Some examples of role play and practical demonstration activities

Please find below 6 activities for you to try if you so wish. They range from introductory activities, performable without pupils ever having to leave their seats, to full-blown, whole class reconstructions of challenging historical situations. Concretising of concept, provision of context and adoption of contemporary attitudes are all demonstrated.

For more examples and more detailed description and development of these activities, see ‘I've been in the Reichstag: rethinking roleplay', Teaching History 100, August 2000, 8-17, and ‘Beyond ‘”I speak, you listen boy”: exploring diversity of attitudes and experiences through speaking and listening, Teaching History, No. 105, December, 2001, 10-18.

1. The Power of the Heavy Machine Gun – A practical demonstration (an activity designed to provide grasp of historical context)

2. The Rhineland Simulation – A practical demonstration with elements of Role Play (an activity designed to develop pupils' understanding of some of the issues involved in making retrospective judgements.

3. The Cuban Missile Crisis – A practical demonstration, (activity designed to concretise key or particularly difficult concepts)

4. The Vietnam War – role play with elements of practical demonstration (as above)

5. The Society Game – a Role Play - (an activity to encourage appreciation of attitudes and beliefs of people in the past)

6. The New Model Army – A Role Play (The purpose of this role-play is to emphasise the difference in attitude - and hence in fighting potential - between old style armies and the New Model Army).

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