labyrinth - Scarlet Theatre

KS2 Teachers’ Pack - Labyrinth
About the Labyrinth Project
Teachers’ notes
4
About the Labyrinth
The labyrinth is an ancient geometric pattern
that has a powerful symbolic significance in
many different cultures. The labyrinth shape
is usually laid onto the ground and walked
through, but a smaller version can also be traced
with the fingers. There is only one way in and
out of the labyrinth, and after walking it you
reach one central point. The path winds around
in a mysterious manner and eventually reaches
the centre, whereupon you retrace your steps
to leave the labyrinth along the same path you
originally took. Once inside a labyrinth, you
cannot get lost; unlike a maze, which presents
choices at every turn, and is filled with dead
ends, the labyrinth has only one path leading in
and leading out.
Labyrinths are typically used as tools of
meditation and self-discovery. By surrendering
yourself to its twists and turns, you open up
space in your mind for contemplation. The
sensation of walking a labyrinth is bizarre
because you constantly feel that you are getting
further away from the centre, instead of closer
towards it.
The journey through the labyrinth can be seen
as a metaphor for the journey of life. Despite all
its twists and turns, which might seem to divert
you from your goal to reach the centre, the
labyrinth eventually leads you to the place you
set out for. Life itself might be viewed in a similar
way. The labyrinth also represents the journey
of learning or discovery. It may be hard to follow
the path and trust that it will lead in the right
direction, but eventually all your effort and
patience is paid off when you reach the centre.
About the Project
Scarlet’s Theatre project uses the magical
labyrinth experience as a starting point for a
creative journey into the unexpected, where
your senses are challenged and your ideas
about how things should be are overturned.
Director Gràinne Byrne leads pupils and
teachers through a series of multi-sensory,
thought provoking drama sessions, which build
up throughout the project to the creation of the
group’s very own labyrinth.
About this Pack
This resource pack accompanies the project
as an aid for teachers in the classroom. It is
presented as a series of different teaching
materials covering a range of curriculum areas.
The scheme of work can be taught as a whole
if required, or individual ideas can be taken out
and adapted to suit teachers’ requirements.
Each section contains activities that can be
used as starters, plenaries and methods of
assessment. Curriculum links for each section
are also included in the Appendix. Some of
the pages of the booklet can be reproduced
as handouts or displayed using an interactive
whiteboard.
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