Teacher Lesson Page, Activity Three


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G. Activity Three -- Folk Tale Based Plays When the presentations are finished, divide the students into groups. It works really well if they are divided into specific regions of Africa.x Then, have the students in each group find a folk tale from that region that they develop as a play. This activity can be done on a small scale in about a week or on a larger scale that would require much more time.

Small Scale Production For a small play production, students can assign parts and practice without a formally written script. After a few practice sessions, they can bring props in from home and perform for the class and then possibly take it "on the road" to other classes.

A Large Scale Production If interested in a large production, have the students turn their selected stories into a written script. See the P.O.W.E.R. Plays section of my web site for some detailed hints. Included is a copy of the play, "Deep in the Bush, Where People Rarely Ever Go", which my students wrote using the three Liberian Folk Tales I provided.

For the performance, I would suggest a few daytime productions in front of various classes and then one evening performance for the parents. And, if you really want something special, have the parents bring in African dishes (a few Liberian recipes are suggested on my web site) for a celebration dinner after the performance.

Evaluation Listen to the applause from the delighted audiences.

Student Reflectionxx To bring a final closure to the activity, students need a time of reflection to write a journal entry about their experience in the play. What did they learn? What did they like best? least? What was the most frustrating? rewarding? What would they do differently next time? What gave them the biggest sense of pride?

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