Series advice for a teacher

[Doodvid]

hello there - I am SO glad to have Knightmare back in my life after all these years having been devestated that the series was pulled just after my friends and I have plucked up the courage to apply!

Anyways - I am currently a primary school teacher (teaching Year 3 and 4 - aged 7-9) who is inheriting a class of budding writers next year who have the skills in place but lack the imagination - been racking my brain on how to inspire them in preparation for September and have already got a list together of "visual texts" (AKA tv shows!) such as Dr Who, Sarah Jane Adventures etc but have decided I would like to use Knightmare as a stimulus for writing especially amongst the boys. It can be sued in some many ways (setting description, suspense, action, mystery etc) and eventually I envisgae my writing clasas creating a Choose Your Own Adventure style story via Powerpoint based on Knightmare.

But....which series would be best to introduce them to? Series 1 is too wordy - I need one to really stimulate the imagination and keep them entertained with the pace - this is the key - if it's too slow they'll lose interest.

Any ideas would be greatfully accepted - and thanks in advance.

D

[Doodvid]

Er-just realised that as a teacher I really shoulda proof-read that last post! Apologies for the mistakes.

[Pooka]

Series 6 has the best writing, has the right sort of adventure, and is the best introductory series, in my opinion.

Failing that, 8, as it's more fast-paced. It's not as exciting though.

[Canadanne]

I too was thinking Series 6 might be a good one, being one of the more plot-driven series. Some good characters, locations and story arcs, and the pace of the quests is good without too much repetition, so it should hold the kids' attention. (It's also probably the best-looking series, so ought to stand up well alongside the likes of Doctor Who.)

I wish you were my teacher - what a fun idea for a class!

[Drassil]

Hello, and welcome to the forum. If you are the same Doodvid who uploaded this, thank you - another one to add to the list on my What's Up Doc webpage.

All eight series have their pros and cons for this initiative. Series 3 has plenty of pace, atmosphere and structure, and the wall monster riddles might add interest in a classroom situation. Series 4-8 could be more appealing though, as the presence of an assistant might stop some of the more sensitive children getting too frightened. Series 6 is a good choice, but you may have to hold a discussion about negative stereotyping after Ah Wok's been seen. The first episode of Series 5 has a particular richness to it, and can capture the attention of children younger than Year 3, although at one point Brother Mace uses a word that some of your pupils might mishear as a naughtier word...

Since you're hoping that a Knightmare-inspired gamebook might result from this, you might also like to invest in some copies of the Knightmare books for the school library. They're available very cheaply on eBay and Amazon.

[Doodvid]

Haha...er...yeah the Deuce video is me! Unfortunately YouTube doesn't seem to like my video and only uploaded half.

Thanks for all the replies-I've found a great episode from series 2 from when one of the teams gets to level 3-even I got scared! But will definitely check the other suggestions. Can't wait to teach it! They will LOVE Knightmare.

Bring on the next generation of dungeoneers...!