DRAMA AND SPEAKING

Theater is an educational activity where the students bring to life a fantasy world through oral expressions and acting. Theater is a teaching tool for the development of creativity, interpretation, memorization, expressive and personal abilities, etc. All of these characteristics are essential for communication among us. The students developed both individual and group creativity, they were stimulated as a whole during the development of the theater, and gained a classroom bond as well as personal confidence.

During the year, primary students have been reading and practicing in class a drama that corresponded with their grade:
In 1º primary... Neon the fish
In 2° primary... The Little Red Hen
In 3° primary... Toy Story
In 4° primary... Aladdin
In 5° primary... The Jungle Book
In 6° primary... The Wizard of Oz
In the 2nd evaluation, students began to memorize their scripts for each role. For the 3rd evaluation, the students could say their lines without looking at the paper, since they had them memorized. They began bringing their costumes to school and selected classes practiced in the auditorium, in order to become familiar with the stage and set.

The classes selected to perform with an audience in the auditorium were:
3°D, 4°A, 5°C and a mixture of students from 6°A-B-C-D of primary. We believed these selected classes and students were the most prepared and knew their roles the best.



Also, throughout the year we have been talking during each evaluation about traditional holidays and celebrations, especially those celebrated in The United States: Thanksgiving, Christmas, The Three Wise Men day, Valentine's Day, Holy Week/Easter... We did fun presentations and activities related to the holidays, such as Thanksgiving word searches, Christmas posters, and Easter discussions.

Two American Language Auxiliars have assisted in the development of the theater throughout the year. Miss Elizabeth from Atlanta and, of course, Miss Merissa from Pennsylvania. These Assistants have helped motivate the students throughout the year, training them and preparing them for the theater, while also including entertaining and fun lessons, activities, and games. We will miss them very much and are appreciative of their work.

The last week of May, we were able to perform the shows in the auditorium with large audiences. The students proudly showed off their hard work as they acted and everyone enjoyed seeing the plays. A great round of applause to all the dedicated actors and teachers who helped make each play become a reality!
                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                           Merissa(Pennsylvania) and Rafa Morillo