Chotto Desh Learning pack by Dansens Hus

han Company K m a Akr OKO Dance present M and

k c a P g n i n r a e L

Key Stage 2

Commissioned by MOKO Dance

Devised by Evelyne Potter in consultation with Jenny Thorne 2015

Contents

INTRODUCTION

ENGLISH

MATHEMATICS

SCIENCE

ART AND DESIGN

DRAMA, ART AND DESIGN

COMPUTING

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

GEOGRAPHY

MUSIC

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

PSHE, CITIZENSHIP AND ETHICS

ACTIVITIES TO SHARE WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY

Introduction

About Chotto Desh Akram Khan’s internationally acclaimed solo DESH was an instant hit with both audiences and critics alike when it was first performed on the main stage of Sadler’s Wells in 2011. Now, Akram Khan and Theatre-Rites artistic director Sue Buckmaster have adapted this much-loved production especially for children aged 7+ years and their families and school groups.

Chotto Desh, meaning ‘small homeland’ in Bengali, draws on Khan’s unique quality of cross-cultural storytelling, creating a compelling tale of a young man’s dreams and memories from Britain to Bangladesh. Chotto Desh is a deeply personal exploration of the power of the human spirit in the face of adversity and investigates the impact that cultural identity can have on us whilst growing up.

Using a magical mix of dance, text, sound and visuals, Chotto Desh celebrates the resilience of the human spirit in the modern world, and offers young audiences a relevant and enriching artistic experience. Created at DanceEast, Ipswich, during a residency in August and September 2015, Chotto Desh will premiere at DanceEast on 23 October 2015 before touring to venues across the UK. International touring will commence in February 2016.

Chotto Desh is co-commissioned by MOKO Dance, Akram Khan Company, Sadler’s Wells, DanceEast, Théâtre de la Ville Paris, Mercat de les Flors Barcelona, Biennale de la danse de Lyon 2016 and Stratford Circus Arts Centre.

A word from the Artistic Director – Akram Khan

I am thrilled that DESH ha s been ad apted for you ng au diences and ver y excited to see how it continues to grow under Su e’s direction. Her expertise in ma king wor k for you nger au diences brings a new and exciting vision, and I look for wa rd to seeing how the storie s of growing up bet ween cultures across gen erations and the concept of home are being re-told.

A word from the Director – Sue Buckmaster

now as our you ng people are Chotto Desh is ver y pertinent right ociated with a multicultural experiencing increa sed pressu re ass nk about their own stories society. It will inspire children to thi ographica l art full of truth and perhaps ma ke their own autobi plea sure to direct this new and bea uty. It is a privilege and a performa nce.”

Introduction

About Akram Khan

About Sue Buckmaster

(Artistic Direction and Original Choreography)

(Direction and Adaptation)

Akram Khan is one of the most celebrated and respected dance artists today. In just over fifteen years he has created a body of work that has contributed significantly to the arts in the UK and abroad. His reputation has been built on the success of imaginative, highly accessible and relevant productions such as DESH, iTMOi, Vertical Road, Gnosis and zero degrees. An instinctive and natural collaborator, Khan has been a magnet to world-class artists from other cultures and disciplines. His previous collaborators include the National Ballet of China, actress Juliette Binoche, ballerina Sylvie Guillem, choreographers/dancers Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Israel Galván, singer Kylie Minogue, visual artists Anish Kapoor, Antony Gormley and Tim Yip, writer Hanif Kureishi and composers Steve Reich, Nitin Sawhney, Jocelyn Pook and Ben Frost. Khan’s work is recognised as being profoundly moving, in which his intelligently crafted storytelling is effortlessly intimate and epic. Described by the Financial Times as an artist “who speaks tremendously of tremendous things”, a recent highlight of his career was the creation of a section of the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony that was received with unanimous acclaim.

Sue Buckmaster is the Artistic Director of Theatre-Rites and the fourth generation of theatre practitioners in her family. She has many years of experience as a director, puppetry specialist and teacher, and has worked with a wide variety of companies including the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Young Vic and Complicite. In 2015, as well as directing Chotto Desh she will create Beasty Baby; a co-production between Polka Theatre and Theatre-Rites for 3 to 6 year olds, which will run from October 2015 to January 2016. Sue has created ten theatre and eleven site-specific productions for Theatre-Rites. Under her artistic leadership the company has been commissioned by a number of high profile venues and festivals including the Barbican, Salzburg Festival, Unicorn Theatre, Ruhrtriennale Festival and the Vienna Festival. Together with choreographer Arthur Pita, Sue directed the award-winning Mischief, originally co-produced in 2007 by Sadler’s Wells, Theatre-Rites and the Dance Touring Partnerships.

