■Summary
Description:
A group of elementary, junior and senior high school students worked together to create and produce on stage an original play in English as part of a local festival.
The planning and management of the project were handled by a designated Super English Language High School (SELHi) as part of the ongoing SELHi initiative. The ALT at that school was responsible for creating the script and teaching songs for the play.
Duration |
6 months |
|---|---|
Location |
Schools, community centres, etc. |
Target |
Elementary, junior and senior high school students, local citizens (students' guardians) |
Participants |
10 elementary and junior high school students, 30 high school students, 10 adults |
Organiser |
Prefectural High School |
Budget |
Approximately 100,000yen |
Objectives:
The project was established as part of the SELHi initiative, with the goal of supporting English education in elementary and junior high schools, and coordinating English language activities in the local community. The project was especially successful in developing ties with elementary schools.
■Implementation
Script Creation:
Each year in June, an intensive study camp is held for students in the English course of study, and as part of this they must write a scenario in English. The students are divided into four groups, and each group must write one short script in English.
The most outstanding of these is chosen as the script for the play. However, at this point it is only a 10-minute scenario, so during summer vacation the Japanese Teacher of English (JTE) and ALT work together to expand the content into a 40-minute script. The JTE monitors the difficulty level of what the ALT writes and replaces any expressions that may be too difficult for the students.
Practice:
Beginning at the end of summer vacation (September) until February, the students meet every Friday from 5:00pm till 7:00pm. Practice is held at the local community centre, and instruction is provided by ten JTEs and one ALT.
Before practice begins, teachers should summarise and explain the general story of the play, and elementary school students should be given simple roles and characters.
Set / Prop Creation:
Students in the foreign language club created props for use on stage as part of their club activities. Costumes are made by making alterations to pre-existent clothing items.
Performance:
The play was presented as part of the stage programme during a local festival. The venue was a hall with a capacity of 250 people, and the students could run an on-stage rehearsal the day before. Per the town's request lighting was handled by a professional, and the JTEs handled sound effects. Students delegated the other duties amongst themselves, including making announcements, distributing pamphlets, ushering, stage hands, etc.
Sharing Impressions:
After the production, students who participated were asked to write their impressions, which were collected and included in a SELHi project report.
■Preparation
Recruitment of Participants (Elementary/Junior High School Students):
The SELHi committee called for volunteers from the elementary and junior high schools in town, while a formal letter of request was sent in the SELHi school principal's name during the first semester. (The SELHi committee was established by the SELHi schools to operate independently with the goal of researching and promoting the development of SELHi. In addition to serving as a conduit for exchanging information between the cooperating schools, it seeks the expertise of professionals on such matters as teaching methods and other individual programmes.)
Promotion:
The event was publicised with the festival as a whole; additionally, 500 copies of a flier were created and distributed. Spectators were free to come and go as they pleased on the day of the production.
Materials distributed at the performance:
Since not all the audience members can be expected to understand English, a bilingual script was distributed to those in attendance. Also, subtitles were projected on a screen set up to the side of the stage.
A survey was also created for the audience members to fill out on the day of the show.
■Budget
The main expenses, approximately 100,000yen, were for set, prop, and costume creation, as well as costs related to creating the fliers. The use of the venue for the production and the community centre for practices were both free, because the play was part of a town event.
■Submitted by
Aichi Prefectural Government
Board of Education
Tel: 052-954-6787
Aichi Prefectural Mito High School
Tel: 0533-75-4155
■Comments/Advice from the Supervisor
(Board of Education Supervisor)
Through producing a play in English, not only does the English-language ability of the participants improve, deeper relations between elementary, junior, and senior high schools students, and the community as a whole can be established.
(Mito SHS teacher)
The chance to use English not only in the classroom, by putting on an English play using gestures and a rich variety of expressions to utilise the full potential of English as a language and means of communication was very meaningful. Also, this play was produced with the participation of local elementary, junior and senior high school students, and local adults as part of the "Mito-Matsuri" festival which is a local event. Through this cooperation, high school students had the chance to teach English to elementary school students and form a bond that overcame the difference in ages, as well as put on an event that closely connected all the participants with the local community, which is a significant accomplishment. The teaching staff received the experience of learning with the students, and through this activity, everyone involved gained a deeper understanding of the local culture. Of course the play itself and the preparations leading up to it nurtured a new energy that will give rise to new dreams in not only the students and staff at this school, but also in the elementary and junior high school students and members of the community.
■A Word From CLAIR
There were many examples of schools putting on English plays for their school festival, but the uniqueness of this example that extended past the borders of the school and into the community was the reason we have chosen to present it here. From creating the scenarios at the intensive English camp all the way to the end, this wonderful event was made possible by well-thought out, streamlined and effective planning.
