Posted in Aesop's fables, Drama for children, Drama strategies, Drama workshops for children, Greek myths, Hot seating, Mantle of the expert

“Journey to Ancient Greece: A Mantle of the Expert Drama Workshop”

“Journey to Ancient Greece: A Mantle of the Expert Drama Workshop”


Aim: In this workshop, the children will take on the roles of expert archaeologists and historians tasked with exploring and uncovering the rich history, myths, and culture of Ancient Greece.

Materials Needed: Props for archaeology (like faux artifacts, excavation tools), costumes, art supplies, and materials to create a “Greek museum”.

Workshop Outline

Introduction (10 minutes): Introduce the scenario: the children are part of a world-renowned team of archaeologists and historians who’ve been commissioned by a museum to create an exhibit on Ancient Greece. They’ll need to conduct research, unearth artifacts, and prepare presentations on their findings.

Role Assumption (10 minutes): Discuss what it means to be an archaeologist or historian. How do they work? What are their responsibilities? This sets the stage for the children to take on their roles as experts.

Archaeological Dig Activity (20 minutes): Set up a faux “dig site” where children can “excavate” replicas of Greek artifacts like pottery, sculptures, and coins. Each artifact can have a tag with some information about its historical context, which children can later research further.

Research and Preparation (30 minutes): The children should then research more about their artifacts and Ancient Greece’s history, mythology, philosophy, and lifestyle. Encourage them to use books, online resources, and even create imaginary interviews with prominent Greek figures.

Here is a list of some famous characters, both historical and mythological, from Ancient Greece:

Historical Figures:

  1. Socrates: An influential philosopher who is known as one of the founders of Western philosophy.
  2. Plato: A student of Socrates and the teacher of Aristotle, Plato was a philosopher and the founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world.
  3. Aristotle: A Greek philosopher and polymath who made significant contributions to a number of fields, including physics, biology, zoology, metaphysics, logic, ethics, aesthetics, poetry, theater, music, rhetoric, psychology, linguistics, economics, politics, and government.
  4. Alexander the Great: A military genius who created one of the largest empires in the world by the time of his death.
  5. Hippocrates: Often referred to as the “Father of Medicine,” he is credited with establishing medicine as a profession distinct from philosophy or theurgy.
  6. Homer: The legendary author of the epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey.

Mythological Figures:

  1. Zeus: The king of the gods, god of the sky, lightning, thunder, law, order, and justice.
  2. Hercules (Heracles): A divine hero, the son of Zeus, known for his strength and for his twelve labors.
  3. Achilles: A hero of the Trojan War and the central character of Homer’s Iliad.
  4. Odysseus: A hero of the Trojan War and the protagonist of Homer’s Odyssey, which recounts his 10-year struggle to return home after the war.
  5. Perseus: The legendary founder of Mycenae and a demigod renowned for his exploits, including beheading the Gorgon Medusa and saving Andromeda from a sea monster.
  6. Athena: The goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, strategic warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill.
  7. Apollo: God of the sun, the light, the music and prophecy.

Remember, some of these figures are based on mythology and may have different attributes or stories depending on the particular source or interpretation.

Creating the Museum Exhibit (30 minutes): Children can now prepare their exhibits. They can make placards explaining their artifacts, create scenes depicting Ancient Greek life, or prepare performances enacting Greek myths or philosophical debates.