Khan has been the recipient of numerous awards throughout his career including the Laurence Olivier Award, the Bessie Award (New York Dance and Performance Award), the prestigious ISPA (International Society for the Performing Arts) Distinguished Artist Award, the Fred and Adele Astaire Award, the Herald Archangel Award at the Edinburgh International Festival, the South Bank Sky Arts Award and six Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards. Khan was awarded an MBE for services to dance in 2005. He is also an Honorary Graduate of Roehampton and De Montfort Universities, as well as University of London, and Honorary Fellow of Trinity Laban.

Introduction

About MOKO Dance MOKO Dance is a national dance partnership dedicated to opening the eyes of children and their families to the power of dance. Led by DanceEast (Ipswich), MOKO Dance unites Nottingham Lakeside Arts (Nottingham), Pavilion Dance South West (Bournemouth), Sadler’s Wells (London), South East Dance (Brighton and Kent) and Theatre Bristol (Bristol) in their shared vision of bringing bold and innovative work to young audiences across the UK.

by Scotland’s Curious Seed, and most recently Hop by Nevski Prospekt from Belgium.

Supported by Arts Council England, MOKO Dance presents a range of work for children, young people and their families, that covers a variety of dance genres by both emerging and established internationally renowned companies and choreographers from around the UK and beyond.

Akram Khan’s Chotto Desh, is MOKO’s most recent commission which will tour the UK in Autumn 2015 (tour dates can be found on the MOKO Dance website mokodance.com), before embarking on an international tour in 2016.

The portfolio of work MOKO Dance has toured nationally since its launch in 2013 includes In A Deep Dark Wood by London-based company gobbledegook, Constellations by Spain’s Aracaladanza, Chalk About

Previous and future MOKO Dance commissions include MOKO Mix, a double bill of work choreographed by Tamzin Fitzgerald (The Rock) and Christopher Marney (The Suitcase Story), produced by MOKO Dance, and a production by Tom Dale Company Digitopia, to tour MOKO Dance venues in Spring 2016.

MOKO Dance is not just about live dance performances. It also focuses on a range of interactive, fun pursuits for the whole family to enjoy, from front of house activities and creative dance workshops to social media, as well as free downloadable on-line resources for schools.

About the learning pack This Chotto Desh inspired learning pack for Key Stage 2 teachers illustrates how concepts and images from the performances can be the starting point for exciting creative sessions in the classroom. It aims to deepen children’s understanding of the performance, relating it to their own experience, as well as to other areas of the curriculum (English, Mathematics, Science, Drama, Art & Design, Computing, Design and Technology, Geography, Music, Physical Education, PSHE, Citizenship and Ethics).

The pack has been commissioned by MOKO Dance and developed by Evelyne Potter, Education Specialist, in consultation with Jenny Thorne, Key Stage 2 Teacher. We hope you find it a useful and inspiring springboard for learning before and after your live performance experience with Chotto Desh.

For any enquiries please contact Dagmar Kocisova, MOKO Dance Producer on dagmar.moko@danceeast.co.uk

English

Activity

National Curriculum links

The moral of the story

Reading comprehension

The story of the Honey Hunter is a Bangladeshi folk tale. It is also a fable. Fables are stories that carry a message or moral.

Years 3 and 4

• What is the message/moral of the Honey Hunter?

[next page]

• Work in pairs to retell the story of the Honey Hunter. Listen to other pairs and identify how retelling orally introduces changes to the story.

Writing composition

Years 5 and 6

Years 3 and 4 • Make a list of some traditional stories and their messages/morals. • Choose one story and, taking turns in a group, retell it.

Years 5 and 6 [next page]

• Write a short story that contains a message/moral.

Suggested resources, ideas and activities Reading list Aesop’s fables Grimm’s tales

Fascinating fact

The Honey Hunter, Karthika Nair and Joelle Jolivet, Die Gestalten Verlag, ISBN 9783899557305

It takes a bee 5000 visits to flowers to make a teaspoonful of honey.

Research some folk tales from around the world. Look at the similarities with the stories that you already know. Visit a residential home and talk to the residents about their favourite stories from childhood.

