PLAYS:
How to use them in the classroom

GENERAL. Our plays require more time to learn than our short stories. However, they are still short enough that you need not spend months to get your students to perform them well. Our play patterns and vocabulary are basic and the action is fun for little ones.

Before your students can act out a play they have to know the script. By script we mean the action and dialogue contained in the play. Since you do not have illustrated pages to go with the plays, you will have to demonstrate (demonstrate = tell the story of the play) the script on your whiteboard using the character and background flashcards we provide.

Demonstrating a script in this way is much like telling a story on a felt board. You place the character and background flashcards on the board, move them around to show action and point to them (or make the flashcard wiggle) when you wish to indicate that you are speaking a line of dialogue.

An alternative to demonstrating the script in this fashion is to cut out the character and background flashcards and attach them to sticks. You then tell the story like a puppet show.

You may find that demonstrating the script on the board is as far as you wish to go with it. That is fine. In fact we will soon be introducing stories that are designed simply for telling on the board. Everyone knows that children love stories, but finding ESL/EFL stories (as opposed to readers) for beginners is very difficult. Feel free to use our plays simply as stories to be told and not acted.

PROPS. We recommend that you tie a string loosely around the character and background flashcards and hang them loosely around students’ necks. In this way, the cards will not fall off, nor will they be in the students’ faces (like masks). With the background images you may also place them on the walls or board in the classroom to make a sky, a forest, a lake, etc.

Get the students who are not acting to be directors and camera-children. When you begin any performance, turn the lights off in the class and begin with "Lights, camera ...action!" Get one child to stand in front of the class and clap his or her hands together. One or two children can also pretend to video the performance. Afterwards ask the camera-children for their "tapes".

If you have a very large class think about pretending to sell tickets to the performance. Send the extra students outside to line up. Require a token from them before they can come in and watch the show. Enforce a no-talking rule during all performances. After each performance the audience students can line up for autographs. Don’t forget to get the students to speak English during these roles ("Here is my ticket. Can I have your autograph?") and not just grunt or gesture their way through it all.

TELLING THE PLAY (DEMONSTRATING THE SCRIPT).

To successfully role-play any play, the children must first know, and know well, the details of the script: such things as the plot, the characters, the action and the dialogue.

Since you don’t have pictures for every line like the short stories how can you demonstrate the script? As we mentioned above, use the character flashcards. Use magnets to hold the flashcards on the board (assuming your board is metal and magnets will stick to it). If you have a chalkboard, or no board, attach the flashcards to sticks.

There is no great trick to demonstrating the script on the board. The main thing to remember is that your body and voice must fill in all the details of action and dialogue. You must move the flashcards in a way that matches the action in the script. If two characters are supposed to meet each other randomly, place them on opposite sides of the board and then move them closer together. Wiggle the images (as you move them across the board) to indicate that they are walking. If they are supposed to cry shake them (and then cry yourself).

You must also speak all the lines of dialogue. Try as best you can to use a different voice for each character. In any case, make sure you are always holding or pointing to the appropriate character when you speak a line of dialogue.

Of course, before you can demonstrate the script you must know it in detail yourself. Fortunately our plays are short and the dialogue repeats key lines and actions. Do feel free to improvise on our lines, adding or changing words to suit the mood and level of your class. If you don’t want to have a cow walk up to the Sad Little Worm then make it a swan. We have plenty of flashcards for you to choose from in the regular flashcard section.

After you have spoken several lines of dialogue use gestures to reinforce or elaborate what is being said. If you were demonstrating "The Sad Little Worm", and the worm had just said "I don’t like you. Go away." Use gestures to reinforce the meaning of "Go away!'"

You may even ask simple questions at this point. "Who is sad?" Yes/no type questions are useful to see if your students are understanding the story. "Does the Sad Little Worm like the cow?" Ask the questions quickly so they don’t slow down or deaden your demonstration.

REPEAT. Remember that your students’ English level is beginner. Don’t rush through the demonstration of the script. Also don’t assume that because the children are smiling and laughing with you that they necessarily understand the script. They may just like your performance. Go slowly and repeat the dialogue of the script once or twice before you proceed. Use gestures to reinforce what is being said. If you just read, "I have no friends," repeat the line and cry. Again, yes/no type questions are useful to gauge your students’ understanding.

1. Role-play with the entire class.

After you have told the play story several times start to get the students to repeat lines with you as a group and then act them out. You may want to demonstrate on the board, with the flashcards, what lines you are about to perform.

Working as a group the students can all learn the actions and dialogue without fear of being singled out. You may divide the class into groups to play the various characters. Again, have the whole group act out at once and without moving from their spot in the classroom. You can teach positions later.

2. Students play character roles.

Now (and please note this is not all happening the same day) start to get the students to assume the roles of the characters and act out in small groups. See the individual directions found in the play scripts.

At first, you may want to have the two or three student actors mime the parts while you (and/or the class say the lines). In this way the children can get comfortable with their parts before they have to speak. You may also let shy students role-play only in this way.

3. Final stage.

Later ask the students to act and say their parts by themselves in front of the class. Choose "good" students at first to give an example. Follow the notes under GENERAL (above) for ideas on what to do with the students who aren’t acting.

4. Conclusion. 
   
   If you plan to use one of our plays for a school performance, give yourself around two months to practice with your class. If you are using them to help improve your students speaking and listening skills then take as long as or as short a time as you like. Learning a second language through stories and drama should be fun for young children. Make it a challenge, but never a chore.

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