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Role Plays, Drama, Pantomimes, and CharadesBy Diane Balling,
Instructional strategies-Sric (xs>\ :^ io Jn-tpvi^f'jJ h/v - f D
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We can use the body t o store inforf ri at ion as well as t he
brai n- Muscle memory Some kids just need t o move-Engagi ng Emoti
onal connections can be made t o real l i fe , , Test scores show
it works (so it must be t r u e ) Ex. Civil war Motivates
participation Gett ing the body and emot ions involved provides for
deeper learning ^ -
Used for just about anythingbut here are some things it works
great with:Historical Events & Figures, Sequential Order,
Underst andi ng social sit uat ions for empathy, etc.
IDEAS: ,CharadesCharades with w/ ordsReader' s TheatreBody
shapes (spelling, geometry) , .Students role play the teacher (Good
for math) ,. Role Play Book Characters ,, >- .TV News Broadcast
-TV Interview . . - _ , -Job Interview ,Dance & Rap . ,Acting
out parts of the whole (planets, count ries, molecules)Hand Actions
for memorizationLearning for real life, act out real life scenes
(money, social interactions, language learning)Create a two minute
scene demonstrat ing vocabulary words ^-^^ . ; - . . ; ;
* Make sure you have students explai n what they learned *
Foster discussion after t he process* Watch for proper level of
rules and gui del ines. You can over kill and take away creat ivit
y. Youcan also not give enough restriction and have ?s on student'
s faces or students runni ng wild!* Make sure students have been
int rodu ced t o subject being taught when needed. Someactivities
will require prior knowledge of the subject.
Great Resource for all levels just to get some ideas; http:/ /
www.childdrama.com/ lessonS.htmlSources:Buchanan, M. Creot/ VeDramo
Lesson P/ons. Retrieved Juanuary 23, 2011, from
http:/ / www.childdrama.com/ lessons.htmlShaw, D.G., &
Nygard, B. (1997). Moving through the Solar System: using movement
activities to learn about the
solar system. Science Activities, 34(fa\ \ , 23-31Tate, M.L
(2010). lVor/ cs/ ieet5 Don' t GrowDendntes. Thousand Oaks:
Corwin.
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Example of Role Play for understanding our solar system and the
9 planetsPROCEDURE
1 . Make a huge outline of the Sun on the butcher paper. Divide
the out line into three categories: K:the things the students
already knov about our solar system; W: the things the students
would like toknow about our solar system; and L: the things the
students will have learned about our solar systemwhen the study is
completed.2. Have the students brainstorm about the things they
know about our solar system. Record them inthe K column.
3. Have the students brainstorm about the things they want to
learn about our solar system. Recordthem in the W column.
4. Identi fy the fol lowing key terms for the students and
demonstrate the movements associated wi theach. There-after,
whenever one of these terms is mentioned in a review, have the
students performthe associated movements.
* Solar system: Stand up, hold up nine fingers, and sweep your
arms in a big circle while facing theoutline of the sun, and then
sit down.
* Sun: Stand up, jump up and down three times, pretending the fl
oor is the Sun' s hot surface, andthen sit down.
* Planet; Stand up, sweep your arms in a big circle
counterclockwise while turning around in acomplete circle, and then
sit down.
* Satell ite: Stand up, walk around your desk, and then sit
down.PROCEDURE
1 . Write the names of the research topics on individual slips
of paper.2. Keep students in their Activity 2 research teams or
divide them into the same number of other
teams. Whatever you decide, have each team draw one slip of
paper wi th a research topic wri t ten on it.3. Have students move
their desks into a large circle around the perimeter of the
classroom and set a /
ball (preferably yellow) on a stool or chair in the center, t o
represent t he Sun.4. Explain the game rules: The object for each
team is to act out the topi c on its card in order t o get
the rest of the class to guess it successful ly. All members of
each team have to participate actively andcontribute to the
charade. They may look over the equipment provided and select the
items they needto demonstrate their topic.Give the teams a set
amount of time (about 5 min.) to decide how they willportray their
topics.
Remind students that the charades format offers a number of
options. They can be the object; theycan be someone or something
reacting to being on or in the object (e.g., they can pretend to
besomeone shivering at the severely cold temperatures on Pluto); or
they can be the effects of the object(e.g., they can pretend to be
the cold winds and fr igid air).
5. Select a team to go first.6. Allow the student teams that are
watching the charade to make two sil ent guesses and write them
on the index cards.7. At the end of each charade, have the other
teams reveal thei r guesses. You may want to take the
opportunity to provide some guided review at this point.8. Have
the charade-giving team members form a circle around the Sun while
the rest of the class
forms a line and circles around t hem, giving them each a high
fi ve. After t hey have completed onerevolution, have all the
students sit back down and ask the next team to perform its
charade.
9. Continue until all teams have had a chance to do thei r
charades.
