International Private School of Provence
Marseille school phone : 04 91 530 000
Aix-en-Provence school phone : 04 42 600 300
Marseille school phone : 04 91 530 000
Aix-en-Provence school phone : 04 42 600 300
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Children learn to speak english through drama
how can we get our children to actually speak english? what occasions can we provide kindergarten and elementary school children to enjoy learning english?
[09/04/2009]
Practicing English as a first or second language through drama is an exciting experience for kindergarten and primary school children.
Theatre is a multi-sensory approach to language acquisition that engages young learners physically, emotionally and cognitively in the language learning process. The use of drama in teaching English as a second language (ESL) enables learners to explore linguistic and conceptual aspects without concentrating on the mechanics of language.Students who actually speak the language are able to develop a sense of awareness of self.
And the earlier the better!
A study[1] of 32 grade school children (ages 6 to 9 years) with limited English proficiency showed that when they participated in creative drama sessions over an eight-week period, drama proved to be effective in stimulating syntactic growth. Results suggest that interaction and purposeful communication are important in second-language acquisition.Second language acquisition becomes internalized as a direct result of placing the learners in situations that seem real, as in theatre performance. Children use the target language for the specific purpose of communication.
They experiment with non-verbal communicative aspects of the language (body language, gestures, and facial expressions), as well as verbal aspects (intonation, rhythm, stress and idiomatic expressions).
Thus, they begin to get the feel of a language and gain the confidence to interact outside the classroom using the target language. Just such an opportunity is at the Children's Theatre Club at the EPIM international bilingual kindergarten and primary school.
Meeting every Wednesday afternoon from 1:00 to 4:00pm, club members participate exclusively in English, rehearsing and performing children's theatre pieces. The school is located in Aix-en-Provence and welcomes children from 3 to 11 years of age.
Contact information ...
