Drama Notebook

Beginning Acting
2009 Drama Notebook, J anea Dahl





Beginning Acting for Younger Kids
GRADES K-3

The first goal of a great acting class is to help each student in the class realize his or her own
greatness. When a person is free to truly be themselves, they can let their own creative genius
shine through.

The more traditional goals of a beginning acting class are to help young actors develop stage
presence through vocal, movement and staging techniques.

This lesson plan is divided into six sessions. Each session could take one hour, or several
weeks, depending on how much time you have to work with the students.

Each time class meets, you could start with a warm-up related to that session, go into a skill
building activity, then end with a performance of something the class worked on that day, or
something the students are preparing to perform at the end of the class.

If, for example, you are planning to perform a showcase for the parents at the end, you could
spend the session working on vocal techniques, then have the kids rehearse the piece they are
working on, giving special attention to the vocal aspect of performing. In this way, the pieces the
students are performing grow incrementally better week by week.

A brief outline for each Lesson may include:

Opening Ritual
choose one from the Opening and Closing Rituals document found in Teaching Basic Drama
section of this website.

Warm-up Game(s)
Choose one or more from the 325 Drama Games section of this website. Games are divided into
separate documents by Goals.

Skill building Game(s)
1
Choose one or more from the 325 Drama Games section of this website. Games are divided into
separate documents by Goals.

Performance Activity
Most of these are found in Skit I nspirations, in the 325 Drama Games section of this website.

Closing Ritual-choose one from the Opening and Closing Rituals document found in
Teaching Basic Drama section of this website.


Here is a brief overview of the session goals:

Lesson One
Establish rules, learn everyones names and a little bit about each other.

Lesson Two
Explore the senses.

Lesson Three
Learn about movement and how to tell a story or become a character through movement.

Lesson Four
Work on projecting voices and using voice to portray character.

Lesson Five
Explore improvisation.

Lesson Six
Create characters.
























2



LESSON ONE

Please also see: How to Teach Your First Class
in the Teaching Basic Drama section of this website.

Goals: Establish rules, learn everyones names and a
little bit about each other.



Introduce Yourself
You may choose to do this in a humorous way, such as bringing in several hats that reflect who
you are. Put them on one at a time and tell them something about you related to who you are
when you wear that hat. Then share that all of us have many different sides of ourselves. When
we are acting, we get to bring out all of our different characteristics. Have fun with this!

Go Over Rules and Goals of Class

Begin by asking what their regular school rules are, and remind them that they apply here as
well. Ask the kids to determine their own rules, then you may wish to come up with some of your
own rules/goals, such as:
-Share that we have an attitude of no put-downs--we are all here to be creative and to support
one another in the process. There are no rights and wrongs in acting.
-Impress the importance of acting responsibly/respectfully toward other members of the class.
-Talk about learning to share responses with other students in a positive way.
-Emphasize that the class environment is a safe place to take risks/be yourself.
Learn Names
Choose any of the activities below, or make up your own, or read through How To Teach Your
First Class, for more ideas.
Circle of Names or Name Chain
Everyone sits in a circle. One Player starts by saying his name and then add, and I like Fill in
whatever you want: pizza, hiking, musicGo around the circle clockwise. Each person in turn
repeats the name of each person who has gone before and what that person likes. He then adds
his own name and what he likes. The last person has the hardest task, but everyone will be
asked to help or correct each others memories as you go, so its a challenge for all. Variations:
For the younger kids, have them repeat the names of their fellow Players as a group. For a larger
group, just use the names, dont add, and I like




3


Name and Movement
Everyone stands in a circle. First player says her name and makes a gesture, such as throwing
her hands up, or twirling around. It should be something that expresses herself. All other players
then say her name and make her movement!

Name Ball Toss
Everyone stands in a circle. One player holds a Nerf ball and says his name. He then says the
name of another actor that he is going to toss the ball to, and does so. Continue this game until
all players have had a turn. You can up the excitement by playing at a faster pace, and having
outs if a player says a wrong name, or hesitates for too long. Note: Remind the players to
rehearse in their minds who they are going to throw the ball to. See how much smoother and
faster it goes.


