unit 11: creative arts and english learning: instructing ... · instructing, describing, discussing...

Teacher Education through School-based Support in Indiawww.TESS-India.edu.in

Creative arts and English learning: instructing, describing, discussing and performing

Unit 11:

Elementary English

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The TESS-India project (Teacher Education through School-based Support) aims to improve the classroom practices of elementary and secondary teachers in India through student-centred and activity-based approaches. This has been realised through 105 teacher development units (TDUs) available online and downloaded in printed form. Teachers are encouraged to read the whole TDU and try out the activities in their classroom in order to maximise their learning and enhance their practice. The TDUs are written in a supportive manner, with a narrative that helps to establish the context and principles that underpin the activities. The activities are written for the teacher rather than the student, acting as a companion to textbooks. TESS-India TDUs were co-written by Indian authors and UK subject leads to address Indian curriculum and pedagogic targets and contexts. Originally written in English, the TDUs have then been localised to ensure that they have relevance and resonance in each participating Indian state’s context. TESS-India is led by The Open University and funded by UKAID from the Department for International Development. Version 1.0 Except for third party materials and otherwise stated, this content is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

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ContentsIntroduction 1

Learning outcomes 2

1 Art, craft and language learning 3

2 Using art and craft in class 7

3 Using drama 11

4 Summary 14

5 Resources 15

Resource 1: A language and craft activity with binoculars andtelescopes 15Resource 2: Developing a drama activity from the textbook 16

6 Related units 18

References 19

Acknowledgements 20

IntroductionTeaching English in the language lesson only from the textbook can be adry, unimaginative exercise of rote memorisation. Learning an unfamiliarlanguage can be exhausting, and may fill students and teachers with anxiety,boredom and frustration.

But students of all ages enjoy making things in art and craft work, and beingactive in drama and performance. The creative arts have an amazing capacityto make language learning interesting. Using art, craft and drama to teachEnglish can not only help students (especially the young ones) become moreengaged in their English studies, but can also motivate them to expressthemselves in English – even when they can't fully do this in writing.Incorporating English vocabulary and sentence structures while conductingactivities related to arts and crafts will also give you opportunities to practiseand develop your own language skills along with the students.

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Introduction

Learning outcomesAfter studying this unit, you should have developed:

. the ability to integrate English and the textbook into art and craft lessons

. understanding of how the creative arts can promote language learning

. skills in interactive language and drama work with students.

TDU 11 Creative arts and English learning: instructing, describing, discussing and performing

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1 Art, craft and language learningMost of us think that much of the work done in art and craft is non-verbal.In fact, the process of understanding the purpose and the instructions fordoing a particular activity involves comprehension of a language, whetherlocal or English. Moreover, depending upon the purpose, such activities canbe chosen in which language plays a central role.

Art can create bridges between thought, oral language and writing. This canhappen when students are:

. listening to, reading or writing instructions

. using their existing language skills

. learning new vocabulary

. receiving and giving praise and encouragement

. describing their ideas and plans

. evaluating what they have done

. expressing feelings.

For very young students, art tools can be used to introduce concepts ofwriting.

Pause for thought: Your students in an art and craftlesson

Recall a recent art and craft lesson you did with students or that you

observed. How did students behave and conduct themselves? Were

they interested, focused and sometimes excited? Did they take pride in

what they do? Why do you think students enjoy art and craft activities?

In the art or craft lesson, how do students talk to you and to each other?

Do they ask questions, follow instructions and describe their plans and

the outcomes of their work? Do they use special vocabulary?

Discussion

For many students, art and craft activities are memorable learning

experiences where they create something personal from their

imagination. The atmosphere in these lessons is often informal, yet also

focused. Students can chat with each other as they work and they often

learn words that are specific to the art or craft form. Consider then how

the language learned and used in these activities can be made focused,

memorable and enjoyable.

You might already be using games and songs in English with students

(see TDU 2, English emergent literacy: songs, rhymes and word play).

You can also use English language in art and craft activities. When the

class is painting, drawing or making models, you and your students can

practise English vocabulary and grammar in these ‘hands-on’, concrete

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1 Art, craft and language learning

activities. Art and craft activities can often channel students’ energy,

creativity and enthusiasm – and provide a language pay-off.

Now read Case Study 1.

