Excellence in Education

DRAMATISING  ENGLISH  I  –  WARMERS,  ICE-­‐BREAKERS  AND  

TRUST  ACTIVITIES  
TRINITY  COLLEGE  WORKSHOPS  2016  
JOHN  HARROP  

 
Ra$onale    

www.trinitycollege.com/TrinityStars  
These  acDviDes  prepare  students  for  doing  drama  acDviDes  and  get  students  used  
to   working   together.   Before   starDng,   remember   to   set   up   an   agreement,   get  
students  to  agree  on  how  they  are  going  to  look  aWer  themselves  and  each  other  
during  the  acDvity.    
When   students   play,   truly   play,   there’s   the   moDvaDon   to   create   a   safe   place,   which  
inspires  good  sharing,  which  can  in  turn  sDmulate  learning...    
 
 
WARMERS  
 
Walking  Tag/Tick    
Put  the  class  into  pairs.  One  person  is  ‘it’  and  has  to  tag  his/her  partner,  who  then  
becomes   ‘it’.   There   are   just   two   rules:   you   can   only   walk,   not   run,   and   once   you  
have   been   tagged,   you   have   to   turn   360   degrees   on   the   spot.   VariaDon   is   that   once  
you   are   Dcked,   you   put   your   arms   out   and   you   are   ‘freed’   by   other   members   of   the  
class  who  run  under  your  arm  and  shout  a  key  word!  
 
Possible  context/framing:  1.Ask  the  class  how  the  ‘;ckers’  can  work  more  effec;vely  
and  talk  about  how  animals  and  people  work  beCer  as  a  team.  With  the  ‘everybody  
is   a   ;cker’   it’s   a   visual   representa;on   of   how   a   virus   can   work   and   infec;ng  
everybody  it  touches.  2.  Tell  the  students  that  you  saw  the  local/na;onal  football/
volleyball  team  training  and  this  was  an  exercise  that  they  were  doing  to  be  more  
aware  of  what  was  going  on  around  them.  
   
 Excellence in Education  

Keep  Fit  with  Froggy  

Follow  the  exercises  done  by  Froggy.  Students  reply  “Yes,  we  can”.  
Tilden,   Ruth   Author   Published   by   Orion   Children's   Books   (1999)   ISBN:  
1858811570.  
 
Possible   context/framing:   1.   Reasons   why   we   should   do   exercise   every   day.   2.  
Daily  rou;nes  3.  Personal  health.  
   

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Please  Mr  Crocodile  (YL)  
Ask   the   class   to   stand   against   a   wall   -­‐   draw   a   river   on   the   floor   in   chalk.  
Depending   on   their   level/age   ask   the   class   quesDons   relaDng   to   crocodiles  
‘Where  are  they  from?’  ‘Are  they  herbivores?’  ‘What  colour  are  they?’  ‘What  do  
they  eat?  etc    Then  stand  in  the  river  and  pre-­‐teach  as  a  chant.  
 
  Possible   context/framing:   To   finish   off   a   lesson   on   ‘dangerous   animals’   /   or  
  rep;les.  
 
   
TRUST  ACTIVITIES  
 
Human  Knot    
Put   the   class   into   groups   of   at   least   seven   and   no   more   than   15,   and   ask   the  
students   to   form   a   circle.   They   have   to   put   their   right   hands   into   the   centre   and  
find  a  hand  to  hold  (not  the  person  they’re  standing  next  to).  Then  they  do  the  
same  with  their  leW  hand.  Now  they  have  to  untangle  the  knot  without  lenng  
go.    
 
Possible   context/framing:   Talk   about   food/diges;on   and   you   have   a   blockage.  
The   students   call   “Doctor   doctor,   come   and   help   us”   -­‐   remember   to   encourage  
the  students  to  make  the  noise  of  the  ambulance.  
   
 Excellence in Education  

In  the  dark    
In   pairs,   ask   one   student   to   put   his/her   arm   around   their   partner’s   shoulders   and  
hold   them   Dghtly.   The   student   who   is   being   held   then   closes   his/her   eyes   and  
covers   them.   Tell   the   class   to   start   walking   and   the   ‘sighted’   student   has   to   guide  
his/her  partner  and  avoid  bumping  into  anybody  else.  
 
Possible   context/framing:   1.   As   part   of   a   lesson   on   emo;onal   intelligence.   2.  
Brainstorm   posi;ve   adjec;ves   aQer   the   ac;vity.   3.   A   way   to   introduce   the   book  
‘The  Hungry  Caterpillar’  4  A  lesson  on  insects  and  arthropods.  

