IT23 Create a drama

The students were divided into two groups for this new workshop. The first group is composed of Polish pupils and their Italian pen pals and the second group is composed of French and Spanish pupils and their Italian pen pals. The aim of this work is to learn a short play about the history of the Olympic Games. The Olympic Games represent a thousand-year-old tradition of linking sport and culture. The first group works on the ancient aspect of the Olympic Games. The second group focuses on the modern Olympic Games, revived by Pierre de Coubertin. The work took place over about 3 hours, during which the pupils learned their text and performed it. This work required extra concentration for the pupils as the play is written in Italian. The first group discovered that the Olympic Games were held in ancient Greece and have a mythological origin. The first written records of official Games date back to 776 BC, when the Greeks began to measure time in Olympiads, the time between each edition of the Games. The first Olympic Games were held in honor of the god Zeus every four years. Each of the students had a particular role and a character to play: Zeus, Athena, Apollo, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Dyonisos or Hermes. They told the story of the birth of the Olympic Games. Between the two different parts, dancers intervened to make the transition. The second group discovered the history of the rebirth of the Olympic Games. The Olympic Games were re-established on the occasion of the first Olympic Congress, organized in 1894 by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in the great amphitheater of the Sorbonne. At the end of the Congress, the Olympic Games were renovated and the International Olympic Committee was founded. One student played the role of Pierre de Coubertin and the other students played his friends. The play ended with Pierre de Coubertin's famous quote: "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to participate". The show ended with a presentation of the Olympic values and the presentation of the Olympic rings.

The students recited the play correctly. They learned to excel and enjoy themselves. Their confidence increased as well as their ability to express themselves orally.