Talk About Acting

Ask the kids what they think that acting is. There are many schools of thought, and many
methods that apply here. If you have a theater background, you may have studied a particular
technique. If you have no drama experience, you have almost certainly have acted many times
in your life. For the purpose of this lesson plan, we are going to focus on embracing imagination
and sense memory to teach acting. I n this sense, children are already naturally accomplished
actors! All children play make-believe and pretend.

As we grow up, most of us abandon our childhood dream-worlds in order to cope with reality.
Any actor can put on a costume, memorize some lines, and say them loudly enough for everyone
to hear. A great actor will make you believe that he is, in fact, in a saloon surrounded by ruffians,
not on a hot stage in Denver. He makes you believe because he believes. He has re-entered that
zone that children enter naturally. Explain to the kids that they have already been acting today.
During Zoo Party, they had an opportunity to become an imaginary character.

Acting basically means playing pretend to such a degree and involving all of the senses that
you believe you are somewhere/someone else which in turns makes your audience believe.

Talk about it!

What are your favorite pretend games?
Are you ever in one place while imagining you are somewhere else?
How is playing pretend different from playing video games or watching TV?
Have you ever seen a play?
How is theater different from dance, music and visual art?
Besides acting, what else goes into creating a play? (Set, props, costumes,
sound, light, etc.)


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Get to Know Each Other
Choose any of the activities below, or make up your own, or read through How To Teach Your
First Class, for more ideas.
Animals Loose in the Zoo
Tell the kids that in a minute, they are all going to become animals loose in the zoo. Before
class, print out two copies of the Animals printout in the LI STS section of this website. Cut
them apart and put in enough pairs to match exactly the number of kids in the class. If you are
working with an odd numbered group, you may choose to put in one group of three, or have a
partner yourself. Kids pick an animal out of the hat. On your signal, they move about the space
as if they are that animal. You can make this a silent game and have the kids just move like that
animal, or you could let them add sound. The goal is for each actor to find their partner.

Wacky I nterviews
Once the animals are in pairs, kids get to interview each other. I n a moment, they will each have
a chance to go up in front of the class in pairs and introduce the other person. They will say the
other persons name, and something they found most interesting about them. Encourage kids to
ask questions such as: Whats the best thing that ever happened to you? What is your favorite
dessert? What is a food you cannot stand?
Favorites-Kids move about the space. When you chime a bell or clap your hands, they must find
someone who has the same favorite color! Then keep going.

Favorite flavor of ice cream
Favorite holiday
Favorite food
Favorite season
Favorite animal
Favorite TV show

If kids do not find a partner, they must shout out their favorite before you start the kids moving
on to the next one.

Group Shape
The aim is to make one abstract shape out of the whole group. One person goes into the centre
of the circle and makes a shape with his body. Another person finds a way of adding herself into
the existing shape in any way she likes. One at a time, the rest of the group come into the circle
and become part of the group shape. Ask people to think about how their shape compliments or
contrasts with existing shapes. Encourage the use of different levels, low medium and high. If
you have a camera, it is often worth taking a photo of the finished shape. Now ask everyone to
become aware of the exactly where they are in relation to everybody else, which parts of their
body are in contact with other people or with the floor and how they are balanced. Everybody
returns to their places around the circle. On a given signal every person moves in slow motion
into the space at the same time to recreate the group shape as exactly as possible. Once the
shape has been recreated, ask if students feel that they are in exactly the same place as before.
It is rare that they do.

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LESSON TWO

Goal: Develop sensory awareness.

Choose any of the activities below, or make up your
own.

There is also a print and play game called
Sensory Pantomimes that you can use with
this session.




Physical/Vocal Warm-Ups

All actors start by getting centered in their bodies and warming up their voices. Here are a couple
of activities that accomplish getting physically warmed up. You may want to try all of the various
warm-ups that will be offered in these lesson plans and settle on one that seems to fit you and
your students. You can offer variations, but repeating the same great warm-up can allow kids to
really absorb the benefits and maybe use the technique as a relaxation tool later in life. Always
start by calling, actors neutral! Follow the physical warm-up with the basic vocal warm-up
during every session.

