DRAMA ACTIVITIES AND CLASSROOM RESOURCES

This BLOG is the product of the "LET'S LEARN BY PLAYING" (LLP) project which is developing as a Grundtvig European Project since September 2008 by the patners of six institutions belonging to six different countries. The project started at a first contact seminar held in Riga (Latvia).

The main objective of the partnership is create a HANDBOOK or TEACHER MANUAL with drama activities and interactive games.

Here you have the results of our work, the activities, games, and new approaches into Foreign languages teaching-learning.

We hope these materials are useful for you and we encourage you to put some of the activities into practice with your students and feel free to send us your feed-back and suggestions.

Project coordinator.

PARTNERSHIP

FRANCE: Lycee du Cleusmeur
GREECE: Environmental Education Centre of Filippi
ITALY: Istituto Tecnico "Alessandro Volta"
LITHUANIA: Alytaus Dailuju Amatu Mokykla
SPAIN: Combining Learning Acting and Playing
TURKEY: Urla Halk Egitimi Merkezi

Wednesday 20 January 2010

IQUEST RANGE


In the Ancient market of the Archeological Area of Philippi.
324 b.c. You are great oil merchants from the Thourians in Sicily, a town together with Samos that produce the most distinguished olive oil in the Mediterranean Area. You have just arrived in the towm of Philippi with two trade ships and you carry large clay pots filled with 56.000 lt of oil.
It's not a bad idea to make a small sacrifice for the goddess of Fortune or the Temple!!
Time has come for you to sell the oil!! Look for shopkeepers in their familiar lairs. Wander around in town so as to promote your products.
Finally, plan a performance that is going to be presented in the Ancient Theatre, and it is going to include an advertisement for your product. Fabricate or choose what kind of sound you are going to accompany it.


CREATIVE WORKSHOP OF FAIRYTALE WRITING

We separate the team into two sub-groups, each one guided by an enlivener. We sit down formulating a circle. On a pen board we write approximately 5-6 words or phrases which are related to the topic we had already been associated with and they will work as a fuse for our fairy tale. The enlivener begins the fairytale by holding a stick that passes from one to another, throughout the members of the circle. Whoever holds the stick, tells the first thing (idea) that comes up in his/her mind, so as to go on the fairytale. In the continuation we can rehearse it from the beginning completed and then record it. We must try to send as clear as possible messages through the tale.
Then the group discusses how can the tale be dramatized. We select the heroes, hand out the roles, find the appropriate clothes and components that will help us support our roles and maybe choose the music and rehearse. The dramatization could be done naturally and without the use of a shadow, though it is something totally original and spectacular, with the use of a sheet and light.
We have already have a white sheet set up on a wooden stand. Behind of that we've placed a projector. We tell the kids ot be careful so as to choose the appropriate faces to be behind that piece of cloth in every scene, in order to create more visible and discernable shadows. It would be advisable to rehearse behind the sheet a few times before the final presentation, for better results.

Tuesday 19 January 2010

WORSHOP OF MAKING PUPPETS USELESS MATERIAL


CREATION OF A STORY (SCENARIO) AND A PUPPET SHOW.

All the members of the group have already gathered a variety of wrappings (cartons of milk, juice, coffee and tin beverages). At some point we tell that the things that apparently look like garbage, can not be thrown away, but they can become alive, extraordinary and magnificent puppets or other objects than can be used for our puppet theatre.
A story relevant to the topic is created by the team, which is working and by having that in mind they decide what kind of puppets will they create.
They're given materials like: colors, scissors, cardboard, buttons, bottle caps or anything else we think it will be usefull for them. Each one creates his/her puppet or whatever object is necessary for the show.
Next they move their puppets on a practising table, using the speech or singing or whatever music is needed, in order to make the story vibrate.
Also we can, if we want, to follow a reverse course, which means first to manifacture the puppets and then be inspired by them for our story.

HOW TO MAKE A READING OF LANDSCAPE


The idea is to conceive an activity by making several disciplines intercede : (in that case the subjects which intervened were : biology-ecology: history-geography; artistic plans.)

This multidisciplinary approach gets organized around a topic : here the chosen topic : "life and habits of a small village of fishers from Bretagne". The interest of this approach is to enable pupils to have a broader vision of discreet topic.All the aspects, all the complexity of a situation, are taken into account.

At first, a reading of the landscape is planned, first sensory, then rational.( An activity organised by the teacher of biology- ecology).