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Human  Seat  
Tell   the   class   to   form   a   very   Dght   circle   (you   need   at   least   ten   people   for   this).  
Then  they  all  have  to  turn  to  the  right  and  place  their  hands  on  the  shoulders  of  
the   person   in   front   of   them.   Once   everyone   is   ready,   tell   them   to   bend   their  
knees  and  to  slowly  sit  down  on  the  lap  of  the  person  behind  them.  
 
Possible   context/framing:   1.   As   part   of   a   lesson   on   emo;onal   intelligence,  
students  talk  about  trust.  2.  The  students  form  a  caterpillar.  
   
Flying    
Split  the  class  into  groups  of  three.  One  person  puts  their  hands  on  their  hips,  the  
other  two  hold  the  person  at  the  wrist  and  under  the  arm.    
Countdown   3,2...and   at   1   the   person   in   the   middle   jumps   into   the   air   and   is  
helped  by  his/her  partners.    
 
The  Snake    
You  need  to  move  the  tables  and  chairs  back  so  that  you  have  some  space.  The  
students   form   a   line   and   place   their   hands   on   the   shoulders   of   the   student   in  
front  of  them.  Explain  that  they  now  form  a  snake  (or  cenDpede)  the  front  being  
the  head  and  the  back  being  the  tail.  Then  everybody  closes  their  eyes  except  for  
the   student   at   the   front,   who   is   the   snake’s   head.   This   person   slowly   moves  
around   the   class   leading   the   rest   of   the   snake.   AWer   a   couple   of   minutes,   the  
student  who  was  the  ‘head’  goes  to  the  back  of  the  line  to  become  the  end  of  the  
tail.  
 
 Excellence in Education  

Context:  Do  at  the  end/start  of  a  lesson  on  insects  /  AQer  or  before  the  reading  of  
“The  hungry  caterpillar"  etc.  
   
Open  the  bridge  
In  two  lines,  students  face  each  other.  One  student  goes  to  the  end  and  shouts  
“Open  the  bridge”  and  runs  towards  the  line,  as  he/she  reaches  the  bridge,  the  
students  raise  their  arms  and  “Open  the  bridge”.  
 
Hot  Potato    

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You   need   a   ball   or   a   soW   toy   for   this   acDvity.   The   class   forms   a   circle   and   you   give  
out   a   ball,   which   they   pass   from   one   person   to   the   next.   AWer   a   few   seconds   you  
then  shout  “Hot  Potato!”  and  the  class  start  to  count  down  from  ten  to  one.  The  
person   who   has   the   ball   when   you   reach   number   one   has   to   go   down   on   one  
knee.  If  this  person  is  caught  again,  then  he/she  goes  down  on  two  knees.    
   
Sit  down    
With   the   class   standing   in   front   of   you,   tell   them   that   you   are   going   to   make   a  
statement   and   that   if   it   applies   to   them   they   have   to   sit   down,   eg.   “Sit   down   if   ...  
you’ve  got  blond  hair.  Sit  down  if  ...  you’re  wearing  trainers.  ConDnue  unDl  only  
one  student  is  leW  standing.  
Possible   context/framing:   To   prac;se   Y/N   ques;ons,   adjec;ves   of   descrip;on/
clothes.  
 
 
GETTING  TO  KNOW  YOUR  ACTIVITIES  
 
Phrase  chains    
The   class   forms   a   circle.   Start   by   saying   your   name,   eg.   “I’m   Maria”,   then   the  
student   to   your   right   says   his/her   name,   and   so   on.   Once   all   the   students   have  
said   their   names,   turn   to   the   student   on   your   right   and   say:   “You’re   student’s  
name”   and   then   that   student   turns   to   the   student   on   their   right   and   says   “You’re  
student’s  name”.  Encourage  the  students  to  do  this  quickly.    
VariaDon   -­‐   Use   greeDngs   “Good   morning,   Maria”.   Maria   then   turns   to   the   right  
and  says  “Good  morning,  _____”.    
   
 
 
 
 Excellence in Education  

Name  rouleNe    
Form  two  circles,  on  inside  and  on  outside.  They  move  in  two  different  ways  (one  
facing  inwards  and  one  facing  outwards)  when  you  say  ‘stop’  they  have  to  say  the  
person’s  name.    
Varia;on    
a)The  students  describe  the  person.    
b)The  students  describe  what  they’re  wearing.    
c)  Infants  just  say  “I’m  happy”  or  “I’m  angry”  .  
d)Be   happy/very   happy   to   see   someone,   talk   about   future   acDviDes,   what   he/she  

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did  at  the  weekend  etc.  
   
