English Language Learners

Overcoming Fear and Anxiety When Speaking English As A Second Language

One of the most valuable aspects of theater class is how it can be integrated into core subjects.  Today, I want to speak about overcoming fear and anxiety when speaking English as a second language. Personally, I think the best way is by taking a theater class. Let me explain.

If you are unfamiliar with the term, “ESL”, simply put it means English as a second language learner.  “ELL’ means the same thing, but we also have World language learner. 

Since I taught theater classes for over thirty-eight years, my teaching experience is vast.  Not only have I taught middle school students for a large portion of my career, but I worked with elementary and high school as well.

However, my favorite grade level is middle school.  If you’d like more information about my reasons, go to: Striking a Balance with Students in Their Middle School Years. 

When I taught a pre-elective drama class in Missouri, the ELL students were integrated into my class. There are many funny experiences of these sweet students trying valiantly to learn English and still be a child.  (Sometime ask me about the time I sat two girls together from warring tribes, the Tsuti and Hutus, without understanding their tribes were mortal enemies. Yikes!)

Did you know I have a new book, We’re Live! Radio Theater #101 which teaches you how to engage students with a unique tool?  Check it out here.

Overcoming Fear and Anxiety When Speaking English As A Second Language

A sidenote:  My grandparents were missionaries in Japan where my mother was raised until she was eighteen years old.  When I was a child, my mother gave free boarding to international college students because she said, “They make me feel like I’m home in Japan.” Because I was raised around these people, I am very comfortable with people of all different nationalities and find them extremely interesting and generally quite friendly.

Being the observant person that I am, I noticed the ELL students were petrified to speak in front of their peers and did not fraternize with the native speakers.  I thought this was sad, but understandable.  Neither knew each other and neither was willing to be the first to extend a friendly hand. (Truly, it should be the native speaker.)

One year, I was looking for something different to offer after school as part of my career ladder responsibilities.  Remembering the native speakers and the ELL students sitting apart in the cafeteria not speaking to one another, I approached the ELL teacher about me sponsoring an after-school drama club specifically for them.  She jumped at the idea!

It seemed simple enough, right?

Three ELL Drama Club Problems to Overcome

I planned to have six weeks of drama club and then a performance at the end.

The first problem:  The students would need transportation to take them home from school since they had no other means of travel.  We applied for money from the state for this and they came through handsomely.

The second problem:  How do inform the students and their parents about the club?  Easy.  Mrs. Zumwalt would take care of that for me.  (I must say, co-teaching with another teacher from my school was fabulous.) She took care of communication with parents and the students, while I planned the weekly activities.

The third problem:  What were my goals for the club? I knew that ELL students needed to overcome their fear and anxiety about speaking aloud.  The best way I knew to do this was by integrating drama.  Obviously, I wanted to strengthen their speaking of English.  But what else?  Drama games are always a hit with all of my students and I noticed the ELL students enjoyed them when we played them in class.  For particular games I used, see: Drama Games for the Introvertive Student, but I needed many more.

Readers Theater Resources on the Internet

I took to the internet and looked for websites that shared particular games that ELL teachers used in their classroom, hoping to find some which integrated drama. Although this was many years ago, I looked at sites such as Fluentu.com.  I ran on to several books which were helpful, too–Enlivening Instruction with Drama and Improv: A Guide for Second Language and World Language Teachers . The ESL / ELL Teacher’s Survival Guide: Ready-to-Use Strategies, Tools, and Activities for Teaching English Language Learners of All Levels.

Generally, I relied on my go-to drama games and exercises that are successful with all students.  I always suggest to new teachers that they purchase a copy of Viola Spolin‘s book, Theatre Games for the Classroom.  IIt is an excellent source for creative dramatics exercises to use in any elementary and middle school classroom.

My plan included ending the club with a production of some sort.  I turned to Aaron Shepherd’s readers theater website, Aaron Shepard’s RT page as I was familiar with his work. His script, The Legend of Lightning Larry which is still one of my favorites.

I selected readers theater because students read from a script rather than memorize lines and sit together when they perform (safety in numbers, you know). Both attributes would help the students as they slowly overcame their fear and anxiety when speaking English.

If you are unfamiliar with the strengths of using readers theater in your classroom, check out: The Reasons Reader’s Theater is Successful with Our Students.

Overcoming Fear and Anxiety When Speaking English As A Second Language

The day arrived to perform the play.  I was very excited, but very naïve.  I thought the students’ parents and siblings would attend.  Parents attended every other time my students performed in my class.  We sent out invitations both through email and hard copies. We baked cookies, had punch ready and decorated.

No one attended.

Why?  Transportation issues.  I never occurred to me that transportation could be an issue, but of course it could be!

The important thing, however, is that the students had a blast doing the play.  The local newspaper came out and photographed the students performing.  Just think of how wonderful that would be for an immigrant to be acknowledged in their community’s newspaper!

The next year, we participated in the school’s diversity celebration. Using a book titled All the Colors of the Earth  and a song from the movie, Making an American quilt,  the students performed a movement piece to it using multi-color flags.  I narrated most of the poem and one student echoed me in several places in the poem.  It was a tremendous success! The student body and teachers applauded for them.  It makes me cry just to think about it now.

ESL Drama Club of Smithton Middle School

My Advice

If you are on the hunt for drama activities for ELL, ENL or World Languages students, I hope you’ll check out the materials I’ve mentioned above.  However, if you want to purchase from someone who is a veteran teacher and has first hand experience teaching creative dramatics to students, I’m your gal.

Earlier I mentioned readers theater scripts.  I have adapted several multicultural folk tales into readers theater scripts. Here are a few.  You can check them all out at: Dramamommaspeaks Readers Theater Units

I hope my experiences are helpful to you. If you have any questions or need advice, please don’t hesitate to email me. You can find me at DhcBaldwin.net or DhcBaldwin@gmail.com