prvide a space fr persnal reflectin, cntemplatin and respnse. Revisiting the events f Easter week Hearing the stry: Use the stry circle technique (see bx belw) t fcus children as they read thrugh an accunt f Jesus jurney frm Palm Sunday t the resurrectin. It may be easiest t use the accunt in Mark s gspel as it is the shrtest. Encurage the children t find the verses in their Bibles as the stry is retld that way they will knw where t lcate the stry shuld they need t refer back t it during sessin 2. Set up a prayer space with interactive displays and activities where the children can chse t g (nt cmpulsry) if they want space by themselves. See suggestins belw.!2
1. Children t sit in small grups arund a large sheet f white paper (A1 is recmmended as the children will need plenty f gaps t draw in). In the centre draw a circle. Frm the circle, encurage each child t take their pencil fr a walk rund the paper. 2. As the Bible passages are read, pause and allw the children time t illustrate each episde f the stry smewhere n the page (in ne f the spaces created by their wandering pencil lines at the start). 3. At the end, ask the grup t discuss what they have heard and draw smething in the centre circle that summarises what they cnsider t be the main imprtant pint/ learning that cmes frm the stry. This is an pprtunity fr deep learning as the children debate which f the scenes were mre imprtant and why and try and reach a cnsensual agreement f what t put in the centre circle as a summary f the mst imprtant aspect f the stry. Sme children might feel it is the resurrectin, thers might argue fr the mment f death at the crucifixin, thers might feel that they shuld chse an image f hw the peple arund were respnding. There is n right r wrng answer, but the discussin and activity with children justifying their ideas shuld lead t a much deeper understanding f the main events. Afterwards, get the grups t feedback t the rest f the class what they discussed and what they agreed. Here is hw yu might cnsider splitting up the Bible readings: Mark 11:1-11 (Jesus triumphal entry int Jerusalem) Mark 14:12-26 (The Last Supper Jesus shares his last meal with his disciples the meal that is remembered at Hly Cmmunin/Eucharist) Mark 14:32-42 (Jesus is in anguish as he prays in the Garden f Gethsemane and his disciples let him dwn by falling asleep) Mark 14:43-50 (Jesus is arrested) Mark 14:53-65 (Jesus is taken and tried by the Jewish leaders) Mark 14:66-72 (Peter, ne f Jesus clsest disciples, is scared and denies that he knws Jesus) Mark 15:1-15 (Jesus is tried by the Rman Gvernr, Pilate, and the crwd demand that Jesus is crucified) Mark 15:33-41 (Jesus dies n the crss) Mark 15:42-47 (Jesus is buried) Mark 16:1-8 (The female fllwers f Jesus discver that his has risen)!3
Timeline f the main events: T help sequence the events and prvide a reference pint that the children can check back n fr the rest f the day, use the accmpanying pictures t create a visual timeline f the Easter. Give each picture t a small grup f children and ask them t wrk ut as a grup wh is in the picture and what they are ding. Can they remember where in the stry this is a scene frm? Des anything in their picture surprise them? Can they identify all the characters? Which characters lk as thugh they are experiencing the mst emtin? Which grup thinks that they might have the starting picture? Discuss and agree as a class. Bluetak the relevant picture up at the frnt f the class and then cntinue t pick ut the ther images in rder and stick them up. By the end, yu shuld have a timeline f the Easter stry visually represented acrss the frnt f yur classrm. Drama activity: T help with sessin 2 clse the sessin by thinking abut hw different characters wuld have felt at different pints in the week. Children t wrk in small grups t create a freezeframe scene fr each f the fllwing emtins. NB their scenes are nt generic pses f thse emtins, but shuld shw a snap sht f part f the Easter stry. This will elicit a much deeper understanding f the stry and be f greater benefit t the children fr sessin 2. They can chse which characters t use and which episdes frm the Easter week t draw n: Despair Jubilatin Disappintment Cnfusin Guilt Astnishment Examples fr each: Despair: Disciples react t Jesus arrest/death/the crwd demanding crucifixin, the burial f Jesus Jubilatin: Crwd s reactin t Jesus as he enters Jerusalem, reactin f wmen/disciples when they hear that he is risen, Jewish leaders' reactin t hearing the crwd call fr crucifixin Disappintment: Jesus reactin when Peter betrays him, Jesus reactin when the disciples fall asleep in the Garden f Gethsemane, Pilate s reactin when the crwd call fr crucifixin Cnfusin: Disciples reactin t Jesus wrds at the Last Supper, Jewish leaders reactin as they put Jesus n trial and listen t his respnse, bystanders' respnse t the events f nature at the crucifixin!4