Here are some of the most well-known ones:

  1. The Creation of the World: According to Hesiod’s “Theogony”, in the beginning, there was only Chaos. From Chaos came Gaia (Earth), Tartarus (the Underworld), and Eros (Love). Gaia gave birth to Uranus (Sky), who became her mate and covered her on all sides. Together they created the Titans, the Cyclopes, and the Hecatoncheires (giants with a hundred hands).
  2. Titanomachy (War of the Titans): This is the story of the battle between the Titans, led by Cronus, and the Olympian gods, led by Zeus. Zeus and his siblings ultimately won, banishing the Titans to Tartarus.
  3. The Twelve Labors of Hercules: These are a series of episodes concerning a penance carried out by Hercules, the greatest of the Greek heroes.
  4. Perseus and Medusa: Perseus, a demigod, was sent to kill Medusa, a monster who could turn people into stone with her gaze. He was successful and later used her head as a weapon.
  5. Theseus and the Minotaur: Theseus, a prince of Athens, volunteered to be one of the youths sacrificed to the Minotaur, a creature with the body of a man and the head of a bull, and managed to kill the beast.
  6. The Odyssey: The epic poem by Homer follows the hero Odysseus as he journeys home from the Trojan War, facing numerous trials and tribulations along the way.
  7. The Iliad: Also an epic poem by Homer, “The Iliad” tells the story of a few weeks during the last year of the Trojan War, focusing on the hero Achilles.
  8. Orpheus and Eurydice: Orpheus, a legendary musician, journeyed to the underworld to bring back his wife, Eurydice, who had been bitten by a snake and died. He was allowed to take her back to the living world on the condition that he not look back at her until they were out of the underworld, but he failed to keep the condition.
  9. Pandora’s Box: Pandora, the first woman on Earth, was given a box (actually a jar) and told not to open it, but curiosity got the better of her, and when she opened the lid, all the troubles and evils of the world flew out, leaving only Hope inside once she quickly closed it again.
  10. Daedalus and Icarus: Daedalus was a skilled craftsman who, along with his son Icarus, was imprisoned in a tower. He crafted wings made of feathers and wax for himself and Icarus to escape. Despite being warned not to fly too high, Icarus did so, the sun melted his wings, and he fell into the sea and drowned.

These stories formed a large part of Ancient Greek religion and provided moral and practical lessons for people. They also helped explain natural phenomena and the origins of the world and humanity. For more Greek myths click here.

Presenting the Exhibit (20 minutes): Once the exhibits are ready, children take turns guiding the group through their displays, explaining their artifacts, and possibly performing their Greek myth enactments.

Here’s a list of some of the most famous and significant Greek artifacts:

  1. Mask of Agamemnon: Found at Mycenae and supposedly belonging to King Agamemnon, this artifact is a gold funeral mask dating back to the mid-second millennium BC.
  2. Antikythera Mechanism: This ancient Greek analogue computer was used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses decades in advance. It’s a complex clockwork mechanism composed of at least 30 meshing bronze gears.
  3. The Parthenon Sculptures: Also known as the Elgin Marbles, these sculptures adorned the Parthenon in Athens and are considered some of the highest achievements of Greek sculpture. They include the metopes, the frieze, and the pedimental statues.
  4. The Venus de Milo: This ancient Greek statue is believed to represent Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty.
  5. The Winged Victory of Samothrace: Also called the Nike of Samothrace, this second-century BC marble sculpture of the Greek goddess Nike (Victory) is one of the most celebrated sculptures in the world.
  6. Dipylon Amphora: This large grave amphora was used as a grave marker in the ancient Athens cemetery of Dipylon. It features geometric patterns and shows funerary rituals and processions.
  7. Bronze statue of Zeus or Poseidon: This is a nearly life-sized, over 2-meter tall bronze statue of either Zeus or Poseidon, made around 460–450 BC. The statue holds either a thunderbolt (if Zeus) or a trident (if Poseidon), but the object is missing.
  8. The Riace Bronzes: These are two full-size Greek bronzes of naked bearded warriors, cast about 460–450 BC that were found in the sea near Riace in 1972.
  9. Disk of Phaistos: This is a disk of fired clay from the Minoan palace of Phaistos on the island of Crete, possibly dating to the middle or late Minoan Bronze Age (second millennium BC). Its purpose and meaning, and even its original geographical place of manufacture, remain disputed, making it one of the most famous mysteries of archaeology.
  10. Knossos Palace Artifacts: Knossos is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete. Several artifacts, including beautiful frescoes, tablets, and the throne room, have provided valuable insight into Minoan culture.

