My best English lesson: using rugby to engage boys in descriptive writing

English teacher, Matt James, tackles descriptive creating by transforming his classroom into a rugby stadium. Photograph: Russell Boyce/REUTERS

When I was eight years previous my father took me to Wales’ residence stadium, then affectionately known as the Arms Park. To this day, I bear in mind it vividly. I can recall the sounds, the sights, even the smells. Years later on I located myself trying to engage a class in descriptive writing with a distinct concentrate on Cwricwlwm Cymreig – the notion of Wales and Welsh.

It was also about this level that my headteacher known as me into his workplace and asked me to get the college lead on the nationwide classroom conundrum – countering boys’ underachievement.

Initial failure

Remembering my first time at a stadium, I decided to arm myself with both conundrums – Wales and boys’ wants – and ask my class to record, in a table of the senses, factors they would locate at the Millennium Stadium (or one more stadium of their decision).

To my shock, very couple of of my students had produced the pilgrimage to the residence of Welsh rugby or, certainly, any stadium. My naivety had blinkered me to the socio-economic challenges of the regional setting. Following a hastily rearranged lesson, I went home and believed about achievable alternatives.

The new strategy

At such quick observe I could not consider a whole class to the stadium, let alone to see a game, so I made the decision to deliver the stadium to the classroom.

I told my pupils that in their next lesson we would describe the Millennium Stadium and that the classroom was going to turn out to be the rugby arena. I invited them to deliver their Welsh rugby tops and they were permitted (just this after) to deliver snacks and drinks.

The focus was nonetheless going to be descriptive creating and they were still going to be considering about the stadium utilizing their five senses. I just needed them to get a genuine truly feel for what it would be like to be there and to knowledge what they have been getting asked to write about. If there was no experiential understanding, I may as properly have asked them to describe the scene at midnight on the moon.

Seeing it in action

Prior to their arrival at the following lesson I organised my area so that all desks had been at the back and the chairs formed two horseshoes, the two facing the interactive whiteboard. As the class entered the room the speakers blared “Bread of Heaven” and”Guys of Harlech” – two anthems strongly connected with Welsh rugby – and the pupils were informed that all they would need to have is their table of senses from the earlier (failed) lesson and a pen.

I invited them to fill out the table now as they sat in their seats viewing the interactive board enjoying one particular of my a lot of rugby DVDs. This 1, incidentally, showed extended highlights of Wales’ victory over England in 2008.

I was astonished at the engagement of the class. This wasn’t the true stadium but, with their tops on, food and drink at the ready, and the volume turned up to the optimum, they did start to get a real sense of place.

Post match

At the end of the match, which brought with it several loud cheers, I informed the pupils that they now had to go to the “press area” at the back of the class. They carried their seats to the desks and started writing up their findings.

I was delighted to read some exciting creating from some previously disengaged boys. A single had even commented on the “boy sitting behind me who could not sit still and tipped crisps on my seat”. One more, with no currently being asked, began making similes this kind of as, “the players played like dragons” and “the crowd roared like a lion”.

I was delighted. The pupils from this initial lesson have considering that left the school armed with their GCSEs but I still remember their yr eight excitement as they left the classroom, discussing the match as if they had been there.

Self evaluation

I am constantly updating this lesson. 1 situation I typically have with it is asking pupils to disregard the match commentary. Most discover this an simple task, but reduce-ability pupils at times fall into the trap of describing what they hear the commentator saying. Some thing that I am also usually mindful of is that not all boys are interested in sport. For this reason, sometimes the lesson is turned into “describe a theme park” and YouTube video clips of rollercoasters are utilized. The possibilities, even though not countless, are several.

When I up coming do this lesson, I’m going to put together match day tickets before to the lesson so that pupils have to go to allocated seats and perhaps encounter the shuffle down the row as other individuals have to stand or swing their knees to a single side. Now, each and every time I go to watch a game I’m constantly considering about how to deliver certain aspects of it to my classroom. I think it’d be a bit too far to deliver hotdogs and burgers to lesson though.

Matt James is a 12 months 7 progress co-ordinator and English teacher at Risca Local community Extensive College. You can follow him on Twitter @RCCS_MrJames and though his website right here.

This content material is brought to you by Guardian Skilled. Searching for your subsequent position? Take a search at Guardian jobs for colleges for 1000′s of the most current educating, leadership and help jobs.

My best English lesson: using rugby to engage boys in descriptive writing