Reading comprehension Subject content

Lower Key Stage 2 Pupils should be taught to: • increase their familiarity with a wide range of books, including fairy stories, myths and legends, and retell some of these orally • draw inferences, such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justify inferences with evidence Upper Key Stage 2 Pupils should be taught to: • increase their familiarity with a wide range of books, including myths, legends and traditional stories, fiction from our literary heritage and books from other cultures and traditions • draw inferences, such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence

Writing composition Subject content

Lower Key Stage 2 Pupils should be taught to: • in drafting and writing, compose and rehearse sentences orally (including dialogue), progressively building a varied and rich vocabulary and an increasing range of sentence structures • in narratives, create setting, characters and plot Upper Key Stage 2 Pupils should be taught to: • in writing narratives, consider how authors have developed characters and settings in what they have read, listened to or seen performed • perform their own compositions, using appropriate intonation, volume and movement so that meaning is clear

English

Activity

National Curriculum links

Autobiography

Writing composition

Chotto Desh reflects Akram’s life up to the point of the telephone call. The performance is an autobiography through dance.

Years 3 and 4

• Identify the important and interesting moments in Chotto Desh that reflect Akram’s growing-up years.

[next page]

• Imagine you are going to publish your autobiography or life story. List some facts about you that would help people get a picture of you as a person. • Write the first draft of your autobiography.

Years 5 and 6

Suggested resources, ideas and activities

• Put together a sound track of music, songs or sounds that have a special meaning for you. Play the recording while you read your autobiography aloud.

Talk to family members about the important moments in their lives.

In the performance of Chotto Desh, a small chair and a big chair are used to indicate moving on/growing up.

Talk to an elderly family member or friend about their memorable moments. Write a brief report based on the key facts they tell you.

• Choose an object that is a strong reminder of your earliest years. Write a descriptive piece or poem about it to show why it was so important to you. Explain how difficult it was to let it go as you “grew out of it”. • Think about the things you left behind as you moved from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2, and what you might leave behind when you move to secondary school.

Fascinating fact Honey bees are found in every continent on earth, except Antarctica.

Writing composition Subject content

Lower Key Stage 2 Pupils should be taught to: • plan their writing by discussing and recording ideas • in narratives, create setting, characters and plot • write for a range of real purposes and audiences that underpin their decisions about the form the writing should take (non-statutory guidance). Upper Key Stage 2 Pupils should be taught to: • identify the audience for the writing and its purpose, selecting the appropriate form and using other similar writing as models for their own • plan their writing by noting and developing initial ideas, drawing on reading and research where necessary • draft and write in narratives by describing settings, characters and atmosphere

Mathematics

Activity

National Curriculum links

Time zones

Mathematics

As Chotto Desh opens, Akram is talking to Jui. Akram is in London and Jui is in Bangladesh. London and Bangladesh are in different time zones. Because Bangladesh is east of the United Kingdom, the sun rises earlier in Bangladesh than in London, and so Jui will be getting up while Akram is still in bed.

Years 3 and 4

• Work in a pair or group to find what the time difference is between London and Bangladesh. What difference will it make when the clocks in London go forward an hour in the spring and back in the autumn?

Geography

Years 5 and 6 [next page]

Years 3 to 6 [next page]

• What would be the best time slots for Akram to call Jui on the telephone so that neither was in bed or at work or school? • Find out how long it would take Jui to fly from Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, to London. Her plane leaves at 07.10 and arrives at 16.35. Remember to take account of the time difference. • Find some other journey times from Dhaka to London, and work out an average flight time. Is the average time the same flying in the other direction from London to Dhaka? What might cause there to be differences?

Suggested resources, ideas and activities Investigate time zones using the internet or a library book to find out what the abbreviations GMT and BST mean. Explore some travel websites to find the start and end times of flight between London and Dhaka.

Exploring time zones The world is divided into different time zones. • Use the internet or printed sources to research how many time zones there are as you go round the world. Find out why time zones are needed. • Survey your classmates and family to find out which of these time zones they have visited. Create your own map to show your results and indicate how each of them travelled there.

Fascinating fact The life-span of a honeybee in the wild can be as long as five years.

Mathematics Subject content

Lower Key Stage 2 Pupils should be taught to: • read, write and convert time between analogue, digital 12-hour and 24-hour clocks • solve problems involving converting hours to minutes, minutes to seconds, years to months, weeks to days Upper Key Stage 2 Pupils should be taught to: • solve addition and subtraction multi-step problems in contexts, deciding which operations to use and explaining why • solve problems involving converting between units of time • calculate and interpret the mean as an average

Geography Aims and subject content

All pupils should: • develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places Pupils should be taught to: • identify the position and significance of time zones (including day and night)

Science

Activity

National Curriculum links

Habitats

Writing composition

All living organisms live somewhere. The place where an organism lives is its habitat. Plants and animals adapt to help them to live in their habitat more successfully. Some plants and animals depend on each other to survive.

