Activities and Lessons

Click on the titles to the left (below in the mobile version) and you will find directions and videos that describe various activities I have done using drama and storytelling to teach English to students who are new to the language.  Most I have done with my middle school students in Berkeley, California, in classes composed mostly of newcomer students from all over the world. Some examples are from teacher trainings I have done in the U.S., Cambodia, Timor-Leste and Uzbekistan and some are from a project I developed with the University of California/Berkeley: using drama and storytelling to teach English to high school students in Nansha, China.  Many are short activities that can enhance your current ELT teaching; others are more involved and take days, if not weeks to implement.  While my descriptions and examples focus on the language development potential of each activity, I also want to point out the benefits drama and storytelling have through the lens of Social Emotional Learning and Trauma sensitive approaches. These activities can create a level of engagement with language for sure, but also promote collaboration, acceptance, creativity, choice, support, and so many other elements that provide the basis of a supportive and inclusive learning environment. My motto, as expressed in the poster that had a prominent space in my classroom, and you will see in many video examples, and replicated below, is Risk and Respect. Our students can only take the risks necessary for learning in an environment built on mutual respect. Drama and storytelling are uniquely positioned to provide that structure.

I am adding to this site on a semi-regular basis as I compile many of the activities/strategies I have done in the course of my career, and as I continue to work internationally training teachers; so keep on checking back, or better yet, click on subscribe to receive notifications of new postings in your inbox.