Guilt: Peter s respnse t denying he knew Jesus, Disciples respnse t falling asleep in the Garden f Gethsemane, Judas respnse after kissing Jesus Astnishment: Bystanders experiencing darkness at the crucifixin, disciples/female fllwers hearing that he is risen Reflecting n the events and planning a bard game The idea fr the rest f the day is t encurage the children t create a bard game abut the Easter week. Please avid the temptatin t fcus n this as a DT activity t create a durable and neat game. The intentin is t fcus n the thinking behind the game structure (ie why players mve frwards and backwards, miss ges etc). The game will enable them t shw nt nly that they can crrectly sequence the events f that week, but give them an pprtunity t cnsider hw peple at the time reacted t thse events. Depending n yur class, select a variety f bard game utlines frm the web r it may be mre apprpriate fr yur children t design their wn jurney game. S that the activity is nt a simple task invlving recall f the stry, set each grup f children t design their game frm ne f the fllwing perspectives: Peter (prbably the easiest t d) The Jewish Leaders The Rman Sldiers The crwd (ie nt Jesus fllwers, just peple in Jerusalem anyway) The game can then use the highs and lws f these peple s experiences as instances fr missing turns, advancing extra places r having t g backwards. Inventive children may be able t find further ways t use the stry and these characters' experiences and feelings t extend their game. Mre able children may use the mre extreme experiences t create lnger ladders/snakes/mre extra mves and less significant experiences in the Easter Week fr smaller advances/lsses n their bard game. T aid the children in planning their game, please see the planning sheets. It may benefit the children t wrk in pairs r threes t help with ideas in this planning stage. In the table belw are sme ideas fr each f the characters (but this is by n means an exhaustive list) NB: There will be differences f pinin as t what shuld be a frwards/backwards g. Fr instance, ne child might think that it was a gd thing fr the crwd that when they shuted fr Barabbas that Pilate listened and did what they said, ther children might think that it was terrible. Equally, children s views f respnses t the resurrectin might vary enrmusly. Perhaps the sldiers were pleased that Jesus came alive again because they had realised wh he truly was r maybe they were petrified fr themselves because they wuld be accused f nt guarding the bdy crrectly. There are n right r wrng answers, but the discussins that arise will be exciting and will be the surce f the deepest learning during the day abut Easter.!5
Character Peter The Jewish Leaders The Rman Sldiers Reasn t miss a g/g backwards/ g dwn a snake: Falls asleep in the Garden f Gethsemane. Denies knwing Jesus. Helps taking dwn the bdy frm the crss. Jesus enters Jerusalem with a large crwd in tw, all cheering him n. Unable t find a gd reasn at his trial t have him killed, have t use false evidence. Pilate des nt seem cnvinced and ffers t release Barabbas instead. Jesus arrives in Jerusalem, bringing large crwds with him. Yu wrry abut cntrlling these crwds peacefully. Yu are rdered t lash Jesus 40 times and prepare him fr crucifixin. Yu must guard his tmb. Yu are wrried that smething will g wrng. Reasns t rll again/climb a ladder: Leading the crwd in cheering Jesus as he enters Jerusalem. Find smewhere t celebrate Passver tgether. Hear the news that Jesus is alive. Judas agrees t betray Jesus. Jesus is arrested in a place where there are n crwds all dne n the quiet. Crwd calls fr Jesus t be crucified. The crwd utside Pilate s huse remains calm, there is n unrest fr yu t deal with. Yu win when yu cast lts fr Jesus clthing. The Crwd Making and playing the games Allw sufficient time fr this t be high quality and fr the children t be able t play and cmpare their games with thse f their friends. Did they pick ut similar elements in the stry fr their games? Culd they guess which character perspective the game was created frm? If s, hw? The sky turns dark as Jesus dies. Yu are scared because yu d nt understand what is happening. Yu jin in the celebratin as Jesus enters Jerusalem. Yu have heard that he is the Messiah, cme t rescue yu. Yu have celebrated Passver with yur friends and had a gd time.!6