Actors Neutral
This is a stance in which the actor stands up straight, feet hip-width apart, arms hanging loosely,
looking straight ahead. Think of it like at ease in the army, but with arms hanging loosely.

Touching the Sky
Group stands in a circle, or scattered around the room. Say something like: Imagine that you
are a tree. Let your arms become branches that grow until they reach up toward the sky. Your
fingers are the leaves at the top of the tree, very high up, reaching, reaching toward the sun and
the clouds. Feel the reaching all the way down your trunk. Your legs are reaching too. You are
standing on your tiptoes, but your roots are still in the earth. You are stretching with your whole
body.

Focus Warm-Up

Count to Ten
Sit or stand in a circle. The idea is for the group to count to ten one person saying one number at
a time. Somebody is chosen to start the count. Anybody can say the next number - but if two or
more people speak at the same time, counting must start again from the beginning. It is possible
to get to ten if everybody really concentrates - but try and be relaxed as well.

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Skill Building Activities

Sensory Walks
(If you cannot take your group out of the space, this activity may be done in the space you are
in.)
Sound Walk-Take the young actors on a journey (outside) or around the building you are in.
Invite them to listen for as many sounds as they can hear. This is a silent game. Upon returning
to the teaching space, sit in a circle and have actors state the sounds they heard. You dont need
to go in a circle. Ask kids not to repeat, but to add new sounds that they heard.
Variations:
Sight Walk
Make this a fairly short journey, or stay in the original space. Kids move about the space
and notice how many things they see. Really look at everything. Look at the details, the
shapes, the colors.

Smell Walk
Go outside and take a walk around the outside of the building. Invite kids to become
aware of their breath. How it flows in and out and what kind of smells they become
aware of. When you are back in the space, ask them what it felt like to focus on
breathing. Had they ever done that before? Then invite students to name the smells they
noticed. One at a time, no repeats and you dont need to go in a circle.

Touch Walk
Invite kids to use their hands to notice how their world feels. Touch the grass and really
notice everything about it. Touch the outside of the building, or the play structure. Touch
rocks, and the path that they are on. What do they notice about the asphalt? This is a
silent game. When you go back inside, ask kids what new things they noticed about their
world. What surprised them. Ask them to name textures and temperatures one at a time.

Taste
This one is usually done by bringing in a variety of different things to taste in little muffin
cups, for example. Pass around things such as M & Ms, grapes, small pretzels, small
cubes of cheese, etc.. Choose a variety of different textures and flavors. This is a silent
game. When items have been tasted, ask kids to name flavors and textures they noticed.
Ask if they noticed anything new. What surprised them?

Variation: For the taste activity, have the actors put on blindfolds or close their eyes
and put a little paper plate in front of them. There are five things on a plate in front of
you. Find one item and taste it. Be aware of the texture, the temperature. Is it sour?
Sweet? Is it both? Even if you already know what it is, notice everything about it. In a
circle, have the kids name just the tastes they experienced...not the actual food. When
all the tastes have been offered, ask "What did you notice?" "What surprised you?" "Did
you notice something new about something you tasted today?" "How will this change the
way you eat or experience food?" "How would actors use this activity?"


7

Memory
Assemble a tray of random items. Show it to the kids for one or two minutes. Ask them to
remember as many things as possible. After you take it away, see if the group as a class can
name all of the items on the tray. Each person only gets one turn, but students do not need to
go in any particular order. You may want to make sure that there are more items on the tray
than kids in the class so that each actor has a chance to name an item.

Concentration
(This is a variation of Sight Walk.) A concentration circle is set up. Actors look around them for
say, two minutes, in which they must find as many colors, shades, shapes and details as they
can. These can be a table, then end of a floorboard, a corner of the wall, another students face,
a detail of a hand, a white leaf, etc.. Then they close their eyes and one at a time say everything
they saw.

