Colleagues who know me well often tease me that I am a "professional in fairy tales". I like this title very much and am happy to accept it. Yes, I love fairy tales. I enjoy playing different roles with children and enjoy the rehearsal and performance process. Maybe, you will ask: "Is it difficult to rehearse fairy tale drama?" I can honestly say: "Since I love it from the heart, all difficulties are not a problem!" And through the attempt in the 2011 school year, I feel that if we can combine it with the usual activities A performance area is set up for learning area activities to guide children to rehearse relevant fairy tales, which can also achieve twice the result with half the effort.
In the following, I will talk about how to rehearse fairy tales in the learning area through the three "hows" that everyone is most concerned about (how to select materials? How to rehearse? How to improve?).
Q: How to choose the material for a fairy tale drama?
——The selection of fairy tale dramas is actually very wide. Stories, fairy tales, picture books that are familiar to children, as well as interesting and meaningful people and things in the lives around children are the basic materials for children's performances. . But how to cater to the age and psychological characteristics of children in the upper class and make them take the initiative to perform this story, we must also pay attention to the following aspects: The story should have rich content and plot, many characters, and obvious characters. The story must first be converted into a script, and the language must be catchy and easy for young children to grasp and perform. The script is not static and can be adjusted in time according to the needs of young children.
Example: Everyone has heard of the idiom story "Ye Gong Loves Dragons". If you were asked to arrange the characters, how many would you choose? (2--Ye Gong, Dragon King; 3--Ye Gong, Dragon King, Shutong...) In fact, the children's desire for role-playing far exceeds everyone's imagination-9 (Ye Gong, Madam, 2 maids, 4 sea dragon kings, southeast, northwest, narration), so how did this huge reversal in numbers happen? Let me give you a brief introduction.
During the Year of the Dragon event, at the request of the children, one of our regional activities, the drama corner, posted a promotional poster for "Ye Gong Loves Dragons". The initial role allocation was as everyone had just guessed. There were only two male characters, Ye Gong and Dragon King. However, there were more than ten onlookers every day. However, this situation only lasted for 3 days. The girls in the class were "leaders". "The character Tangtang couldn't sit still. In fact, her targeted comments in the past two days have already shown her desire to participate. During the review session of regional activities, she said: "...the acting is not like it. If I were to play the role of Ye Gong, it would definitely be better." However, some children voted against it at that time: "Ye Gong is a boy and you are a girl. Yes, how to act?" Tangtang was frustrated at that time. She also asked for my help, but I didn't get directly involved. However, driven by her strong will, she did not give up. After constant negotiations, she obtained the approval of the two leading actors and added a role - playing the role of Ye Gong's wife. However, during the rehearsal process, she later found that she could only be a vase. There were no lines, so I came up with a new storyline of pretending to be a pregnant woman and chatting with a maid. Many children in the class saw that Tang Tang successfully joined the cast of "Ye Gong Hao Long" and asked to join. After that, two maids serving the lady and Mr. Ye, four dragon kings and a narrator appeared. The original simple script became more childlike after their adaptation.
Analysis: From this example, it can be seen that children in the upper class are willing to participate in drama performances and have a strong desire to express themselves. However, when there are too few roles, it may inhibit the children's interest in participating to a certain extent. If Tangtang hadn't come forward that day, the play might not have had so many characters, it wouldn't have inspired so many children to actively participate, and it wouldn't have been possible to create so many new plots in the future. Therefore, I suggest that when selecting materials, try to consider stories with more characters to meet the needs of every child. You can also ask children to participate in the performance in batches. After all, the number of performing roles is always less than the number of the whole class. For example, one group for one week can not only allow the children in the same group to get familiar with each other and have a tacit understanding of the performance, but also allow the children to observe each other and learn from each other's strengths. Moreover, during this process, children's good ideas will appear from time to time, and the teacher must delete and adjust the script in time, so that the script can truly become a true record of the children's novel creativity, accumulation of experience, and enthusiastic expression.