Years 3 and 4 Years 5 and 6 [next page]

In the story of The Honey Hunter, the honeybees lived in a forest habitat, high in the mountains. • Working in pairs or small groups, find out about how the honeybee gathers pollen and how that helps plants to produce seeds.

Suggested resources, ideas and activities

• What are the special features of honeybees that have been developed to help them gather pollen? • What do humans do that pose a threat to honeybees? • Build up a picture of how animals, including humans, use plants to provide food, and put together a diagram that shows how insects, plants and animals are inter-connected.

Using the internet or printed sources: • find some animals and plants that have adapted to live both in water and on land (consider different habitats from around the world) • find some animals, plants and insects that depend on each other for survival • find out how the way humans live can destroy or affect the habitats of insects, birds, animals and plants

Fascinating fact The honeybees in one hive collect about 30 kilograms of pollen each year.

• compare these animals with those from your own locality and discuss the similarities and differences you find

Science Subject content

Lower Key Stage 2 Pupils should be taught to: • recognise that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things • construct and interpret a variety of food chains, identifying producers, predators and prey Upper Key Stage 2 Pupils should be taught to: • describe the differences in the life cycles of a mammal, an amphibian, an insect and a bird • describe the life-process of reproduction in some plants and animals

Art and Design

Activity

National Curriculum links

Dance styles

Art subject content

Akram uses a number of different dance styles in Chotto Desh. Artists have studied dance in many ways throughout the history of art.

Years 3 to 6 [next page]

• Identify artists in different centuries and different cultures who depicted dance in their work. • Choose some works that particularly interest you. Consider the artist’s use of: • medium (for example, sculpture, painting, photography, digital imagery, tapestry) • technique • colour • form • space • texture • Using Chotto Desh as your stimulus, design a dance study.

Suggested resources, ideas and activities Research artists using the internet and printed sources. Visit a local gallery. Talk to an artist about their work and their sources of inspiration.

Fascinating fact Bees communicate with each other in two ways – by scent and by dancing.

Art and Design Aims and subject content

All pupils should: • know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms Pupils should be taught: • to develop their techniques, including their control and use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design • about the work of great artists, architects and designers in history

Art and Design

Activity

National Curriculum links

Animation

Art subject content

The human movement in Chotto Desh is complex and expressive. Computer animation packages are much more basic but still offer opportunities to interpret ideas and emotions in an animation.

Years 3 to 6

• Use a software package to create a character from Chotto Desh and animate it.

Computing subject content

Traditional tales or characters

[next page]

Years 3 to 6

• Research a traditional tale or character from your locality. • Draw up a storyboard and identify key characters, events and storyline. • Use an animation package to present your story. You could add a soundtrack and dialogue.

Suggested resources, ideas and activities Several free suites of computer animation software in 2D and 3D are available for use in schools. Three are: Synfig: www.synfig.org

Fascinating fact A bee’s body has three parts – head, thorax and abdomen. Bees have two wings and two antennae.

Stykz: www.stykz.net/ Blender: www.blender.org

Art and Design Aims and subject content

All pupils should: • become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques Pupils should be taught to: • develop their techniques, including their control and use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design • improve their mastery of art and design techniques

Computing Aims and subject content

All pupils should: • be responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology Pupils should be taught to: • select, use and combine a variety of software on a range of digital devices to design and create a range of programs, systems and content that accomplish given goals • use sequence, selection and repetition in programs • use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly

Drama, Art and Design

Activity

National Curriculum links

Using masks

Art subject content

In Chotto Desh, an image of his father is drawn on Akram’s head and he takes on both characters in the performance.

Years 3 to 6 [next page]

• Choose one of the characters in the Chotto Desh story: • Jui • Akram • grandmother • father • Shonu (the honey hunter) • Design and make a simple mask based on the facial characteristics of your chosen character. Think about the story in the performance of Chotto Desh.

Suggested resources, ideas and activities Put together a collection of different hats. Choose a hat and assume a character. Who are you?