Blind Walk-Noises
The group divides into pairs. One partner will be blind the other will be her guide. The guide
makes an animal-like noise, like a cat, a dog, a bird, or a made-up animal. Her partner listens.
Then, all the blind people close their eyes and all the guides start making their noises, which
their blind partners must follow. When the guide stops making the sound, the blind person
should stop moving. The guide is responsible for the safety of his blind partner, he must stop her
(by ceasing to make his sound) if she is in danger of colliding with another blind person or
bumping into an object or wall. He should change his position frequently. I f his blind charge is
good if she is managing to follow him, the guide should move as far away as possible. The
blind person must concentrate on her own noise, even when there are lost of other noises all
around her.

Change Three Things
In pairs, actors observe one another. Notice everything about your partner. Then instruct
players to turn back to back. Each person must change three things about him/herself. It can be
that one player unties her shoe or switches the part in her hair. Players turn back toward each
other and take turns noticing what has changed.

Performance Activities

Narrative Pantomime
This is a simple activity that can be done with any story, whether from a book or not. At its
simplest, it works like this: Each person finds his own personal space in the room. There will be
no interaction between the children--each is in his own story. As the teacher reads or tells a
simple story, each person, on his own, "acts it out." Ordinarily there would be no sound, since
that would make it hard to hear the story, and there are no props of costumes. Each student
simply goes through the physical movements of protagonist of the story, and concentrates on the
five senses--on really "experiencing" the character's adventures.




8

LESSON THREE
Goals: Develop body awareness and spatial relationships
As the students come in, you can be moving your body slowly,
playing the mirror game. Try to get the players to join you
without speaking. When everyone has arrived, you can have a
circle time check-in. You can use the time to talk about being
aware of how your body moves, and being aware of your
relationship to others.

Physical/Vocal Warm-ups

Repeat Touching the Sky and Sock Monkey from Lesson
Two.

The Yawn Sigh
In a circle, each actor opens his/her mouth wide and takes a deep breath while yawning. When
exhaling, players let out a low-pitch sigh. This opens up the throat and relaxes the jaw and
face. Upon exhale, have them release any tension in their faces, shoulders, and arms. Repeat a
few times.

Motorcycle
Players vibrate their lips, making the sound of a motorcycle. They take the sound from high to
low and back up again.

Rubber Band
Players pretend that their mouths are rubber bands that stretch right, left, up down, drawn in like
an old person, pursed out like a fish, wide open, then stretching in all directions. Players make
their faces very small, pushing every feature to a single point. Then make their faces very big,
pushing all features out like an inflated balloon. Players smile a big, dumb smile, frown a big,
angry frown, put on a sneer. Players chew a big wad of bubble gum.

Focusing Warm-Up

Repeat Counting to Ten as a Group from Lesson Two, or try this new one:

Mirror
Put kids in pairs. One player leads other player follows, then players switch. You may also coach
them to mirror each other with no leader.



Variation:

9
Lifting a Mirror
For this game, you need a long piece of rope. Tie a knot in it and place it in a circular
shape on the floor. The group stands round it and everyone gets ready to pick it up. Now
imagine that it is a large circular mirror. The groups task is to pick it up together, lift it to
waist height and put it down again without losing the illusion of the mirror. I n other
words, everyone must work together with awareness to keep the mirror level. Once they
have accomplished it, they could try again, lifting it higher and perhaps tilting it, using
eye contact or under the leaders guidance.

Skill Building Activities

Space Walk
This activity helps actors to get to know their space as well as practice using their bodies in
different ways. Establish clearly defined boundaries for the players to stay inside.

Have Players move about the room, paying attention to the space around them.
Keep walking. Only now pretend you are walking through pudding. Think about what it feels like
and how your body would move through pudding. For example, you might move more slowly
now because pudding is thicker than air. After a while, pretend the space has turned into clouds.
Think about what it feels like, and how you might walk through clouds. The space can turn into
all sorts of things. Someone is appointed the caller, and whenever she calls out, it will change the
way you move.