Remembering  Names    
Pass/throw   a   ball/beanbag,   try   to   ensure   that   everybody   receives   the   ball.   One  
way  of  doing  this  is  for  everybody  to  hold  one  hand  up  unDl  they  have  caught  the  
ball,  or  each  person  folds  their  arms  when  they  have  thrown  it.    
 
 
FOCUS  ACTIVITIES  
 
Shout!    
Tell  the  class  to  close  their  eyes  and  tell  them  that  they  are  going  to  count  up  to  
20.  The  thing  is  that  only  one  person  at  a  Dme  can  shout  out  the  number,  so  if  
two   (or   more)   students   shout   out   at   the   same   Dme,   then   they   have   to   go   back   to  
the  beginning.    
VariaDon:  Count  down  or  use  days  of  the  week  or  months  instead.    
   
Mirrors    
This  is  an  exercise  to  cool  the  class  down  and  to  focus  the  group.  Put  the  students  
in   pairs.   One   person   is   the   ‘mirror’   and   the   other   person   is   the   ‘mover’.   The  
‘mover’   does   some   acDons   very   slowly   and   the   ‘mirror’   copies   as   if   s/he   is   a  
mirror.  AWer  a  couple  of  minutes  the  pair  changes  roles.  
VariaDon:   the   same,   but   speaking.   Choose   something   you’ve   already   done   in  
class.    
 
   
 
   
 Excellence in Education  

 
Contexts:  
    Films,   actors   -­‐   how   actors   prepare   for   roles,   they   are   great   at  
observa;on.  
   
   
Sit  down  (put  your  hand  up)  in  60  seconds  
Tell   students   you   want   them   to   count   to   themselves   silently   for   one   minute   –  
then  they  sit  down/put  their  hand  up.  
 
Context:   Talk   to   the   class   about   how   they   felt/peer   pressure   eg   Why   they   got   a  
Facebook  account  (or  not)    

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Who  Am  I  Talking  About?    
Ask   the   class   to   stand   in   front   of   you   and   tell   them   that   you   have   wriqen   one  
student’s   name   on   a   piece   of   paper,   but   don’t   show   it   to   anyone,   including   the  
chosen  student.  Tell  the  class  that  they  have  to  find  out  who  it  is  by  asking  you  
yes/no  quesDons,  eg.  “Is  the  person  a  girl?”  If  the  answer  is  ‘yes’,  all  the  boys  sit  
down.  Students  conDnue  asking  quesDons  to  narrow  down  the  group  unDl  there  
is  only  one  person  standing.    
 
Context:  To  prac;se  Y/N  ques;ons,  adjec;ves  of  descrip;on  -­‐  when  the  students  
know  each  other  they  can  add  ques;ons  such  as  “Does  she  like  going  to  the  beach  
on  holiday?”  
   
Simon  Says    
The   teacher   tells   the   class   to   do   certain   acDons,   but   the   class   only   does   them  
when   it’s   preceded   by   ‘Simon   Says’.   So   if   you   say:   “Simon   says   jump”   everyone  
jumps,  “Simon  says  stop”  everyone  stops,  but  if  you  only  say  “Stop”  everyone  has  
to  conDnue  doing  the  acDon.    
VariaDon:  The  students  say  the  acDon  as  well  as  doing  it.    
   
Follow  the  leader    
Put   the   students   in   a   line,   the   person   in   the   front   is   the   ‘leader’   and   moves  
around  the  classroom.  The  rest  of  the  students  do  the  same.  Change  the  leader  
aWer  a  minute.  
   
 Excellence in Education  

Clap  
Put  the  class  in  a  circle.  Make  sure  that  they  are  watching  you  and  then  clap  once.  
Encourage   the   class   to   copy   you.   Then   clap   twice   and   wait   for   the   students   to  
copy   you   again.   Slowly   increase   the   number   and   complexity   of   the   claps.   When  
the   students   understand   the   acDvity,   nominate   one   of   the   students   to   be   the  
leader.  
VariaDon:  Add  a  different  acDon  to  the  clap,  egg.  slapping  your  thigh.  
VariaDon:   Pass   the   clap   around   a   circle.   Students   can   decide   on   the   direcDon   it  
goes  in.    

