A Story Whoosh is a narrative technique I discovered from the Royal Shakespeare Company about three years ago. Since then, this lively, accessible, and participatory strategy has become a staple in my classroom repertoire. I have conducted countless story whooshes, some good and some bad, but all engaging with various stories, plays, and myths.
I have whooshed Greek tragedies like Antigone, Shakespeare comedies like The Tempest, Julia Donaldson and Roald Dahl stories for little ones and even Agatha Christie mysteries. In my recent practice, I have sought to use the Story Whoosh as a vehicle for assessing pre-requisite knowledge, boosting the participation ratio, and modelling new concepts and skills. Read on to find out how to use a Story Whoosh in your drama lessons and the numerous benefits this technique offers your learners.
This post is for you if…
- You’re a Drama teacher or workshop facilitator.
- You’re an English or History teacher looking to liven up your lessons.
- You’re a primary school teacher, searching for ways to present a narrative to your class.
What is a Story Whoosh?
Simply put, a Story Whoosh is a whole class activity which involves the accessible enactment of a tale through teacher-led narration, while students take turns acting as characters, objects and places from the story. The teacher chooses students to stand in the middle of the circle to perform gestures, say lines, hold still images and improvise dialogue. However, when the teacher says ‘whoosh!’ all those standing in the circle must return to their seated positions to give other students a turn.
What are the benefits of using a Story Whoosh?
There are countless benefits to using a story whoosh, in your drama lessons. Therefore, I’ve compiled a list of just some of the reasons you may employ this technique to get the most from your pupils.
Accessibility
Story whooshes are accessible to learners in three ways. Firstly, they make narratives which may be long and confusing (think Shakespeare, classic novels, and intricate mythology) very engaging and easy to follow. The second reason is that story whooshes invite all learners, regardless of reading ability, into the world of the story. And thirdly, EAL (English as an additional language) learners are able to join in with ease, due to the visual and expressive elements of story whooshes.
Participation
Another reason for the success of the Story Whoosh is that, if executed correctly, every single student in your lesson can play an active part in the re-creation of the story. Whether that be through acting, adding to a soundscape or sharing ideas. Story whooshes help to boost the participation ratio and transform an otherwise teacher-led exposition into an interactive teaching moment. It effectively blurs the lines between ‘I do’ and ‘we do’.
Assessing Prior or Pre-Requisite Knowledge and Skills
Furthermore, crafty teachers can interweave several questions or ‘show me’ prompts to assess the strength of a pupil’s prior learning. These questions can appear near the beginning of the whoosh, conveying useful AfL (assessment for learning) data to the teacher.
Modelling and Metacognition
Additionally, the Story Whoosh is an excellent vehicle for authentic modelling and metacognition. The teacher can choose to demonstrate certain techniques or concepts such as still images, status, proxemics, hot seating, thought tracking and vocal skills, using herself and/or her students. These modelling moments are also a great opportunity for some ‘think alouds’, whereby the teacher can make their thinking visible to students, by speaking aloud the steps involved in the execution of certain techniques.
Creativity and Improvisation
The fast-paced and low-stakes nature of the story whoosh allows students to creatively explore and experiment with ideas, thinking on the spot in an informal performance. From my own experience, I have witnessed how pupils take too long to organise and enact drama work. The Story Whoosh encourages students to think instinctively, knowing that their peers will also be called upon to add to the creation.
When do I use a Story Whoosh?
A Story Whoosh is best suited to the introduction of a narrative or text to your class; therefore, placing a Story Whoosh at the beginning of a new unit of work is optimal. However, if you want to use the Story Whoosh regularly as a vehicle to deliver parts of your exposition, assess prior learning and warm up your students, then consider chunking your narrative into small sections to share each lesson.
My school, a setting which supports the work of Doug Lemov, values established routines for learners. As a result, I envisage the Story Whoosh becoming a subject-specific routine quite easily; practising the routine would allow the Story Whoosh to run smoothly, with students focused on the content, compared to the conventions of the technique.
How Do You Use a Story Whoosh in Drama?
After discussing the benefits of the Story Whoosh, you may be ready to give it a go in your classroom. Therefore, I have broken down the steps of how I would facilitate a Story Whoosh, using Antigone as an example.