Q: How to rehearse a fairy tale play?
——To make the script come alive, it must be inseparable from early rehearsals. This process is what everyone, including me before, finds most difficult. Not only because the children are young and have little life experience, their ability to comprehend the content of the works is not as good as that of adults, but also when they first took over, the children in the class had never been exposed to drama performances, and most of the children had not watched live-action fairy tales, so they had little performance experience. Lack often leaves children at a loss. As teachers with inexperienced guidance, they often fall into the situation of eager for quick success and pursuing performance results. In this way, the children are tired and the teachers are tired too.
How to overcome difficulties? Through the practice of several plays and constant reflection, I have summarized the following experience: Correct your mentality and take your time
Example: I still remember the first fairy tale play "The Rabbit and the Wolf" rehearsed for the graduation ceremony of the first class. ”, I lacked experience
at the time and was short on time, so I hastily explained the script to the children and asked them to take the materials home to practice. But during the rehearsal the next day, the children knew not only what role they were playing, but they also couldn't get their lines right and couldn't figure out where to stand, let alone perform vividly.
I just remember that in order to arrange the show as quickly as possible, I was anxious and could only let the children practice it over and over again, but they still didn't get into the state. After a few days, the situation did not improve at all. So, I thought they might not know how to act, so I played this one for a while, and that one for a while. The children watched with gusto, but when it was their turn to act, they were the same as before. I was sweating again, and my throat was sore and hoarse. The saddest thing was that when I said to the children again: "No, let's do it again!", one child complained in a low voice: "It's so annoying! Again!" I need to practice! It’s so boring!” I suddenly didn’t know what to do.
In the following days, I kept complaining about the thankless situation and thinking about how to turn the situation around, so the number and time of rehearsals were reduced accordingly, but an accident occurred at this time. I suddenly discovered that the children no longer need to be instructed one by one on their performance positions and order of appearance. Although the performance is not lively and smooth, they can still finish what the characters should say and complete the actions that should be completed.
Analysis: As the saying goes: "Haste makes waste." The same is true in the rehearsal process of fairy tale plays. The more you think about it, the more you think about it.
You must follow the rehearsal you set. When the timetable is implemented, the results are mostly unsatisfactory, and the worst part is that the children will hate the rehearsal. After completing the first act of the fairy tale play, I deeply realized that I was facing a group of preschool children. They are like jointing seedlings, with their own growth rhythm and their own epiphany process. Teachers should learn from farmers and work hard. Also be patient and wait.
Especially since the 2011 school year, I have tried to combine fairy tale rehearsals with daily learning area activities. During a period of observation, we found that although the daily regional activities are not long, after a few minutes add up, the children will have more time to slowly understand the content of the script and the connotation of the characters. Some children can even come up with the script. A good idea to add icing on the cake, or to go beyond the script and make the performance more vivid.
Also, when the script is more complex, we can also rehearse it in segments, so that children can gradually become familiar with the script and slowly perform the entire play in its entirety. For example, in the performance area, children can be reminded of the progress of recent performances by posting story plot pictures or picture-clip posters in batches. In this way, the children can perform solidly, and the teacher can understand the children's performance in real time and provide timely guidance. Game introduction, lots of fun
Example: "The Monkey King Three Fights the Bone Demon" is one of the most familiar stories for children, but it is difficult for children in the upper class to truly perform the character's characteristics
Yes, because they have little performance experience and often follow stereotypes in their movements. So before the rehearsal of the new play started in the performance area, the children and I played the role-guessing game "The Monkey King Fights Monsters" (see the attachment below for details). A group of 5 people assigned roles by themselves, but they did not reveal their identities or speak before the performance. , do not use props, and it is best not to repeat the same actions in the performance. Anyone who can perform it so that everyone can guess it at a glance will be considered successful. At the beginning, most of the children in the class basically performed according to the content of the children's songs: Tang Monk put his hands together, Zhu Bajie made a fist to make a long nose, Sha Monk made a basket pick, Sun Wu stared, and the monster opened his teeth and five claws. But within a few groups, there were some who were unconventional. Some of Tang Monk rode a horse, some crossed his legs and chanted sutras, and some held a staff to make alms; Zhu Bajie had some who rubbed his belly, supported his belly, walked unsteadily, and took a nap; some Sha Monk touched his beard and used one hand to The fingers of one hand are akimbo and spread out naturally; the Sun Wukong is scratching the ears and head, doing somersaults, and looking up with one hand; the monsters are pretending to be old men, girls, various animals, etc. Later, when the rehearsal of the new play started, the children actively participated and performed with their own characteristics.
