The Night Bus by Anthony Horowitz

Introduction This scheme of work looks at the themes of being lost, being missing, of feelings of concern and worry, and builds these themes into a performance of the short story The Night Bus by Anthony Horowitz. The story is a good one to use with KS3, as some students in this age group can be wary of ‘horror’ literature. The Night Bus is more of a humorous take on the genre, and it is also short enough to be read over again as needed. Students will also draw on poetry and music to inspire imagination and bring new perspectives to their performance, and use a range of dramatic techniques to explore the themes in the story. Students will work on skills and techniques including: Voice, mime and movement, Group brainstorming, Hot seating, Thought tracking, Using music and poetry as a stimulus, Spotlighting. Students will also work both individually and in small groups. Each session here is based on a one-hour lesson, but they can be mixed and matched as you please.