In second time, it is a question of knowing the history of the place(told by the teacher of history or as here, by a dealer specialized in the history of the place which made us visit the place by showing us the modern use of the place : because in the village, places were transformed into shelters for hickers and others in workshops for artists).

In third time, an artistic production is attended, using all this acquired knowledge (artistic plan).

This production is suggested to assess the understanding of what was made in the first two periods (the reading of the landscape, the knowledge of the historical aspect) and the pupils connected the landscape and the fishers'life of the village.

The aim is also to check if the pupils are able to use that knowledge into another language(realization of a comic strip or simply one part, here one asked for it to accomplish the first picture of a comic strip on this fishers'village).

But it is possible also to ask the pupils to realize a brochure making the promotion of the local area or to make an artistic photograph reflecting the atmosphere of the place or a to make a lifelike portrait or a play.....

example : "Territory of Ménéham on April 22nd 2009"

When we work on the reading of a landscape, we first have a sensitive oncoming : (we show that all of us have a different view).

Then we have a rational oncoming by watching the different components. These observations led to questions which we tried to answer.

HOW TO PRACTICE

I) I notice what guides my perception : sensitive approach

Game of the blindfolded eyes

2 persons : one has his eyes blindfolded and while the other describes him the landscape he can see. then the blindfold is taken away and the pupil can realize how distant was the picture he had from the reality.

It highlights the different views on the same territory and the relativity of descriptions notably through the adjectives mentioned (big, ugly, frightening, splendid) or the most favourite elements (the flora, habitats....) This game shows us the subjective aspect of a landscape.

Another sensitive or sensory approach : I use my 5 senses to get to know the landscape:

* The sight : what is the predominant colour in my opinion?

(In ménéham, answers were very various and very amazing really showing some subjectivity : the guides thought that everybody would have sad "blue" in comparaison to the ubiquitous sea) and the colours mentionned were "black"(presence of huge granite blocks covered with very datk seaweeds), "yellow"(presence of sand, "green"(presence of the grass on the dunes where the reading of landscape was made.

* Hear : what do I hear ?

In ménéham, they heard the wind(always very present on this coast) and the marine birds.

* Smell : What can I smell ?

In Ménéham, they smelt the sea, "of some iodine"seaweeds.

* Touch : what do I feel on the skin?

In Ménéham , they smelt the cool(cold) wind

II) I spot and I locate

For that I use a map.

I spot the place of observation(name of the said place, the village...)

I orientate the map, and I turn using the four cardinal points and using as a point of reference the village or the close city

III) I represent and I classify : rational approach

a) The natural data

* Relief and under soil

I put a name on the main elements of the relief (mountain, valley, hil....)

Here we can see what we call"granitic chaos". They took place 100 000 years ago......; Then the sea and the wind have eroded these stones and have transformed them in sand. The sand has been carried by the wind and has formed the dunes.

Waters

I established a list of different noticed forms(sea, lake, rivers, ponds, marsh, reservoir..)

The sea is here the most important thing in this landscape. The human activities depend of it.

* Natural vegetation

I point out the place and the importance in the landscape of the different vegetations.

Here the ground is especially sand. This ground is not good for the agriculture and farming : only sand and more the sand do not keep water. The only plants we can see are adapted to this poor environment and are not useful to feed humans people.But these plants grow especially on sand and for some of them are rare and now protected.

So people here were very poor and have to fish to feed themselves. That's we can see here : some small boats and a hold (a way to accede to the beach)

Those poor people also fished seaweeds: they sold them to chemical engineering(industries)because they extraded iodine and soda from the seaweeds by burning them.They also used seaweeds to fertilize their fields.

Fauna

I search presence or signs of activity of wild animals(and of domestic animals)

As we could see, the animals also are especially sea birds

b) The humanized elements

Constructed areas

I rank the buildings according to their age, location, function(agrarian building, shed house, facilities..), the organization(insulated, unsystematic...)

In Ménéham they could notice : a lighthouse(essential for the navigation very dangerous around), houses constructed near the sea : what since was forbidden to protect dunes and coastal region, the old fishers'village which will be visited after midday.

Conclusion

I write a conclusion or I define the organization of the landscape. I asses the importance of human influence (the anthropisation).

I try to wonder about links between the different areas. (Example ; link between the sea and the inhabitants of the village who fish and harvest seaweeds)

Normally when the pupils notice and represent the landscape, they are led to ask questions and they have to try to answer it by inquiries and by personal researches. Some of these answers were given the day of reading with the partners : they are pointed out in italics.