Suggestions for different kinds of spaces: honey; snow; water; frozen pond; mashed potatoes;
the moon; popcorn; feathers; mud; fire; taffy; pea soup,; cotton candy; marbles; a boat in a
storm.
Space Walk-Animals- (coach the kids to turn slowly into each new animal.)
Move around the room like a monkey, snake, elephant, lion, gorilla, crocodile.
Transform into each of the following making an appropriate noise: cat, lion, monkey,
dog, cow, sheep.
Trot like a horse in a field.
Run like a dog chasing and retrieving a bone.
Slither through very long grass like a snake.
Walk through the desert like a camel.
Be a monkey picking and eating a banana.
Beat your chest like a gorilla, making an appropriate sound.
Stalk a mouse, like a cat.
Move restlessly up and down a cage, like a lion impatiently awaiting feeding time at the
zoo.
10
Space Walk-Ages
Actors portray different ages and focus on how that affects their bodies. This can take
the form of an aging space-walk. Have students walk in the space, and call out ages,
progressively. You are one year old. You are a toddleryou are six years old, your first
year at schoolyou are ten years oldyou are a teenageryou are 21you are 35 with
two kidsyou are 50you are 70you are ninety.

Space Walk-Weather
Guide the kids through the experience of going outside on a blustery day. Feel the chill
around you. See your breath in the air. Hear the wind blowing against your ears.
Snowflakes begin to fall gently around you. Stick out your tonguecatch a snowflake,
and feel the chill as it melts in your mouth. Feel your fingers get icy cold through your
glovesfeel your cold toes inside your boots.
What kinds of weather do we tend to have in each season? (Sunshine, thunderstorms,
heat in Summer, fog, hurricanes, cool in Fall, snow, sleet, icy winds in Winter, friendly
rain, warm in Spring.)
Next ask the students to imagine if is Fall (for instance). Think of an essentially Fall
activity and begin to act it out. When I call out, "weather!" some kind of typical Fall
weather will take place. Each student chooses for herself or himself which kind of
weather it happens. When I call out, "weather!" everyone must react appropriately to
whatever weather they are imagining.

Freezing
Sprinkling
Muddy
Hot sand
Pouring down rain
Snowing
Sweltering hot
Blustery/windy
Crisp fall air
Fragrant springtime
Muggy-humid



Performance Activities

Interpreter
Teams of two. One person acts out a scene on how to do something, while the other person
interprets their actions. Divide into teams, and choose a topic for a how to scene. Some
suggestions are: how to tie your shoes; how to swim; show to ride a bicycle; how to make a
peanut butter and jelly sandwich; how to change a light bulb; how to change a tire; how to do
the laundry; how to put on make-up. Do not plan anything in advance. Begin your scene with the
person who is acting starting the activity. She pauses every once in a while so that the
interpreter can explain what she is doing. Continue the scene until you have finished explaining
how to do the activity.

Slide Show
Divide into teams of 4-6. One person is the presenter, everyone else is part of the slide show.
The presenter begins telling the story of her vacation. Throughout the story, she says, next slide
please. The other Players strike a pose just like people in a photo from a vacation. The
presenter uses this group pose to tell a story. The Players keep their pose, as if they are an
actual slide until the presenter says, next slide please. Then the Players change their pose, and
the presenter continues the story of her vacation, explaining this new pose as if it were the very
11
next slide from her vacation. The presenter can set up how the Players will pose by saying
something like, in my next slide you will see us climbing the mountain. Next slide please, and
the Players pose as if they are climbing a mountain. Or the presenter can let the Players create a
picture on their own by giving the next slide no introduction. I n this case, the presenter must
somehow work this new pose into the story. Continue the scene until the presenter has finished
the story of her vacation.






















12
LESSON FOUR
Goals: Cultivate good vocal technique: articulation and projection
Physical/Vocal Warm-Ups
Repeat Touching the Sky and Sock Monkey from Lesson
Two.

Repeat Yawn Sigh, Motorcycle or Rubber Band from
the last session, or try this new vocal warm-up:

Breathe Out
The whole group stands in a circle and breathes out making
an ah sound then the actors lthemselves drop as if they were deflating, ending up on the
ground, completely relaxed.