• Use the mask to become your character: •

express some opinions and/or share your feelings in your character’s role

•

meet another character (different from yours) and exchange a conversation in role

• What are the advantages of using a mask in a performance? • Make a list of emotions and choose two that are contrasting. Create two simple masks to wear on each hand, elbow, knee or foot that show these contrasting emotions. Hold a conversation between your two masks in which each tries to explain how they feel to each other, and why they feel like that.

Fascinating fact Worker bees secrete beeswax and use it to form the walls of the honeycomb.

Art and Design Aims and subject content

Drama – non-statutory guidance English composition subject content guidance

Pupils should: • be encouraged to adopt, create and sustain a range of roles, responding appropriately to others in role (both verbally and non-verbally) • have opportunities to create their own improvised, devised and scripted drama for each other and a range of audiences, as well as to rehearse, refine, share and respond thoughtfully to drama and theatre performances

Computing

Activity

National Curriculum links

Passwords

Computing subject content

As Chotto Desh opens, Akram is talking to Jui on his mobile phone – and he has forgotten his password. Passwords keep telephones and computers secure from unauthorised use, or hacking.

Years 3 to 6 [next page]

Remember never to reveal your own passwords in this activity Choosing a password you can remember is important, but so is making sure no one else can easily find it out. • How secure is your password? A good hacker could discover your password in under a minute if you used “Chotto” or “Desh”. The same is true if you use your pet’s name – you can check by putting your pet’s name into this secure website: https://blog.kaspersky.co.uk/password-check/ • Work with a partner to decide what makes a good password and use the website to discover how long it might take to discover it. See if you can find one that will take several centuries to crack.

Suggested resources, ideas and activities On the internet, search using “password strength” to find out about strong and weak passwords. Identify the features of very strong passwords. Make a list of when each communication technology began to be used, starting with telegraph in the 1830s and the telephone in the 1870s.

An alternative website that gives a lot more information, but is not secure, is http://www. roboform.com/how-secure-is-my-password. Communication Technology Akram spoke to Jui using his mobile phone. We are not sure what sort of device Jui may have been using in Bangladesh. • Find out as many different ways as you can that people use to communicate with each other using technology and suggest which one Jui may have been using.

Fascinating fact Worker bees’ dances show other bees precisely where to find pollen or nectar.

• What methods do you use to communicate with your family and friends? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

Computing Aims and subject content

All pupils should: • be responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology Pupils should be taught to: • use search technologies effectively, appreciate how results are selected and ranged, and be discerning in evaluating digital content • understand computer networks including the internet, how they provide multiple services such as the world-wide web, and the opportunities they offer for communication and collaboration • use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly

Design and Technology

Activity

National Curriculum links

Cooking and nutrition

Design and technology subject content

In Chotto Desh, Akram’s father is a chef – he has cooked for many people in his village in Bangladesh and now in his restaurant in England. Recipes have travelled the world and have been adapted.

Years 3 to 6

• Identify the ingredients that Akram’s father might have used to make his meals, and where they would have come from. • Identify the cooking techniques he may have used when preparing meals. • Plan a balanced and nutritious meal which includes some of the ingredients and techniques you have identified.

[next page]

Suggested resources, ideas and activities Make a list of your favourite meals and their country of origin. Plan and make something savoury or sweet that includes honey as an ingredient.

Fascinating fact One third of the human food supply depends on insect pollination.

Design and Technology – cooking and nutrition Aims and subject content

All pupils should: • understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook Pupils should be taught to: • understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet • prepare and cook a range of predominantly savoury dishes using a range of cooking techniques • understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed

Geography

Activity

National Curriculum links

Country comparisons

Geography subject content

In Chotto Desh, Akram’s father and grandmother lived in Bangladesh before moving to London. Akram was born in London.

Years 3 to 6

London is situated on one of the longest rivers in England, the Thames. Dhaka is situated on the banks of the Buriganga, which is a very short and shallow river. The main river in Bangladesh is the Padma (which is the name given to the river called the Ganges in India), which merges with the Jamuna and then the Meghna, and flows out to the Bay of Bengal through a river delta. • England has a wide range of different landscapes from low-lying areas to mountains. Working with a partner, research and write a description of the landscape in Bangladesh. • Find out how far above sea level is the city or town in which you saw Chotto Desh. Compare this with the height above sea level of towns in Bangladesh. How does this single fact affect the landscape? • How is the landscape determined in each country by the weather? How much rain do Bangladesh and the United Kingdom get each year?

[next page]

Suggested resources, ideas and activities Research using the internet and printed sources to find a map of Bangladesh on which to show cities, rivers, low ground and high ground. Compare the river pattern in Bangladesh with that in England. Find out why the mouth of the Meghna is called a delta.