ADOS'D MOTS


This writing workshop were organised by the Finistere Regional Library, in partnership with the local Departement of Youth and Sport, the Writers'Club and the Theatre Company"Très tôt".

These workshops are offered to young people who are not usually into reading or writting.

210 youg people from 14 to 25 years old, piloted by 5 professional writers, took part in these workshops.

The youngsters were invited to write on the theme of citizenship and

republican values. It is the chance to put into words about living alongside one another, tolerance, respect, fraternity and the involvement in housing estates.

At the college, 11 students from 2nd year CAP(Certificat d'aptitude professionnelle)(vocational training qualification), participated in the workshop, under the responsability of the french teacher.

This activity took place over 8 workshops lasting 2 hours each.

the youngsters worked with the writter, Erwan Bargain, who was able to listen to them and thus motivate and encourage them.

They wrote in their own words, and expressed their feelings of happiness, love but also their pain and fears. Some also managed to express their malaise which at time was moving.

All written work remained confidential, it could be read out aloud during the workshop but that remained a free choice.

The texts were selected by the youngsters and the organizer and kept for publication and a public presentation.

A professional actor will meet the youngsters over 3 séances of 2 hours and they will learn how to live out their written work in order to present them during a theatre production.

A photographer discretely came during one of the writting workshops, his photos will make up part of a collection.

The edition of this collection of photos and texts will be shown during the course of the year.

Some exercises which can be suggested :

1) The "Proust questionnaire:

If I was a colour, I would be.......

If I was a material, I woud be........

If I was a smell, I would be..........

If I was an emotion, I would be......

If I was one of the 4 elements, I would be.....

If I was an animal, I would be....

If I was a season, I would be...

f, I was an object, I would be.....

If I was a town, I would be....

If I was a place, I would be....

If I was a verb, I would be the verb...

If I was a film, I would be.....

If I was a song , I would be....

If I was a fiction character, I would be......

Each time, you have to explain why you have chosen it.(For exemple , if I was a flower I would be a rose because.....)

2) Write a letter

The consign is : write a letter to your great, great, great, great grandfather

3)Write something about :

"Before, it was better" or

"The world within 80 years" or

"If I was a man......"(for the girls) or

"If I was a woman"(for a man)

ANIMALS FARM


The didactic themes :Education to the responsible citizenship, the rules as a base of common living and freedom, in fact living without sharing rules produces the individualism, the exaggerated will of the power, the loosing of a better world and the destruction of the society.

Educative practices Reading and comprehension of the text, historical context , Reading of extracts about the responsible citizenship. Building a community with the same aims, to set :rules, prices, castigations. Sharing the common objectives, prices and castigations. using all the opportunities of the community to build the hopes, Deterioration of a community, delusion

Method The game and the theatre as a metaphor of the didactic chosen theme. The school is a simulation of the reality so the theatre is a tool to realize project with a constructivist method.

Feedback At the end of the process the group will meet and rationalize all the project comparing it to the aims of single person, of the group, of the school and of the society. All the said procedures do not correspond to the sequences of the process to be done because often the processes are transversal it means that they last for all the period of the realization of the project or they last even after the realization of the process.

All the processes use all the available sources: example the presence of a singer among the teachers, having good in drawing teachers and students , having shy students has obliged to do a play without long dialogues. The project has been done considering all the possible sources of the school group day after day.

In practice

After reading the novel Animal farm by Orwell, we have chosen to act the most meaningful scenes

1. The introduction of the characters all the characters enter and introduce themselves.

2. The narrating voice says that Mr Jones has been sent away and explain what is going to happen.

3. Revolution, after the Major discourse all the animals act a revolution. Dance. All the people present will be involved in the game.

4. The commandments :song and game as electricity

5. All the animals are happy and sing and dance.

6. The commandments during the night are destroyed, the narrating voice explains what is going to happen.

7. Song Beast of England

8. All the characters move

9. The final card What will happen

Old Major: My name’s Old Major. I’m good and wise,

I understand the nature of life.

Man is the enemy we have to fight.

Get rid of him, I’m always right!

Mollie: I’m Mollie, the white mare.

Some think I’m stupid, but I don’t care!

If you’ve got sugar, please give me some

cause I’m the sweetest on the farm!

Squealer: My name’s Squealer, I’m a pig.