Focusing Warm-Ups

Repeat Counting to Ten as a Group or Mirror from previous lessons.

Skill Building Activities
Tongue Twisters
The brown cow found a round town in the south country.
The trustees decreed that seniors be free from fees.
A big black bug bit a big black bear; where's the big black bear that bit the big black bug
bit?
Martin's mournful music marred many memorable minutes.
Noisy new gnats know nothing about naughty knaves.
She shuddered and shook at the sight of sheared sheep.
Peter Prangle, the prickly prangly pearpicker, picked three thousand packs of prickly
prangly pears.
Vincent vowed vengeance very vehemently.
A skunk sat on a stump. The stump thunk the skunk stunk, And the skunk thank the
stump stunk. Which stunk?
13
A blue trip slip for an eight cent fare. A buff trip slip for a six-cent fare. A pink trip slip for
a three-cent fare.
He asks that the least casks and flasks be first thwacked, next burst, then mixed and
heaped around despite all risks and at last swept into the best fixed chests.
Sixteen students sat and simmered at the discourse of the social disease.
See the pretty rubber buggy- bumpers.
Amos Ames, the amiable aeronaut, sided in an aerial enterprise at the age of eighty-
eight.
The vicious villain was a victim of vindictive men.
Color Your Words
Instructor reads a list of words in a neutral voice. Players then repeat the words in chorus,
coloring them or saying them with as much expression as possible, reflecting the actual
meaning of the word.

Word List:

Cold
Warm
Freezing
Sweltering
Breezy
Still
Windy
Stormy
Calm
Thunder
Dead
Frosty
Hot
Shivering
Parched
Soggy
Angry
Happy
Mad
Glad
Sad
Tense
Nervous
Depressed
Giggly
Weeping
Laughing
Crying
Grim
Relaxed
Stern
Harsh
Soft
Crackle
Flow
Rustle
Smooth
Wavy
Brisk
Crunchy
Silky
Hard
Gentle
Crispy
Brittle
Spongy
Tender



Performance Activities
Perform Poems
Have the kids practice their vocal skills by performing short poems such as Crows on a Wire,
Giggle Poems and Noisy Poems found in the Ready to Perform section of this website.

14

LESSON FIVE
Goals: Explore improvisation (You can use most of the activities in the Printable Lists
OR Print and play for short and easy
improvisational activities for younger kids!)
Physical/Vocal Warm-Ups
Repeat Touching the Sky and Sock Monkey from
Lesson Two.

Repeat Yawn Sigh, Motorcycle, Rubber Band or
Breathe Out from the previous sessions.
Focusing Warm-Ups

Repeat Counting to Ten as a Group or Mirror from previous lessons.
Skill Building Activities
A Stick
(Goal-inviting kids to think creatively.) I n a circle, introduce an random object such as stick or a
pool noodle. Declare that it can be many things. An elephants trunk for example. Pass the
object around the circle. Each player turns it into something new (no repeats) and say a line that
goes with their choice. If the pool noodle has been turned into an elephant's trunk, the actor may
say, "Don't you love my yellow trunk?" Actors should avoid simply saying "It's an elephant trunk."
Players who are stuck can say Come back to me. Normal class rules apply: something that isnt
gross or violent, for example. Repeat with other objects.

Magic Box
Players sit in a circle. One student starts by handing the player next to him a pantomimed box. "I
have a present for you!" The player next to him accepts "Thank you!" and "opens" it. He
announces what he has found inside. "An X-box! Thank you!" He then passes a gift to the next
person. ANYTHING can be in the box. ;)Normal classroom rules of no violence, vulgarity, etc.
apply.