Analysis: The seemingly simple game actually made everyone have fun, aroused the children's interest in the new drama
, and shared their respective interests through the actions of the children. understanding of the role. This just confirms the saying - "Games are the main content of children's activities and their interests." The simulated actions and galloping imagination in the game can bring great happiness to young children.
In fact, during free activities, we often find children gathering together in twos and threes to run a household or imitating the words, movements or expressions of a character in a cartoon. This is the initial form of drama in early childhood. From the children's perspective, the fairy tale drama is rehearsed in the relaxed and free atmosphere of regional activities. It is not an interesting game again and again. Therefore, when starting a drama rehearsal, you might as well use a clever game (guessing the role, guessing the story content, COPY and related music games) as an introduction clue to stimulate children's interest in performance and creative passion. Teachers and students interact to promote understanding
Examples:
①Pretending to be the Dragon King in "Ye Gong Loves Dragons"
Chengcheng has just been playing the role of the Dragon King for a few days and is listless. After asking about it, I found out that some children said that the way he acted like the Dragon King wearing a headdress looked very similar, but he didn't look as energetic as the Dragon King played on TV. So, everyone gave Chengcheng a lot of ideas. Some said that he should wear dragon horns, and some said that the dragon king is more majestic when he wears a cloak. But where can I get these dragon horns and cloak? Everyone went home with this question. The next day, Chengcheng came to the drama corner majestically wearing a dragon pattern paper bag cloak he made; Haohao tied a round headband with a twisting stick in the self-selected material area, and then I drew a pair of horns with cardboard, cut them out and fixed them on the round headband with tape; Jingjing wrapped a twisting stick together and tied it to Chengcheng’s waist with a ribbon. Viewed from the back It really looks like a dragon's tail.
After re-dressing, Chengcheng became more engaged and confident when performing.
② "The Mouse Marries a Girl" helps the sun, dark clouds, wind, and walls to find their character characteristics
Children just blindly copy the picture book when they play the role of the sun, dark clouds, wind, and walls. The dialogue had neither action nor clearly expressed the characteristics of each character and the relationship between the characters, so I played the role of "Rat Father" and played against them, "My daughter can't be wronged. If she wants to get married, she must marry The most powerful, what is your most powerful ability?" The children began to think about their own character characteristics. Hanhan said: "The most powerful thing about the sun is its light, but I am the sun that has just risen." I asked again: "The sun has just risen. "Good morning, have you brushed your teeth and washed your face?" Then Hanhan stretched and imitated the movements of brushing his teeth and washing his face. I gave him a thumbs up for his performance in time. Taotao said: "Dark clouds can cover the sun." He blocked Hanhan behind him, "But the wind can blow me away!" I imitated "Mouse Daddy" and was blown around by the wind, and then said in surprise : "No, the wind is coming!" Taotao yelled "The wind is coming" in a long tone while running sideways off the stage. …
Analysis: Due to limitations in age and performance ability, it is normal for children to lack life experience and performance experience, but how to capture children’s thoughts in a timely manner through effective interaction between teachers and children? Teachers can try to achieve whatever they want, inspire children to grasp the content of the script, or improve the interpretation method.
