ACTION DRAMA

WITH THANKS TO http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/drama5.html

Suggested Grades Objective Method

3+ Students will examine and use actions to present a cooperative story. Pick a student to come to the front of the class and begin to mime out a scene. After about 15 seconds yell "freeze", which tells the actor to freeze their position. Point to another student and have that student replace the frozen student in their exact position and yell "go". This student then continues and extends the action that the prior student was in the middle of performing. Continue until all the students have had a turn. Extension: After the story has been acted out, ask students to look back at the whole story and write out a story based on the class' actions.

AEIOU

The group makes a circle around the teacher. Nobody can speak at the same time as the teacher. Everyone repeats after the teacher. (Alternatively, they can say it along with the teacher.) 1. 2. 3. Teacher chants A E I O U Teacher tells students to put a hill in the middle of the sound. Partner off around the circle. Stare into each others eyes. Laughing is okay, its just a tension release Now repeat the exercise to each other whilst maintaining the gaze. Try to relate to your partners tone/sound. Try to introduce a movement to match the sound. Try varying the volume or mood. Demonstrate in the middle to the rest of the group how you and your partner did the exercise. Doesnt matter if it turns out differently this time. Its about the connection.

4.

5. 6.

Alphabet Conversation

Have a conversation where each sentence begins with the next letter of the alphabet. This may seem difficult at first, but improves with practice. If you get stuck, you can also use sounds to start a sentence, for example Mmmm or tut-tut. Here is an example: A: Anyone seen my cat? B: Black one, with funny eyes? A: Cant say I remember. B: Dont tell me youve forgotten what it looks like? A: Every cat looks the same to me. B: Fortunately, I found one yesterday A: Gee, thats great

You could also try beginning somewhere in the middle of the alphabet. Then when you reach Z, return to A until you arrive back where you started Try setting the scene or location before you start It's great for car journeys too!

Learning Objectives: Age Group: Participants: Recommended time for activity:

To develop verbal improvisation skills To practice the alphabet 8+ Pairs or small groups 10-20 minutes

Biddy Biddy Bop

Directions: Everyone gathers in a circle and one person (randomly) starts in the middle. The player in the middle controls all of the action by pointing and/or looking at a specific person and then saying one of the key words below. If the person pointed at does not say or do what theyre supposed to, they switch places and become the new middle person. If the person pointed at does what theyre supposed to, the middle person tries to get out of the middle again. If one of the players to the left or right of the person pointed at messes up, the person pointed at still goes to the middle. This introduces a F You element. If the person in the middle doesnt get out, they can point to the same person or someone else, and they can say the same key word or a different one. For the key words with five counts, the players on the outside of the circle have five seconds to perform the required action. The Key Words: The middle person says: Bitty bitty bop Bop Angel and counts to five Devil and counts to five Canoe and counts to five Cow and counts to five Elephant and counts to five You say or do: Bop before the middle person finishes saying Bittty bitty bop Dont say anything Put your hands together in prayer while the people to your left and right make wings for you Make demon like growls and motions. People to your left and right of you put devil horns on your head Make a flute with your hands, howl and the people to your left and right paddle Interlock your hands with thumbs at the bottom, people to your left and right milk you Makes trunk with your hands, people to your left and right make big floppy dumbo ears on your head

Drink When: You mess up and have to go into the middle Hard Core Drink When: The person in the middle says a key word and doesnt get out. Every time a new person goes into the middle, they take a shot. Let me know how it goes, or better yet, shoot a video of it and post the link here.

Bomb and Shield

Game of the WeekGame of the Week is taken from 101 Drama Games and Activities.
Come back for a new Game next week!
Without letting anybody else know, each person must choose two other people in the room. Now explain that the first person they chose is a bomb and the second person is a shield. On a signal everybody starts moving around the room with the aim of staying as far away from the bomb as possible and keeping the shield between him or her and the bomb! You can give a signal to freeze at any moment to check whether they are doing it correctly. The group will probably end up spread out, so as a contrast, you could also play 'Noses'.

