"It turns out that I don't like English very much, and memorizing words is a headache and I can't read it. In the performance of the English drama "Nine Colors Deer", although I played a maid and didn't have many lines, I was more exposed to English and became interested in learning English! " Tao, a student at Lvchuan Middle School, said this.
At the 3rd Shanghai Student Drama Carnival, from primary school students to senior high school students, "Little Actors" not only showed their academic accomplishment, but also incorporated elements such as art and innovation through English drama performances.
Tell the story of the heroine in English.
In this English drama exhibition, Peng Pu Experimental Primary School selected the script Mulan, and 30 students told the world the story of the ancient heroine in China by performing in English.
Every Tuesday afternoon, the school offers a "long class" to learn, from project theme selection, script adaptation, performance, props and costumes, all of which are discussed and participated by students themselves. Each child finds his/her own suitable role in the course, and carries out team cooperative learning by means of project learning. During the performance, the students not only got a deeper understanding of Mulan, the ancient heroine of China, but also every other character who participated in the performance was moved by this heroism.
Wang Chunhua, the principal, said that the school insists on being good at science and technology, and art and humanities go hand in hand, hoping that middle school students can subtly infiltrate this national confidence into every child's blood. In humanities study, the school pays attention to students' experience, understanding, inheritance and innovation of traditional culture. Organize traditional cultural theme activities such as New Year's Day, Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and Double Ninth Festival every year, and build a school-based humanistic literacy curriculum group oriented to the transformation of students' "mental model". Among them, traditional culture school-based compulsory courses include calligraphy and Chinese studies, and there are more than 30 elective courses for students to choose independently, such as pottery, painting and calligraphy, tea art and so on. For example, in the elective course of leather carving, the bronze pattern of China is printed and carved by western leather carving techniques, and the Peony of the Great Country, Dragon Totem and Gluttony in the Biennale are all works created by students.
English drama enlivens the classroom atmosphere.
In the face of English, boys are prone to boredom by memorizing words. A good teacher can make students like this subject. "The activity is conducted in the form of English drama. Performers wear beautiful clothes and good music, and they will also be interested in the theme. With such an experience, children will never forget it. " Xu Yao, a member of the Shanghai Dramatists Association and an expert consultant of the Educational Drama Research Center, said.
"Some students didn't like English originally, and their interest in learning English increased greatly when they participated in the performance." Li Hua, an English teacher at Lvchuan Middle School, said that the little actors who participated in "Nine Colors Deer" came from 30 students in different classes. They only began to contact and experience in September last year, and expanded their weekly rehearsals.
English drama education also puts forward higher requirements for English teachers. Luo, an English teacher in Fenghua junior high school, is a new teacher with only one year's teaching experience. Originally it was just a lecture, now students are required to participate in the performance. At the same time, English teachers are also equipped with professional drama teachers, which is of great help to personal improvement. The theme of this play is to explore stories, and the students participating in the performance span the sixth, seventh and eighth grades of junior high school. "Some children don't like English very much. After repeated rehearsals, their personal expression and performance skills have improved. " In addition, students from Qingpu Senior Middle School also brought The Merchant of Venice written by Shakespeare.
In Xu Yao's view, in English teaching, students should dare to speak and do, and integrate interesting scenes into the teaching environment. For children, the classroom is not rigid, which enlivens the classroom atmosphere and promotes students to like this subject better.
Ke Ruifeng, secretary-general of the Science and Technology Education Development Center of China Education Society, said that English drama is a good exploration, which effectively and organically combines students' academic ability and comprehensive quality from participating in script adaptation and costume design to aesthetic education and intellectual education. Observing life, refining life and expressing life have gone far beyond the English subject itself. In He Yanan's view, English drama education not only broadens the channels for children to learn English, but also is a whole-person education and development. In teamwork, children's growth is not only the language ability, but also the development of human nature.