I’m a brilliant talker and if you like

I can turn black to white!

Benjamin: I’m Benjamin, the donkey

My cynical remarks are known

And indeed I prefer to be alone.

God gave me a tail to keep flies off

Bad-tempered and quiet I’m also tough!

Clover: I’m a mare and four foals I have

None of them I see

For Jones took them away from me.

For this reason with Old Major I agree

When he says animals MUST be free!!

Boxer: My name’s Boxer, famous is my strength

With a kick I knock down the fence.

Happy we’d be all year

If only Jones could disappear!!!!!!


Napoleon: My name’s Napoleon, I’m quick in speech

And many things I can teach

I’ll be the leader, you have no choice

So just chill out and save your voice!!!!

Monday 18 January 2010

HUMAN BINGO


STRUCTURE OF THE GAME
Prepare a chat with a questioner, beginning FIND SOMEONE
WHO…, examples:
speaks more than three languages
visits Spain for the first time
has been to the North Pole
has a tattoo
is Gemini
has more than three children
etc
or questions about something that you really want to know or
to talk about it later.
Give a copy of the questioner to everybody. The participants
must walk around the room, asking the others until fill all the
questions with a different name. The game ends when most of
them have finished the chat.
The activity gives the chance to talk to everybody and know
something about the others.

BIOGRAPHIES


STRUCTURE OF THE GAME
In pairs. A talks about him/her self for three minutes to B.
She/he must give personal information: instead of talk about
family and wok, she/he must talk about feelings, hobbies,
likes and dislikes, dreams, etc. Change roles, them B talks to
A for another three minutes.
After that, A introduces his/her partner B to the rest of
participants and B does the same.

SHAPES


STRUCTURE OF THE GAME
This exercise calls for instant reaction from the entire group to
an order from the tutor telling them to form a shape. They
must act as one unit, but nobody should speak, although
members of the group may physically guide others to complete
the required shape quickly. The tutor only gives the order once
so that the group must listen and then move swiftly and
silently into the shape. As soon as one shape is completed, the
tutor gives the order for the next shape and so on. Speed,
discipline and economy of movement are required.
Some examples are: Square, equals sign, multiplication sign,
question mark, exclamation mark, division sign, circle, the
letter Z, the number 4, triangle, straight line.

CLUMPS


STRUCTURE OF THE GAME
When the leader calls out a number, everyone must get in a
group of the same size as the number.
Variation
Body Part Clumps. Same as above except leader shouts out
number and a body part e.g. three noses, the players form
groups of three and touch their noses together.

NAME WITH AN ACTION


STRUCTURE OF THE GAME
Players stand in a circle. One player says his/her name and at
the same time invents a matching action or movement. The
player to the left then repeats the name and action and adds
his/her own name and action. Then the next player does
exactly the same, including the names and actions of the
people before and so on around the circle. If any player makes
a mistake, the action returns to the first player.

DIGITS


STRUCTURE OF THE GAME
Players stay in a tight circle. One player starts counting ONE
and sits down, another player continues TWO and sits down,
etc… until the group is sitting down. Nobody knows who is
speaking, so if two players say the same number at a time,
they have to start counting again.

A WALK IN THE PARK


STRUCTURE OF THE GAME
Compile a list of all known greetings and put them into
context. Ask the group to choose their preferred form of
greeting and to walk around the park meeting and greeting.
Next step is to ask the group to repeat the exercise, only this
time in addition to the greeting the person who initiates the
conversation must pay a compliment to the person he/she
meets. The person being complimented should only reply
‘thank you’ and walk on.
Variations 1
Include handshakes or kisses or personalised physical
greetings. Examples: “I like you eyes.” “I like your ears.” Divide
the room into zones (morning, afternoon, evening – for
example) and oblige them to use the appropriate greetings.

OOGILY BOOGILY BOP


STRUCTURE OF THE GAME
People in a circle. The leader of the game stands on the centre
of the circle. She/he points to one person saying: “oogily
boogily bop”. The person pointed must say BOP before the
leader finishes his/her sentence. Do it several times until the
group is trained.
Introducing actions: if the leader points somebody saying
ELEPHANT; the person pointed mimes the horn and produces
the noise of the elephant and the people close to him/her
mime the ears of the animal. Introduce more elements:
monkey, palm tree, etc.

