It's a lot easier than you imagine to encourage students to write their own material for performances. I've tried several different approaches and each has resulted in some form of scripted work. The approach you choose when tackling this subject is dependent on what feels comfortable for you, and what suits the age and ability of the students you're working with.

(1) DOCUMENTARY STYLE

Use a day in the life drama method. Devise a central character and an important event and then plot the scenes which caused that character to arrive at that point. Use freezes to highlight salient moments and then link freezes with flashback scenes. The role-on-the-wall technique is excellent for further investigation of the character's motives and feelings and will lend extra depth to the characterisation. Ask class to 'storyboard' it in sections, then write scripts for these sections. Pull all sections together to create one script - video the end result.

(2) FROM STORYTELLING

Sit group in a circle. Ask them to make up a story - either one word or one sentence at a time. Remember the story! (Or record it on tape.) Split into smaller groups. Allocate a scene to each group and ask them to prepare a short improvisation of that scene. Recap story outline and scenes as a whole group - writing on large sheets of paper or on the board. Check if the scenes flow and that the story is clear and makes sense. Allow time to prepare scenes again, get the groups to perform again and this time tape them as they do so - a small dictaphone is often quite sufficient for the job. Take the dictaphone home and type up the script!

(3) FROM IMPROVISATION

Put one class member in a particular position. Use forum theatre technique to build a whole story around this character and the position they're in. Ask members to develop and enact the story as it unfolds. Continue working until you have enough material to provide a coherent storyline. Run through whole story again - ensure 'parts' are allocated in advance- tape the performance or video it and write the script up.

(4) FROM SOUND

Spend some lessons working on soundscapes. Split class into smaller groups and ask them to perform a well-known story using sound effects only. Move on from there into asking the groups to devise their own stories and performing them using sound only. Ask them to 'script' the sound effects - rather like a musical score. From this, progress to adding words and including these in the previous scripts and - hey presto! - radio plays!!

(5) FROM PIECES OF PAPER

Discuss some ideas for story/play outlines which will interest the group. Ask them to improvise any scenes from this story outline in small groups. Pick a section out - one which involves two characters - either something already shown or a section which happens 'offstage'. Appoint two volunteers to act as these characters - make sure to choose actors who can sustain a role. Ask all other members of the group to write down 5 sentences in total which might be spoken by either of the characters in the improvised scene at any time. Ensure all these sentences are on separate pieces of paper - tear them if necessary. Put all contributions into the centre of the room and shuffle them up. Ask rest of group to form a semi-circle around the two actors and the lines in the centre. Ask rest of group to pull out 5 lines from the middle - it doesn't matter which, they aren't supposed to search for their own! The improvisation is fuelled totally and solely from the lines on the pieces of paper. These are handed to the actors by the rest of the group who give them when they think they will make appropriate sense, and the actors read them out in the order they're given. Tape record this! It's amazing how so many abstract lines given in such a manner can result in semi-coherent scene. Use this as a basis for devising the script. Repeat the procedure with other scenes - particularly any which are proving to be difficult to devise or write.

WRITING PLAYSCRIPTS - Further guidance from the DfES

The NLS Framework for teaching introduces children to playscripts at an early age. These pages cover the main points relating to writing playscripts.

Playscripts in the NLS

Children will have had experience of seeing live and recorded performances, of taking part in role-play and drama and of reading plays during shared and guided reading. Such experiences demonstrate how narrative can be developed via speech and action as well as through written stories. Playscripts share many of the features of written narratives.

Many KS1 children will have had experience of writing simple scripts for themselves through shared and guided writing, although the writing of playscripts does not become an explicit NLS objective until Year 3 Term 1. Thereafter there are objectives relating to the writing of playscripts in each autumn term in Years 4, 5 and 6.

Reading and writing playscripts

The reading of playscripts has a particular appeal for children for a number of reasons:

active engagement in a collaborative reading activity;
clear lay-out and short speeches which aid accessibility and give confidence, particularly to less fluent readers;
the use of dialogue which encourages expressive reading, particularly as children begin to incorporate elements of performance.

Key aspects to develop in writing:

Strong narrative structure:

move the plot forwards through what characters say and do
work towards a well-defined ending
avoid over-using the narrator
avoid 'losing the thread' so the plot rambles.

Strong character development:

develop individuality of characters through dialogue and action
show how characters develop across a whole script
develop a few well-defined characters rather than a gang!

Children can improve as playscript writers by:

Having a rich experience of seeing, hearing and enacting playscripts
Investigation and familiarisation in shared and guided reading
Imitating and experimenting in shared writing through teacher demonstration, teacher scribing and supported composition
Applying and developing in guided and independent writing.

Developing characters:

Restrict the number of characters (resist the urge to include half the class in the script!)
When planning characters, think about how they might be distinctive, e.g. use of repeated phrases/actions, use of colloquialisms and Standard English.
Show how characters may be identified by their choice of vocabulary and sentence construction (play 'spot the character' by reading speeches from a well-known text).
Use dialogue and stage directions (particularly adverbs and adverbial phrases) to develop the character's individuality.
Keep saying speeches aloud as you write to make sure they sound right for this particular character at this point in the script.
Keep re-reading the script out loud to see how the speeches sound.
Read the script with a response partner. What can the partner tell you about the characters you have been reading about (not just what they do!)

The role of the narrator:

Demonstrate from reading how the narrator serves a variety of purposes - as in these examples from Bertie's Uncle Basil by Mark Ezra (Longman Book Project):

as a detached observer concerned with scene setting: The secret hide-out is a beautiful room overlooking the Thames.
or moving the action forward: Cynthia appears at the door with a large key in her hand.
or describing a character's actions as they are performed: He makes a whistling noise, in imitation of the vacuum cleaner. He puts the cleaner away, but the long flex tentacle wraps around the neck, almost strangling him. He beats it back and closes the door.
or offering opinions on characters or their actions: Basil steps out onto the stage dressed as a woman. He looks ridiculous.

A common fault when writing playscripts is over-use of a narrator, for the characters can perform many of the narrator's functions themselves: This is a beautiful room. And I can see the Thames. You look ridiculous dressed as a woman, Uncle Basil.

Some scripts, e.g. Free the Sunbird by Leon Rosselson (Ginn All Aboard) dispense with a narrator figure altogether, other than to provide a brief introduction at the beginning of each scene.

Developing plots:

Initially plan simple plot structures based on improvisations, e.g. One distinct character, e.g. Queen → meets second character, e.g. old man → find strange object → resolution, ending.
Contrast and compare the openings of stories which have been transformed into playscripts. Then take a suitable prose extract and model how this can be changed into playscript form.
Take familiar characters from known text and use these to develop further adventures or incidents in playscript form.
When planning more complex plots, decide which are the key events which will need to be emphasised (and which can be mentioned briefly or even omitted).
Use the dialogue to move the plot forward.
Look at the ending of scripts. See how they often replicate or resolve situations introduced at the very beginning of the play, just like in stories.

Produced by the Department for Education and Skills. For more information, visit www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/literacy

Find a range of lively and engaging playscripts, ideal for shared or guided reading, in the Arts On The Move e-shop

The Arts On The Move playscript for schools Crime Doesn't Pay is an excellent example of a story which has been transformed into a playscript. The original story, The Thieves Who Couldn't Stop Sneezing by Thomas Hardy, can be found in our free resources section and the playscript is available from the Arts On The Move e-shop at the above link.

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