Part of the Cool Sites series
Every Friday I am presenting free webinars thanks to American TESOL! We have an incredible time. Recently, we shared ideas for integrating drama in the classroom. Teachers do not have to be skilled in acting. Instead, the webinar was away to introduce teachers to different games that get students to tap into their creative juices and get them moving! As Ken Wilson said in a recent interview with me, “Animate your classes!”
Classroom activities that include drama skills include:
- role plays
- puppets
- pretend games
- mime
- pantomine
- total physical response
- dance
- music
- dress-up
- improvisation games
- puppetry
- storytelling
- digital storytelling
Find more activities by watching this webinar, Using Drama in the Classroom!
Drama Activities & Resources
Check out these resources to help you animate your classes!
Improv Games: Videos
- Game 1: Yes And (click to watch a video example)
- Instructions:
- Put students into pairs
- One student begins with a sentence and the other student says “Yes and” then adds more information.
- Use a timer to get students speaking for 1 minute or longer.
- Game 2: Rumors (click to watch a video example)
- Instructions:
- Put students into pairs
- Student A makes up a rumor to tell student B.
- Student B adds to the rumor then both students giggle.
- Student B then makes up the rumor and student A adds to the rumor.
- Use a timer to get students speaking for 1 minute or longer.
- Game 3: Pass the Prop (click to watch a video example)
- Instructions:
- You will need an everyday object such as an eraser, a chair, a broom, or other object. You can choose to bring in as many as you want. We will use a broom as an example.
- Place students in a circle.
- Place 2 students in the center of the circle with the broom.
- Student A decides what to pretend the broom is either than a broom. For example, student A may decide the broom is a spaceship.
- Student A then demonstrates the broom is a spaceship through acting and using dialogue until student B figures this out.
- Student B determines the broom is a spaceship and plays along matching the dialogue.
- When a student in the circle imagines the object is something else that student taps student A or B and replaces that student in the skit.
- Game 4: Jibberish to English (click to watch a video example)
- Instructions:
- You will need a bell or whistle.
- Put students into pairs
- Have the pairs make up a scene or give them one. They are choosing a scene they can easily talk about so they may want something simple like going shopping, playing a sport, etc. Or you could have the scene match your lesson topic.
- Student A begins by speaking about the topic. Student B rings the bell every 10 seconds or so. When student B rings the bell, student A must speak in Jibberish (a made up language).
- Use a timer to get students speaking for 1 minute or longer.
Resources for Using Drama With Young Learners
- Serious Drama With Young Learners by Ania Kozicka on Ken Wilson’s blog
- Teaching English Vocabulary to Young Learners via Drama (PDF)
- research and activities listed
- Drama with Young ELLs
- Drama Techniques for Teaching English
- Storytelling and Drama by Carol Read
- Watching Young Learners at Work: From Practice to Principle by Marisa Constantinides
- ESL Children’s Drama Games
- Puppets in Primary
- Several Puppet Making Resources & Scripts
- Digital Storytelling- several links and resources
More Drama Resources
- My Drama Wiki with videos and more!
- Using Drama and Movement to Enhance English Language Learners’ Literacy Development
- amazing background information (8+ pages) on using Drama with English language learners. You will get a solid understanding of the benefits and pedagogical basis for various activities
- 40 Drama Resources via Sean Banville
- Roleplay Tutorial
- Several Drama and Theater Resources via Cybraryman
- Animating Stories by Marisa Constantinides
Recommended Reading
- Drama and Improvisation by Ken Wilson
- The Drama and Theatre Category of Ken Wilson’s blog
Challenge:
Try one of these ways to animate your lessons!
