2.3.4 The application of free role-plays in English classes by CLT.
Ss can choose some familiar topics to do this free role-plays like we have talked. Here is a typical lesson: Unit 8 from Go for It in Grade 7, students will learn to ask others’ birthday date. We did this activity in Tang Hu Middle School in Class 14 Grade 1 on November 11th, 2009.
Under this situation, students act as researchers and then investigate each other’s information
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to get others’ birthday date. It looked like a simple role-play for students, but it demands students make sentences without samples. On the other hand, it also demands students to make communication with others to get useful information.
The role-play makes strong influence on English Teaching: It can guide students to widen considerations of what are accurate; widen the range of language; improve learners’ knowledge and experience. At the same time, under the leading of communicative approach, the students can get many advantages from the free role-play, such as acquire knowledge of rules of speaking in the target language. In a word, free role-play is one of the best ways to reach the goal of teaching.
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3. The important points of role-play in junior English classes
From the last contents, we can find that the role-play gives us many unexpected effects. However, what should we care can let us get these effects completely. Let’s make some summary about the important points of role-play in English teaching from the last description.
3.1 The activities of participators are for all students
The role-play is an activity for all students. Role-play activities are not only for the excellent students, but also to others. Especially at the beginning to learn English, teachers must pay more attention to train everyone’ interests about English. In the role-play activities, teachers should ensure that been a different increase in each role-playing activities. Everyone’s ability is different, so when the teacher gives the task of the role-play, he/she should choose suitable roles to match the most suitable students.
3.2 The attitude of teachers for every student
Another point is the attitude of the teacher for every student. During the role-play activities, the teacher should promise every students have chance to do. For those disappointing students, the teacher should prepare some simple roles for them not ignore them or just let them act as audiences. For those excellent students, teacher can choose to let them do some challenges. At the same time, the teacher should expect every student’s performance. Sometimes some students will come up with novel and weird idea. Maybe it is not up to normal, but the teacher shouldn’t give criticism and blame. Only it is a harmonious and relaxed atmosphere between teachers and students, activities can arouse the enthusiasm of the students, so that achieve a successful teaching.
3.3 The reflection and conclusion of teachers in time
The last point is that teacher should give reflection and conclusion in time. After show time, the teacher should give some evaluation and point out “good” and “unperfected”. And encourage students to get better achievements. The teacher can set some prizes to evaluate students, such as “Best Performance Award”, “Good Progress Award” and so on. After the role-play, the teacher also can allow students to order in writing the script according to the teacher’s instructions. The teacher
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