E.L.D. - Story Theatre?

In the Dual Immersion classes I've taught lately, the lesson plan always includes a section on "English Language Development" (E.L.D.) It is usually scheduled late in the day, after lunch for sure and it is more relaxed in foremat. Usually there is a contingent from another class or two to participate. These are kids who don't hear much English at home or in their daily lives. They have a very limited vocabulary in both English and Spanish. No one close to them speaks to them in any language more than the usual monosyllabic, interactive commands and directives of everyday living. There is no exposure to books in the home or visits to the library.

For these reasons I have found lately that they, most of them, just love to do "Story Theater" in English and/or by song. It is full of play with and on words that has been missing in their verbal lives. Some of your basic nursery rhymes and stories are just missing. Fairy Tales, whether they be Grimm's or Andersson's are fascinating to them. You could read them a different one everyday. It was always part of my culture growing up but it is missing from theirs. They may have other stories i.e. "Lorena" or (currently) "Dia De Los Muertos" stories. They are just starved for this kind of verbal interaction.

This past week in at least three different classes/grade levels I tried: "The House That Jack Built" in choral verse and story Theatre. You remember "Story Theater". It was very popular and even on TV a few years back...maybe 20? I remember taking our Indian Guide Boys Tribe to the Music Center in L.A. (smaller theater) to see a production of several stories...including "The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg" - my favorite. It was done with a giant scrim - panoramic screne where the characters, all attached, froze in silhouette. The main characters "narrated themselves" as they performed the story. (that's the pure form of Story Theater) It is very charming and effective. Full costumes and props are used.

Well, with "Jack" we modified it to where the main group of the class was the "narrator" and the actor/charactors formed tableaus only moving when a "key" word was spoken over and over again in the narration. i.e.

This is the house that Jack built.

This is the cheese that lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the rat that ate the cheese, that lay in the house that Jack built.

This the cat that chased the rat, that ate the cheese, that lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the dog that worried the cat, that chased the rat, that ate the cheese, that lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the cow with the crumpled horn that tossed the dog, that worried the cat, that chased the rat, that ate the cheese, that lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the maiden all forlorn who milked the cow with the crumpled horn, that tossed the dog, that worried the cat, that chased the rat, that ate the cheese, that lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the farmer (Jack) out sowing his corn who loved the maiden all forlorn who milked the cow with the crumpled horn, who tossed the dog, that worried the cat, that chased the rat, that ate the cheese, that lay in the house that Jack built.

This the priest all tattered and torn who married the farmer all shaven and shorn who loved the maiden all forlorn who milked the cow with the crumpled horn that tossed the dog, that worried the cat, that chased the rat, that ate the cheese, that lay in the house that Jack built.

They just loved it and wanted to do it again with different people doing the parts...they choose. Each bold word is a verb or adjective which had a "look" or an "action" attached to it and was only done at that moment in the story. We even added another verse to include the left-over kids in the voice choir as "their (Jack and Jill's) progeny" i.e.

These are their kids, all of them born after the priest...(etc.)

Now, what message do you think this subliminally sends to these kids about how we might feel about "marriage"? It is now coming up for a vote...no it is not part of the curriculum...in our 2nd grades. Any school district will tell you that. But this is the "cultural" moral environment in which we teach/learn. It is bound to be passed on.

We tried to make each "action" or movement connected with the verbs and adjectives very dramatic and decisive. i.e. House = two kids raised their arms/hand facing each other to form a "roof", "lay" = cheese squeezed up into a ball in the "house" "ate" = rat nibbled with his fingers on the shoulder of the "cheese", "chased" = cat made a cat-like clawing motion and hissed at the "rat", "worried" = the dog snarled and bared his teeth at the "cat", "crumpled horn and tossed" = the cow making a crooked "horn" on her head with her right (upstage) hand and doing a "tossing" motion at the "dog" with it and her head. "all forlorn and milked" = the maiden looked sad , downcast and wiped down on her cheek and then did the "milking motion" toward the cow with her two hands going down, "sowing and loved" = the farmer broadcasting the seed motion and then looking over at the maiden and placing his hand over his heart and looking "struck", "tattered and torn" = the priest looked downcast but so serious as he "blessed" Jack and Jill by placing his hand over their heads consecutively, "shaven and shorn" = farmer Jack spruces up by wiping his chin and hair as he approaches the priest and Jill to stand, "born" = the kids, any number romp and play in the audience.

A follow-up would be to discuss the meanings all the new words and phrases and how we used them. We could even have a "writing lesson" follow-up" writing it all down as we remembered it or creating new ways to use the words we learned. What I would've seen years ago is that "whole play" make it out to the playground under a tree and performed "ad lib" over and over again at recess (mainly by girls). You never see any of that kind of "play" anymore...even in kindergarten. The dubious "gift" of TV and force-fed imagery in video games? RRR