• London and large parts of Bangladesh are liable to flooding. Work in a group to draw up a map of which parts of London and Bangladesh are most at risk. • The mouth of the river Padma is a huge delta. Explore with a partner how a delta is formed, and the sort of work done by those who live on or close to the delta. • Explore how Dhaka became isolated from the main flow of the Ganges and is now some way from the Padma.

Fascinating fact Beekeepers transport hives long distances across the USA to pollinate crops.

Geography Aims and subject content

All pupils should: • understand the processes that give rise to the key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about special variation and change over time Pupils should be taught to: • describe and understand key aspects of physical geography, including climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes and the water cycle • use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe the features studied

Geography Population density

Activity Family migration In Chotto Desh, Akram’s father and grandmother lived in Bangladesh before moving to London. Akram was born in London. People have moved from one country to another for many centuries and this process is called migration. Today, some migrants are simply seeking to find a better life for themselves and their families and some stay for only a few months or years. Others, known as refugees, are fleeing war or persecution in their home country and are seeking protection. Some of these seek asylum in a country so that they can stay there permanently. London is home to many people whose families came from almost every country in the world. • With a partner or in a group, draw a graph of how many people from Bangladesh came to the United Kingdom since 1950. • Look into your family tree or family history to find out where the members of your family come from. Put markers/arrows on a map to show your family’s migration. • Draw a graph showing the age distribution of the populations of London and of Dhaka. How does this differ from the age distribution of the populations of the United Kingdom and Bangladesh? Find out why these differences exist. • Dhaka has a population of over 14 million people; London’s population is smaller at over 8 million. Yet London is one of the wealthiest cities in the world and Dhaka is one of the poorest. The big question facing governments is how to reduce the gap in wealth between the richest and the poorest people and eliminate poverty. What are the governments of the United Kingdom and Bangladesh doing to improve the lives of their poor citizens?

Dhaka is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Population density is calculated by counting, on average, how many people live in each square kilometre. • Find the population density of Dhaka in people per square kilometre (/km2). Why do you think different sources give you different answers? Make a presentation to show the population densities of Dhaka and London. Which is the most densely populated, and why? Which city is the most densely populated city in the world?

National Curriculum links Geography subject content Years 3 to 6 [next page] Citizenship (non-statutory) subject content Years 3 to 6 [next page]

Suggested resources, ideas and activities Research using the internet and printed sources to find out about the ethnic backgrounds of the populations of London and Dhaka. Find out when most Bangladeshi people came to the United Kingdom, and what they now do for living. Find out which other countries Bangladeshi people have moved to, and what work they do there. Use the internet or printed sources to research population densities in different countries and cities.

Geography Aims and subject content

All pupils should: • understand the processes that give rise to the key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about special variation and change over time Pupils should be taught to: • describe and understand key aspects of human geography, including types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water • use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe the features studied

Citizenship – non-statutory guidance Aims and subject content

All pupils should: • develop their sense of social justice and moral responsibility and begin to understand that their own choices and behaviour can affect local, national or global issues and political and social institutions Pupils should be taught: • to appreciate the range of national, regional, religious and ethnic identities in the United Kingdom • that resources can be allocated in different ways and that these economic choices affect individuals, communities and the sustainability of the environment

Fascinating fact Male bees are called drones and fertilise the queen bee. Female bees are called workers and do almost everything in the hive.

Geography

Activity

National Curriculum links

Languages

Geography subject content

Akram and Jui were talking to each other in English.

Years 3 to 6

• What languages do people speak in Bangladesh? Which of these languages is the official language of Bangladesh? What other languages might Akram and Jui have been able to use?

[next page] Citizenship (non-statutory) subject content Years 3 to 6

• Use a map of the world to show the different languages spoken in your school by children and their parents.

[next page]

The weather The weather in many countries changes with the seasons. In the northern hemisphere, it is generally much colder in the winter than in the summer, but when it rains is not always as predictable. • What are the patterns of seasons, temperatures and rainfall in Bangladesh? How do they differ from the patterns that we know in the United Kingdom? • Design a poster that shows how the weather is different in each of the two countries in each of the four seasons.

Fascinating facts about Bangladesh

Suggested resources, ideas and activities Survey pupils throughout the school to find out which languages they speak at home, and the languages the adults in their family speak. For Bangladesh and the United Kingdom, find out about the hours of sunshine in each country, how much rain they get each month, night-time and day-time temperatures. You will find a lot of information on the internet.

