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T: Think of a very tall person or object. Show me what you would do to become a very tall person or object.
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T: Think of a very small person or object. Show me what you would do to become a very small person or object.
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T: Think of a wide person or object. Show me what you would do to become a very wide object or person.
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T: Think about putting yourself into a box—a nice, tall, skinny box. Now, let’s break ourselves out of the box. How would you break out?
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T: This time, think about putting yourself into a little tiny box. How would you break out of this box?
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T: Show me how you would climb the stairs. What stairs were you climbing? Were you climbing the stairs fast or slow? Why?
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T: Let’s all go to the zoo. Think about an animal that you like to watch at the zoo. Try to convince me who that animal is by moving your body.
The following lines are demonstrations in regards to showing feelings through body movement and facial expressions. After each activity, the children will tell about an incident related to their expressions. The incident may be real or imaginary.
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T: Think of something that makes you feel happy. Show me a happy person.
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T: Think of something that makes you feel angry. Show me an angry person.
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T: Think about your birthday. Imagine yourself opening your gift. Show me how you would look when you’ve opened your gift. What was inside your gift?
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T: Think about knocking on someone’s door. Think about who will come to the door. When the door opens, show me how you would look.
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T: Think of a sad event. Show me a sad person.
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T: Think about something that was very scary. Show me how you would look when you see something scary. Now, show me a face and use your body movements to scare someone else.
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T: Think about singing a song. Show me singing your song. What song were you singing? Or, who were you when you were singing the song?
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T: Think of someone who is getting a bad cold. Show me someone who is coughing and getting sick.
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T: Think about a time when you did very well on a school project. Show we someone who is getting an A+ for his project. What was the project?
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T: Think about a time when your parents were planning a special surprise for you and did not want you to hear. Show we someone who is trying hard to listen. What is the surprise?
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T: Think about walking into a room with all the toys you have ever dreamed about. Show me a curious person. What toy are you looking at?
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T: Think about your friend telling a tall tale. Show me a person who doubts what their friend is saying.
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T: Think about something that makes you feel very tired. Show me a person who is tired.
I would, also, ask the children to work in pairs. The same rules would apply. However, instead of one person working in a space, there would be two. The following is a list of suggestions that one could use for children working in pairs:
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1. A barber tries to cut the hair of a wriggling boy.
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2. A doctor tries to calm a child who is scared of getting a shot.
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3. A cowboy tries to rope a wild horse.
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4. A customer tries to give directions to a taxi driver who does not understand.
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5. A tight-rope walker walks on a line while a spectator watches.
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6. A lion tamer tries to tame a ferocious lion.
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7. A father tries to calm a baby who is crying.
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8. A man tries to teach a dog to shake hands.
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9. A mother tries to teach her daughter how to cook.
In his book, “Child Drama In Action: A Practical Manual For Teachers,” Billi Tyas has children participate in creative dramatics to tell a story. I used an idea from one of his stories entitled “The Lion Hunt,” and wrote my own version for children to participate in an imaginary walk through a jungle.
“A Jungle Walk”
I want you to stand up, move around, and make any movement that you want until you hear me clap and say the word “freeze.”
Now, I want you to turn around, sit down, think of your favorite television show and tell me what it is about. When I clap, begin to tell me about your favorite show. We will all speak at the same time. When you hear the word “freeze” stop what you are saying.
Was anyone able to hear about anyone’s favorite television show? It is very difficult to hear what others are saying when you are talking yourself.
Now, I want everyone to lie down on the floor where you are. Everyone will be very still and listen for their own heartbeat. How many heard their own heartbeat?
At this time, everyone will be quiet and listen to the sounds outside of this room. I will walk around the room and tap you when it is your turn to tell us the sounds that you hear.
Now, I want you to sit up where you are. We have been listening to the noises of a city. Have any of you ever seen movies or programs on television about a jungle? Does a jungle have the same noises as we heard in our city? Does the jungle have any noises like our traffic? How do people get around in the jungle? That’s right, they walk on paths. Usually people walk one behind the other because the paths are narrow and overgrown with trees, bushes and plants.
Do you think it would be a good idea to carry supplies on your head as we walk on the narrow path to our camp? Today, we will all go for walk in the jungle and carry our supplies to camp. As we walk along, listen for the different sounds you can hear in the jungle. Remember it is very hot and there are a lot of wild animals living in the jungle. Be very quiet when you walk, or they will hear you coming.
(Play a record with a rhythmic march, suggesting a jungle atmosphere.)
Line up for our jungle journey and lift your supplies onto your head. Stay close together because you may need your friend’s assistance. Be careful not to get your feet tangled in the long vines on the path. Did you hear that bird screech? Can you see the bird? What size and color was he? Do you think there is an animal swinging in the tree? Can you see the big branch of that big green tree moving? You may talk to your friends, but keep your voices very low. What do you think that rustling noise is in the bushes? Let’s send two of our friends into the bushes to find out what they can discover.
The camp is just ahead. (Take a few steps and collapse onto the floor. Discuss with the children the happenings on their trip.)
Strategy (4) Rehearsing for a school play, using techniques learned during creative dramatics and mime to develop a character.
The children have had the opportunity to portray actions and movements through participation in mime and creative dramatics. At this point the children are ready to rehearse for a school play.
I will choose a play, (i.e. one that is listed in the Examples of Scripts section of my unit,) for the children to perform. Thirty minutes each day during five sessions will be devoted to rehearsal time. The sixth period will be a dress rehearsal. We will devote the entire period to rehearsal for our production.
After I have read the play that our group will use for a performance, we will cast the parts. A great deal of time will not be spent deciding assignments because children constantly want to change their parts. Therefore, I may have to make some final decisions and move right into rehearsing the play.
Peter Chilver points out that “the director’s job is to hold up a mirror to the actor, for unlike a painter or a writer, the actor cannot actually see what he is doing. As he becomes experienced he learns to see a remarkable amount as he is doing it, but the director is needed to keep on completing the picture for him.” (“Staging a School Play,” page 69)
I agree with Chilver and contend that although children at this age, (i.e. particularly the “I” stage,) do not like interruptions or do not necessarily like to be told to change what they are doing, they do develop a deep sense of achievement and self-assurance when a good performance is executed. For some children, improvisation, speech and body movements are natural. However, many children need lots of practice and prodding to develop a character and feel comfortable performing before an audience.
Strategy (5) Making simple costumes and scenery for a school performance.
Another important part is that of creating background scenery and costumes. Background scenery will be relatively simple. Our school stage has a large bulletin board attached to the back of the stage. It is ideal to attach a mural that the children have done during rehearsal time. While some of the children are rehearsing their parts, others will work on the background scene.
Each child will be responsible for their own costumes. It is a great way for families to work together on a school project. The children become very excited which is carried over to the home, often times involving grandparents as well.
Strategy (6) Producing the play before a school-wide audience and parents.
By the end of the eighth week, the children are ready to produce their school-wide play. One day will be chosen during regular school time for the production. There will be lots of excitement on this day. A program cover will be designed by a student. The names of characters in the play and who is performing will appear in the printed program. Two students will be selected to stand at the door of the auditorium and pass out programs. Parents, siblings, grandparents and friends will be invited to see the grand performance.