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Introduction Welcome to the exciting world of teaching drama to kids! This lesson plan will give you everything you need to know to be able to successfully teach your first drama class for kids of any age. If you are teaching drama this year, be sure to register for a risk-free trial of Drama Notebook. The materials inside will dramatically reduce your planning time and delight your students!

Inside of Drama Notebook you’ll find over 2,500 of well-organized, high quality drama lesson plans, games, activities and more!

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• 75 Print and Play Games • Beginning Acting Section

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• And Much More!

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How to Teach Your First Drama Class!

Here are the basic goals to cover during your first class. Several different fun and exciting ways to accomplish each goal are listed in this lesson plan. Simply choose the one(s) that appeal the most to you!

Goals of the First Class

Create an Imaginative Opening Introduce Yourself

Learn Names Build Ensemble

Talk about Acting Establish Classroom Rules

Perform a Short Pantomime Introduce a Closing ritual

Create an Imaginative Opening To make the drama class experience magical and full of wonder, you may want to come up with a way of inviting kids into the room for the very first class. Here are three examples: Imaginary Places Turn the lights down and play some instrumental music. Invite the kids to move about the room in time to the music. Ask them to listen closely and imagine what kind of place the music reminds them of. They can “pretend” to be in that place as all of the other students arrive. When every child is present, gather the students into a circle and let them know that they have already been acting! Then go around the circle and ask each child to say his/her name, and tell the rest of the class which place he/she was imagining. Let the kids know that the essence of theatre is using their imaginations to create different places and people wherever they are! The Campfire Designate an area of the room where the group routinely meets in a circle. Create an imaginary fire in the middle of the circle. Dim the lights and invite the kids to sit around the ‘campfire’ with their snacks. You may choose to tell a story, or ask for each child to contribute something such as telling the class about a time when they felt really scared, or something that no one else knows about them. A ‘talking stick’ is a really great item to have on hand for campfire time.



The Tree Provide enough paper and colored markers for everyone. Invite the kids to enter the room and join the circle and start drawing a tree. It can be any kind of tree. Any color, any shape, any design. When all the kids have arrived, and have finished their trees, have the students place them on the floor either in a big wide circle, or in random places around the playing space. This is our tree ‘gallery.’ In silence, invite the players to walk around the gallery looking at the trees. Eventually have them stop at a tree that is not their own, but one they feel is like them. Then have them find a tree that is very different from them. Then invite the kids to join you in a sitting circle. Ask them what they noticed. Explain that just like us, every tree is different and that in this class, there are all kinds of people with all kinds of viewpoints and that all of us are unique. Explain that no one is ever right or wrong… and in this class, we appreciate each other’s differences.

Introduce Yourself Introduce yourself and share a little bit about why you are offering drama club or why you are putting on a play. Share a personal story about theatre and how it helped you grow and change. If you don’t have a theatre experience, use an experience from another area of your life and relate it to why you are offering this class now. Announce next that we will be learning each other’s names. Pick one of the name activities below that is easy for you to understand and seems fun to do!



Learn Names

Name and Action Game This is classic theatre game used for name memorization! Have students stand in a circle. One at a time, each student states his name and makes an action that reflects his personality. In unison, the rest of the class repeats the student’s name and action. For a more challenging version, have one person say his name and do an accompanying action. The person to his right then repeats it, and says her name and makes her action. The third person repeats the first two and then adds her own. This continues around the circle. The last person will have to remember all of the names and actions of the entire group! Circle of Names 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, music…Go 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 other’s memories as you go, so it’s a challenge for all. For the younger kids, have them repeat the names of their fellow players as a group. For a larger group, just use the names, don’t add, “and I like…” Group Juggle Have students stand in a large circle with plenty of room between each person. This may be accomplished by having each person grab the elbows of the person next to them and then dropping their arms. Next, have players to toss a soft ball or small stuffed animal back and forth across the circle in no particular order. After players become accustomed to the flow of the game, introduce a second and possibly third ball into play. Tell students that it is the responsibility of the person throwing the ball to make sure that the receiver catches it. Slow down or speed up the game depending on how well the group is doing.

Group Juggle Name Game In a circle, players toss a ball back and forth across the circle after calling out the name of the person being thrown to. Coach players to include everyone. Say, “Notice who hasn’t been thrown to in a while. Toss to a different person each time!”

Ask! What helped us achieve our task?

What stood in the way? What happened when I suggested that it was your responsibility to ensure that your partner caught the ball? How is this like real-life teamwork?



Greetings Have the entire group form two lines facing each other. Each side is given a line, such as “Hi, how are you?” And the players on the other side say “Fine, thank you.” The leader calls out a way of greeting such as “Greet each other as if you are old friends.” Next, the players walk toward each other, meet in the middle and deliver their lines ‘in character.’ The point of this game is to show how one line of dialogue can change dramatically given different characters and situations. Be sure to also check out ‘Open Scenes’ listed alphabetically below in this document for another way to play this game!