Please note that while many of these artifacts can be found in Greece, particularly in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, some are held in other countries due to historical circumstances, such as the Parthenon Sculptures in the British Museum.

Discussion and Debrief (10 minutes): End the workshop with a discussion about what they’ve learned about Ancient Greece. Talk about the importance of history and archaeology, and how it helps us understand our past.

Conclusion (5 minutes): Wrap up the workshop by praising the children for their hard work and excellent archaeological and historical skills. They have now experienced a bit of what it’s like to be an archaeologist and historian, and have developed a deeper understanding of Ancient Greek culture.

Note: The activities and timings are flexible and can be adapted based on the age group, number of children, and available time. This Mantle of the Expert approach will allow children to learn about Ancient Greece in an engaging, immersive, and hands-on way.

Posted in Drama, Drama Activities for children, Drama for children, drama for kids, Drama strategies, Drama workshops for children, Freeze Frame, Hot seating, Mime, Mime for all ages

Space Adventure – A Drama Workshop for Children ages 5 to 8

Objective: To help children explore their imagination and creativity, while learning about space and the different elements involved in space exploration.

Age Group: 5 to 8 years old

Materials Needed: Space-themed props (such as helmets, cardboard cutouts of spaceships, planets, etc.), costumes, a space-themed soundtrack (optional).

Warm-Up Activity: Space Walk

  • Have the children stand in a circle, and explain that they are going on a space walk to explore the galaxy.
  • Begin walking around the circle with a slow, steady pace, and have the children follow you.
  • After a few minutes, start introducing different movements, such as walking backwards, tiptoeing, jumping, or spinning.
  • Encourage the children to come up with their own movements, and have them lead the group.
  • Slowly increase the pace, until the children are “zooming” through space.

Mime and Movement: The Launch

  • Divide the children into groups, and explain that they are going to act out the launch of a spaceship.
  • Provide the children with cardboard cutouts of a spaceship and other space-themed props, and encourage them to use mime and movement to simulate the launch process.
  • Ask the children to work together to come up with different movements and sounds that represent the different stages of the launch, such as countdown, liftoff, and acceleration.
  • Once each group has had a chance to practice, have them perform their launch sequence for the rest of the group.

Improvisation: Alien Encounter

  • Explain to the children that they have landed on a strange planet and encountered an alien creature.
  • Assign each child a role, either as an astronaut or as the alien, and encourage them to use improvisation to interact with one another.
  • Encourage the children to use movement, gesture, and voice to create their characters and the scene.
  • As the scene progresses, encourage the children to add more details and dialogue to their improvisation, as they discover more about the alien and its world.

Role play: Mission Control

  • Explain to the children that they are going to act out a communication between the spaceship and Mission Control on Earth.
  • Provide the children with props such as walkie-talkies, headsets, or toy telephones to represent the communication devices.
  • Assign one child as the spaceship captain and another as the Mission Control operator.
  • Encourage the children to use talking objects to communicate with each other, such as speaking into the walkie-talkies or using hand gestures to indicate different commands.
  • Encourage the children to switch roles and try different communication devices, to explore the different ways that communication can be used in space exploration.

Still Images and Thought Tracking: Spacewalk

  • Explain to the children that they are going to act out a spacewalk, where they will explore the surface of a planet or asteroid.
  • Have the children work in pairs, and encourage them to use still images to create different poses and movements that represent the spacewalk.
  • After a few minutes, ask the children to freeze in their current pose, and have them silently think about what their character is feeling and thinking in that moment.
  • Encourage the children to share their thoughts and feelings with their partner, and to use thought tracking to add more detail and depth to their character.

