Description

Feeling Sad Assembly for Primary Schools

Feeling Sad Assembly for Primary Schools. This script was largely ‘prompted by’ Time to Talk Day Thursday February 4th – a joint initiative run by MIND and Rethink – addressing the taboo around mental health – people still tend to feel uncomfortable talking about it.

As this was written for primary schools, the language is of course simple as is the message – emphasizing that sadness is part of life, something we should all talk about and not feel embarrassed about.

I have included a ‘poem’ that I wrote – called ‘It’s OK’. I normally suggest poems I’ve come across in poetry books but I couldn’t find any on ‘sadness’ per se – plenty on reasons for sadness – but none on just sadness itself. This ‘poem’ is just a collection of thoughts. For a ‘proper’ poem see Only a Passing Cloud by Patience Strong (I’ve just come across this one)

I have followed this script up with one for secondary schools/adults – Good to Talk – a conversation between two people. (In 2 Speaker Scripts section of website)

Cast of 30 – easily adaptable up or down

Duration – around 5 – 10 minutes

Feeling Sad Assembly for Primary Schools Sample Texts:

First Sample Text

Music 1 Everybody Hurts – REM

(Children file into assembly, taking seats in order of speaking, along two rows of 15 seats, facing audience)

Narrator:             Good morning and welcome to our assembly on Feeling Sad.

(Enter Clown)

Clown:                  Hey! What’s up, people?

(Nobody smiling)

Hey! Time to turn those frowns, upside down!

Narrator:             Actually, I’m going to ask you to take your seat again.

(Narrator leads Clown back to seat)

Narrator:             Fooling around, making people laugh – there’s a time and place for that. But not now.

(Clown jumps up again)

Clown:                  But these are children! They need to be laughing and smiling!

(Narrator patiently leads Clown back to seat again)

Narrator:             No, they don’t. You see, being happy and jolly is fine. But so too is being sad.

(Clown jumps up)

Clown:                  But nobody wants to be sad! (Spluttering) That’s …. That’s just wrong!

(Loud sigh from Child 1)

Child 1:                 Oh do please sit down and perhaps we can explain.

(Clown reluctantly returns to seat)

Child 1:                 We are all sad from time to time.

Child 2:                 It’s part of life.

Child 3:                 It’s part of the human condition.

Child 4:                 And you know what? It’s actually OK to feel sad.

Child 5:                 Sometimes, however, we feel we have to hide our emotions.

Child 6:                 Pretend we’re OK – when we’re not.

Child 7:                 It’s much better if you’re feeling sad to share it with someone.

Second Sample Text

(Child 15, Molly, walks over to a chair, placed to the side; she sits with her head in her hands)

(Everyone goes quiet)

Clown:                  Hmm. She doesn’t look very happy.

Child 16:               Oh that’s Molly. She’s been like that for a while.

Narrator:             Really? Well, why didn’t someone tell me?

Child 17:               We’ve all tried being nice to her

Child 18:               We’ve asked her what’s wrong

Child 19:               But she just tells us to go away.

Child 20:               Nobody can say we haven’t tried.

Narrator:             So why didn’t you come and tell me?

Child 21:               We thought you’d be cross.

Child 22:               We thought you’d think we’d been mean to her.

Child 23:               We were all worried about getting the blame.

Narrator:             So, you thought it was better (pauses) just to leave her?

Child 24:               Well, that seems to be what she wants.

Narrator:             Hmm! We’ll see about that.

(Narrator walks quietly over to Molly and taps her on her shoulder)

Narrator:             Molly? Are you OK?

Molly:                   (Looking up) Oh, sorry. You startled me. Yes, I’m fine, thank you.

Narrator:             Don’t you want to come and join your friends?

Molly:                   No, thank you. If it’s all right with you, I’d rather be by myself.

Narrator:             Oh I understand. But if you change your mind, you know where I am.

(Narrator walks back to a seat at the opposite side, and sits down quietly)

Narrator:             (To cast) Now. It’s very important I have no interruptions. Do you understand?

(Whole cast nods)

(Molly slowly raises from her seat, bringing it with her to sit opposite Narrator)

Molly:                   I just wanted to apologise. I wasn’t meaning to be rude. I know everyone means well. But I just can’t be with people at the moment. I just want to be alone.