You shall go to the ball… (Unit ) Mini Challenge

Once seen as something only American jocks and cheerleaders cared about, the school/college prom (or ball) has quickly become one of Wales’s teenagers’ rites of passage. Your task over the next few lessons is to plan your Leavers’ Ball. You will have to get creative, to work within a budget, and to pitch it to your classmates. The winning pitch could well form the Ball Committee next year, who knows?

On A3 paper, brainstorm your ideal ball: theme, location, decoration, food and drink, music, entertainment, photographer, gifts, etc. A mind map or a Bubble Map would probably work best for this task.

TAKE ONE: Your headteacher/principal has only been able to give you £1000 to fund your ball. You will have to “make do” this time as you cannot go over budget. Use the price list to work out what you can afford to have at your ball. Complete the meeting sheet, writing down a list of all your purchases, and making sure that your whole group is in agreement with your decisions. Think carefully about the roles you take – chair, minute taker, mathematician, etc.

TAKE TWO: Your headteacher/principal was so impressed with the way you worked out your Budget Ball – s/he has managed to find another £500, and you can now charge for tickets, drinks, and other extras! In your groups, in a quick chat, review how effective the different roles were executed in the last activity and consider whether you need to make changes. Readdress your plans from the first two sessions – can you use your new shopping list, budget, and lack of restrictions to plan the best ball ever? You Shall go to the ball!

TAKE TWO: Compiling evidence of your meeting however best suits your group, plan your Leavers’ Ball in detail. Remember the different areas that you need to consider: theme, location, decoration, food and drink, music, entertainment, photographer, gifts, prizes, etc. By the end of this session, your ball should be completely planned.

Your final task is to present your ideal ball to your peers and your teacher. The whole class will be holding a vote at the end of the lesson to decide which ball is the best, so make your presentation engaging! (or a good old-fashioned poster!) Remember that your presentation will represent each group member’s ideas, so make sure that everyone is involved. Play to your individual skills to work on the pitch. Good luck!

In whatever format works best for you, reflect on what you have learnt during this activity. Be sure to consider: - What went well. - What went less well. - Which skills you developed. - What you will take with you for the next activity.