1) Start in a Drama circle.
Explain that you everyone will eventually count up to 20 together and as you count you will move through different emotions showing it in your voice and bodies.
Start with the Happy numbers of 1 - 5, and then introduce the Sad numbers and so on:
1 - 5 - Happy
6 - 10 - Angry
10 - 15 - Sad
15 - 20 - Happy
2) Split into two groups.
In role, announce that there is a great war coming. A war between the Giants, Knights and Wizards of this land, and that in this war there are 3 battle moves you must learn.
Teach the groups the 3 moves:
The Giant - Stomp feet like a giant saying 'Fee Fee Fo Fum'.
The Knight - Thrust forward with a sword saying 'En guard!'
The Wizard - Twirl magic wand in air saying 'Shazzam!'
In this war, in a similar way to Rock, Papers, Scissors, the Giants beat Knights, Knights beat Wizards, and Wizards beat Giants.
Give groups a moment to decide which move they will use in the first battle, and then announce the battle will commence in 3....2....1....
This should be followed by each groups move.
Play as many rounds as appropriate.
3) Start this off by passing a big smile to the person sat to your left, and then encourage it all the way around.
Using the same principle, pass further emotions or feelings.
Sad
Excited
Angry
Hungry
Scared
etc
4) It is call and response so the teacher calls out each line and then the students repeat back.
"I said a Boom"
"I said a Boom Chicka Boom"
"I said a Boom Chicka Rocka Chicka Rocka Chicka Boom"
"Uh huh"
"Oh yeah"
"One more time"
5) Split your group up into three. It doesn’t matter the size of each group.
Instruct each group to come up with three poses or “statues” which portray a story.
The three poses should represent a beginning, middle and end of a story.
Give each group around 5 minutes to prepare.
Get the class to reform and let each group perform.
Then get the rest of the class to explain what the story was about.
6) Get the students to walk around the space.
If you have a class theme choose some character appropriate to that theme and get the students to walk in that manner. For example walk like a King, Queen, Clown.
You can also do this exercise with animals. Getting the students to gradually become different animals.
You can then get the students to interact as their characters or animals, however sometimes this can result in bedlam.
Play until students start to get disinterested. It is just a simple way to get students in the mood for acting.
7) One person from the group must stand on stage and make a repetitive gesture. You can also have students add a sound to their movement.
Another student jumps up and does a different repetitive gesture.
Continue this until all the students have added to the “robot”
The students must maintain their original gesture and the goal is to create an interesting and diverse looking robot.
8) Get the students to sit in a line.
Place a chair facing away from the students.
One student is chosen to sit in the chair. He/She must then shut their eyes.
Students are then picked from the line to sneak up behind the student in the chair, and in a weird or different voice, they say: Greetings Your Majesty.
This student then returns to their seat in the line.
The student in the chair must guess which student it was.
If the student in the chair gets it right they stay in the chair, and this will continue until they get five right in a row.
If they get in wrong, however, the student who tricked them becomes the one in the chair.
This continues until the game tires.
9) Begin by telling a story to the children about an age without technology where people had to chop wood etc.
All the children then have to find some physical action, based on an old fashioned job like wood chopping, hunting, or washing clothes and begin doing this action somewhere in the room.
The teacher then leaves the room momentarily and returns as the bear.
Once the bear arrives, the students must freeze where they are, and as the bear you must try to make the students laugh.
If a student laughs they join you as a bear and you work together until you have made everyone laugh.
10) An exercises that pushes actors to focus on others. As they walk the grid, staying conscious of how they move through space, actors must choose another person to follow. They must follow that person at a distance and not let them know they are being followed. To take the exercise to the next level, actors must try to follow two people at the same time. Can the followee determine who is following them?
Explain that you everyone will eventually count up to 20 together and as you count you will move through different emotions showing it in your voice and bodies.
Start with the Happy numbers of 1 - 5, and then introduce the Sad numbers and so on:
1 - 5 - Happy
6 - 10 - Angry
10 - 15 - Sad
15 - 20 - Happy
2) Split into two groups.
In role, announce that there is a great war coming. A war between the Giants, Knights and Wizards of this land, and that in this war there are 3 battle moves you must learn.
Teach the groups the 3 moves:
The Giant - Stomp feet like a giant saying 'Fee Fee Fo Fum'.
The Knight - Thrust forward with a sword saying 'En guard!'
The Wizard - Twirl magic wand in air saying 'Shazzam!'
In this war, in a similar way to Rock, Papers, Scissors, the Giants beat Knights, Knights beat Wizards, and Wizards beat Giants.
Give groups a moment to decide which move they will use in the first battle, and then announce the battle will commence in 3....2....1....
This should be followed by each groups move.
Play as many rounds as appropriate.
3) Start this off by passing a big smile to the person sat to your left, and then encourage it all the way around.
Using the same principle, pass further emotions or feelings.
Sad
Excited
Angry
Hungry
Scared
etc
4) It is call and response so the teacher calls out each line and then the students repeat back.
"I said a Boom"
"I said a Boom Chicka Boom"
"I said a Boom Chicka Rocka Chicka Rocka Chicka Boom"
"Uh huh"
"Oh yeah"
"One more time"
5) Split your group up into three. It doesn’t matter the size of each group.
Instruct each group to come up with three poses or “statues” which portray a story.
The three poses should represent a beginning, middle and end of a story.
Give each group around 5 minutes to prepare.
Get the class to reform and let each group perform.
Then get the rest of the class to explain what the story was about.
6) Get the students to walk around the space.
If you have a class theme choose some character appropriate to that theme and get the students to walk in that manner. For example walk like a King, Queen, Clown.
You can also do this exercise with animals. Getting the students to gradually become different animals.
You can then get the students to interact as their characters or animals, however sometimes this can result in bedlam.
Play until students start to get disinterested. It is just a simple way to get students in the mood for acting.
7) One person from the group must stand on stage and make a repetitive gesture. You can also have students add a sound to their movement.
Another student jumps up and does a different repetitive gesture.
Continue this until all the students have added to the “robot”
The students must maintain their original gesture and the goal is to create an interesting and diverse looking robot.
8) Get the students to sit in a line.
Place a chair facing away from the students.
One student is chosen to sit in the chair. He/She must then shut their eyes.
Students are then picked from the line to sneak up behind the student in the chair, and in a weird or different voice, they say: Greetings Your Majesty.
This student then returns to their seat in the line.
The student in the chair must guess which student it was.
If the student in the chair gets it right they stay in the chair, and this will continue until they get five right in a row.
If they get in wrong, however, the student who tricked them becomes the one in the chair.
This continues until the game tires.
9) Begin by telling a story to the children about an age without technology where people had to chop wood etc.
All the children then have to find some physical action, based on an old fashioned job like wood chopping, hunting, or washing clothes and begin doing this action somewhere in the room.
The teacher then leaves the room momentarily and returns as the bear.
Once the bear arrives, the students must freeze where they are, and as the bear you must try to make the students laugh.
If a student laughs they join you as a bear and you work together until you have made everyone laugh.
10) An exercises that pushes actors to focus on others. As they walk the grid, staying conscious of how they move through space, actors must choose another person to follow. They must follow that person at a distance and not let them know they are being followed. To take the exercise to the next level, actors must try to follow two people at the same time. Can the followee determine who is following them?