The programme for Chotto Desh contains some fascinating facts about honeybees. • Put together your own set of fascinating facts about Bangladesh. • Put together your own set of fascinating facts about your home town or city

Fascinating fact In cold climates, honeybees stop flying when the temperature falls below about 10° Celsius.

Geography Aims and subject content

All pupils should: • understand the processes that give rise to the key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about special variation and change over time Pupils should be taught to: • describe and understand key aspects of human geography, including types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water • describe and understand key aspects of physical geography, including climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes and the water cycle • use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe the features studied

Music

Activity

National Curriculum links

Dance music

Music subject content

Selected pieces of music and sounds such as traffic noise play an important part in the storyline of Chotto Desh.

Years 3 to 6 [next page]

• In groups, discuss how music adds to the storyline. • In Chotto Desh, which piece of music did you most identify with, and why? • Identify a situation where the use of music has made it a memorable experience. • Working in pairs or groups, choose an aspect of The Honey Hunter (the name of the folk story in Chotto Desh). • Compose a short piece of music that reminds you of The Honey Hunter. Include several instruments, tuned and un-tuned and/or sound sources. Teach some of your classmates to play it to the rest of the class.

Suggested resources, ideas and activities Book resource: The Honey Hunter, Karthika Nair and Joelle Jolivet, Die Gestalten Verlag, ISBN 9783899557305 Make a list of sounds that are:

• Rehearse your piece as a group and present it to your class.

• soothing • irritating or annoying

• Working in pairs, create a soundscape that reflects the area in which the school is situated. Think about the particular sounds that are unique to your school grounds. How does your composition compare with the one used at the beginning of Chotto Desh?

Identify pieces of music that have a meaning for you, and explain why. Find out which instruments are used in Bangladeshi music. If your school has any, or can borrow them, use some of them in your composition.

Fascinating fact Honeybees live in hives of between 50,000 and 60,000 bees.

Music Aims and subject content

All pupils should: â&#x20AC;˘ perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including works of the great composers and musicians Pupils should be taught to: â&#x20AC;˘ improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the interrelated dimensions of music â&#x20AC;˘ listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory

Physical Education

Activity

National Curriculum links

Dance styles

Physical education subject content

Akram was trained in the classical Indian dance form known as Kathak. The classical Kathak dance form has its own styles and costumes.

Years 3 to 6

• Working in pairs or groups, find out what you can about the classical Kathak dance form. Compare that with the movement style used in Chotto Desh and list similarities and differences. • Think of a modern dance style you are familiar with. How does this style vary from that used in Chotto Desh? • Devise a short choreography that includes some Kathak-style moves and present it to your classmates.

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Suggested resources, ideas and activities Try to locate some videos of Kathak dancing – these are on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wXJWaqFbQc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SFyvFP5GSU

Fascinating fact During winter, honeybees consume their stored honey to maintain body heat.

Physical Education Aims and subject content

All pupils should: • apply and develop a range of skills and link them to make actions and sequences of movement Pupils should be taught to: • develop flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance • perform dances using a range of movement patterns

PSHE, Citizenship and Ethics

Activity

National Curriculum links

Relationships

Physical education subject content

Chotto Desh focuses on Akram’s relationships with his father and grandmother, and how they develop over time.

Years 3 to 6 [next page]

• In pairs or groups, describe the relationships Akram has with his father and grandmother. Identify any similarities and differences. • List the personal qualities that would contribute to a long-lasting relationship with a friend.

Suggested resources, ideas and activities

Non-verbal communication In Chotto Desh, we see that the beggar in the busy Bangladeshi street is very poor. • In groups, list the ways in which we communicate without words.

Conduct a mini-survey of adults (teachers, family, and friends) to find out what they think are the most important qualities in a relationship.

• Choose one of these ways to present to your class a short traditional story without using any words.

Dancers and mime artists use non-verbal communication. Find out what you can about the use of mime in film and theatre.

Conflict resolution

Find out what you can about conflict resolution. A useful website is

Akram argues with his father in Chotto Desh. There are usually two sides to any argument, each with a particular point of view, which cause the conflict. • In pairs, look at the conflict in Chotto Desh from both sides. Record the reasons Akram and his father felt the way they did. How could they settle their differences? • Reflect on an argument you have had that has been resolved. Which techniques or strategies did you use to resolve it?

http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/conflict-resolution. html

Fascinating fact All honeybees are social and cooperative insects that live in large colonies.

