ESL Learning Can Be Fun!

By Maryanne Grasso

Who says you can’t have fun while learning? Most of us can recall special school projects and events that were enjoyable when we were growing up. They seem to stand out in our memories more than some of the academics. Why is that? A teacher made it fun or interesting—no doubt.

My sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Lucy Rush, made such a positive impression on my life. One of the gifts she shared was her joy of learning. Every Friday afternoon we learned parliamentary procedure with our elected officers in our club. Every meeting closed with a program. We could do skits, sing songs, tell appropriate jokes—whatever—to the delight of our class.

I emerged from being a shy, awkward introvert to a “star” performer. I was hooked! My best friend and I would practice our songs or skits each week for our chance to shine. What joy! Thanks, Mrs. Rush.

Now, I’m the teacher of Level II ESL adults. Now, it’s my turn to make a positive difference in others’ lives. I want my students to want to be in my class. And, I want them to keep coming back for more. So my job is to make learning enjoyable.

Recently, I had my class form groups for Readers Theater. I revised favorite children’s stories: Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and The Little Red Hen. I wrote these stories as scripts with a part for a narrator and each character.

We were fortunate to be on the North Harris College campus. This enabled us to borrow music stands from the Fine Arts Department, and to borrow five, black graduation gowns for the readers. The students beamed with pride wearing them as they stood solemnly in front of the music stands reading their parts from black notebooks.

In addition, I incorporated a sack puppet show with the Readers Theater. First, I purchased children’s books from the clearance shelf at a Half-Price Bookstore for models. Then, I acquainted my class with these stories that most of us might assume that everyone knows. Each of my students constructed a character for his/her story. They used brown paper lunch bags, construction paper, glue and scissors to create fantastic sack puppets. Big, bad wolves had protruding muzzles with razor-sharp, scary teeth. One wolf was a quick–change artist complete with grandmother’s nightgown and nightcap trimmed with lace and bits of velcro. Easy on—easy off . Pink pigs had three-dimensional snouts while sporting snazzy vests with their colorful attire. Mama Bear wore a bow in her hair to match her designer necklace. Each puppet was an original masterpiece. Camaraderie, creativity, comprehension abounded during these activities.

We also borrowed a portable puppet stage from the Child Development Center on campus for our performance. We invited all the classes of 3 and 4-year-olds from theCDCto attend our show. Between sixty and seventy excited youngsters sat on the floor facing the puppet stage and readers while eagerly awaiting each presentation.

The puppets did not speak. They only moved their mouths while the readers read their lines. It worked very well. The children and adults were delighted with the presentation.

Nothing is perfect. I explained to my students that no matter what happened the day of the performance, the “Show Must Go On”. No one was to stop. No one was to correct anyone else. Everyone was to relax and have fun with it. When a student was absent, someone else filled in. So what if the wolf “hoofed and poofed”? IT WAS OKAY!

My students rightfully took great pride in their puppets and in their performances. I, too, am so proud of what they were able to accomplish. Who says you can’t have fun while learning? “Not I,” said the cat.