Communication Game
SOLUTION

Andrea fish volleyball truck math

Kathleen cats soccer sports car science

Juan dog track motorcycle music

Tony snakes gymnastics station wagon art

Joseph birds basketball bicycle history

INFORMATION SLIP A The dog owner is standing next to the one who likes science. Joseph owns pet birds The person who plays volleyball also owns fish Only one person is standing on the east side The person who is standing next to Juan drives a station wagon

INFORMATION SLIP B Juan is standing next to someone who raises snakes The person with the dogs also likes music Andrea is next to the soccer player One of your tasks is to decide who drives a truck The group are standing in a semi-circle beside each other to have a photo taken

INFORMATION SLIP C Tony likes art There is a bicycle in the garage of the basketball player Each person has a different kind of pet Kathleen is standing next to Andrea A motorcycle stands in the back yard of the track runner

INFORMATION SLIP D The person with the cats is standing to the east of the one who likes math Your group has less than three tasks Every week dog food is bought by the track runner Only one of the group is standing on the west side Each of the five people uses a different kind of vehicle

INFORMATION SLIP E The track runner is standing in the most northern position Each person liked a different subject in school The basketball player is standing next to the gymnast Kathleen drives a sports car Andrea owns a fish tank

A Donut Activity
A,B (number off) around the room As make a circle in the middle of the room Bs make a circle on the outside. As should be facing outward Bs should be facing inwards

Give instructions i.e. As are male Bs are female having a discussion about their delinquent daughter Tracey. When I say go, you will stand up and start having the conversation. 3,2,1 GO Bumshuffle carousel on the inside so we can interact differently Feedback on observations...so extend them to include the characterisation using your whole body Scenarios 1) Man and woman argue about delinquent daughter 2) Old man and old woman the youth of today (old people bend and lead with their knees) 3) Shy teenage boy and overly confident teenage girl he tellin her he like her

EXTENSION Create a scenario in your groups using some of the characters youve just developed. In groups of 4, youve got 5 minutes...GO! To help your confidence, you need to come up with something very quickly. You just have to carry on regardless, Keep your focus and Act like you know what youre doing. If 2 characters both talking at once....FREEZE and tell them what they are doing wrong before they continue.

Exercising Lips and Tongue

Aim Students warm up their vocal chords, lips and tongue by rapidly repeating consonants and elongating vowel sounds. Students can choose a letter each so that they feel more involved. Ask them to be aware of the movement of their mouth and lips as they repeat the sounds Use the sound over a hill concept so that it doesnt get boring Examples Tttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt Ooooooooooooooooooooooo Ddddddddddddddddddddddd Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Follow Your Nose

1 2 3 4 5

(16 votes, average 3.88 out of 5) A movement exercise for the whole group. Move around the room, filling up the space, changing pace, changing direction, being aware of other people but not touching them. Now become aware of your nose. Let your nose lead you around the room. Follow it wherever it goes! Develop this by focussing on different parts of the body, so that participants begin to discover new ways of moving. Very useful for dance or physical theatre, or simply for discovering movement ideas for characters. Try being led by your stomach, your little toe, your knee, your back and so on.

Learning Objectives: Age Group: Participants: Recommended time for activity:

To develop physical movement To cooperate in group work 6+ Whole group 10-15 minutes

One Word Stories

1 2 3 4 5

(17 votes, average 3.18 out of 5) In a circle, the story is started, with each person in turn adding one word. It usually starts with Once upon a time. The idea is to keep your thoughts free flowing, so that you dont try to guess what is coming or force the story in a particular direction. It is rare that the story makes a great deal of sense, although it is always amusing. If the group is too large, break into smaller groups.

Another variation is to throw or roll a ball around the circle in any order. Add your word as you pass the ball to the next person. This ensures that people are more attentive; although you should make sure everyone is included.

Try playing the game in pairs, where both participants act the story out as it is told. In this case, tell the story in the present tense and as we. For example, We are climbing a mountain. Look a giant spider coming towards us. Quick run! You can soon create an adventure story in this way. You can also use the one word at a time technique to create characters made up of two or more people great fun for interview scenes!

