| Background In this school, students are weak in writing and they cannot write well. But they are better with speaking skills. Boys prefer quick completion of tasks, and girls love drawing. Some students like to offer to help each other. So collaborative learning may facilitate efficacy of learning. A unit plan should be drafted as to cater for the diverse interest and abilities of the students. Drama offers a good learning opportunity to realize the potentials of these students. To make it more interactive, a drama play is suitable, but drama is not suitable for students who are not confident before camera and an audience. Teachers may have to spend much time on rehearsal and training. A solution is to do radio drama. Finally, a radio phone-in programme was planned and implemented. |
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Objectives
Overall design
Title: a radio drama project on teen problems
The product: some audio taped scenarios to be produced by students and played in different classes. The students will then respond to the problems and give advice.
- Students will be able to explore teen problems and give advice to one another (interpersonal dimension/ values and attitudes)
- Students will be able to integrate the use of language skills in a task-based learning unit with radio drama as the main task. (knowledge dimension)
- Students will be able to derive fun and acquire generic skills from cooperative work in language arts activities (experience dimension/ interpersonal dimension)
- Students will be able to realize their potentials through playing different parts of completing the production of a radio drama.
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Implementation
Lesson 1
- Teacher introduces the topic of 'teenagers and their problems'.
- Teacher then gives a grammar ex. cum content awareness on teen problems (PPt)
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- Students work on an interview activity
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- In a group, students set some questions to ask more about the problems their friends may have.
- Teacher gives debriefing.
- Teacher sums up the results and focuses on 'friendship, study and family relationship' and then brief the class on the radio drama project.
Lesson 2
- Teacher helps students identify the form of present perfect verbs.
- Teacher shows how to use the verb forms.
- Students practise the language form and function with card games and online exercises.
Lessons 3 - 4
- Students read a letter and answer questions.
- Then students do a matching exercise after teacher presents the grammar rules.
- Teacher discusses the situations in the matching ex sheet with the class and prepares them for the radio project (brainstorming task). A simple version is suggested for the less able students.
Lesson 5
- Students do an exercise in the textbook.
- Teacher plays a tape in the textbook chapter to introduce the role of counselors.
- The class talk about some radio programs on advice and counseling.
- The class listen to such kind of radio programs in the class.
- Teacher tells the class they will have to give advice to others in a radio project.
Lesson 6
- Students play a game and teacher demonstrates the use of sound effect in radio programs.
- Students practise the use of voice for different roles.
- Teacher discusses with the class the technical needs for program to make the show sound authentic.
Lesson 7
- Students get in groups / pairs and choose a case for the show.
- They conceive the scenarios and the roles.
- They then develop a conversation for the script.
- A sample script is provided for reference.
- Finally students integrate sound effect in their production.
- The preparation will continue after class.
Lesson 8
- Students show the teacher their plan and script.
- Students tidy up and practise dialogues in class.
- Students record the programme after class and hand in the tape to the teacher.
Lesson 9
- Teacher plays the radio drama tapes prepared by the groups to the class.
- Students suggest advice to give to the callers in the programme.
- Students give their vote to the best production.
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Acknowledgements
HKWMA Chu Shek Lun Secondary School
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