These activities have been suggested by consultants to help assist with development in English. They include worksheets and task objectives. Feel free to use the following ideas or worksheets to assist with the creation of your own project for your visit to the Museum. If you have any further questions about implementing one of these activities, please contact us.

Key Stage 3

Activity 1

Writing and performing monologues, inspired by museum memorabilia and images.

Objectives Covered: Writing to explore, imagine and entertain (strands a,b,c,d). Planning and redrafting (strands a,b and c). Drama activities (strands a,b,c). Speaking (strands a,c). Listening (strand a). Notemaking.

Pre-Visit Work: Explore genre of the monologue (e.g. Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads), investigate for ideas of first person narrative, creation of ideolect, informal language, confessional and intimate for audience, gradual build up of character.

At the Museum: Choose image, could be inanimate object with story to tell i.e. the famous crossbar speaks, Bobby Moore and the World Cup, Billy ‘Fatty’ Foulke, a person caught up in crowd violence, a spectator at or survivor of Hillsborough, or any image that grabs them. Make note about what the person would say if they could step out of the picture.

Follow up Activity: Plan and redraft monologue, perform and be an audience.

Activity 2

Performance poetry e.g ‘I’m aStriker / Defender / Ref / linesman / Keeper / Supporter / Manager / Coach…’ in the style of the famous Coke Cola as; ‘Thirst quenchin’, Lip-smacking…

Objectives Covered: Exploring poetic form and language (En3 and En1 strands as above)

Pre-Visit Work: Explore impact of compound words, verb choices, adverbs, word order, missed final letter and listing to build up description and rhythm.

At the Museum: Use images and footage to look at movement and characteristics of players etc. Teacher models this style with suggestions from pupils eg, ‘I’m a hip swerving, fast turning, crowd pleasing, keeper beatin’, hat trick scorin’ striker!’ This would be a good ending to a poem as it builds to a climax and tells a story. Pupils choose their own image and collect vocab.

Follow up Activity: Write, edit, perform and display poems (possibly at the museum).

Key Stage 3 or 4

Activity 3

Tension and tenses. Writing and reading match commentaries and reports (En1, En2 & En 3).

Objectives Covered:

En 2 - Reading media texts (strands a,c and d). Understanding texts (strands a,c,g and j). Printed info texts (strand d).
En 3 - Writing to inform, explain and describe (strands e,f, and g)
En 1 - Speaking (strands a and c). Listening (strands a and b). Language structure and variation. This could be suitable for GCSE coursework, media or original writing.

Pre-Visit Work: Pupils should read match reports from papers and watch commentaries, i.e. sections of Match of the Day. They should identify characteristics at word, sentence and text level, for example, which sentence types and lengths predominate and why? Which word classes particularly contribute to description, tension, giving information and passing judgement? Which tenses are most appropriate for a report and for a commentary?

At the Museum: Pupils should have a go on the Match of the Day interactive display and note down how Hansen and Lineker use techniques that they have identified. Find other clips i.e. the Maradona goal and write a commentary.

Follow up Activities: Pupils could choose to write either a match report (past tense) or write (and perform) a commentary for a section of a match (real or imagined). A commentary showing why and how they have used language features could be included.

Key Stage 4

Activity 4

Issues in football, discursive writing.

Objectives Covered:

En 3 - Writing to persuade, argue, advise (strands e,f and g). Writing to analyse, review, comment (strands l,m,n and o).
En 2 - Information texts (strands a and c). This could be a GCSE Original Writing coursework component or preparation for Paper One (see assessment objectives in syllabus).

Pre Visit Work: Pupils should choose their issue e.g. violence, transfer fees, influence of foreign players, women’s football, race issues and football. Using a research grid to scaffold their thinking they should start to plan their essay. Library archives, essential articles, web based sites will provide texts to trawl for ideas and to identify stylistic features of this type of writing. Pupils should have specific questions or areas for investigation ready to help them use the wealth of info at the museum.

At the Museum: Pupils should use the museum’s displays to extract information for their essays. Particularly useful areas are the women’s football section and sections on black footballers.

Follow Up Work: Pupils should weave notes and examples into their essays and redraft according to school policy.