Drama with Children
Drama as a part of language learning process
It gives children who are shy when speaking a foreign language another character to `hide behind';
Why use drama activities?
- young children use drama naturally: they're always in the world of make-believe;
they like assigning roles (drama involves their favourite way of playing, i.e.
pretending); it encourages their creativity and develops their imagination;
- possibility to interact; all children are involved; they learn to work together; they
look at the world from different perspectives and this way develop tolerance and
empathy;
- they encourage children to speak and communicate (also through body lg. or facial
expressions); compare reading a dialogue from a book and acting out the same
dialogue; authentic language in context → makes meaning clear; Children like to
repeat and memorise words; through drama they'll learn language `chunks' together
with their functions → fluency is being promoted;
- boosting self-confidence and motivation (fun, different levels → there is always sth
for all the children);
- confidence; puppets and masks may be especially useful in helping shyer pupils
overcome their inhibitions;
- they cater for different learning styles; appeal to all kinds of learners (in drama all
channels are used: sight, hearing and our physical bodies); they promote active
learning; they develop independence, autonomy, responsibility for learning;
- T can use roles to encourage inactive students to take part in the lesson and to cool
down dominant students;
- language personalization - dramatizing allows children to add an emotion or
personality to a text they've read or listened to; by interpreting the words, the
children make them their own; this makes the language more memorable;
- cross-curricular content → T can use topics from other subjects; important
messages can be conveyed and explored through sketches and role plays;
- the pace of a lesson - drama can add change of pace or mood to the classroom;
dramatizing as a learner-centred activity can be used after some more teacher-
centred parts of the lesson;
- drama warm-ups → smooth transition between different learning situations;
- T can enliven the course book presentation through drama, make it meaningful and
enjoyable; Also: dramatized reading, using mime and gestures to enrich dialogues;
Stages in preparing a performance:
- choose the text
- list the characters (costumes, movements, emotions)
- list all the scenes
- make decisions on the props, decorations, music, light, etc.
Practical advice on using dramatization in the classroom
- choose the right activity - not only age appropriate but also appropriate for the lg
level; be aware of your aims: different activities for developing accuracy/fluency or
for practising lg. skills; age: younger children find it difficult to work in groups
(whole-class activities or very guided activities are better for them);
- introduce drama into your classroom in small steps; start with easy, guided activities
(e.g. miming) and as the children gain some confidence, move on to less controlled
activities; TPR activities are an excellent way into dramatization; show them how to
explore the power of their voices: saying sth loudly, quietly, angrily, sadly, etc.;
- organize the classroom
- give feedback on what the children have done; not only the final product, but also
the process they went through, the way they co-operated with each other; their
reflection is also very important;
Performance follow-up activities:
- making a book consisting of the main scenes
- arranging a photo display
- preparing a class poster
- drawing characters from the play
- writing a performance review
Preparation of posters and invitations + taking a video of the play could be the beginning of another project;