Examples of Ways to Greet Each Other:

Like old enemies Like snobs Like long lost friends Like people in a big hurry, but friendly Like rude people in a big hurry Like business executives Like old people Like young children Angrily Sadly, crying As if on a cold day As if on a sweltering hot day Like they are drunk While giggling With accents Like suspicious spies Like robots Too much coffee Like Martians Rock stars Cheerleaders On the edge of a cliff Someone you know a secret about

Zombie Players start in a circle and one person is chosen to be the ‘zombie.’ The zombie begins walking another player with his hands out in front of him. If he reaches the person and touches him, he is out. Players can stop the zombie by calling out the name of another person in the circle before the zombie touches them. When another person’s name is called out, the zombie must start moving toward that person. Again, the newly named player will have to call out the name of a different player in the circle. If the zombie touches a victim, or if a player calls out the name of a player who is already out, she becomes the new zombie! Inside Drama Notebook, there are 15 more fantastic name games, some on video and

some ready to print out and play!



Build Ensemble Creating a sense of trust among members of your class or troupe is essential to bringing out each student’s highest creativity. The following activities are designed to help your group get to know one another while creating a sense of shared experience. Don’t worry about which one of these will work best, instead, choose activities that appeal to you. The Line Game This game is on video in Drama Notebook! This is a great first class icebreaker. Come up with a list of ways for students to line up. Call them out one after another, but tell students that they cannot speak to one another. This is a silent game! When the line is finished, go along the line checking their accuracy. Make comments if something stands out. For instance, if a student has 25 pets, bring her up in front of the class and ask about them. Stopping every once in a while to ask questions or point something out helps kids learn more about each other.

Ways to line up:

“Line up according to height. Tallest on this end, shortest on this end, go!” “Line up according to your birthday. January on this end, December on this end, go!” “Line up according to number of brothers and sisters. Most on this end, least on this end, go!” “Line up according to the number of pets you have. Most on this end, least on this end. Fish count, but dead pets don’t!” “Line up according to how many video games you own. Most on this end, least on that end. Go!” “Line up according to how far you’ve traveled from home in your life. Longest distance on this end, shortest on that end. Go!” “Line up according to the number of books you’ve read. Most on this end, least on that end. Go!”

Or Try This!

Divide the students into two equal groups. Announce an order that you wish them to line up in, first group to finish their line correctly wins.



Big Wind Blows (Ideally requires chairs or some way of marking places). Someone in center declares something that is true about themselves. For example: “A big wind blows for everyone who loves to sing.” Then, everyone who loves to sing must run from their place and find a new place. Someone is then stuck in the middle again.

Or try this!

From One Side to the Other This game is on video in Drama Notebook One of the challenges with “Big Wind Blows” is that everyone is so concerned with finding another spot that they often don’t notice who shares their interests. Try having the class stand on one end of the playing space. One person goes to the other side and declares something that is true about them. Anyone who shares their interest joins them. players notice who is with them and who is left behind. This version of the game lacks the frenetic energy of the traditional “Big Wind Blows,” but it allows participants to actually get to know the other players (which is the point of the original game).

The Interview Game Have students pair up with someone who they don't know very well. Instruct students to take turns interviewing their partners for just a few minutes. Here are some sample questions (for younger kids, give no more than three):

What is your name? What is your favorite hobby? What is your least favorite food? If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? What is your favorite movie? What are you afraid of? What is your favorite season and why? If you were stranded on a desert island, what one thing would you take with you? If you could only have one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Encourage students to try and discover and remember as many details as possible. After they’ve interviewed each other, students can take turns in pairs going up onstage and introducing their partner. This is a great way to get kids to stand up in front of each other right away, while simultaneously allowing audience members to learn more about their classmates. People Maps Create a huge outline of the US with rope or blue tape. One at a time, invite kids to stand approximately where the state they were born in is! If they were born out of the country, they must stand outside the US in the direction of their country.

Or try this!

• Human map showing the farthest you have traveled. • Map of where most of their ancestors come from.



• Arts integration unit-kids are assigned a country in Europe or Africa or South America. They form a people map of that country. One at a time, they can leave their country and “explore” other countries. Kids have to come up with a statement about their country if the explorers ask!

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.

More Favorites! 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. Story of Your Name One at a time in a circle, players take turns telling the story of their names. If a player does not know the story, or if it is something they do not wish to share, they can lie!

Add to it!

Story of your pet’s name Story of your nickname Story of your online name or gamer name What you would want to name your children and why

Sun or the Moon Put kids in a in a single line in the middle of the playing space (like a recess line). They will be asked if they are “the sun, or the moon?” They move to one side of the playing space for “sun” and the other side for “moon.”

Say, "Use your imagination. There are no right and wrong answers." Encourage students to simply choose which of the two best describes them. After the choice is offered, kids will move into two lines, to the right or left of the original line. Allow students ONE chance to stay in the middle; that means that they are equally SUN and MOON, or whatever the choice was. If you are working with a smaller group or have extra time, you may wish to invite random students to explain their choices throughout the game.