Soundscape: The Return Home

  • Explain to the children that they are going to act out the return journey home, where they will encounter different sounds and obstacles along the way.
  • Provide the children with different sound-making props, such as rattles, drums, or bells.
  • Encourage the children to create a soundscape that represents the different stages of the return journey, such as the re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, turbulence during the descent, and the landing on the ground.
  • As the soundscape progresses, encourage the children to add more details and variations, such as different rhythms and volume levels.
  • After the soundscape is complete, have the children share their experiences and reflections on their space adventure.

Cool-Down Activity: Reflection and Sharing

  • Have the children sit in a circle, and encourage them to share their favorite moments from the space adventure workshop.
  • Ask the children to reflect on what they learned about space exploration and how they used their imagination and creativity during the workshop.
  • Finally, thank the children for their participation and encourage them to continue exploring the world of drama and creativity.

Note: Depending on the age and skill level of the children, you can modify or adjust the drama strategies used in the workshop. You can also add or remove certain activities to suit your needs and objectives.

 

Posted in Drama, Drama Activities for children, Drama for children, drama for kids, Drama strategies, Drama techniques, Freeze Frame, Hot seating, improvisation, Mime for kids, Plays about graditude, Plays for Children, Plays for well being, Plays that teach emotions, Role playing stories, Still image, Storytelling

A drama workshop for children which is based on gratitude.


Here is a drama workshop for 5 to 8 year olds based on the theme of “The Magic of Thankfulness”: It is from the book Gratitude Stories on Stage.

Introduction: Begin the workshop by discussing the concept of gratitude and what it means to be thankful. Ask the children to share examples of things for which they are grateful.

Main Focus/The Magic Wand: Mime and Movement – Explain to the children that they will be using their imaginations to pretend they have a magic wand that can make things appear or disappear. Have them practice moving the wand in different ways to make different things happen, such as waving it to make a flower appear or flicking it to make a rock disappear.

Still Image – In small groups, have the children create a frozen image of themselves holding their magic wands and casting spells.

The Ungrateful Friend: Action Narration – Tell the story of an ungrateful friend who never says thank you or appreciates the things others do for them. Have the children act out the story as it unfolds.

Narration: Once upon a time, there was an ungrateful friend named Max. Max had many friends, but he never thanked them for their help or appreciated what they did for him. One day, Max’s friend Sam cooked him a delicious dinner and invited him over. Max came over and enjoyed the meal, but when he left, he didn’t even say thank you to Sam. The next day, Max’s friend Sarah invited him to her birthday party. She decorated her whole house, baked a cake, and had a special present for Max. But when Max arrived, he didn’t even say happy birthday to Sarah or thank her for inviting him. Max’s friends started to get tired of his ungrateful behaviour. They started to distance themselves from him and stopped inviting him to their events. Max didn’t even notice and thought nothing of it. One day, Max needed help with a big project, so he reached out to his friends for assistance. But none of them wanted to help him. Max was surprised and didn’t understand why. He realized that he had taken his friends for granted and never showed them appreciation or gratitude. Max decided to change his ways and started saying thank you and showing appreciation for his friends. He even threw a party to apologize for his past behaviour and to thank his friends for always being there for him. From then on, Max’s friendships grew stronger, and he learned the importance of showing gratitude and appreciation.

During the story, the children can act out the various scenes by showing appreciation, saying thank you, and giving hugs to each other. They can also show Max’s ungrateful behaviour by ignoring their friends and refusing to say thank you. The children can also act out the scene where Max realizes his mistake and shows gratitude to his friends by hugging and thanking them.

Hot Seating – Choose one child to play the ungrateful friend and another to play their best friend. The rest of the children will take turns asking them questions about their actions and feelings towards each other.

The Magic of Thankfulness: Flash Forward – Have the children create a scene showing the ungrateful friend realizing the importance of being thankful and expressing gratitude towards others.

Role Play Sculpting – In small groups, have the children take turns playing the role of someone who has done something kind for them, while the others sculpt them into a frozen image to represent their gratitude towards that person.