FAMILY PORTRAITS


STRUCTURE OF THE GAME
Optional preparation: have players write five descriptive
adjectives about other people in the group. Encourage long
legged, short-sighted, hungry, rich, etc. Collect descriptions
and request more as you compile a list on the board. Then
explain that you are going to use these descriptions in Family
Portraits. Organise the players into groups of three or four.
Ask one group to create a "family portrait" based on a type of
family indicated by the leader. After three seconds the players
freeze in their portrait. Take a picture or pretend to. Quickly
move on to the next group and form another portrait. After
repeating several times get the whole group to call out the
family they’d like to see represented.
The Stupid Family. The Enormous Buttocks Family. The Angry
Family. The Elephant Family, etc.

I FEEL... WHEN...


STRUCTURE OF THE GAME
Elicit all the adjectives (feeling words) from the students and
write them on the blackboard. Students take it in turns to
make sentences for example: “I feel…embarrassed when… I
speak English in from of a lot of people”.
When all the adjectives are finished put the class into groups
and give them 5 adjectives each on a paper taken from the
blackboard. The teams must then mime each adjective with
the rest of the class guessing which feeling it is.

POWER STATION


STRUCTURE OF THE GAME
Two teams of up to ten players line up in front of each other.
The quiz leader and a helper stand at either end of the two
teams. The quiz leader decides on the subject or topic based
on categories, say, types of fruit and then says a name. The
name could be true or false. The team that first identifies that
a given name does (or does not – depending on how you play it)
belong to the category must all join hands , raise their arms
and shout ‘ELECTRICITY!’. To win the point it is not enough
for just one person to get the answer right, it must involve the
whole team.

THIS IS A BOOK


STRUCTURE OF THE GAME
Concentration game that is more difficult to explain than to
play. Everyone in a circle.
Teach this dialogue:
Person A: “This is a Book.”
Person B: “A What?”
A: “A Book.”
B: “A What?”
A: “A Book.”
B: “Ohh! A Book?”
Make sure that the group establishes a steady rhythm with
this dialogue. Then the first person uses an actual book. After
the line “Ohh! A Book?” player A passes the book to player B
who then turns to player C on their other side and they repeat
the dialogue. Practice around the circle once or twice and then
introduce new objects. Put two objects in the circle one after
the other to make it more difficult until every body is giving
and receiving objects at the same time. This is great for
building concentration.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?


STRUCTURE OF THE GAME
Players stand in a circle with enough room to move their
elbows. Player One steps forward and begins miming an
activity, any activity such as shearing a sheep. Player Two, to
the right asks player One, ‘What are you doing?’ Player One is
to answer without hesitating with the first action which comes
to mind OTHER than the one they are doing i.e. tying my
shoelaces. Player Two then begins doing the thing announced
by player One and is asked by player three ‘What are you
doing?’
Comment: Teacher can pre-teach simple actions with
flashcards/drawings and use these to keep the game fluid.
Alternatively compile the actions beforehand form the kids
suggestions.

ALL THOSE WEARING...


STRUCTURE OF THE GAME
Simple game where everyone is seated in a circle and the
leader stands in the middle. When the leader says "all those
wearing blue change" everyone wearing the colour blue must
change seats; the leader will also try to find a seat so that one
person will be left without a seat standing in the middle. Start
the game focused on clothing e.g. all those wearing jumpers
change, then combine items of clothing with colours, all those
with blue bras etc.
Alternatives: all those with two sisters, all those with a dog, all
those who like pizza, all those who have been to Benidorm, etc.

TRUE AND FALSE CHAIRS


STRUCTURE OF THE GAME
The teacher prepare some sentences (some of them true and
some of them false). Two chairs in the front of the class (the
true and the false chairs). The class is divided in two teams
and put in two lines. When the teacher read one sentence, one
player from each team must run and sit down choosing the
true of false chair. The player who sits in the right chair is
awarded with a point.

KEY WORDS


STRUCTURE OF THE GAME
Choose some words from a text or a story. Each word is given
an action and a sentence. Write the words on the board and
train the students to say and do the relative action when they
hear the word. When all of them know what they have to do,
tell them the story of read the text, pausing in the key-words.
E.g. “Mount Everest, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White….

ADVERT




ESTRUCTURE OF THE GAME
Take a prop (in this case a sheet or blanket) any prop- in
groups people perform an advertisement to show their product
– it can be anything – use your imagination. To introduce this
activity in pairs people design a new product and produce a
billboard with a slogan which they introduce to the group the
do the performance with the prop.