Case Study 1: Mrs Poona uses art activities todevelop spoken English

Mrs Pooja, a new primary school teacher in Delhi, was not very

confident about teaching in the English language. During her pre-service

teacher training, she had done Hindi pedagogy, but had not opted for

‘pedagogy of English’. Read her account of how she came to use art

lessons to develop students’ spoken English. You’ll see that Mrs Pooja,

was working through trial and error – being very observant about what

worked for the students and what didn’t, and then developing her

practice based on her observations.

During my training I had observed that in the art class, students talked a

lot about their work or about other students’ work. When students were

working on their drawings, I had heard them using words in Hindi such

as ‘dark colour’ or ‘light colour’, or ‘beautiful’ or ‘ugly’. Sometimes they

would praise other students’ work. While some students knew names of

many colours, others knew only a few basic colours but were able to

pick up more vocabulary from their friends. At this time, I realised that I

could use art activities for learning new words in Hindi.

I was teaching English in the conventional way: I would make students

repeat from the textbook after me, and then tell them the meaning in

Hindi after every paragraph. After that, I would write answers to all the

questions given in the textbook on the board, which students would

copy and memorise for reproducing in the exams. But I found that my

students were very restless and bored in the English class – in fact, my

assessments showed that very few students were learning any English.

So I thought back to my pre-service training, and recalled how students

enjoyed learning Hindi during art and craft activities. I decided to try the

same strategy for teaching English lessons. I knew that Hindi was the

mother tongue for most of my students, so I would need to make extra

efforts to help them communicate in English.

I used my English textbook to plan an art and language activity. I chose

the story ‘Little Tiger, Big Tiger’ from the Class III Marigold series, and

had students make masks and costumes for the many different animals

in the story.

Before the students started to create their masks and costumes, I wrote

some vocabulary in English on the blackboard:

. Art words: ‘colour’, ‘cut’, ‘paste’, ‘material’, ‘paint’, ‘draw’, ‘shape’.

. Animals: ‘monkey’, ‘tiger’, ‘deer’, ‘pig’, ‘frog’, ‘fish’.


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. Adjectives: ‘old’, ‘young’, ‘small’, ‘big’, ‘bright’, ‘dark’, ‘brown’,

‘orange’, ‘black’, ‘green’, ‘striped’, ‘slippery’, ‘shiny’.

I had the students repeat the words after me, in English. I used pictures

and gestures to make sure they understood.

As the students worked on their masks and costumes, I encouraged

them to use the English words as much as possible with me and with

each other. As they worked, I also used English sentence structures for

making suggestions, agreement or disagreement, and descriptions. For

instance:

. Let’s try this …

. That’s a good idea!

. What is it like?

. Is it hard or soft?

. What colour is this?

. Please give him/her the paint.

. It’s very beautiful!

. I like it very much!

. Do you like it?

. Show me

. Show [other student’s name].…

If my students didn’t understand a word or sentence in English, I would

repeat what I said in Hindi. I encouraged the students to practise the

English sentences with me and with each other as they made masks

and costumes. I made sure to use variations of English so that students

would know that one thought can be expressed in different ways – for

example:

. Cut it this way.

. Cut it like this.

. Try to cut and fold it.

. Try cutting and folding.

. Now cut it here.

At the end of the art lesson I asked students to write words and

sentences in their notebooks, in English, to describe their masks and

costumes. For example:

. My mask is red and orange. It is a lion.

. My costume is shiny and green. I am a crocodile.

Later that week, the class practised speaking and writing the English

words and sentences in the language lesson. I saw that my students

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1 Art, craft and language learning

learned this English quickly and remembered it well, because they had

used the words and phrases in the art lesson.

The lesson was so successful that I decided to extend the activity. I had

my students create a play in English using their masks and costumes.

The students performed the story of ‘Little Tiger, Big Tiger’ at a

community festival and were very proud of their performance.

See Resource 1 for another lesson that combines craft and English language.


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2 Using art and craft in class

Activity 1: Your textbook, art and craft

Choose a lesson from your English textbook – this might be a story, a

poem or a description. With colleagues, brainstorm art or craft activities

that could be included in this lesson. You can ask the art, craft or drama

teacher for advice. Some ideas might include:

. making masks or costumes for characters

. drawing or painting scenes or characters

. creating clay models or constructions of buildings or environments

. making props by using origami or some other art form to act out the

story

. painting a large picture for scenery or a mural

. creating a collage

. weaving.

Now choose one of these art or craft forms to use in the English lesson.

