The use of drama elements in teaching English grammar to 7th-graders

Abstract

The aim of the thesis is to create the aforementioned materials – drama activities to be used alongside the textbook and workbook of I Love English 5, specifically concentrating on teaching the passive voice and indirect (also called reported) speech. The materials are tested on 7th-graders at a local school in the city of Tartu, Estonia. At the end of the study period, interviews are conducted with the participants to get their feedback on the usefulness of the drama activities. Based on the positive results of using drama in EFL classes described in the literature of the area of study, the three hypotheses are that 1) the use of drama elements will help students perceive the concepts of the passive voice and indirect speech, 2) the use of drama elements will increase students´ confidence to communicate with peers during drama activities and that 3) the use of drama elements will motivate students to learn complicated forms of grammar (the passive voice and indirect speech).