Her Own Worst Enemy by Alice Savage is a play, but it’s also a complete curriculum for English learners!
Aida is a high-school senior who is trying to choose a university major. She wants to pursue a practical career in science, but she a real talent for acting. When she’s invited to audition for a prestigious theater school, her parents want her to go for it. But Aida has to make her own choice. The play grapples with the question of what the careers of the future will be and what happens when our talents and our passions are not the same.
As students prepare to perform the play, they will read about STEM and liberal arts careers and discuss and debate what skills are needed in the future. They’ll practice pragmatics and pronunciation, do improv, learn how to write new scenes or endings for the play. Most importantly, they’ll be exposed to authentic and natural language in action. Plays can reveal insights into the way speakers use fixed expressions, intonation, and gesture to convey feelings or wants, and to navigate relationships.
Finally, producing a play can bring a motivating and much needed sense of fun to the classroom. Producing a play, even in readers’ theater format (with script in hand) also helps students loosen up and feel more confident “playing” with English and its many possible meanings.