Then think of English words and phrases you could use with students

before and during this activity. These might include the following:

. Art and task specific language: for example, ‘cut’,’ ‘paste’, ‘paint’,

‘draw’, ‘clay’ …

. Adjectives and descriptive language: for example, ‘bright’, ‘dark’,

‘colourful’, ‘red’, ‘blue’, ‘beautiful’ …

. Adverbs: for example, ‘slowly’, ‘carefully’ …

. Instructional language and directions: for example, ‘watch’, ‘look’,

‘first’, ‘next’, ‘now you need to’ …

. Evaluative comments: for example, ‘Do you like it?’, ‘What do you

think?’, ‘I think your Mummy will like it’ …

However, this list is not exhaustive and will depend on the nature of the

lesson (see TDU 7, Using activities alongside teaching an English text:

the importance of planning and preparation).

Discuss your plan with fellow teachers or your head teacher. Try to

incorporate one of your ideas into your next English lesson.

Activity 2: Art, talk and writing

Look at these two paintings that were made by students for an art

competition. The teacher asked the students to work in pairs, and asked

each child to describe the other’s painting. The teacher transcribed

these descriptions in Hindi and in English, and created bilingual reading

passages to go with the pictures. Students later practised reading the

passages in the language lesson.

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The teacher created the following activity for the language lesson. Try it

out yourself:

Look at Painting 1.

Painting 1

Fill in the blanks in the passage given below, with the words in the box.

On the right side __________ a man is standing near a big bin. On

the _______________ there is a woman. She ___________ doing

some work. There are children playing _____ their parents. The

house _____________ it belongs to this family. By the river

_____________ many trees. The sky __________and the trees

_____________.

seems to be left side looks like there is there are

is blue are green two near

Discussion

When you fill in the blanks you are focusing on grammar and

vocabulary:

. Plural and singular forms: for example, ‘there is’, ‘there are’.

. Positional language: for example, ‘left side’, ‘right side’, ‘near’.

. Phrases with similar meanings: for example, ‘looks like’ and ‘seems

to be’.

. Colours and numbers: ‘for example’, ‘blue’, ‘green’, ‘two’.

Now look at Painting 2. Write a short passage about it in English.


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Painting 2

Now choose some words and phrases in the passage to leave out.

Identify the types of words and phrases you left out. What did you

select? Are they nouns, verbs, prepositions or longer phrases?

How could you adapt this art activity to a language lesson for your

class? List the steps you would need to take.

Try this in the classroom

Choose two paintings that have been done by your students. Using the

activity above as a guide, develop an exercise for each painting that

would help with students’ language skills.

Continuous and comprehensive evaluation (CCE)

All the English vocabulary and phrases that you taught students while

doing an art and craft activity must be written on the board for their

ready reference. After students complete a piece of artwork, put them in

pairs and ask them to describe their work and the materials they used to

their partner. Go around the class and listen to them. Make notes of

your observations in your diary. This will help your future planning for

the English language class.

You should expect to see a range of skill levels, and accordingly you

can set instructional targets such as: ‘Students will speak five words/two

simple sentences spontaneously in English’. But of course you would

not stop students who can do more than this, and for students who can

do less than the target, you would of course allow them to use

vocabulary from their local language – this will keep them motivated to

keep learning.

Besides language learning, art and craft activities can help students to:

. be more aware of the five senses and develop skills in using them

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. develop skills in comparing, contrasting, classifying, sequencing and

organising materials

. acquire awareness of artistic forms and materials (shape colour, line,

texture, length, weight, movement, etc.) and skills in handling them

. develop skills in problem solving

. develop the ability to work with others, such as cooperation, sharing

and taking turns.

For continuous and holistic assessment, you can keep notes on any of

the above aspects of student progress. Observe and note the skills and

vocabulary that students use while describing their pictures or writing

the steps of a craft item made by them. Make opportunities for students

to write stories and poems about their art and craft.

Let them choose, with your guidance, the creations they want to keep in

their portfolios.


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3 Using dramaYou have seen how students can learn the English language verycomfortably through art and craft activities. Drama is also an activity thatcan promote English language learning. When we say ‘drama’, we do notmean a perfect theatrical performance; drama in the language classroomenables students and teachers to develop conversations, make dialogues andpractise them by getting into the specific roles and using the vocabulary thatis appropriate to the roles. In drama, language is brought to life. The benefitsof drama for language learning include:

. improved communication, because students use language to express theideas of the play or the dialogue

. improved speaking skills, because students practise pronunciation andusing their voices well in order to be understood

. improved team work and cooperation, because students interact in pairsand groups

. improved confidence to speak English, through interaction andparticipation

. improved motivation to participate in English lessons, because drama canbe active and enjoyable.

