At 10:30
in the morning, Mrs. Zarro’s 12th grade French students pile into the classroom. They are chatty and it is
apparent that they are excited about something. The twelve students waste no time breaking into four groups of three students
each. One group of students goes over to Mrs. Zarro, who is sitting at her desk in the back corner, and presents her their
work. Mrs. Zarro reads over several sheets of paper and smiles. She is pleased. “Excellent. C’est très bien. Bon travaille!”
Mrs. Zarro’s students are working on a skit that they will perform at Unatego
High School titled “Blanche Neige,” or “Snow White.”
The students themselves are in charge of writing the script, casting the actors, creating the set, creating costumes, and
lighting and direction. Each of the four groups is assigned to a specific task, although the class as a whole collaborated
on the script. Mrs. Zarro’s class is also working in partnership with a third grade class at Otego Elementary School. The children will
participate in the performance by acting as animals and plants in the forest. The seniors have met with the third graders
and have read to them their script for the play in French. Already, the third graders have picked up on several French vocabulary
words and are eager to learn more. Together the classes have united to help each other further enhance their literacy development.
By 10:40,
every student is heavily engaged in his or her task. Each group works together closely. The use of ideas is encouraged among
everyone. The students are constantly brainstorming and developing their thoughts. Mrs. Zarro informs me that the theme for
the year is Imagination. The purpose of her class is to use imagination to produce work using thinking skills. In fact, there
is very little teacher instruction in her classroom. Mrs. Zarro encourages her students to do more investigation on their
own. She promotes active learning by making connections between the theme and the lesson, whether it is grammar or vocabulary.
The production of “Blanche Neige” is the outcome. This concept works
very well in Mrs. Zarro’s classroom. The students collaborate well with each other and support one another to do their
best and succeed at the task at hand. From time to time Mrs. Zarro will ask, “Ça va?” or “Tout va bien?”
Her students know they can go to her for assistance, but ultimately they feel good about the fact that it is their project and they have created it on their own.
Halfway through the period,
the students are eager to do a quick run-through of their skit. With Mrs. Zarro’s approval, the class heads down toward
the auditorium. The actors get on stage and into their positions, scripts in hand. “Is everyone ready?” the director
asks. “Action!” The seven dwarfs begin to sing in French, “Allons, allons, c’est de boulot nous venons!”
The students pause several times throughout the first scene to make changes in the positions of characters and props. Everything
must be perfect for the big performance. “What if we moved up some more?” asks one student. “Is there enough
lighting? Can you see the tree in the background?” Although the students
weren’t able to do a complete run-through, they were happy with the amount of work they accomplished. Almost all of
them agreed to continue working on their tasks during their lunch period. A few even volunteered to go with Mrs. Zarro to
the box factory after school to pick up more cardboard for their set construction. They still have plenty of time to rehearse
and prepare props and costumes, but they are extremely anxious to get arrangements underway.
Mrs. Zarro’s 12th
grade French students are stimulated and inspired to work on their skit. Even though they may not see their project as being
real “work” or “learning,” they are using their imagination and creativity and developing their literacy
skills in a way that is stimulating and exciting.