Step 1
Gather all learners into a seated circle or semi-circle. I like to sit down/kneel in the circle too, choosing a central, strong position where all pupils can see me. I find that placing myself on the same level as the students helps to encourage the communal aspects of storytelling while aiding my control of the classroom culture.
NOTE: I sometimes opt for a semi-circle, as performing in-the-round can be difficult for students.
Step 2
Outline the rules and expectations of the Story Whoosh. For example, you may say,
‘As a class, we are going to act out the story of Antigone together. Miss H will lead the storytelling, but I will need you all to become characters, objects and elements of our story. I may ask you to say a line, perform a gesture, mime an action or freeze in a position. But the most important thing to remember is when I say 1, 2, 3 we all say WHOOSH! And all those standing in the circle need to return to their seats to allow other people to have a turn. Let’s practice…’
Step 3
You are now ready to launch your story. Take some preparation time to bullet point or script your Whoosh, incorporating moments of high participation. If you need some inspiration, take a look at my example script below. Notice how I include loads of participatory strategies like turn and talks, cold calling, agree and disagree and student director.
Miss H: Long, long ago in the Ancient City of Thebes, there were four siblings (FOUR VOLUNTEERS). Two boys and two girls. Eteocles (COPY MY GESTURE), Polynices (COPY MY GESTURE), Antigone (COPY MY GESTURE) and Ismene (COPY MY GESTURE). When their father died, the two boys were supposed to rule the kingdom together. However, both brothers wanted the throne for themselves and a huge war broke out.
1,2,3 WHOOSH!
Miss H: So Thebes was at war, let’s all add some sound to show that the city was fighting. Can we all gently tap our hands on the floor? Can we get louder and then quieter? What about some thunder noises? Let’s add some rainfall. Thank you.
Miss H: The two brothers (TWO VOLUNTEERS) fought long and hard. Can you show me a gesture which shows me you have a shield and a sword? Eteocles said ‘I want the throne for myself!’ (repeat back). And Polynices said ‘Well, I also want the throne for myself’ (repeat back). And both brothers killed one another in battle.
1,2,3, WHOOSH!
Miss H: The sibling’s Uncle Creon was crowned as the new king (ONE VOLUNTEER).
T&T: Okay turn and talk to your partner, what gesture would you do as a proud and noble King?
COLD CALL: Hands down, what gesture should the king do… X?
LH: Great idea, Creon can you freeze in this gesture? Creon decreed that only one of the dead brother’s should be buried, while the other one, who Creon believed to be a traitor should receive no proper burial. His body should be left to rot outside the city and anyone who disobeyed his order would be put to death. And the people said, ‘All hail Creon!’
ALL: All hail Creon!
1,2,3 Whoosh
T&T: Why do you think that it was important in Ancient Greece to bury people properly and give them a funeral?
COLD CALL: Hands down. Why do you think it’s important to receive a proper burial… X?
Miss H: Snap or Shakes. Agree or disagree? Well Creon didn’t want Polynices, one of the dead brothers, to go to the afterlife. There was one person who disagreed with Creon’s rule and that was their sister Antigone (ONE VOLUNTEER). Antigone believed that her brother should receive a proper burial. She was angry with Creon.
EVERYONE: Everybody show me a facial expression which shows anger. Let’s go with this one!
Miss H: Antigone tried to persuade her sister Ismene (ANOTHER VOLUNTEER) to help her bury her brother.
COLD CALL: Cold call warning, what do you think Ismene said to Antigone? Did she agree to help, or not?… X?
Miss H: Ismene was too scared to help, she didn’t want to disobey Creon the King. Can you freeze in a still image which shows you trying to persuade Ismene to help you break the law?
BUILD: Build if you want to improve this still image?
Miss H: Yes, we need to think about where the audience is, facial expression, body language and gestures.
Continue…
Final Tips
- Remember that sometimes the success of your Story Whoosh hinges on your delivery. Therefore, animate your narration, and draw students in with your pitch, pace, volume, and tone of voice.
- While Story Whooshes may be popular for KS2, remember that through more sophisticated language and forms we can adapt a Whoosh for KS3 also.
- Try to create a conducive classroom culture for your Whoosh, clamping down on unwanted behaviour or reactions.
- Have fun with your Story Whoosh, knowing that time and effort invested will be repaid in student’s increased engagement and understanding later.
