Activities

Exploring the Where

Give one student a "where" (i.e. in a jar). He/she must decide who he/she is and their objective (i.e. a bug who is trying to get out of the jar) and act them out in front of the class. Once the leader can see that the choices are clearly made, call out freeze. Another player goes up into the scene. The leader provide a different "where" (i.e. in a grocery store). It is the new players responsibility to figure out why player A is in the new "where". For example, does the owner of the store want the bug dead or is the bug helping by flying items to the top shelf?

Exploring the Who

The skill of observation will help you identify the specific details which are paramount in creating individual characters. Go to the mall, the airport or even your school cafeteria and become an observer. Study people in detail. Note how they dress, eat, move and talk. Observe how they react when they see an outfit they like, taste food they hate, are approached by a teacher, a love interest or a stranger. Then create a character based on a person you have observed. You won't know everything about this person from observing them so you have to fill in the missing pieces on your own. Demonstrate the following tasks as two different characters - yourself and your observation character: entering a room, combing your hair, removing your shoes and sitting in a chair. Pick a famous character from a movie or television series and write his/her history. This is not a research project, use your imagination. Finally find a partner in class and write a scene between the characters you have created.

Exploring the When

Divide the class into groups of six. Have them decide on an activity (i.e. washing a dog). Have the first group improvise a scene that takes place in the past; the second group will improvise a scene in the present and the third group will represent the future.