Theater-related games help students get to know each other and foster a positive, safe environment, while also introducing them to the free speech and movement necessary for acting. In one game, students introduce themselves by completing the sentence "My name is __________, and I like to _________" with their names and favorite hobbies, pantomiming an action as they name the activity. In another game, the instructor begins a story while holding a ball, then passes it to another student, who must make up what happens next. The ball continues around the circle until the story comes to an end.
Characterization is the process of an actor getting to know the role he is playing and developing an understanding of the character's psychology, movement, habits and past. In an elementary curriculum, students will learn how to use their bodies and voices to make up characters. To teach characterization, you can bring in a box of different kinds of hats that would lend themselves well to specific characters, such as a policeman's cap, a crown and a witch hat. Students can then take turns putting on the hats and acting out the roles of characters who might wear them.
Just as musicians learn the mechanics of playing the violin, guitar and trumpet, an actor's body is an instrument that he, too, must learn how to play. Physical activity in a drama curriculum encourages purposeful movement when creating characters and actions. Pantomime, the act of silently and expressively acting something out, is a good way to practice this. You can assign each student an action to pantomime, such as "watching a scary movie," "riding a roller coaster" or "flying a rocket ship." Students then will perform and have the rest of the class guess what their action is.
Students also need to learn about the mechanics of how a play works, including its typical two-act structure with an intermission, scenery and props and etiquette for theater performances. One way to do this is by actually taking students to see a play. You can preface the field trip with a lesson introducing these conventions of a theatrical production. While a professional play would be of the highest quality, classes can also attend the district's middle or high school play to see examples of opportunities that will be open to them in later years.
After studying the elements of drama, the unit can culminate with students preparing skits in small groups. Each group can choose a fairy tale to adapt into a short, improvised play. The groups will each receive a box containing construction paper, tinfoil, random objects and other supplies for making props and costumes. They will then have to use their creativity to depict the story using their materials. If possible, teachers can get access to the auditorium so students can act their skits out on a real stage. They can also put on a presentation of the skits for classmates and parents.