Co-operative learning

My idea was to make students work cooperatively. So I split the class into teams of 5-6 and gave them three scripts per team. Then, I asked them to read the texts, think of a title for each, and identify the type of text they were confronted with (i.e., short dialogues and plays or role-plays). I allowed 10 minutes for that. Next, the whole class shared their ideas in French. It was clear they had understood that I was expecting them to act the skits. We used five skits from your book, and these were some of their titles: An impatient bus driver – A terrible restaurant – The bad magician – A greedy doctor.

Free rein to create

Next, I gave them a sheet of paper to note a possible setting and accessories they could bring to the next class. I also asked them to imagine stage directions and facial expressions. Generally, French pupils have a rather low level of English when they enter middle school – which is a shame because I’m sure if they were taught more foreign languages as kids, (in a fun way of course!) they would be more at ease with it. So, they did not understand the stage directions in your skits. However, turning problems into opportunities is a great way to work, so they imagined their own. Then, they decided on the roles, and since we had 30 minutes left on that day, they started acting their skit.

Performance

We met again on Tuesday. They came in with lots of accessories and props. In the meantime, I had mailed some colleagues to tell them they would be a quick performance. Since there was no room, assembly hall, or stage, we ended up in the playground. With the twittering of the birds, strong wind, and even a lawnmower, we put on our little show. The colleagues who came to watch said it was amazing to see the kids’ pleasure and enthusiasm while acting in English, having had such a short time to rehearse. Therefore, I cannot thank you enough. I feel like I have a little treasure in my teacher’s bag.