Flintspark news
Flintspark for Schools
Striking the spark...
If you can talk... you can write
If you can listen... you can write
If you can dream... you can write
For Key Stage 2 upwards
Flintspark workshops use a range of exercises to provoke ideas, encourage participation and break down barriers to creativity.
Workshops are half day (three hours) and will be designed for the particular age group involved. They can also be prepared to link in with themes that pupils are working on in class.
Creative writing: these workshops explore stories, poetry and drama. For pupils who love words, workshops will give them the chance to open up and push their writing further. For those who are less confident, the workshops use non-writing techniques (acting, visual images) to encourage them to write spontaneously and be adventurous with words. Participants will produce pieces of work that can be shared with the school or developed further in the classroom.
Playwriting: young people love drama and are exposed to it daily via TV and film. So it is a natural step for them to write their own, learning the basic principles of the craft. Participants will explore characters, dialogue and action, before writing their own scenes.
Journalism: an introduction to journalism skills is an excellent way to develop both literacy and awareness of the world. The workshop will get pupils working together to design their own magazine, choosing what will go into it and how they will find their material. This can then feed into the school's magazine or encourage pupils to create their own.
For Foundation and Key Stage 1
Storytelling in schools
Stories are the building blocks of a child's imagination and the importance of storytelling and traditional tales is recognised in the national curriculum. Using simple, vivid puppets to bring the characters to life, Kate Miller tells traditional tales in a new way.
- Red Riding Hood: for nursery class children
- Snow White: for reception/year 1
- Childe Rowland: for year 1/ year 2
- Coat of Rushes: for year 2
For younger children, the emphasis is on humour and entertainment. For older children in years 1 and 2, Childe Rowland and Coat of Rushes are two ancient tales with elements that play a key role in English literature, and can be linked to wider discussion and reading.
The Coat of Rushes story can also form the basis of a puppet-making workshop in the classroom. Kate will lead the workshop so that pupils can make their own puppets and participate in a telling of the story.