Ideas for Choices!

Sun or moon Hammer or nail Racket or ball Banana or candy bar Child or old man Jeans or a suit Egg white or egg yolk Dog or cat Cube or ball Present or future Rock group or string quartet Yes or no Mountain or valley

Teacher or student Question or answer Leather jacket or sweatshirt Black or white Leaf or wind Pencil or eraser Earthquake or snowstorm Tortoise or hare City or country Dictionary or picture book Ice cream or cake TV or Radio Present or Future

World’s Greatest Questions In pairs, kids take turns asking one of these questions that you have written on the board or handed out on a piece of paper. Then they switch partners. They can ask a different question each time they change partners, or they can keep asking the same question! These are also available ready to print in a document in LISTS “Interview in Pairs Questions.”

More Questions!

If you were to choose a new name, what would it be? If you could take a vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go? If you could turn into an animal right now, what would you be and why? If you had a million dollars, what is the first thing you would buy? What is the greatest thing that ever happened to you? If you had one wish, what would you wish for…except more wishes? If you could have one magical power, what would it be?



Talk about Acting If you are leading a drama club, or teaching your first drama class, this short intro works great! If you are doing some other project, go ahead and use this time to give a brief description of the project and what the kids will be doing. Gather the kids in a quiet area of the room, or in the opening circle area. Ask students 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. In this sense, young people are already naturally accomplished actors! All kids 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 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.

Ask!

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.)



Establish Classroom Rules

Read Classroom Management Strategies provided in the Teaching Basic Drama section of the Drama Notebook website for great tips and suggestions about how to present and implement rules, and for strategies in dealing with behavioral problems.

The very best way to present the rules is to have the kids tell YOU what the rules are. Kids already know. You may want to write down what they say on a poster board and have each kid sign it somewhere. Put the poster board up whenever you hold class. “Okay, now, we are going to go over the rules. But I don’t like to be the one to make all the rules. How about you guys decide what our rules should be!” Kids will always give you a great set of rules. You can add “Be kind and supportive to one another.” Or “There are no wrong ways or wrong answers in acting!”

Perform a Short Pantomime Kids will want to perform something during the very first class. These short pantomimes are a perfect way to get your group onstage! Team Pantomime There is an entire section in Drama Notebook packed with pantomime activities! Divide Players into teams of four. Hand each team a card with a general activity written on it. Make sure that all actors know they are to pantomime the activity, and not to speak. Give the teams a couple of minutes to plan, ask that each person do a different task related to that activity. If you use space objects, be sure to establish their shapes and keep them the same throughout. Team Pantomime-Occupations Divide Players into teams of four. Each team will have a couple of minutes to come up with an occupation that involves a group. Such as: firemen; road workers; basketball players; construction workers; emergency room physicians; etc. Teams have one minute onstage to act out their occupations.




Ten Second Tableaus In small groups. A scene is called out and the group has to create an image of that location, while the leader counts down slowly from ten to zero. Usually every group will find a different way of depicting the scene.

Examples:

School Settings Teacher’s Lounge School Office Cafeteria Playground Last Day of School Assembly Detention Nature Settings Beach Desert Forest Mountain Ocean The Moon Under Water A Park Urban Settings Busy Hair Salon Fire Station Grocery Store Bank Restaurant Gas Station Jail Movie Theatre Amusement Park Zoo Public Library Rock Concert

Inside Drama Notebook, there are literally hundreds of

performance games, drama activities and ideas!



Introduce Closing Ritual One way to help your students bond and get centered is to come together as a group at the end of the class. If you can come up with a way that suits your personality, it’s great! There is a worksheet called “Opening and Closing Class Rituals” that is full of ideas on the Drama Notebook website. Here are a few ideas! ‘I Am’ Poems This is a beautiful way to end the first class. (This is also a printable activity found on the main menu under Print and Play Activities.) Students fill out a personal poem either at the beginning of class or during a class break and then place the poems (without their name) in the center of the circle at the end of class. Actors take turns picking a poem out of the pile, making sure not to choose their own. Each person reads one line of someone else’s poem.

“I dream of floating on clouds.” “I wish that my brother would play with me more.” “I hope that I can make new friends here.” And so on…

Energy Circle/ Pass the Love In a circle, students join hands and close their eyes. One person starts by squeezing the hand of the person to his right very gently. That person “passes” the love along until it goes all the way around the circle. Namaste In a circle, hands in prayer formation, have kids bow to each other. “Namaste” means “I honor the spirit in you which is also in me.” It is a way to show respect for all beings. THEATRE! In a circle, the leader very dramatically calls out “How do you say THEATRE?” Students call back while swooping one arm up into the air “THEATRE!” (It’s similar to the way football players end their huddle.)



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Copyright © 2010, Janea Dahl, Drama Notebook This document is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws and all rights are reserved, including resale rights. Any unauthorized redistribution or copying will constitute an infringement of copyright.




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