AN INTRODUCTION TO CLASSROOM DRAMA

Rationale:

The use of Drama in our classrooms is fundamental as it invigorates other subject areas.

Consider using drama as part of a major presentation, eg the culmination of a social studies unit.

Drama (and movement and mime) gives balance and adds depth to our whole language programme as well as being a creative activity in its own right.

Drama stimulates the imagination of our pupils and should not be neglected in our classrooms.

The following activities are designed to help you start out with drama, develop your confidence and allow your pupils to begin to develop skills in the medium.

Always use the beginning activities to start off each session and then choose some of the activities from each section for each lesson that suit your class level. Start off with individual activities and finish off your lesson with pair and group activities.

SET THE GROUND RULES

Before you start it is wise to establish some ground rules - to help the pupils enjoy their experiences and to preserve your sanity - especially if it is new to all concerned.

Establish the boundaries where the explorations will take place. If using a school hall, mark out only about a third of the floor area (with forms) as initially children will not be able to cope with a large area. Children do not cross the boundaries.

Establish a stop signal, eg two hits on a drum. This means freeze in the position you are in. children really 'love to freeze'.

Establish a no talking rule (unless the activity involves this) and insist on quiet concentration. Drama is not a noisy time, in fact it's quieter than maths!

If using locomotor movement as part of the activities, establish the direction of movement for everyone, eg clockwise.

Establish a no touching rule unless the activity calls for this and everyone works in their own space.

Sample Activities for Developing Confidence: WARM-UPS

Move slowly out into the area and find a space all by yourself. You will know it is your space because you won’t be able to touch anyone else.

Stretch up ashigh as you can.

Crouch down and make yourself as small as you can.

Become as wide as you can.

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITIES (Choose from the following)

Use a drill and a screw driver to screw in your nameplate on your front gate. Make sure you get it straight. Stand back and admire your work.

Climb carefully up a tall tree to the top branches. They get thinner towards the top so be careful. When you get there, enjoy the wonderful view. A breeze comes up and the tree begins to sway a little. Climb carefully down to the ground. Show that you are pleased to be safely on the ground.

Become an elephant in a circus. Show how heavy you are by walking around the circus ring. Now climb slowly up on to the circus stool and raise your trunk.

Make and eat your normal breakfast. What utensils do you use? What are you eating? How do you prepare it? Sit down and enjoy it. Remember your manners!

Walk across a pond using stepping stones. Be careful not to slip and fall in.

Become a cat lying in the warm sun.

Turn yourself into a swan swimming gracefully on a still lake. Become a frog jumping over water lilies in a pond.

Very carefully, paint the shed door.

Pretend to be a bucket of water. Spill over and cover the ground around you.

With your dog, try to herd a flock of sheep through a paddock gate.

Scramble up a steep sandhill at the beach. Tumble down the sandhill to the bottom. Brush yourself off.

Make the first letter of your middle name with your body. Can others guess what the letter is?

Try to make your way through very thick bush.

Become a mountain climber moving very carefully along a long narrow ledge. Try not to look down.

Become a rock, now change to become a waterfall, become the wind, now a bird, now a tree. Change into an insect climbing up the tree.

Become a beautiful bush fern, now become a bush creeper winding around trees. Become a flower opening up slowly as the sun rises. Become a spiky cactus in a desert.

Walk around the room following your elbow then - foot - hand - finger. Remember wherever the part of your body goes, you follow. Don't bump in to anyone else.

Row a boat across a river. Now haul the boat up on to the bankand relax to recover from all the effort.

Type a letter on a computer to a friend. Print it out, put it in an envelope, attach a stamp and take it down to the corner to post.

Run a warm bath. Get in slowly and totally relax as the warm water covers you. Don't forget to wash your hair.

Chop some kindling wood. Now set and light a fire.

Become a boiling Rotorua mud pool. Make the noises of the plopping mud. Now become shooting geysers.

Sew on a shirt button without pricking your finger.

Take a walk along the beach. What do you see? What do you pick up? Show that the sand is hot. Go for a swim. Try bodysurfing in on a wave. Clear the water from your ears.

PAIR AND GROUP ACTIVITIES

Play a game of table tennis with a friend. Take it in turns to keep the score. Now try playing a game of tennis.

Gather together in a group of at least five people. One person becomes the leader of the brass band and the others follow down the road playing their instruments. Make sure that other groups can guess what instrument you are playingby the way you are holding and playing it. Try this first without sounds

Play many different instruments to a group. Ask your friends to try and guess what instruments you are playing. Now the whole group becomes a rock band performing at a huge concert

Build a snowman with a friend. Put on a hat and scarf on the snowman. Don't forget to smooth the snow. You get bored with this and it turns into a snowball fight. The snow is very cold when it goes down your neck

Haul in a very heavy net of fish from the sea with your friends. Untangle the fish from the net and put them in baskets. Use different baskets for different types of fish

Play a game of marbles with a friend

In pairs become a person interviewing a person for a job. If you are being interviewed, convince the interviewer that you are the right person for the job. Swap places

Make a speech to an audience to convince them that they should elect you to the local Council or to Parliament

In a small group, discuss your parents. What do you like about them? How could you improve them? Now become your parents discussing you

You and a friend have come across a road accident. What do you do?