Case Study 2: Ms Shalini’s drama from thetextbook

Ms Shalini is a Class IV primary school teacher who teaches all the

subjects. She loves trying new methods of teaching, to make learning

an enjoyable experience for her students. She gets ideas from her

colleagues, books and from the internet. Read her account of how she

used a lesson from the textbook to develop dialogues between students.

An experienced colleague told me that dramatisation of the language

book lesson is a very good method for teaching English. Initially I was

hesitant, because I did not have any training in drama or theatre. But

the colleague reassured me that one does not need to be an expert in

order to use drama in the classroom. I felt that there would be no harm

in trying it with her students – I thought that even if it does not work, the

students will have some fun in the language class.

I chose a short and simple lesson: ‘Nasruddin’s Aim’ from the Marigold

Class IV textbook. I chose it because it had characters and ready-made

dialogue, and the student knew it well.

First I told the story in English, focusing on words the students already

knew such as ‘friend’, ‘laughing’, ‘mine’, ‘lucky’ and ‘quietly’. I

encouraged students to join in with me as I told the story.

Then I told the students that they would do a play based on the story of

‘Narruddin’s Aim’. The students were very excited about this because

they had not done a play before.

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3 Using drama

I explained that there would be a part for each student. I had already

created some new characters: more friends for Nasruddin, and a king. I

asked students for their ideas, and they suggested new characters such

as a doctor, a teacher, a princess, a movie star and a monster.

I invited pairs of students to improvise dialogues for their parts, using as

much English as they could. The students tried out different words and

phrases – I was surprised to hear them using English that had not been

taught to them in the classroom! For instance, one pair of students

developed this dialogue from the characters in the story:

. That is very bad – so small, such a small way!

. No! Look! Watch me do better!

Some students were less confident to develop dialogues in English. I

discussed with them, in Hindi and in English, different ways to express

their ideas in English.

When the students had practised their dialogues and were happy with

them, I asked them to write down their lines in English. I had the whole

class practise their lines, speaking them to each other with expression,

gestures and meaning. I did not insist on perfect pronunciation. I

coached them gently to speak the words correctly but allowed them to

deliver their lines as naturally as possible, to help build their confidence.

As the students practised, I was able to observe their English usage

and confidence. I had time to make notes on their progress.

Some students who did not want to act were helpful as prompters.

Because the class was large, I decided to have two students do each

part and gave them the choice of performing twice or of performing

together. I made sure every student had something to do. In the

beginning I was worried about discipline, but it soon became apparent

that students managed the activity very well because they were really

interested in what they were doing.

The students enjoyed practising the English dialogues from the story of

‘Nasruddin’s Aim’ so much that I eventually had the class perform the

play to a whole school assembly, and parents were also invited. The

headmistress and the parents were impressed by how the students

spoke the English dialogues with such confidence and enthusiasm.

Activity 3: Convert a chapter to dialogue

After you read the case study about Ms Shalini, think about how you

could apply this method in your own classroom.

Go to your textbook and select a chapter that lends itself to dialogue.

Maybe you can find a chapter that already contains dialogue and

characters.

. How many characters are there in the chapter?

. Do you need to create more characters so that all students can have

a part?


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. How could you involve students in creating more characters?

. Do you need to rewrite any of the chapter to change it into a

dialogue form?

. How could you involve students in writing the dialogues?

. What words or phrases do you think are difficult to comprehend and

pronounce? How will you and your students practise these?

See Resource 2 for another idea about how to use the textbook for

drama and language learning. Try it out with your students.

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3 Using drama

4 SummaryWe hope you have enjoyed this unit, and that it has given you confidence tointegrate art, craft and drama into English lessons and the language textbook.Why not plan some imaginative and interesting activities where you canpractise English together with your students?

Now reflect and make some notes on the following:

. Identify three key ideas or skills you have learned in this unit.

. Identify your strengths in using English for art, craft or drama.

. What skills for using English in art, craft or drama would you like todevelop further?


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5 ResourcesResource 1: A language and craft activitywith binoculars and telescopes

Looking through binoculars or a telescope and reporting what you see is aperfect way to practise the present continuous tense and describe actionstaking place at that moment.

