Code 6 - Another Hoax Call

www.btbetterworld.com/developing_skills/free_resources/Code_6_-_Another_Hoax_Call/home.ikml

KS3 (Years 7 - 9)

Citizenship & PSHE

Description

Produced by BT in association with the London Fire Brigade, Code 6 is a DVD drama whose aim is to raise awareness of the frustrations caused to the fire service, as well as the legal, and potentially tragic, consequences of making hoax calls. The drama is broken down into three main sections with breaks for discussion and a summary of issues raised. The first section offers a prologue to the main drama; this captures students' interest by hinting at events, consequences and possible resulting tragedy. The presenter reinforces the message after each section. Finally, there is a quiz.

Supporting Documentation

There is a teacher's support section with discussion suggestions on the DVD. Additional teacher's notes can be downloaded from the website: www.bt.com/education.

Technical Support

A freephone number is provided. Staff respond promptly, are familiar with the product and pleasant and helpful.

Purpose of the Program

The aim of this program is to raise awareness of the risks and consequences of making hoax calls. The style and production of the program make it easily accessible. There is no hectoring or pontificating, rather a dramatic presentation of a tragic accident involving a young man who dies of smoke inhalation because the emergency services are unable to reach him in time. Students are invited to examine the events leading up to the death of the young man; these include a series of hoax calls which divert the fire brigade from the scene of a real fire. The tasks encourage students to consider the consequences of making hoax calls.

Curriculum Relevance

Within the framework of the Citizenship and PSHE programmes, social and moral issues, Code 6 will provide motivation as well as some really interesting facts and figures regarding the extremely serious problem of hoax calls.

Extent

Within the PSHE and Citizenship programmes, this DVD provides a flexible resource which could be used over two or three lessons. There is enormous potential for the development of additional activities within the programme of study at Key Stage 3. The Fire Service provide a range of educational services and encourage the growth of relations with schools. This programme could be the perfect springboard for a range of activities, including visits to the local fire station. I could also see this being used during Work Experience at Key Stage 4 and generally by the Careers Department, as it provides an insight into the work done by the emergency services.

Appropriateness

The presentation style ensures that students will identify at different levels with the issues raised. For example, a young firefighter, serious about his job, is frustrated at being called out when there's no fire; the awareness of the importance of the youth centre as a place for youngsters to relax in; the anger of parents who are unable to accept or understand the seriousness of making a hoax call; the boredom created if you lose access to your social group. The setting, choice of characters and style of acting will enable students to empathise at different levels.

Quality

The combination of characters (normal youngsters, fire officers, youth leaders, police officers, parents) and the setting of the story (the streets of North London, a youth club, a fire station) lend the presentation a sense of a real-life TV drama, such as Casualty or EastEnders, and the filming is just as professional. The occasional woodenness in the acting (and this most certainly does not apply to young Ben or our fire-fighting hero, whose performances are sensitive and passionate) does little to detract from the overall powerful impact of the program. On the contrary, we can all identify with the embarrassment of the two lads banned from the youth club and the humiliation as their peers mock them; the defensive attitude of Ben's mother; the frustration of the fire fighter called out repeatedly on hoax calls and the irritation of the call centre staff.

The onscreen discussion suggestions are fairly basic, but there is plenty of scope for further development, perhaps in the form of prediction, role play or surveys. Similarly, the quiz, a straightforward multiple-choice test of memory, could be used as a discussion point or for research.

The differentiation is inbuilt, insofar as the presentation of the material is made accessible to all simply in its manner: the fire officer who guides us through the events comes over as sincere and students of all abilities will relate to him. The scene where he discusses his frustration at being called out again and again to hoax calls is one that students will remember. This is because a) he expresses his anger in a controlled manner (you can imagine that in a less controlled situation the language would be stronger) and b) being a fireman is a 'cool' occupation, but one that depends possibly more on personal skills than academic success.

This is an excellent resource that is really useful for the Citizenship/PSHE Coordinator. It's a drama about a young man who tragically dies from smoke inhalation, and we see the tragedy not only from his girlfriend's point of view, but with flashbacks to seemingly unrelated incidents involving hoax calls, one of which delays the fire brigade's response to the real fire. The presenter has been chosen carefully: he's sincere, attractive and articulate, and you get the feeling that he really is a firefighter, not an actor. A smack of authenticity? I think so. The North London setting, the youth club, peer pressure, parental frustration and a glimpse into life in a call centre - there is a terrific number of stimuli here. This could provide inspiration for role plays, research and interviews, and could be used in conjunction with a Work Experience programme. It is very easy to use with great timing and no long stretches to watch and there are plenty of re-cap and revisiting opportunities. Discussion topics on offer are somewhat limited but in fairness this is pointed out, and the teacher's section makes it clear that you can devise your own. You will, too, because it's inspiring and easy to use. This resource is easy to fit into the syllabus, exciting for students to watch (a touch of 'Casualty' and 'EastEnders'), but with a different emphasis and tailored specifically to students.

Read KS3 Classroom evaluation...

Product Overview

This product is published by BT Better World Campaign (Tel: 0870 3330373)