Once
the children have been familiarized with the 4 skills necessary for using
Drama strategies in the classroom, they will need to practice their "Teamwork"
skills. See "Self-Management" for
more information. The following activities will enhance the teamwork
skills and also help children to internalize the concepts of story elements,
such as "characters", "setting", "time",
"sequence",
"plot", "climax", and "resolution".
Activity One:
Statue Maker and Partner Work
Skills: Negotiation, cooperation, imagination
Put
partners in pairs, model the statue maker by showing children how one partner
will be the statue "maker", while the other partner will be the "statue",
or "clay" that the other must mold.
Review
negotiation skills, and the "Don't tell, ASK" rule. See:
"Self-Management"
for details!
Activity Two:
Working with a Book
Skills: Review of a Book Read, Comprehension, Retelling
First
put students into groups by counting off 1,2,3,4 (etc.).
Have
students create a "still life" picture of the setting. No movement or voice
is allowed. Any aspect of the book's "Setting" is allowed.
Try creating a major object in the story. Add a character interacting with that object. Remember, NO voices!
Children can guess what part of the story (in the setting) is being enacted in the groups. There is no right or wrong, this is not a competition, it is a means for leading a discussion about the book!
Activity Three:
Moments to Remember!
Skills: Interpretation, Elements of Story
Students
will enact a moment of "tension", or "climax" in the book.
Other
students will try to guess what the moment is, and also discuss whether
they agree that this is the moment of tension.
To
Review "Tools" of Drama (Voice, Mind, Body) go to:
"Self-Management" page!