You will need:

. recycled cardboard tubes

. coloured paper

. glue or sticking tape

. scissors

. cling film or transparent polythene.

Make a model pair of binoculars or a telescope and show this to thestudents. Look through the binoculars and identify who you can see andwhat they are doing.

Teacher: I can see Rajat. He is laughing and waving.

Let one of the students look through the binoculars.

Teacher: Who can you see?

Student: Anju.

Teacher: What is she doing?

Student: She is smiling.

The student might just say ‘smiling’ or may speak in Hindi. You can thengive the sentence in English.

Write some sample sentences on the board, for example:

. She is laughing.

. He is waving.

. He is smiling.

. She is writing.

. She is sitting.

. She is reading.

. He is eating.

Brainstorm other actions that the students can do, and the English words forthe actions. Students can mime actions such as sleeping, eating or walking.

Continue to let more students look through the binoculars and report, usingthe sentences written on the board as necessary.

Some students can take your role of asking the questions.

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5 Resources

Help the students to make binoculars for themselves.

Have the students work in pairs with their binoculars, asking questions andgiving answers.

Classroom language

. Watch how I do it.

. Take the coloured paper.

. Put the tube on the paper.

. Cut the paper.

. Stick the paper on the tube.

. Stick the cling film on the ends of each tube.

. Stick the two tubes together with sticking tape.

. Now you try it.

. Well done!

(Adapted from Wright, 2001.)

Resource 2: Developing a drama activityfrom the textbook

In this example, we use ‘The Scholar’s Mother Tongue’ (Unit 7, Class IV inthe Marigold series).However, you can adapt the ideas and methods to anyappropriate story from your language textbook or any other book. You canof course also tell a story aloud without a text.

Drama involves movements, gestures and expressions as well as words. Inthis activity, students learn to link words in English with appropriate actions,gestures or expressions.

Remember to practise telling or reading the story aloud before you teach thelesson.

Select key vocabulary from the story ‘The Scholar’s Mother Tongue’ andthink of the actions or expressions you can do to show those words, forexample: ‘tickled’, ‘irritated’, ‘whispered’, ‘shouted’, ‘asleep’, ‘quietly’,‘surprised’.

Tell the students that you are going to tell them a story but that they need tolearn some actions first. Let them stand or sit in a circle, if possible.

Start by teaching them two or three words and related actions in EnglishAdd more English and actions as the students become familiar with the firstwords. Repeat the words in a different order. Ask students to do the actions.

Teach few more words and actions. Ask the students to do the actions forthe new words and old words mixed together. Continue adding a few morewords and actions until you have finished all the words.

Now ask the students to listen to the story and do the appropriate action orexpression each time they hear the words you have been practising with


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them. Initially you can do the actions along with them. When you repeat thestory, let the students do the actions on their own.

For a writing exercise, give students the story with gaps for the action wordsfor them to fill in.

(Adapted from Philip, 1999.)

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5 Resources

6 Related units. TDU 7, Using activities alongside teaching an English text: the

importance of planning and preparation.

. TDU 10, Creating opportunities to practise: listening and talking inEnglish.


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ReferencesPhilip, S. (1999) Drama with Children. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Wright, A. (2001) Art and Crafts with Children. Oxford: Oxford UniversityPress.

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References

AcknowledgementsThe content of this teacher development unit was developed collaborativelyand incrementally by the following educators and academics from India andThe Open University (UK) who discussed various drafts, including thefeedback from Indian and UK critical readers: Suman Batia and KimberlySafford.

Except for third party materials and otherwise stated, this content is madeavailable under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike licence:http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/.

The material acknowledged below is Proprietary and used under licence (notsubject to Creative Commons Licence). Grateful acknowledgement is madeto the following sources for permission to reproduce material in this unit:

Introduction: three images from http://blog.usaid.gov/.

CCE logo: http://www.cbse.nic.in/.

Painting 1: http://www.childrensbooktrust.com/sicc.

Painting 2: http://www.childrensbooktrust.com/sicc.

Every effort has been made to contact copyright owners. If any have beeninadvertently overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to make thenecessary arrangements at the first opportunity.


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http://blog.usaid.gov/

http://www.cbse.nic.in/

http://www.childrensbooktrust.com/sicc

http://www.childrensbooktrust.com/sicc

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