The Thankful Tree: Conscience Alley – Set up a “thankful tree” by taping a large piece of paper to the wall and drawing a tree trunk and branches. Have the children take turns walking through the “conscience alley” and adding leaves to the tree with things they are thankful for.

Storytelling – End the workshop by reading a story about thankfulness, such as “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein, and encourage the children to share their favourite parts of the story and how it relates to the theme of gratitude.

Conclusion: Gather the children in a circle to reflect on the workshop. Discuss how the different drama techniques helped them understand the theme of gratitude and its importance.

Encourage the children to practice being thankful and expressing gratitude towards others in their daily lives.

 

Posted in Drama, Drama Activities for children, Drama for children, Drama strategies, Drama techniques, Drama workshops for children, Hot seating, teacher in role

Drama learning opportunity based on Little Red Riding Hood

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A drama learning opportunity based on Little Red Riding Hood

Introduction (5 minutes): Start by introducing the story of Little Red Riding Hood and asking the children if they have heard the story before. Briefly recap the story and ask the children to identify the characters in the story. Explain to the children that they are going to participate in a drama activity that explores the characters and events in the story in a new way.

Warm Up (10 minutes): Lead the children in a simple warm-up activity, such as stretching or jumping jacks. Encourage them to move their bodies and get their energy flowing.

Teacher in Role (10 minutes): Explain to the children that you are going to play the role of Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother. Invite the children to ask you questions about the story and the events that happened. Use your imagination to respond as if you were the grandmother, and encourage the children to ask follow-up questions to explore the character’s backstory and motivations.

Sound Collage (10 minutes): Explain to the children that they are going to participate in a drama technique called sound collage. Divide the children into small groups and assign each group a scene from the story, such as Little Red Riding Hood walking through the forest. Ask each group to create a soundscape that represents the scene using their voices and other sounds they can make with their bodies or objects. Encourage them to think creatively about the sounds they can make to represent the scene. After each group has created their soundscape, bring the whole group back together and ask them to share their soundscape with the rest of the group.

Hot Seating (10 minutes): Explain to the children that they are going to participate in a drama technique called hot seating. Choose one child to be the “hot seat,” and assign them a character from the story, such as the wolf. Ask the rest of the group to ask questions about the character and their motivations. Encourage the child in the hot seat to answer as if they were the character, using their imagination to create a backstory and motivations.

Still Image (10 minutes): Explain to the children that they are going to participate in a drama technique called still image. Divide the children into small groups and assign each group a scene from the story, such as Little Red Riding Hood meeting the wolf. Ask each group to create a still image of the moment from the story using their bodies and facial expressions to show the emotion and action of the moment. Then, have each group share their still image with the rest of the group, and ask them to guess which moment from the story it represents.

Conclusion (5 minutes): To end the session, gather the children back in a circle. Ask them to share what they learned about the story and how drama helped them explore the characters and events in a new way. Thank the children for participating and remind them that they can use their imagination and creativity in their daily lives. You could also suggest that they try to act out their favorite scenes from the story at home or in the playground.

Posted in Drama for children, Drama strategies, Elements of Drama, Hot seating

Developing a Character

Group Of Children With Teacher Enjoying Drama Class Together

To develop a unique character answer the following questions and then use the hot seating technique for character exploration.

Personal details:
Name:
Age:
Job:
Details of family:

Where were you born?
Where did you go to school?

Past:
Your biggest secret:

What was your ambition (goal) as a child?

Briefly describe one childhood story from your character’s past. This can be happy or sad.

Personality:
Describe the personality that everyone sees on a daily basis:
For example: friendly, happy, lively, outgoing …

Describe the personality that people see when they get to know you better.
For example: more relaxed, calmer, less nervous …

Make up two personality traits or habits that show something about your character.
For example: a twitch could show that they feel nervous talking about themselves …

What’s your greatest fear?

What are your likes and dislikes?

