Friday, June 19, 2015

Finding Short Plays For The Classroom

By Freida Michael


When children take part in a play, they come alive and they can learn so much from the experience. Today there are many short plays for the classroom available from online sources. They can easily be incorporated into the curriculum. Learning is made fun and each one is written to appeal to a specific age group. Pupils participate actively instead of just listening to the teacher and this encourages the development of all kinds of skills.

A search online can be narrowed down by selecting various options such as length, type, and age group. There are many that last less than 10 minutes and fit easily into a lesson. Comedic scripts are always popular and children often learn best when they are entertained and amused. Instead of just sitting and listening, they are actively participating.

Many of these scripts work well without a stage, props or special costumes. The children do not have to learn the lines but simply read them instead. They learn to add expression to what they are saying and perform hand gestures. At times, simple costumes and a few props may be included but this is not essential. There is nothing like learning history by performing the roles of historical characters and acting out what happened in the past.

Teaching life skills is also accomplished effectively by using drama. Scripts can be found addressing issues such as honesty, self image, bullying and many other difficult issues. When these issues are explored in the context of story-telling, they becomes less personal and the children realize that they are not the only ones experiencing them. Children are helped to understand and cope with such issues in real life.

A play also offers a way to include pupils of all abilities. Those who are a bit shy may really benefit from taking part. It may just draw a pupil out of his or her shell and drastically improve his or her confidence levels. They forget all about their shyness, drawn along by the fun of the activity.

Learning to participate together in a group is another benefit of doing drama together. Each person has a part to play and everyone has to learn how to consider and encourage others. Children have to learn to have respect for the different roles played and each person has to be given room for self expression.

Another benefit is the way this can stimulate creative expression. They learn to express themselves clearly and confidently in front of other pupils. They learn how to adapt their gestures and facial expressions according to the words being spoken. They learn how to express sadness, happiness, fear, joy and all the range of emotions.

A script may only have parts for a few pupils and the others have to sit and listen carefully. Others are designed to allow all the pupils to participate, even if it only in a chorus where many of them voice the lines together. Drama is one of the best ways to introduce fun into learning. With all the scripts available, you will never be without one that can add to your curriculum and make the learning experience more enjoyable for the pupils.




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