Learning Objectives: Age Group: Participants: Recommended time for activity:

To encourage creativity To develop listening and storytelling skills To cooperate in group work 7+ Whole group, small groups or pairs 10-20 minutes

Pass the Pulse/Aka Grab the Duster

Aims: To aide concentration To develop a level of comfort with silence To develop a level of comfort with physical touch A quiet game

Age/Year Group:

How to Play: The class sit in two lines back to back. Everyone in the line has to close their eyes except the first person. The teacher flips a coin to start the pulse. The pulse (squeezing hands) is passed silently along the line. The first pulse to reach the end picks up the duster and is the winning team. Teacher

Duster

POEM VOWELS POEM CONSONANTS

Aim of the Game To help students to develop an awareness of the sound impact of vowels and consonants To help students understand the different values that vowels and consonants have in speech

Directions Form the group into teams

Give the students two poems to work with. 1 2 3 4 Ask them to say poem in a whisper. Then say it with full voice. Other team members to observe and note differences Say the poems pausing before each new idea. Think about the new idea as they breath in and express the new idea on the outgoing breath Say the poem by sounding only the consonants. Then say the whole piece. Other team members to observe and note the differences Say only the vowels. Then say the whole piece. Other team members to observe and note the differences.

Extension Each team member must say the twister 3 times without a mistake Variations Recite as a whole group, varying volume and pace or work with a metronome or as a gangster rap.

PORT AND STARBOARD

Directions: Game begins by choosing a Captain who calls out some of the following: To the Island: run to the Captains left To the Ship: run to the Captains right Attention on Deck = Salute and shout Aye, aye Captain! CANNOT RELAX UNTIL CAPTAIN SAYS AT EASE Hit the deck: lay down on your stomach Three men in a boat: the crew must form groups of three and sing "Row, row, row your boat" Anybody who is not in a group of three is out. The love boat: crew members grab a partner and dance. Anybody without a partner is out. Clear the deck: everyone must have their feet up off the floor Scrub the deck: everyone on their knees scrubbing Captain's Quarters: everyone ran towards the captain. Man-over-board: Players must find a partner as quickly as possible. One partner must lay on their stomach while the other places their foot on their partner's back. Players without a partner or pairs that are too slow are eliminated. Periscope: Every player falls on their back and sticks one leg in the air. The last players are eliminated. SHARK!!!!: Everyone must run to a designated base (multiple bases can be used). The last players are eliminated. Crow's nest: All players must find a partner. The lightest player rides on their partner's back. Those without partners or who assemble the crow's nest too slowly are eliminated. Three maids in a row: Players form groups of three and sit in a vertical row. The players who are the odd-one-out are eliminated. Sick turtle: Everyone falls onto their backs and waves hands and feet in the air.

Bow: Run to the front of the boat Stern: Run to the back of the boat Port: Run to the left side of the boat Starboard: Run to the right side of the boat. Row the Boat: Each player finds a partner, sits face to face, holds hands, and pretends to row a boat. Players who can't find partners or who are too slow are eliminated.

Stage Geography Adaptation

Rules as above but actors have to fit into a chalk marked square on the floor as below:

USR Upstage Right

USC Upstage Centre

USL Upstage Left

CSR Centre Stage Right

CS Centre Stage

CSL Centre Stage Left DSL Down Stage Left

DSR Down Stage Right

DSC Down Stage Centre

Coud introduce new terms as students become familiar with the game. Eg. Green Room = relaxed postures, In character = players must choose and pose as a particular character

POSSUMS IN A TREE

Students walk around the room until the teacher calls one of the following: 1 possum in a tree 2 possums in a tree 3 possums in a tree No possums in a tree ETC (any number can be used)

Students rush to form a group, 2 holding hands forming the tree, capturing the required number of possums within. Any students left out are out and should sit down.

2 students form a tree

2 possums in a tree

POEM VOWELS POEM CONSONANTS

Aim of the Game To help students to develop an awareness of the sound impact of vowels and consonants To help students understand the different values that vowels and consonants have in speech

Directions Form the group into teams

Give the students two poems to work with. 5 6 7 8 Ask them to say poem in a whisper. Then say it with full voice. Other team members to observe and note differences Say the poems pausing before each new idea. Think about the new idea as they breath in and express the new idea on the outgoing breath Say the poem by sounding only the consonants. Then say the whole piece. Other team members to observe and note the differences Say only the vowels. Then say the whole piece. Other team members to observe and note the differences.

Extension Each team member must say the twister 3 times without a mistake Variations Recite as a whole group, varying volume and pace or work with a metronome or as a gangster rap.

