Autumn 2015

The best part of this activity for me was when we got to act out a drill. – Yusra

The acting was the best thing because it was fun. – Caolan

I learnt the different commands that the soldiers would listen to. – Olivia

I really enjoyed acting out what might happen in the trenches and when the Indian soldiers arrived in France. I also liked coming up with lots of fun song tunes and working together to come up with a great song. – Millie

I loved finding out all the amazing facts about the artefacts. – Lola

I learnt that it is good to work in groups and share ideas. – Sophie

The thing that was the best was that it was like a production. – Alijah

I liked acting what it felt like being in the trenches. The contrast of the music was quite interesting. It felt like being there with all the sound effects and acting. Ben

It was a really fun experience and all the singing was fantastic. Overall it was a really really fun day and a great opportunity. The day was really memorable and at the end we put on a great show! – Harry

I liked how we go to show our parents, and I liked how we got to wear the trench brothers t-shirts. And then we got to take them home! – Yasir

It was quite astonishing to see all the different stages of the puppet and to see it transform! – Noa

I have a child who struggles for ideas in his writing and he was able to write the letter from the Indian soldier as he had lots of ideas after the Costumed Interpreter session. – Ruth, Teacher at Julians Primary School

The puppets were excellent and the day ran very well so that all children achieved. – Ruth, Teacher at Julians Primary School

The Education Zone is very useful. It has helped to plan a rich curriculum. – Ruth, Teacher at Julians Primary School

The children loved the project and have had great learning experiences. – Ruth, Teacher at Julians Primary School

You were able to handle the artefacts and we learned lots of facts about WW1. – Class 6C

We liked getting the opportunity to create our own song. It was good to explore how to sing the lines. We learned some good singing techniques from our composition session. – Class 6C

We enjoyed the role playing and marching and it was interesting seeing what the soldiers in the Indian Army wore. – 6K

We liked meeting the actors and puppeteers, and we liked the professional puppet – can we do something more similar to that? It was a long and wonderful journey! Thank you Trench Brothers! – Class 6C

Getting a chance to handle real artefacts was fantastic for the children. They are more engaged and responsive, and for one child, who never speaks about what he has done at home, his mother has said that he couldn’t stop talking about how much he has learned and who came in to work with them. – Staff at Monteagle Primary School

We loved seeing our letters transform into a song and working with a real composer. We learned how to make our song come to life using emotions and feelings. – Class 6A

We liked that we got to do drama activities and got to ask lots of questions. – Class 6H

Making the puppets was completely new for us! We loved adding details and seeing the final result. – Class 6H

We loved singing our song, and hearing the professionals sing, and that the parents came to watch the show. – Class 6H

Children got opportunities to work with a number of professionals in the art world to be a part of something very special. They enjoyed the process of putting the show together. – Staff at Monteagle Primary School

Getting a chance to handle real artefacts was fantastic for the children. One child never speaks about what he has done at home, but his mother said he couldn’t stop talking about how much he has learned and who came in to work with them. – Staff at Monteagle Primary School

We think that going around the tables and looking at interesting objects was fascinating. We also think that learning about World War One was exciting. – Charlie

We learnt lots from World War 1 like we got to know what kind of jobs they had. It was very interesting! – Zara

We learnt a lot from it – we look at WW1 in a different way. We got to handle things actual soldiers used. – Isabel

We liked how a soldier came into our class and explained what being in the war was like. He was very informative and his acting was amazing! – Tom

It was awesome touching the artefacts. – Ruzgar

I learned it is important to learn about the trenches. – YunJin

I liked that we were acting about the things that happened in WW1. We learned how to march. – Cody

Making the puppets – we learned how to thread something through a small hole, how to neaten up the different parts and how to use the material and fold it to create different shapes like the turban. – Class 4M

It (the performance) was really fun. So excited about professional actors and singers helping us get ready for our show. Very proud we were the youngest cast and it was such a great show. – Class 4M

Staff cannot believe what the year group did, and the children now believe they can do anything. – Staff at Morningside Primary School

Wonderful experience and would do it again in a heartbeat. A very fulfilling and interesting project to be part of. – Staff at Morningside Primary School

Two of my boys had the biggest smile on their face when they were chosen to sing a part in front of the class because Tertia and the composer liked their idea. All the class said they were proud of their song and couldn’t wait to sing and share it with their parents. Ay, Isiah and Romeo sung in front of the class and told the headteacher straight away that she had to listen for their bit when she heard it on performance day. – Sam, Teacher at Morningside Primary School

The artefacts handling session was hands on and interesting. Children were desperate to share their facts with parents and other teachers. Ely dressed up as a soldier and used this in her writing. – Staff at Morningside Primary School

The Education zone was well resourced and easily accessible. I understand the importance of fully immersing the children so they really understand the importance of the play. I now use relevant and purpose based hooks in my maths lessons. – Sam, teacher at Morningside Primary School

Very well organised and good communication. On the whole, everyone has been fantastic with the children. – Staff at Morningside Primary School

I learned an amazing lot about World War One. – Melike

I loved that everyone came to see us perform all our hard work. – Leah

The best thing about the composing was that it was made up from our letters and we made it all up. – Julia

The best thing about the activity was when we made the puppets uniform and the face. I learned how to make a puppet and patience. – Saima

A high quality mixed media performance leading to greatly enhanced expectations. A real sense of occasion and performance felt by performers and audience. – Kevin, Head of Holmleigh Primary School

A reminder that hands on, high expectations, diversity of approaches, and expert modelling lead to great learning! We all really enjoyed the project, and it was great to work with skilled professionals in a variety of fields. The project matched expectations very well, especially in the diversity of learning opportunities. – Kevin, Head of Holmleigh Primary School