Teaching Narrative through Individuals’ roles

 writen by Aziza Restu Febrianto

Creating some variations in teaching is very important for teachers to do to avoid student boredom on the materials given in class. The usual method used in teaching is virtually one of the reasons which makes them bored. But just few teachers realize that. In teaching narrative text, the teachers can probably create other interesting circumstances in order the students may feel different way of learning. Using role play in a drama show can be a possible method in teaching this such writing. To implement this, they may consider the following sample:

LESSON PLAN

Level                       : Junior High School Level (for Indonesian Students)

Materials                : Narrative Text

The purpose            : to amuse, entertain and to deal with actual various experience in different ways.

Language Features :


1. Focus on Specific Participants
2. Use of Past tense
3. Use of Temporal conjunctions and temporal circumstances
4. Use of material (or action) processes
5. Use of relational and mental processes

Time allotment        : 15 minutes or more

Activities                 :

1. The teacher appoints one of the students to become a narrator who controls and tells the story from beginning till the end.
2. He/ she appoints some of them to play a role as the people involved in the story. They act as if they are professional actors.
3. Before the show, the teacher should prepare everything which will be needed in the show as well as possible.

The staffs prepared:

* A certain story of narrative text taken from students’ English book.

* The story scripts for each student who is involved in the show.
* Other equipments like Notebook, LCD, Costumes, Decoration staffs, etc.

1. Here, the teacher could involve him/ herself in the story when needed.
2. However, in this case, the teacher still has a main role as a guide who not only controls the show but he/ she also gives an explanation about the purposes and the rules of the show toward the audience.
3. After the show, he/ she explains the lesson of related text (Genre) as included in the English materials.

Text :

The Axe Heads

There once lived a poor woodcutter in the dense forests of Ireland. He was a simple and honest man but not really bright. To make a living, the woodcutter set out daily into the forest to cut the firewood. His realized possession was an old iron axe which he had inherited from his father.

One rainy day in May, the woodcutter was cutting wood as usual in the forest. He was almost finished when his axe landed on the wood. To the woodcutter dismay, the axe head fell into the deep pool nearby. It was a big blow to him because he had no money to buy another axe.

Resolving to find it, the woodcutter kept returning to the pool everyday. But after a week of thriving, he still could not find it and was ready to throw in the towel. He sat at the edge of the pool and mourned his misfortune. Suddenly, a bright shimmering light appeared in the middle of the pool and out came a beautiful lady with silver hair and blue skin. She was gesture of her hand; an axe appeared on the surface of the water. The woodcutter’s eyes went with disbelief as he saw that the axe head was made of pure gold. But when asked it was his, he replied, “No, my lady. Mine is just an old iron one,” and went home sadly.

The next day, the same thing happened. Only this time, it was a silver axe head that materialized! The woodcutter was again surprised but he gave Elsa the same answer and left.

On the third day, Elsa finally produced the woodcutter’s old iron axe head

He was overjoyed and quickly exclaimed, “Yes, my lady! That is my axe head!”

Due to the woodcutter’s simple honest, he was rewarded with not only one but three axe heads: one of iron, the other of silver and the last one of gold.

(Taken from Primary S Assessment English New Syllabus pp. 107-108)

Glossary:

Possession : kepemilikan dismay : kecemasan

Inherit : mewarisi gesture : gerakan isyarat

Thrive : tumbuh subur dense forest : hutan lebat

Shimmer : berkilauan axe : Kapak

The story in the narrative text above must be very interesting to read especially for those students from English speaking countries. In some certain cases, ironically, it can be a boring reading that the students do not want to read. One of the reasons is due to the fact that the English teachers use the usual ordinary method in teaching it. Therefore, this narrative text can be very interesting if it is easily understood by the students. In order to let the students more understand the story, the English teachers can possibly use the teaching model above in teaching and learning this sort of text.

Example:

1. The teacher writes some scripts according to the story above.
2. Then ask some students to play a role as;

* A narrator
* A woodcutter
* Elsa, A beautiful blue skin lady
* Additional actors

3. Last, he/ she may prepare all the staffs needed in the show.

The teaching model above is actually one of methods the English teachers may take to make the teaching and learning process more diverse and interesting. As a result, the students can be more enjoyable in the class activities. In addition, the students will not only have an English lesson but also learn and practice how to get involved in the drama show that stimulates their creativity. This method can be modified and improved by the teachers who have in fact implemented it in the real classroom activities. But, again, various methods are still compulsory to be made to develop good education in our society.

Good luck, teachers!!! ^_^