Katie DiPlacido

ELL 359
Professor Reilly
30 November 2014
Silent Skit Reflection
Preforming the silent skit for the class was both fun and challenging. The most
difficult challenge that our group faced in preforming the silent skit was expressing what
was happening in each scene of the play clearly without using language. For me
personally, the scene of Meeting the Freshman Year Roommate was challenging
because it was hard to express without using words. Normally, a person would introduce
himself or herself using language, but this was not an option for this skit. We overcame
this challenge by demonstrating alternate ways that people can introduce themselves. We
did this by greeting each other with a handshake, which could demonstrate meeting
anyone, but we tried to clarify what was going on by pretending to unpack boxes.
I believe that the main purpose of this activity was to put us in the shoes of an
ELL student in a classroom. By watching our classmates preform their skits, it allowed us
to experience how an ELL student feels when they are in an English-speaking classroom
and they speak no English. Similar to an ELL student in an English only classroom, we
had to piece together what was going on solely based on movements, facial expressions
and some words. This activity taught me the importance of being aware of my actions
and movements in the classroom as a teacher of an ELL student. It also taught me that if I
cannot communicate with my students using language, I must find other ways to teach
the students so they learn the material and become proficient in the English language.