Saturday, June 20, 2015

Find Short Plays For The Classroom

By Freida Michael


A play provides a useful tool when teaching children. Accumulating a number of suitable scripts can be very helpful. Finding short plays for the classroom is much easier today with many available from online websites. Scripts are written to suit particular age groups, from tiny ones to teenagers. These scripts help teachers to involve pupils actively in learning instead of just sitting passively and listening.

There are many different types of scripts available, from comedies and tragedies to musicals. Some are original and others are adaptations of well known stories. They vary in length and some are short enough to fit easily into a lesson. Children are always very responsive when it comes to comedy and some of the best scripts, especially for small children, are the funny ones.

Shorter ones are easily performed within the classroom. No memorization, fancy costumes, special lighting effects or backdrops are really necessary. Scripts are simply held by the pupils and they focus on presenting the words in a clear voice with gestures. For example, children may be required to act as certain historical characters and play out a scene that actually took place.

Another way a play can be used is in helping to learn certain life skills. What is learned in a fantasy context can help with daily problems like bullying or lying. Universal themes like life and death, the natural and supernatural can also be introduced in this manner. This can help the pupils to understand complex emotions more easily and learn how to cope with every day 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.

Group activities are an important part of learning. Drama encourages working together to achieve a certain result. Children learn how to encourage and support one another in their performances. They learn what it feels like to share together and respect one another to make the whole experience work well and achieve the right effect.

Scripts come in many different forms. Some of them require participation of only a few pupils but the others must then listen carefully and this builds their listening skills. Others require the participation of all the pupils. Every pupil gets a turn to speak, even if it is just one line. Some scripts have a few main actors and a chorus of players who have to speak their lines in concert. The number of parts required in the script needs to be checked before purchase to make sure it is appropriate for the particular class.

Participating in a play increases confidence, allows pupils to express themselves and gives them many life skills. The power of drama in learning cannot be underestimated. Inspire, entertain, teach and have fun with some good play scripts. Everyone benefits from including drama in learning.




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