Document Title: A Practical Study on Cultivating Imagination through Educational Theatre in Primary School Chinese Reading Instruction for Years 5-6

Abstract

Primary school Chinese reading instruction bears the vital mission of cultivating students' core literacy competencies, with the development of imagination serving as a pivotal dimension. In the third stage, the enhancement of students' cognitive abilities paves the way for imagination to develop in depth and logical coherence. However, traditional reading instruction exhibits certain limitations in both its pathways and effectiveness for stimulating imagination. Educational theatre, characterized by its strong emphasis on context, experiential learning, and creativity, serves as an innovative approach for cultivating students’ imagination in Chinese reading classrooms. This paper focuses on Chinese reading instruction at this educational stage, using the teaching of “The Destruction of the Old Summer Palace” as a case study. It explores practical models for specifically stimulating, constructing, and concretising students' imagination through educational theatre activities, analyses their effectiveness, and proposes optimisation strategies.