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Possible  context/framing:  Like  the  ;ck  ac;vi;es  -­‐  explain  how  you  saw  the  local/
na;onal  football/volleyball  team  doing  this  ac;vity.  
   
The  Last  LeNer    
In  a  circle,  explain  to  the  students  that  you  are  going  to  throw  a  ball  (or  a  soW  toy)  
to   somebody   and   at   the   same   Dme   say   a   word.   The   person   who   you   throw   the  
ball  to  has  to  shout  out  a  word  that  begins  with  the  last  leqer  of  that  word,  eg.  
cat  –  tomorrow  –  weather  –  rat  etc,  and  then  throw  the  ball  back  to  you.    
VariaDon.  The  student  can  throw  the  ball  to  another  student.    
   
Chinese  whispers  /  Lining  up  ac$vi$es  
Put   the   students   into   lines   of   5   or   6,   depending   on   the   size   of   the   class.   But  
instead  of  whispering,  the  students  draw  numbers,  leqers  or  shapes  on  the  back  
of   the   student   in   front   of   them.   The   student   at   the   front   of   the   line   writes   the  
number/leqer  in  the  board  and  gets  the  point.  
VariaDon:  
a)Students   line   up   alphabeDcally   –   first   name,   surname,   city   of   birth,   favourite  
fruit,  favourite  animal.    
b)Numerically,   house   number,   shoe   size,   number   of   people   in   their   family,  
birthday  etc.    
   
   
 Excellence in Education  

Finger  air  wri$ng    

To  quickly  revise  lexical  lists  –  ask  the  class  to  pretend  that  their  fingers  are  pens  
and  that  they  to  draw  in  the  air  on  an  imaginary  pad.  Eg,  Say  draw  ‘a  wardrobe,  a  
cooker,  a  bed,  a  fridge,  a  door’  etc.  Don’t  worry  too  much  if  some  of  the  students  
don’t  understand  as  it  only  takes  a  minute  to  do.  
 
Possible  context/framing:  Revision  of  lexical  lists.  
 
 

www.trinitycollege.com/TrinityStars  
 
LINKS  
 
Trinity   College   website   with   informa$on,   videos,   teaching   ideas,   lesson   plans  
for  using  drama/theatre  in  the  classroom  
hqp://www.trinitycollege.co.uk/site/?id=2953    
   
YouTube  examples  of  young  learners  singing/doing  ac$on  songs  in  English  
hqp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM4gpT9I9AE  
hqp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1ZCXz4H8CQ    
hqp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F87T1Y6vG5c&feature=related    
   
hqp://supersimplesongs.com/  (Lots  of  ideas  and  links  here)  
   
Warmers  and  Trust  Games    
hqp://inspireyourgroup.com/blog/    
hqp://www.games4youthgroups.com/trust-­‐games.html    
hqp://www.childdrama.com/warmups.html    
   
Ice  Breaker  e-­‐book    
hqp://www.inspireyourgroup.com/ebook.htm    
   
Circle  games    
hqp://www.games4youthgroups.com/circle-­‐games.html  
   
   
 Excellence in Education  

Simple  songs  for  young  learners    

hqp://www.esl4kids.net/songs.html    
   
Drama  Lesson  Plans  sorted  by  age    
hqp://www.childdrama.com/lessons.html    
   
Group  games  –  a  collec$on  of  40  games    
hNp://www.group-­‐games.com/    
   

www.trinitycollege.com/TrinityStars  
Tips  on  how  to  set  up  role  plays    
hqp://lovelearning.co.uk/uncategorized/making-­‐role-­‐play-­‐work/    
   
More  role  play  ideas  
hqp://www.learnenglish.de/Teachers/roleplays.htm    
 
Pinterest  (making/using  puppets)  
hqps://www.pinterest.com/johnyarrop/  
                               
Further  reading  
100  +  Ideas  for  Drama  by  Anna  Scher  and  Charles  Verrall.  
Drama  Starters  by  Graham  Stoate.  
A  Guide  to  ImprovisaDon  by  Ronald  James.  
Drama  with  Children  by  Sarah  Philips.  OUP.  
CreaDve  drama  in  the  classroom  and  beyond  by  N.McCaslin.  CUP.  
 
   
 
I  hope  you  enjoyed  the  session  -­‐  any  comments,  sugges$ons  or  ques$ons,  feel  
free  to  drop  me  a  line!  John  Harrop.