Variation:

Snow Treasures
Like magic box. I n our imaginations, we turn the room into a snowy winter
wonderland. I n a circle, sitting on the floor, kids call out things they see around them. A
snowman over there. A mountain. Hills with some squirrels running about. Then,
one at a time, they dig into the snow in front of them and find a treasure. Each child
proclaims what he/she found!
15

Environments
Use the Places/Environments list under LISTS. Group of four/six players onstage, or entire class
in groups of four/six around the playing space. I n this exercise a group of players will create an
environment within a few seconds such as a: dungeon; grocery store; hospital; army base. The
players can be objects in the environment, sound effects, or characters typical to that
environment. Once the environment is called out the players will create the environment. It is
done without conversing or planning. Players will become trees, rocks, birds, or characters. No
scene is started, just the creation of the environment. The 'shift' comes in when all the players
are on stage and the environment has been established. Another environment is called out and
the players must make a seamless transformation into the other environment.

Performance Activities

Instant Talent Show
For this activity, you may want to bring in a box of fun props/items such as: a cape, silly hats, a
kazoo, a pool noodle, some sort of cane/stick or pole, a fake microphone, a top hat, a wig, a
clown nose, a feather boa, a book of jokes. Ask the kids if theyve ever been in a talent show.
What kind of things have they seen in a talent show? Ask them what activities they already done
in class that they could use to perform in a talent show. Either assign a talent show
performance as homework, or give the kids ten-twenty minutes of class time to come up with
something to perform.

Postcards
Divide the class into two teams, A and B. Each team invents three places (real or imagined)they
would want to receive a postcard from. Examples might be the Grand Canyon, a Buddhist
Monastery in Tibet, and Atlantis. Team A stands, ready to improvise. A member of team B reads
the first location and team A has 60 seconds to put themselves into a "postcard" (a frozen
tableaux) that evokes the location. Teams take turns performing.











16

LESSON SIX
Goals: Develop characters using all of the above methods.


Physical/Vocal Warm-Ups
Repeat Touching the Sky and Sock Monkey from
Lesson Two.

Repeat Yawn Sigh, Motorcycle, Rubber Band or
Breathe Out from the previous sessions.
Focusing Warm-Ups

Repeat Counting to Ten as a Group or Mirror from previous lessons or try this new one:

Facial Expression Warm-up
Divide the class into groups of 8-10 and have them sit in a circle, have each student in the group
pick a different facial expression and show the others. Have one student begin by setting a beat
by clapping their hands twice on their - legs and then once together (dab dab DAH) After
establishing the rhythm the first student will do the facial expression he picked followed by the
facial expression of another student. That student will then do his own expression flowed by a
facial expression of another student, keeping in the rhythm. This will continue around the circle,
allowing them to loosen up.

Skill Building Activities
Bus Stop
This is a character-building exercise that focuses on physicality. Set up a corner bus stop in your
playing space with a bench (or 2-3 chairs). Select a small group of students to perform. Assign
each student an age to portray. The student then enters the stage, concentrating on playing the
age. Encouragement should be given for detailed physical exploration. When the first student has
established their character, cue the second to enter the playing space, then the third, and so on.
You can add conflict to the scene by adding new information, like "the bus is coming," "the bus is
very late, and so are you," "there is a sudden downpour of rain," etc. At the end of the
improvisation, the audience can guess what age the actors were assigned.


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Emotion Statues
Students stand in a circle in "actor's neutral," with their hands at their sides, feet about
shoulder's distance apart. The teacher leads the exercise by naming an emotional state, such as
nervous, or angry, or proud, etc. Students then have ten beats (each beat is about a second) to
slowly move into a posture that expresses the emotional state. At the count of ten, they freeze.
Teacher chooses another emotion and repeats the game. The emphasis here is on encouraging
the students to move very slowly and thoughtfully, and to keep adding details to their pose as
long as they have time left.

Performance Activity

Fairytale in a Minute
In small groups, ask kids to list their favorite fairytales. Write them down as they call them out.
When the list feels complete, invite each group to choose one fairytale. They have one minute to
agree, or you will choose one for them! After the minute is up, have each group write their
fairytale on an index card or a slip of paper. Now tell the groups that they have ten minutes to
figure out how to tell the story in ONE MI NUTE. Actors can be narrators, characters, furniture,
etc.. During the performance, audience members listen carefully to guess the fairytale.




















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