Jack & the Beanstalk Rehearsal

Before we head off on our Christmas holidays, I'd like to share with you some snapshots of our "Jack and the Beanstalk" final rehearsal ~ enjoy!

 

 

  

 

The Drama Academy meets every Tuesday during ECA time for 1 hour. There were 9 sessions in Term 1. The boys spent 4 sessions learning theatrical skills such as voice projection, facial expressions, intonation in speech and gestures.

In week 5, I introduced an adapted script of "Jack and the Beanstalk" to them. From auditions, casting, reading and memorizing the script, designing & making the backdrops, hunting for costumes to rehearsals, dress rehearsals and finally filming the final production, we did all these things within 5 sessions (5hours!!) With the limited budget and time that we had I am incrediably proud of the boys' efforts and dedication to the production. I can see they have all excelled in their acting. Their growing confidence is most evident.

We are now in the process of putting the video of the final production together. I look forward to sharing their moment of stardom with you all in the new year!

I wish you all a most meaningful Christmas and an exciting new year!! Enjoy the holidays with loved ones but kids, do remember to spend time on studying for your mid-year exams! I wish you all the best!

Miss Jessi x

Jack & the Beanstalk Cast

Introducing the cast...

SCENE 1 "Magic Beans"

Theo Sze as the Old Man
 Ka Lok Chan as the Mother
 Benjamin Chan as Jack
Rudy Yuen as the cow

SCENE 2 "Up the Beanstalk"

Rudy Yuen as the Hen
Joshua Chang as the Giant
Samuel Yu as the Giant's Wife
Jamie Yuen as Jack

SCENE 3 "We're Rich!"

Michael Lee as Jack
Rudy Yuen as the Hen
Justin Yu as the Giant
Anson Chung as the Mother

The Drama Academy's Production of "Jack and the Beanstalk" will be coming to this blog soon...stay tuned!

Pin the Nose on Rudolph

I made a new game for P.1 students to play during our X'mas lesson. I drew inspiration from a childhood game "Pin the tail on the Donkey". So here's my version of "Pin the nose on Rudolph".

I labelled some of the body parts which corresponded to a scoring chart. Students were blindfolded and spun around 3 times. A red paper circle with some blue tac attached on the back was used as the nose.

 

The goal of the game is for students to pin the red paper circle as close to Rudolph's nose as possible on the game board. The closer you are to the nose the more points you will gain for your team.

This game is simple but kids love it. You can use the game to your teaching advantage. For example, I used it as a revision game. My kids had been learning about phonics word families via nursery rhymes this term so I got them all to sing/revise a nursery rhyme, then I would ask a question about that nursery rhyme. The student who answered the question correctly got to come out to play. For some higher ability classes I asked students to come out in pairs. One would be blindfolded while the other gave instructions to direct the pinning (up, down, left, right). They had 5 seconds to pin the nose down. Keeping it short and fast is the key to maintaining their excitement for the game.

   

Backdrops

The Drama Academy boys are in the process of putting together their first mini production, "Jack and the Beanstalk" Here are some snapshots of them making the backdrop for the drama.

 

 

Scene 1 "Magic Beans"

Scene 2 "Up the Beanstalk"

Scene 3 "We're rich!"

Stay tuned for more updates!

Fantastic Mr. Chang

I was very happy on the weekend as the two P.3 boys I've been training for the past 2 months received great results in the 62nd Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival. All the hard work of our teachers and students did not go to waste after all!

The boys were competiting in the P.3-P.4 boys solo prose reading of an extract from Roald Dahl's "Fantastic Mr. Fox". There were 45 competitors in total!

Congratulations to Joshua Chang of 3C who received 1st prize in the competition!! You truly deserved it and the school is proud of your efforts! Well done!

Michael Shi of 3C received 3rd prize at the competition. Well done Michael! This shows that you can do it if you put your heart into it!

Congratulations Boys!

Prizes or no prizes, the Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival is a great opportunity for students to gain invaluable experience in speech training and public performance. Students learn to strive for perfection, to do their very best, be patient and to have good sportsmanship.

I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to Ms Law, our speech festival co-ordinator, Ms Ho for her assistance throughout the training period and on the day, as well as the boys' parents for their support.

Little Penguin & the Big World

I would like to thank DEER Theatre for coming to our school last Thursday to perform for the P.3 students. It was definitely an enjoyable experience for the boys!

Stage set up & sound checks were done before school.

An actress gives our little emcees Benjamin and Michael some tips before the show.

As a reward for being the little emcees, Benjamin and Michael got to meet the cast backstage!

Final rehearsal for the emcees before the big show.

Anticipating...

SHOW TIME!

The hall was filled with laughter!

The characters came down to shake hands with the students.

High five with the Happy Panda!

Little Penguin taught our students to treasure and take care of the environment. There is no "chosen one" for this job. We are all part of the world so we are all responsible. 

Our little emcees wrapped up the performance with a closing speech. Thank-you Michael and Benny. You have both done me proud. An outstanding effort for your first time as emcees on stage!

  

Drama is a great way to learn and practise English. Whether you are watching, acting or participating behind the stage, you'll be able to learn new skills, meet new friends and broaden your knowledge of the world!

So kids, did you like the show? Who was your favourite character? Has the drama convinced you to be more environmentally friendly? You're welcome to email your thoughts and opinions to me at sjpsreadingtree@gmail.com

DEER Theatre Performance

Hello P.3 students! I'm pleased to tell you that I have organized the DEER Theatre Company to come to our school tomorrow to give a drama performance called "Little Penguin and the Big World." Some of you may have noticed some posters around the school already.

The story begins when an iceberg melts and cracks due to Global Warming.  The little penguin floats away from her family and friends on a journey around the world. What will happen next to this poor little penguin? Will she live to see another day or join the dinosaurs on the list of extinction?


Let's all find out tomorrow! I hope you'll enjoy the show!

Scrabble Mania Update

Students are now half way through the ECA program. They are enjoying the training games and improving their Scrabble scores every week! Keep it up boys. The Scrabble Championship Competition is near...

   

Reciting the alphabet backwards is a lot trickier than it looks.

   

Students playing a game called "What's on TV?" Students need to describe the picture on the screen to their teammates without saying the actual word. How many pictures can they guess in 1 minute?  

"It's a small supermarket...you can buy food...it's everywhere...the name has two numbers...like Circle OK but not!! Come on guys! You know this!!!"

 

In preparation for the Scrabble Championship Competition!