Students are interested in performing and there are not many skits available that can be used by them. This curriculum unit has been developed to teach a second language through performance. It is offered as a teaching aid for teachers to improve on the oral skills of students since students studying foreign languages are mainly interested in learning to speak it. The unit provides samples of short skits that have been adapted from jokes, fairy tales, fables, narratives, etc. These sketches are provided as models and also for utilization in the classroom and/or in the auditorium. Techniques are given on teaching how to adapt any narrative for drama. Some of the techniques include paraphrasing, eavesdropping, different suggestions, diversified copying, etc. Many suggestions are also included for assignments. Using familiar stories and converting them into dialogues makes learning that much more easier. The students can make it and take it. They are responsible for their own skits and they are permitted to modify almost any literary work. Since the students are directly involved in what they are going to learn, the learning experience is much more meaningful. At the same time, the teacher can teach the students how to visualize plays and how to enjoy them. Character studies and plot developments can be introduced also. Finally, this unit has been written simply for instructors who are willing to have their students learn by doing. The students are actively involved because they have incorporated all of their senses.
(Recommended for 9 12 grades Spanish I-IV and Spanish for Spanish Speaking.)
Key Words
Foreign Language Instruction Drama Performance Spanish