Movement
How does your character stand or sit typically?

Walk?

Are they comfortable making eye contact?

Voice
How do they talk?
For example: do they speak slowly, steady, quickly? Or do they mumble, talk loudly, shout, or talk without expression?

Hot-seat your character.

Now that you have created a character, you should know all about their hopes and dreams and have invented a past and personality for them. Try to make some answers detailed, rather than using one word answers.

• What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you?
• What’s your greatest dream for the future?
• Can you describe yourself in a sentence?
• What do you do with your spare time?
• Do you find it easy to make friends?
• What’s been your happiest memory so far in your life?
• Would you describe yourself as an opinionated person?
• Do you think you’re easy to get along with?
• What annoys you?
• If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be and why?
• Where do you see yourself in 20 years’ time?
• If you could give someone younger than yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?
• What are you afraid of?
• How do you think you’ve changed over the years?
• Would you say you’re happy with your life as it is?
• What makes you laugh?
• Who’s the most important person in your life?

Posted in Drama for children, Drama strategies, English as a second language, Esl, Esl Drama, fables, Freeze Frame, Hot seating, Movement activities, Movement stories for children, Still image, teacher in role, The Hare and the Tortoise

The hare and the tortoise, a fun drama workshop for children.

image

Read the following movement story to the children. When they hear any of words in bold they must do the corresponding action. The teacher should go through each action at the beginning.

Boast/boastful/boasting – stand up straight and puff out chest
Woods – children make themselves into trees.
Animals – each child choose a different animal found in the woods and move like that animal.
Hare – make bunny ears with your hands.
Fast – children move as fast as they can
Run/ran – run on the spot
Tortoise – children bend over as if they have something heavy on their back.
Slow/slowly – children move in slow motion around the room.

Once upon a time there was a very boastful hare who lived in a woods with lots of other animals. He was always boasting about how fast he could run. He boasted “I’m the fastest animal in the woods. No one can run as fast as me.” The other animals were tired of listening to him. One day the tortoise said to the hareHare, you are so boastful. I challenge you to race.” Hare laughed and said “Tortoise, you will never beat me. You are too slow and steady.” They decided whoever got to the other side of the woods the fastest was the winner. All the other animals in the woods came to watch the race. The hare ran as fast as he could through the woods. After a while he thought to himself “I’m so fast that slow tortoise will never beat me. I think I will take a quick nap.” Soon, he fell asleep. The tortoise walked slowly through the woods. He passed the sleeping hare. The animals watched the tortoise near the finishing line. The animals cheered loudly. The hare woke up and ran as fast as he could through the woods to the finishing line but it was too late. The slow tortoise had won the race. All the animals in the wood congratulated the tortoise. The hare had to remind himself that he shouldn’t boast about his fast pace because slow and steady won the race.

Physical warm up: Get each child to find a clear space. They must make sure that they are not touching anyone else. The children crouch down on the floor and make a ball shape with their bodies. The
teacher explains that all children are magic rocks and that the teacher is a magic wizard. The teacher waves the magic wand and says: “Magic rocks turn into hares.” All the children turn into hares and move around the room as hares. The teacher then says: “Magic rocks turn into magic rocks.” The children return to their clear spaces and crouch down on the floor again as quickly as possible. The magic wizard can change the magic rocks into animal they can be found in the jungle.
Variation: The children can take it turns to be the magic wizard.

Role on the wall: Divide the class into groups of four. Give each group either an outline of the hare or the tortoise and ask the children to write inside the image the different characteristics or personality traits of the hare or the tortoise. If they are too young to write, get them to draw inside the image. Each group talks about their image and what they put inside.

Still Image: Ask each child to make a still image of the Hare at the beginning of the race. The teacher taps each child on the shoulder and they must say how they feel. Then get them to make a still image of the hare at the end of the race. The teacher taps each child on the shoulder and they must say how they feel. Can they tell the difference?

