Would you rather be “someone” or make a difference? The ideas and resources for this lesson are from the RSC Noughts and Crosses activity pack: http://www.rsc.org.uk/explore/other-writers/noughts-and-crosses.aspx This lesson is totally discussion-based and students make progress by assessing their own and others’ discussion skills. The discussion criteria is based on GCSE speaking and listening assessment criteria from the specifications. Students may have been asked to bring in pictures of a person they think is “someone”. You might need to prepare some pictures as a backup, just in case they don’t bring these in.

Lesson Objectives To practise and evaluate your discussion skills To be able to express an opinion and listen to other people’s views The main aim of this lesson is to aid students in improving their speaking and listening skills.

Lesson Outcomes At the end of the lesson all of you should: have demonstrated the ability to express an opinion on the discussion topics; have reached a conclusion about the main issue; be able to reflect on your discussion skills and make logical suggestions about how you could improve.

To make progress in these lessons, you need to think about the criteria below: Grade D students will be able to contribute to the discussion and show evidence of skills linked to grade D. Their contributions will be in brief statements and short “agree/disagree” comments. Grade C students will be able to contribute to discussions in a confident manner and show evidence of skills linked to grade C. They will be able to back up their views with relevant evidence. Grade B/A students will be likely to shape and direct the discussion and lead in a major role. They will show evidence of discussion skills linked to grade B/A. This will help students decide if they are making progress during the lesson.

Starter Watch this short video clip: RSC Noughts and Crosses video Act 1 Scene 12 You only need to watch 1 minute 52 seconds of this scene.

Callum: To be someone. To make a difference, I guess Callum: To be someone. To make a difference, I guess. Lynette: Which means more to you? Being someone or making a difference? Callum: I don't know. Being someone I guess. Having a large house and money in the bank and not needing to work and being respected wherever I go. When I'm educated and I've got my own business there won't be a single person in the world who'll be able to look down on me – nought or Cross. Lynette: Being someone, eh? I would've put money on you choosing the other one! Callum: What's the point in making a difference if you've got nothing to show for it personally, if there's not even any money in it?

Task one: “Someone” Avatar On your desk there is an outline of a “body”. Write your answers to the following question inside and around the “body”. “What does it mean to be ‘someone’?” Use your homework pictures to back up your points. You could think about: How does being “someone” relate to a person’s status? Can anyone be “someone”?

Review Look at the discussion skills sheet on your folder and decide which skills you showed during the last discussion. Tell your partner what you have decided and try to explain your decision.

Task Two: Graffiti Wall On the graffiti wall, each of you suggest and write the answer to the question “If I could change one thing”. Now think about “what the difference would be” and write that on the wall. You can only vote for one change - as a group, decide which that would be. Highlight your decision and take your wall to the teacher.

Review Look at the discussion skills sheet and think about your partner’s contribution to the last discussion. Tell them what level you think they are working on. Remember to give reasons for your decisions.

Task Three Would you rather be “someone” or make a difference? What is your answer and why?

And finally… Can you say what discussion skills you have used today? Have you improved your discussion skills? Do you have some ideas about how you could improve your skills?