This activity uses drama and storytelling to help children develop their language skills and improve their reading comprehension and expressiveness. Children can practice their vocal language skills and develop self-confidence through theater, while they can learn to listen and grasp through narrative. This activity also develops literacy skills because the story includes physical movements. As part of the exercise, the children will be encouraged to sing the well-known nursery rhyme “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf” from the children’s book “The Three Little Pigs” (Halliwell-Phillipps). The book employs music and song to enhance the development of spoken language abilities.
This activity is founded on the idea that music and song can help young children with their pronunciation and intonation, introduce them to a new language, provide chances for social interaction, and foster emotional expression. The repetition and rhythm of the rhyme in “The Three Little Pigs” stimulates children’s attention and memory (Halliwell-Phillipps). It also provides a pleasant and participatory way for kids to learn about the main characters and narrative themes. By singing the nursery rhyme and discussing the story’s themes and messages, children can strengthen their language skills while developing their imagination, creativity, and social-emotional skills.
Learning Objectives
The first learning goal focuses on story comprehension; as children physically act out the story’s events, they can better understand and remember it. Thus, internalizing the information and visualizing the narrative aids in developing their comprehension abilities. Children can have a greater knowledge of the concepts and messages of the story and the relationships between characters and events by playing out the events. The second learning goal is to help kids improve their oral language abilities. Children practice expressing themselves dramatically through spoken language by playing the game of charades. As a result, children can practice using their language abilities in a fun and engaging way, which can help them gain confidence and comfort speaking in front of people. In addition, children can practice using their vocabulary and sentence structure in fun and engaging ways while participating in this exercise. They can also improve their nonverbal communication skills using body language and gestures. Children can explore various emotions and modes of communication by employing dramatic expression, making them better communicators in several contexts.
Materials
This activity requires a storybook with a straightforward plot and recognizable characters, such as “The Three Little Pigs” by James Orchard Halliwell. Flashcards or visuals of the story’s characters and actions will also be required to assist the children in perceiving and acting out the events. Flashcards or pictures, along with a storybook with a distinct plot and familiar characters, help to make learning more exciting and approachable for children. It provides them with a common starting point and stimulates creativity and imagination as they act out the events in the story.
Learning Activities
Reading the storybook to the kids is the first step in this activity. The instructor should sometimes pause throughout the reading to assess for comprehension and pose comprehension-related questions. Hence, ensuring the kids are engaged with the story and can follow the events as they happen. After seeing the characters and events on flashcards or illustrations, the children will then practice miming and acting out the story’s actions. This step is an interactive technique for the kids to connect with the story and helps to solidify their comprehension of what happened (Raising Children Network). When the students have grown comfortable miming and acting out the story’s plot, the instructor can inform them that they will be playing a game of charades. In this game, they will act out a character or plot point for the other students to try and guess. This step allows the kids to learn more about the narrative’s characters and plot entertainingly and interestingly.
The kids can then be split into two teams and alternately play out various characters and plot points so that the other team can make guesses. Each time a character or action is acted out, the teacher can ask the students to identify it and then recount the relevant section of the story. This step helps the children understand the story better and ensures they pay attention to the events as they are being acted out. After the game, the teacher can ask the kids to summarize and retell the tale (Raising Children Network). Hence, giving the kids a chance to consider the tale as a whole and express what they have learned from it in their terms. The kids can hone their spoken language abilities and further solidify their understanding of the story’s events by recounting the tale in their own words.
Accommodations
Any effective learning plan must include accommodations as a necessary component. Thus, to guarantee that these kids are included in the activity and are not left behind, it is essential to give translations of the game’s story and vocabulary. To ensure everyone understands, teacher can incorporate bilingual publications or tell the tale in many languages. Furthermore, encouraging bilingual players to use their native tongue and equipping them with the relevant terminology might improve their interaction and communication. It is critical to adjust the game as needed to fit the abilities of disabled youngsters. For children with physical disabilities, the movements could be simplified. As an alternative, assistive technology may allow them to talk or participate in the game however they like (Roy et al. 206). Hence, it ensures that every child can participate and benefit from the educational process regardless of ability.
Evaluation and Comments
Observing the children as they play the game is an essential stage in the evaluation process. It allows the teacher to see if the kids understand the story and can successfully act out the characters and events. The instructor can observe the kids, make comments, identify areas of strength and weakness, and adapt the exercise to ensure that every child is fully engaged and benefiting from the learning experience. Following the game, it is critical to ask the children to summarize and retell the story in their own words. It allows the teacher to check the pupils’ comprehension and ensure they have assimilated the story’s key concepts and themes (Roy et al. 169). Therefore, the teacher can determine areas where the students might need further help or guidance to comprehend the story entirely.
Learning Standards
Several Illinois Early Learning Standards are in alignment with this activity. This activity first tackles Standard 4A: Demonstrate understanding of print’s organization and basic features. The kids are learning to interact with written text and comprehend how stories are structured by reading the storybook and pausing to ask comprehension questions. This exercise addresses Standard 6C: demonstrate increasing ability to engage in and complete various tasks, activities, projects, and experiences (Illinois Department of Natural Resources). The children are developing their ability to follow through by participating in the story in multiple ways, including acting it out, playing a game, and recounting it in their own words. Furthermore, by participating in this activity, the children enhance their ability to pay attention, focus, and engage in and learn from various situations.
Works Cited
Halliwell-Phillipps, James Orchard. The Three Little Pigs. Compass Publishing, 2012.
Illinois Department of Natural Resources. “Early Learning and Development Standards.” State of Illinois Main Site, 2023, Web.
Raising Children Network. “Creative Activities for School-Age Learning and Development.” Raising Children Network, Web.
Roy, David, et al. Teaching the Arts: Early Childhood and Primary Education. Cambridge University Press, 2019.