Year 7 teachers help please!

[mum2girls3]

My very shy year 7 DD has got to do a 3 minute "turn" to entertain her form. Every child must do this, she's very anxious and has no idea what to do. She's a good dancer, but afraid of being laughed at I'd she dances. What sort of activity might you expect? Looking for ideas! Thanks in advance

[mum2girls3]

I should add it's got to be on her own, not allowed to pair up

[Rosieposy4]

God that’s brutal, i would never ask my y7s to do that.
I definitely wouldn’t suggest dancing, she might well get laughed at and if it is something she loves that would really hit a nerve, how about a reading, or joke telling ( dad joke man on twitter has loads of jokes y7s like).

[HettyStThomas]

Could she lead a game? My form loved wink murder at that age or a game like hangman on the board? Or write a quiz for them to complete in teams.

[MostlyChocolate]

This is not on at all. Ring the school to raise objections, speak to head of year. You can't force a kid these days to come up to the front and perform, unless it's for an exam/assessment. However, get her to prepare something regardless, maybe learn to recite a poem off by heart saying its her favourite poem, with speech cards to stare into if she's forced. Xxx

[YourOpinionIsNoted]

I'd contact the school, I would never have made my year 7 form do that. Or any year!

3 minutes is a long fucking time to stand up in front of the class. She will not be the only one dreading this.

[Blimeyoreilly2020]

Ds had to do this - he ended up doing a PowerPoint presentation on how 3D animation is created...not something he’s passionate about but he knew a little and researched the rest. He put loads of pictures in and the kids were looking mainly at the presentation rather than him which he preferred!

[mum2girls3]

Thank you for the replies, I thought maybe I was being precious when I thought it was brutal but I didn't want to be, "that parent" who complained!! I had wondered about the dancing being something that she might be laughed at for, and as that's the activity which gives her confidence I didn't want that. I appreciate the suggestions

[IHeartKingThistle]

I have a Year 7 form. That idea is batshit.

[IHeartKingThistle]

Wait, I mean the teacher's idea to make them perform! The teacher is being batshit!

It's been a long day...

[YourOpinionIsNoted]

If they don't budge, find 4-5 puzzles / brainteasers she can put on a single PowerPoint slide and display to the class. First to solve all of them gets a tube of smarties. (Send her in with a pack of four in case there's a few clever clogs!) She can stand up, explain what to do, and then sit down again while they work them out.

[mohasfluffytoes]

I second the 3 minute quiz idea. Maybe on music or yesterday's news? Or if she can use a PowerPoint, there's loads of optical illusion type things she could show the group - my tutor group have always loved looking at those. Or maybe show a video clip from YouTube on something that's interested her. Something that doesn't involve her standing and talking if she is nervous.

I don't understand the outrage at this, it's perfectly reasonable to ask a student to do a quick "show and tell" in front of their tutor group. They regularly have to do performances in dance/PE and presentations in their other subjects, I don't see how this is any different- especially if they all have to have a go.

[converseandjeans]

Oh dear I agree it's brutal! I have a very shy DD same age and she has got into Kahoot! - you make a quiz. They need to use mobile phone but can work in pairs & she created a couple we did as a family.
Failing that a quiz on paper?

[leccybill]

I would never make my Yr7 form do this. Some of mine are very shy and anxious and they would be in a state over it.

In older year groups, when we've done speeches as part of curriculum, some have preferred to record it at home then just play the recording.

[mum2girls3]

She is very taken by the quiz idea, especially if she can incorporate kahoot! Thanks for the suggestions, she's feeling happier already she also likes the idea of having a few prizes to give out

[keiratwiceknightly]

Rubik's cube? If she can learn how to solve it quickly, kids love this.

[PenOrPencil]

If they have the tech in school I would definitely go with creating a Kahoot for her class!

[SansaSnark]

Kahoot is a good idea, but a faff to set up- is the 3 minutes a hard limit or just a suggested length of time? It will take 3 minutes just for everyone to log on.

I also would steer clear of Kahoot if she expects students to be able to use their phones to do it on- even though teachers do this, it's their call not a student's.

However, she can still make a fun quiz using powerpoint animations- moving splat is pretty popular with some of my classes and you can find templates/instructions online. She could do an in the news/celebrities type format. Guess the song from short clips could also work well.

[AppleKatie]

If she likes dance can she say something (quick 10 secs) about dancers that she likes and then show some YouTube clips of the style of dancing? One step removed from her doing live dancing which I agree is probably not a good idea for a shy child.

[liberame]

Interesting range of views. DS in Y7 is having to do a similar thing in his tutor group, and I think it's quite a positive thing. All the kids have to do some sort of presentation, and I'm inferring that the idea is to get them used to presenting in a smaller, safer environment, so that they're more confident when they have to do it in front of a larger audience at some stage in their education. In his case though it's been described to them as a 'presentation' (which can be about anything in any format) rather than an 'entertainment' - so maybe it's more about the wording??

[AppleKatie]

Definitely. Presentation good. Unscaffolded performance- potential for all sorts of mishaps.