We might as well take a closer look. Focus on observing and understanding the current playing level of children, and provide appropriate guidance to see if there are any deficiencies or adjustments in role performance.
We might as well ask more. Understand the bottlenecks or difficulties the children encounter in rehearsal, and provide immediate help (props: finished products, semi-finished products, materials, etc.; discuss and communicate; encourage and appreciate.)
We might as well perform a performance. Teachers and children are originally equal friends. As a teacher, you can sometimes actively participate in children's rehearsals. This not only enhances the intimacy between teachers and children, but also inspires children to think about roles through interactive performances. It also allows children to learn from you. Gain some acting experience in the performance, such as how to use exaggerated movements to make the character fuller; how to use the ups and downs of the voice to make the performance more vivid, etc.
Q: How to polish a fairy tale drama?
As for this issue, I am actually constantly exploring and accumulating experience. No one is perfect, and the play is never finished. There will always be different regrets in every fairy tale drama presented. But how to make the regrets less, I think the following experience is needed: Reasonably choose music that enhances the atmosphere and characters.
Music can vividly set off the atmosphere, effectively highlight the characteristics of each character, and make the fairy tale drama more vivid and full. Moreover, young children have strong sensitivity to music. Therefore, musical images help young actors and young audiences understand the image and atmosphere of the play.
For example: in the fairy tale "The Mouse Marries a Girl", when the sun, dark clouds, strong winds and walls appear, different simulated sounds or music clips are used to make the characters realistic and bring humorous effects. Another example is the festive sound of firecrackers and suona music in the play, which makes the whole scene full of festive colors. The young audience knows that the mouse girl is getting married without waiting for the sedan chair to come on. Observe each other and improve your performance skills.
Since regional activities are basically carried out in the morning, children come to the kindergarten early or late. Therefore, when the drama corner was first opened
I found that the combination of children was mostly random. The supporting actors are often changed, and the performance is often unstable. Therefore, in the subsequent performance area, the teacher used two methods to guide the children to observe each other: one was to record the children's performances and play them on the TV in a loop (free activity time); the other was to often let the children watch each other during the sharing session. The live performances are short and short, thus making the rehearsal process a continuous development process. Thirdly, we also set up a rehearsal schedule for the actors (also proposed and produced by the children). The performance area is used in groups every week for one cycle. When the performance is full, the class's primary and middle school audiences are invited to watch, and the teacher also records the children's performances in time as a record, and then invites the next group of children to enter the drama corner to rehearse.
This process of continuous rotation of rehearsals can often inspire new sparks in children's creative performances. Just like the previous example of "Ye Gong Loves Dragons", when three groups of children in the class performed the same story, although they all used Ye Gong to The humorous classic clips such as Mr. Ye singing and praising himself, and Mr. Ye discussing with his wife about naming their child "Longzi" are passed on. However, in order to make their group's performance more prominent among their peers, the children are allocating characters and plot dialogues. , performance techniques, and even prop production have various degrees of adaptation and innovation. Such a process of rehearsal-observation-communication-rehearsal allows children to continuously learn from the performance experience of their peers, continue to try breakthroughs and innovations in a shallow competitive atmosphere, and make their performance abilities more mature.
In addition, the weekly rotation of performances can also ensure that every child participates in the performance area, because they cannot be absent during rehearsals. Children are also urged to arrive on time during the rotation and seize the time to rehearse carefully. , experience the importance of teamwork.
Educator Montessori once said: "Children should be allowed to freely express themselves and their own thoughts, use sacred labor to create according to their own emotions, and let children learn to control their own talents.
"I think that by carrying out rehearsals of fairy tale plays that are loved by young children through activities in learning areas, not only can children accumulate experience in performing in daily activities and experience the joy of performing, but it can also showcase their language skills, Artistic and performing talents, actively, proactively and creatively express one's understanding and feelings about fairy tales, thereby bursting out the enthusiasm for performance and ultimately interpreting the child's own fairy tale kingdom.