Example Poems to Use He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven Had I the heavens embroidered cloths Enwrought with golden and silver light The blue and the dim and the dark cloths Of night and light and half-light ,I would spread the cloths under your feet: But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams. WB Yeats

Soundscapes

Teacher introduces the game by demonstrating a couple of sounds E,g, Brrrr, tick tick tick, Tring, Tring, Boing, Cliack clock, Psshh, Rrrrah, Whistle, Whirr To extend the demonstration, teacher asks players to be the instrucments in an orchestra and conducts the sound that each of them choose Go around the circle and everyone choose a noise. Teacher tells the group We are going to make a machine chooses a sound Players have to choose a sound and consider the frequency and join in when they are ready Extensions Sounds of a summers day Sounds of a busy street Sounds of Train station Sounds of the Playground Sounds of the Farm Sounds of the city at night Sounds of a traffic intersection Sounds of the beach Sounds of the school yard at break/lunchtime Sounds of the marketplace Sounds of a building site Sounds of a dream Sounds of a haunted graveyard Variation Add movement: Players have to choose an action to match their sound and join in the image in the middle of the room.

SPLAT!

Directions: Okay everyone form a circle around me. Join your hands together and make a fake gun, like this (fingers point, thumbs link) Okay, the aim of this game is to shoot each other, like this Splat! Okay, you got it. Now if I point at someone in the circle, I will say Splat! that person will need to duck down because those on either side are going to shoot each other with their splat guns. If you dont duck fast enough, youll be splatted and out of the game. If you dont draw your gun quick enough, youll be spatted and out of the game. At the end of the game: The Splat Off! When the game gets down to two, what we need to do is have a Splat Off! This requires the players to go back to back and choose a fruit each. The players walk away from each other and I will call out a list of fruit, every fruit = take a step. If I mention either fruit, that is the signal to turn around and shoot. The Splat Off

Ten Second Objects

1 2 3 4 5

(39 votes, average 4.56 out of 5)

This is a very popular drama game and a useful technique which can be developed easily towards improvisation or physical theatre. It's also highly accessible and great fun! Divide everyone into small groups (4-6). Call out the name of an object and all the groups have to make the shape of that object out of their own bodies, joining together in different ways while you count down slowly from ten to zero. Usually every group will find a different way of forming the object. Examples could be: a car, a fried breakfast, a clock, a washing machine, a fire. (A peacock created in ten seconds at the Primary Drama INSET Day) To encourage creativity To develop physical awareness To develop cooperation in group work 6+ Small groups 10-20 minutes

Learning Objectives: Age Group: Participants: Recommended time for activity:

Develop the Activity:

Encourage groups to think about using different levels with their body shapes, eg high, medium and low. You could choose objects from a play you are rehearsing or a theme you are exploring (see the drama lesson on Evacuees). Groups can also be given a couple of minutes to devise an object of their own which the rest of the class try to guess. You could make it a rule that after 10 seconds they must be completely frozen in position. On the other hand it can be fun if they are able to make objects that use movement. You can use the shapes created as a quick way into creating ideas for physical theatre.

There is Only One Liar

1 2 3 4 5

(22 votes, average 3.86 out of 5) A psychological but fun group dynamics game from Augusto Boal. There should be no talking until the exercise is over. The group sits or stands in a circle and closes their eyes. The leader tells them that one person will be selected by a tap on the shoulder. The leader walks around the whole circle, then asks the group to open their eyes. The group members must look around and try to guess who was chosen. They are asked to remember who they decided upon but not to reveal it at this point. The game is repeated. When everybody has finished looking round, the leader asks them, on the count of three, without talking, to point at the person they thought was chosen the first time. Everybody points. Now, they do the same again for the second time. Afterwards, members are asked what it was that led them to choose a particular person, for example, the facial expression that person had. Then, on a signal, they are asked to put up their hands if they were touched the first time. They discover that no one was touched the first time. They are asked to do the same for the second time. The group discover that they were all touched the second time. There is only one liar the workshop leader!

Learning Objectives: Age Group: Participants: Recommended time for activity:

To develop better group dynamics To develop observation skills 11+ Whole group 10-15 minutes

TONGUE TWISTERS
Aim of the Game To exercise the tongue and lips so that words can be clearly pronounced To enable students to assess their own ability

Directions Appoint 4 judges and form the rest of the group into teams

Each team must pronounce the tongue twister without making a mistake. If they make a mistake they must start again Once correct, they can go to the back of the line. When everyone is complete, the fastest team wins.

