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exerciseTag Tea Tableaus, Cat Want's Your Corner
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ExerciseLanguage Arts Exercise
Closing.

You have been working on a read aloud book such as "The Tale of Desperaux" (I use that one because that is how I learned the lesson) and have some difficult vocabulary words. You also want to make sure that the kids UNDERSTAND the words - meaning: you want to go beyond just reciting the definition. what can you do to get them to really understand the words.**
You have a list of words that are in the book. These words have deep meanings and/or have a level of depth to them that is beyond simple repetition.
You want the students to UNDERSTAND the words, not just repeat them.
You have taken a few acting classes in college and your sister does a lot of community theater acting.
What If....
You made the words come alive?
You used a little acting to make the words real?
You asked the kids to DEMONSTRATE words and not just reproduce them on a vocab quiz?
Take one word:
MUTTERING
Do the following:
Say the word and have the students repeat
Say the word while associating a visible action with the word (hand covering mouth and turning to the side)
Then say the following with the "acting": I am not speaking loud enough for anyone to hear, I am muttering".
Then say: "I am muttering. People can't really hear me and what I am saying is not clear"
Then start to go backwards by saying "I am not speaking loud enough for anyone to hear, I am muttering"
Then say muttering with the action
Then say "muttering" without the action.
When it is time to "assess" the students understanding of the word, you can have them DEMONSTRATE instead of write down the definition.

Basically, Improvisation, or Improv for short, is "making stuff up". In the theater or drama lesson, Improv is used to encourage quick thinking, creativity, teamwork, give and take, character development, and allow the students to have fun laughing with their peers. Improvisation is as old as the hills. Documentation of improvisation techniques date back to the Renaissance and Commedia del'Arte. Students love improv and I encourage you to use it regularly. Their ability to improv will increase the more you use it. Click the link above for access to some improv games and exercises.
Exercises, Lessons, Improv
Some exercises that can be included in more than one category. Some are Improv, some can be made into a longer lesson, and some longer ones can be used as a 10 minute warm-up. You choose, experiment and see what sticks.
Reproducible Material
are some pre-made lessons thatreproducibles I have other theater teachers. You will see thatteachers - and some I left the name of the person who gave the lesson to me at the top.just compiled. As I success with oneone, try it again or send me an email explaining what worked or didn't work.

Boron keeps asking if the house is infested with ants or fleas, because it wants to kill them
EXAMPLE #2: The Primary Language Arts Lesson
You have been working on a read aloud book such as "The Tale of Desperaux" (I use that one because that is how I learned the lesson) and have some difficult vocabulary words. You also want to make sure that the kids UNDERSTAND the words - meaning: you want to go beyond just reciting the definition. what can you do to get them to really understand the words.**
You have a list of words that are in the book. These words have deep meanings and/or have a level of depth to them that is beyond simple repetition.
You have taken a few acting classes in college and your sister does a lot of community theater acting.

Bag of Randomness. This exercise requires a little prep - but no that much, because you just grab random stuff! A fun one centered on storytelling.
{Bag of Randomness.pdf}
A GREAT Advanced exercise. Fantastic Binomial - great for story telling, creative writing, playmaking, etc.
{Fantastic Binomial.pdf}
A great exercise for upper level students. Especially when you get going on Romeo and Juliet.
{Shakespearean Insults Exercise.pdf}
Be a Group Animal. Works with endless variations. Builds an ensemble and forces collaborative acting. VARIATION: Immovable Object. Instead of creating an animal, students have an immovable object that they must move across the stage. For example: An elephant, an airplane, a garbage truck, the Great Wall of China. Students must problem solve how they are going to pantomime this.
{Exercises2.pdf}
A fun "game" that ties into Pantomime. Lemonade.
{Lemonade.pdf}
BUS STOP
Four seats (or more) set up on the bus and the bus driver. Passengers are constantly rotating on and off. Make a logical pattern of seat rotation so that the passengers eventually have to rotate through the drivers seat. Have the first passenger sit closest to the door, then move to the seat behind then across the aisle and eventually in the drivers seat. Keep the action moving, but allow enough time for the character to be clearly established. Keep actors on task and advise them to keep their character not to watch the door for the new person.

or highlight. ManyIt is kind of a misnomer because many improvisations can it anyway. manyMany of these
Two very easy entry level exercises. Moving Through and Greetings.
{Exercises.pdf}

What are you doing?
Example activity. 2 teams. First person mimes action. 2nd person asks, “What are you doing?” 1st person can respond with anything but what they are actually doing. When they respond they go to the end of the line and the next person goes.
{What Are You Doing.pdf}
Join the activity/Picture
Example activity. One person. Given a large group activity. They begin to mime one piece of the activity. When others have it figured out, they join in - silently.