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Great Resources for Busy Teachers
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Great Resources for Busy Teachers |
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Students bring a small object to school. Place all of the objects on a table or on the floor in the middle of the room. Each student selects an object that is not their own. Their task is to give the object significant sentimental value. For example they can pretend the object was given to them by their best friend before moving. They need to think about their object for awhile. They should make up a story (memory) based on the object. Connect this exercise to writing by having students write down their special memory. Their last step is to tell their story aloud with emotion.
Actors on stage must trust one another and instinctively know their next move. There are times when things go awry and improvisation is needed. They must be in tune to each other in order to carry off the moment. Assign students to partners. Partners sit eye to eye, and knee to knee. They are going to use their hands to make movements. One partner acts as the leader (the outside of the mirror looking in), and the other partner mirrors their movements. After a few minutes, switch places. This activity helps to build a classroom community. It's also a great rainy day recess activity.
This game might arouse a few giggles from younger students, but it's great for teaching inflection and tone for different purposes. Assign partners to students. One partner acts as partner A, and the other partner is partner B. Tell partner A to tell partner B, "I love you", but to say it as a mother to a child. Partner B takes the next turn. Give students different ways to say, "I love you." Some examples: sappy and romantic, reluctant, as if they are lying, whispering, shouting, angrily, as if they are talking to a baby, and so forth.
Actors must reveal different emotions on stage. The point of the emotion party is for everyone to experience different emotions and change their emotional state quickly and easily. The first person acts as the host or hostess. They show know emotion as the second person "knocks on the door" and enters in a highly charged emotional state. Emotions can range from happy to anger to jealousy. Each person must be assigned a different emotion. The first person infects the host or hostess with his or her emotional charge. Let's say the guest is angry. Now the host is angry. They both act angry together (not in a physical way, but in an emotional way). The next person "knocks on the door" and enters with a different emotion. The host and first party guest now take on the new emotion. Each guest introduces a new emotion to the party. This exercise can be a springboard for discussing controlling emotions, appropriate emotions, and not allowing other people's negative emotions to effect you.
These two line scenes have underlying meaning. One person says line A, and the other person says line B. Each time a new set of actors say the lines a new situation is given. You can make up the situations as they go. Example Line A - Hello Line B - Don't Situations: (1) Man and woman who are upset with each other. (2) One person is unaware of danger while the other person sees the danger. (3) One person tries to hug an unwilling person. Ideas for Lines: Line A - What? Line B - Listen to me. Line A - Stop that. Line B - Sure. Line A - Are you serious? Line B - Yes. Line A - Soon. Line B - Please.
Give students a situation and about 3 minutes to discuss their scene. The idea of improvisation is to "think on your feet". Students must act out the situation with little to no planning by reacting to each other's words, actions, and emotions. Ideas for Scenes: (1) Teenager comes in after midnight and is confronted by parent. (2) One friend is moving. They are saying goodbye. (3) Teacher catches student cheating. (4) Babysitter tries to get child to go to bed. (5) Two sisters argue over borrowed clothing. (6) One boy tries to convince the other boy to skip school. (7) One person constantly shadows the other person (to their annoyance). (8) Two strangers are stuck on an elevator together. (9) A store clerk accuses someone of shoplifting. (10) A student tries to convince his/her teacher about lost homework with a wild story.
Cut out magazine pictures of interesting (not famous) people (different ages, races, and cultures). Spread students out and give each student a picture to study. They should not let anyone else see their picture. Their job is to become the "character" in the picture. They must give them a name, occupation, values, goals, mannerisms, etc. They should spend about five minutes thinking about their character. They should not talk to each other during this time. Take up the pictures before beginning the party. Students must mingle with each other at the party as their character. The party should last 5-10 minutes. After the party is over you can show students the pictures. See if they can guess who played which character.
Coming Soon... Creative Dramatics. Reader's Theatre. Drama 101, Poetry Theatre, Puppet Plays, Storytelling, Dramatizations, Theatre Games
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