Late last night I replied Cecilia on this topic, but my post soon disappeared from the forum. Personally, I find teaching English using Drama a unique experience and I thought this post might be of interest to those of you who would like to try this methodology.
Two years ago, one of my teacher trainees made a whole task (10 lessons) based on a play and my 7th graders just loved it! They were highly motivated in those lessons because they knew that what they were learning - grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, intonation..... -- everything had the purpose to make them have a successful final task - the play.
There are 2 or 3 books on this topic that I like a lot and that have helped me to understand better the benefits of using on a regular basis this approach to teaching English in the classroom:
- Drama with Children (1999), by Sarah Phillips, Resource Books for Teachers, Oxford University Press - the book provides a practical introduction to dramatizing in the classroom and it has lots of activities for children between the ages of 5 and 12;
- Drama techniques in language learning: a resource book of communication activities for language teachers, (1982) by Alan Maley and Alan Duff , Cambridge University Press (lots of techniques, activities and ideas - they say it is the drama teacher�s bible);
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Timesaver Plays, Classroom Photocopiable Timesavers, Mary Glasgow Magazines (
www.link2english.com) - a series of short plays for secondary students of English at Intermediate level -- very interesting and useful material. - The book Imaginative Projects (2000), by Matt Wicks, Cambridge University Press, has a project guide on Shakespear�s A Midsummer night�s dream -- very interesting for intermediate or mixed ability classes.
All the activities in these books articulate educational and language teaching aims. Learning English is fun in the true sense of the expression!
A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!
