For my final project I put on a puppet show with all of the 4th graders. We first put the children into groups of 4 to 5 students, mixing different levels of English; one of the best parts of this project was that all the children felt included. The English levels of the children at my school vary extremely and tend to be lower than most of the schools here in Madrid. There are also usually anywhere from 2 to 5 new students added to each class every year who know zero English. These students and the many lower-level students often feel excluded in the classroom and lose motivation quickly, especially when these new students come into a bilingual school later on in their education. Once fourth grade hits the children have reached a level of English that can be overwhelming to catch up to. It was so exciting to see that even these students could participate and feel more motivated.

The project consisted of three parts. I first brainstormed with the children to develop a story. Learning how to organize thoughts and ideas into a cohesive finished product with a beginning, a middle, and an end is essential to learn for when they get older and have to write papers for the courses they will take, in addition to the working opportunities that may await them. I used a worksheet to help them organize it a little easier and to write the script.

Writing the script was the most challenging part for them, but it was a exciting opportunity to practice writing English since a lot of them are finally at a level where they can achieve this with a little assistance.

Finally we rehearsed and then performed the show we had created and recorded it to be shown later to the entire class. Having to memorize lines is a perfect way to teach language because much of learning language is based in memorization. It was also a perfect opportunity to practice speaking. Many of the lower-level students rarely speak in class, the only space they have to practice talking in English. This made them have to speak loudly and and clearly to be understood when they performed, helping them to overcome that fear that prevents them from raising their hand in class. They also practiced speaking in the rehearsals and working together in their small groups. Speaking in front of an entire class of students can be very intimidating, so this gave them a more comfortable environment and increased their confidence.

All photos and videos used with permission.