Citizenship – non-statutory guidance Aims and subject content

All pupils should: • become more mature, independent and self-confident • develop their sense of social justice and moral responsibility and begin to understand that their own choices and behaviour can affect local, national or global issues and political and social institutions Pupils should be taught: • that their actions affect themselves and others, to care about other people’s feelings and to try to see things from other points of view • to think about the lives of people living in other places and times, and people with different values and customs • to be aware of different types of relationship, including marriage and those between friends and families, and to develop the skills to be effective in relationships • to realise the nature and consequences of racism, teasing, bullying and aggressive behaviours, and how to respond to them and ask for help • to recognise and challenge stereotypes • that differences and similarities between people arise from a number of factors, including cultural, ethnic, racial and religious diversity, gender and disability • where individuals, families and groups can get help and support

PSHE, Citizenship and Ethics

Activity

National Curriculum links

Personal identity

Citizenship (non-statutory) subject content

Akram was growing up in two different cultures. This sometimes leads to the question “Who am I?”

Years 3 to 6 [next page]

• Working in pairs, identify some differences between British and Bangladeshi cultures. • Describe how someone might develop as a confident, high-achieving individual in the United Kingdom while retaining all the key elements of their cultural heritage.

Suggested resources, ideas and activities

British values Many of the values that form part of the British and Bangladeshi cultures are similar, some may be slightly different in emphasis, and others very different indeed. • Find out what other people of your age and adults think are the most important values that affect their lives. Working in a group, discuss these and come up with a list of the values that define what it is to be British.

Find out more about the concept of personal identity on this website: http://www.teachingchildrenphilosophy.org/wiki/A_ Bad_Case_of_Stripes Look up the word “value” in a dictionary. Which definition is the one that best applies to people and their cultures?

Fascinating fact A queen bee lays about 1,500 eggs during the spring and summer.

Citizenship – non-statutory guidance Aims and subject content

All pupils should: • become more mature, independent and self-confident • develop their sense of social justice and moral responsibility and begin to understand that their own choices and behaviour can affect local, national or global issues and political and social institutions Pupils should be taught: • that their actions affect themselves and others, to care about other people’s feelings and to try to see things from their points of view • to think about the lives of people living in other places and times, and people with different values and customs • to be aware of different types of relationship, including marriage and those between friends and families, and to develop the skills to be effective in relationships • to realise the nature and consequences of racism, teasing, bullying and aggressive behaviours, and how to respond to them and ask for help • to recognise and challenge stereotypes • that differences and similarities between people arise from a number of factors, including cultural, ethnic, racial and religious diversity, gender and disability • where individuals, families and groups can get help and support

Activities to Share with Friends and Family

Activity Sharing food In Chotto Desh, Akram’s father is a chef by profession. In his village, he has cooked for up to 200 people.

Think about Think about • planning what to eat • listing all the ingredients

• what support you need in the kitchen • the setting for the meal

• Plan and cook a meal that involves every member of the family sharing the task.

• preparing the ingredients

• Above all, ENJOY the sharing.

• making the dishes

Sustainable living

Think about

We all need to take care of our environment. The three ‘Rs’ of sustainability are reduce, reuse and recycle.

• all the different items that can be recycled, at the kerbside and at recycling centres

• Make a list for your family of the things you currently reuse and recycle.

• visiting this website for more information:

• What can you cut down your use of (reduce), and what can you add to your reuse and recycle list?

• inviting others to join you

http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk/rrr.html

Gardening for wildlife

Think about

The Honey Hunter went in search of honey high in the forest and mountains. Natural habitats need to be protected and in some cases replaced.

• using wildflower seeds • talking to a gardener about their plants

• Allocate a space in your garden to become your wildlife area.

• making an insect shelter

• Design your wildlife area.

• using pots, especially if you have a small space

• Research a list of plants that are attractive to bees and other insects.

• visiting this website for more information:

• Start digging and planting. • Get everyone involved.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/ organic_meadow1.shtml

Oral storytelling

Think about

Akram enjoyed listening to the stories his grandmother told him.

• which stories are special to your family in this way, and why?

• Choose a story that is well known to your family. • With friends or family members, take it in turns to retell it, a sentence at a time.

Naca

Small Homeland

Pi ta Pradhana pacaka Maumachi

Ceyar

Atma

Chele

Sbapna

Bana

H a ti

MOKO Dance partners

www.mokodance.com

@MOKOdance

/MOKOdance

#ChottoDesh