22/05/2018
My teaching was turned upside down when in my 10th year of teaching I learned how to take at least 50% of the content in all subjects from my grade 3 French immersion students. I had been using an approach to reading in which the children offered the words, sentences and yes the stories that we would read together.
The old fashioned Experience Chart stories got us started- the students suggesting titles, and topics with me as the Scribe taking notes on the blackboard. As soon as a ‘plot was hatched’, I would say “Are we ready?” then I turned to chart paper, felt pen in hand and the children most at first and very soon all offered the next idea and sentence which we worked over together and then I wrote in on the chart paper.
I soon learned that we could not only do stories but also poems, then skits and finally one act, two act and three act plays which I wrote on chart paper! If I ever wanted to make a change in the script, I had to get permission from the class because they considered it Their Story, Their Play, Their Poem!
We moved on to performing Their Plays for the school and the parents. We ran out of time to do everything the children wanted to do by the end of the school year!
So why not integrate all subjects into these ‘stories’ which to become simple project reports!
This is how I began to publish their plays and finally my own with requests from teachers on topics… in Fun With Drama in English and Le théâtre en classe en français! www.letheatreenclasse.aubergesurleweb.com www.kidsfunwithdrama.innontheweb.com
The excitement about learning became palpable!
Drama for active learning in the classroom. Le théâtre en salle de classe.