Freeze Frame: Divide the class into pairs. They have to make six images that tell the story of the hare and the tortoise. They then show their freeze frame to the rest of the class.

Teacher in Role: The teacher takes on the role of the tortoise. She tells the children she feels sorry for the hare because he thought he was the fastest in the forest and now he is upset. Ask the children what do they suggest they could do to make him feel better.

Hot seating: One of the children volunteers to be the hare. The hare sits in the hot seat and the rest of the children asks him questions.

Closure: The children sit in a circle. Each child finishes the following sentences “if I could be an animal I would be a………

Turn on some music and everyone dances as their animal.

 

Posted in Aesop's fabes, creative arts, Drama, Drama Activities for children, Drama for children, drama for kids, Drama strategies, Elements of Drama, Esl, Esl Drama, expressive arts, fables, Fairy Tales, Freeze Frame, Hot seating, Mime, Panchatantra plays, Role playing stories, Still image, Storytelling, teacher in role, Voice Production

Drama Lesson based on “The Lion and The Clever Rabbit”

The following is a Drama workshop to do with children in primary or elementary school. It is a useful workshop if you want to focus on the issue of Bully and isolation. It is based on the fable from the Panchatantra called “The Lion and the Clever Rabbit”. Here is a link to a version on you tube.

Once the teacher has told the story or watched the video ask the children to get into groups of four.

Physical warm up: In each group there is a monkey, an elephant, a snake and a rabbit. Get the children to move around the room and sound like their different animals. Get them to find the animal that is like them from the other groups and interact and play with them. The teacher gives a loud roar and the animals are frightened.

Teacher in role: The teacher in role as the Lion roars at them. She says “I’m very hungry and I’m going to eat all the animals in the jungle one by one.”

Still Image: In their animal groups the children make a still image of how they feel when they think the Lion is coming to get catch them and eat them.

Thought tracking: Once all groups are in the still image then the teacher out of role goes and touches them on the shoulder. Each animal has to say how they feel at that moment.

Conscience alley: Once the children are out of their still image they make two lines facing each other. The teacher in role as the the Lion walks in between the line as the children speak out as his conscience. The children in the line on the left hand should speak out that it is wrong to scare and eat the other animals and the children on the right hand side should speak out saying that he is right to scare and the eat the animals.
Examples: The left side could say “the animals are scared”, “what about their families?”,
“they want to stay in the jungle and play with their friends”.
The right side could say: “none of the other animals like you”, “you are hungry and you need to eat”, “you have no friends so you don’t care what they think of you”.

Hot seating: The teacher in role as the Lion sits in the hot seat. The children who are being themselves ask the Lion why he is behaving this way. Why does he want to eat all the animals in the jungle? Why is he horrible and mean to the other animals?

Group discussion: Get the children to get into role as their original animals. Tell them that they are going to change the ending of the story because the way the Clever Rabbit treated the Lion was as bad as how the Lion treated the other animals. They must come up with a more positive ending.

Group improvisation: The groups all improvise their endings in front of the other groups. The teacher takes on the role as the Lion in each group.

Role on the wall: Put two outlines of a Lion on the wall. Let the children choose words that describes the Lion before he got stuck in the well and one for after he was rescued from the well.

Closure|relaxation activity: Sleeping Lions – get the children to lie still on the floor and pretend to be a sleep. If they move then they are out and have to wake up with aloud roar.

Posted in Animal Stories, Christmas plays, Drama, Drama Activities for children, Drama for children, drama for kids, Drama games for 3 year olds, Drama games for 4 year olds, Drama strategies, Drama workshop for childre, Elements of Drama, Endings, English as a second language, English teaching games, Esl, Esl Drama, fables, Fairy Tales, Hot seating, Mime for children, Role playing stories, Story sacks, Storytelling, Storytelling in the Early years, Storytelling techniques, teacher in role, The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo drama workshop, Voice Production

The Gruffalo – Drama Workshop