Extension Each team member must say the twister 3 times without a mistake Variations Recite as a whole group, varying volume and pace or work with a metronome or as a gangster rap. [CHECK]

Example Tongue Twisters to Use Cunning kookaburras cackle and congregate in committees, conniving to control corroborees Snakes slither slimily, sensing solid, slippery slugs sipping stimulants Verbose, violet vipers vault a variety of violins and ventriloquists Killer kangaroos clearly convince crazy cockatoos to kick the cricket ball correctly Lovely ladies lick luscious lashes of limp liquorice luxuriously Woeful wombats wobble wearily on walkabout, wishing for whisky Four-fingered, flat-footed feathered flamingos fly, flabbergasting friends The sextet of shaggy sheep shakily sing Shakespearian sonnets soundlessly. Sleep sheep, sleep! Thermal therapy thoroughly thawed thirteen thankful thespians in the theatre The mysterious male from Mudgee was just a mischievous muckrakers muddled myth A Toowooomban telephonist talked tactfully to a tearful Toongabbeean typist Dyslexic dingoes dragged dozens of Dickensdiaries down the dry Diamintina How much wood could a woodpecker peck if a woodpecker could peck wood (Use Wood chucker) Sally, she sells sea shells on the sea shore

Shes the girl that makes the thing That drills the hole That holds the spring That pulls the rod That turns the knob That works the thingumebob To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock In a pestilential prison, with a life-long lock Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock, From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block! Peter Piper picked A peck of pickled peppers Where is the peck of peppers Peter Piper picked?

Theres a chip shop in space which sells space ship-shaped chips. I like New York, unique New York, I like unique New York Two toads totally tired, tried to trot to Tewkesbury. The Leith Police dismisseth us. A school coal scuttle, a scuttle of school coal. Rubber baby-buggy bouncers. Floppy fluffy puppies, floppy fluffy puppies. Popacatepetl, copper plated kettle. Peggy Babcock loves Tubby Gigwhip.

She stood upon the balcony, inexplicably mimicking him hiccupping and amicably welcoming him in. Round and round the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran. Are you copper-bottoming them my man? No, I'm aluminiuming them ma'am. The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick.

ll I want is a proper cup of coffee,

Made in a proper copper coffee pot I may be off my dot But I want a cup of coffee From a proper coffee pot. Tin coffee pots and iron coffee pots They're no use to me If I can't have a proper cup of coffee In a proper copper coffee pot I'll have a cup of tea. The skunk sat on the stump. The stump thunk the skunk stunk. The skunk thunk the stump stunk. What stunk - the skunk or the stump?

hat a to-do to die today at a minute or two to two,

A thing distinctly hard to say but harder still to do. For they'll beat a tattoo at a quarter to two: A rat-ta tat-tat ta tat-tat ta to-to. And the dragon will come when he hears the drum At a minute or two to two today, at a minute or two to two. (Lewis Carroll) Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager Imagining managing an imaginary menagerie. How much wood could a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Toy boats, toy boats, toy boats, toy boats, toy boats.

P A

eter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers Wheres the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

tutor who tooted the flute

Tried to tutor two tooters to toot. Said the two to their tutor: 'Is it harder to toot, Or to tutor two tooters to toot?'

War of the Worlds

In this game, students get into teams (3 or 4 depending on numbers). In this example, there are 4 teams. NB Each team can have different numbers of people. Team 1 Tom Jane Peter Sam Chosen Country: Russia Team 2 Emma Frank Claudia Pippa Chosen Country: Spain Team 3 Daniel Paul Matt Joanne Chosen Country: Bosnia Team 4 Liam Janine Mihi Piripi Chosen Country: USA How to Play: 1) Teacher chooses a country to begin Eg. USA 2) Countries talk to each other for a few minutes 3) USA will choose which country to attack and in that country which team members 4) The other countries i.e. Bosnia, Spain and Russia will choose which 2 students will be the unprotected or vulnerable (EG Spain choose Emma and Frank; Russia choose Tom and Peter; Bosnia choose Matt and Daniel to be the targets) 5) Teacher asks USA to state who they will attack 6) One person from USA must stand up and announce USA attacks eg Bosnia 7)Then they announce USA targets Matt and Joanne 8) At this point, the 2 targets chosen by Bosnia must stand up (which were Matt and Daniel) 9) Bosnia lose Matt because he was an unprotected target but keep Daniel because USA did not choose to target him. 10) The game progresses until one country wins.