Theater and Improv in the Classroom: Joyful interpersonal activities By Robin Harvey, Co-Director for Project DCLT, New York University Professor

2. Families!
• Each table is a ‘type’ of family
• Next table calls out the type
• Table acts out the type of family

3. Here We Come!
• Divide into two groups: each group agrees on a place and a
“trade” (job) along with actions describing it
• Stand in two lines facing each other
• Group 1: Here we come!
Group 2: Where ya from?
• Group 1: (place)
• Group 2: What’s your trade?
• Group 1: MIME your ‘trade’ until group 2 guesses it
• Repeat!

4. What are you doing?
• Stand in a circle
• S1 acts out an activity
• Student on right asks: “What are you doing?”
• S1 names an activity they are NOT doing
• Student on right does the activity S1 named
• Continue around circle

5. Riding the Bus
Board the bus
You are an emotion:
‘Be’ that emotion and explain WHY you are
Everyone on the bus must be that emotion and tell why
Become the emotion of the next person boarding
Reverse as everyone leaves the bus

6. I have a gift for you
• Form two lines facing each other
• Give a gift to the person opposite you (I have a gift for you..)
• Recipient asks: What is it?
• Giver tells what the gift is.
• Receiver accepts the gift with an appropriate response
• Move to the end of the other line
• Continue until everyone has received a gift

7. I like clams
• Form a circle
• One person in center
• “I like clams because….”
• Give as many reasons, even outlandish, as possible
• Outsider can tap center person to move into middle and tell
why they like clams

8. Guess what happened
today!

9. Yes and ….
• Name one thing
• You learned today
• OR You like about what you learned today,
• OR About why it will work in the FL classroom
• OR About how you will adapt it for your classroom
• OR anything else about this presentation

10. Why do these work in FL
teaching?
• Interpersonal
• Real life
• Active, movement-based
• Creative
• Joyful, overcomes shyness
• Practices vocabulary,
structures
• Ties to previous learning
• And m ore …..

11. Resources
 Theater games:
http://plays.about.com/od/actvities/fl/Here-We-
Come-Group-Energizer-Theatre-Game.htm
 Improv Games for the Language Classroom
http://www.slideshare.net/ShellTerrell/improv-
games-for-the-language-classroom/15