Bring a bird, hamster or fish to your classroom, in its cage or tank. Have students gather around and observe the living creature you brought into class for about five minutes. Then have the students perform short improvisations, wherein they themselves are the caged animal. This exercise allows students to give an animal a voice and help them to stretch their definition of acting.
Props such as military medals, sports trophies, or graduation certificates allow you to build a drama lesson with ease. Pair students off and have them create a short skit using a single award prop. The skits your students produce will generally contain themes of competition or heroism, though you may be surprised by the original story lines a few of your pairs produce.
Purchase old postcards, pictures, bottles, tins and accessories at a thrift store. Break your class up into three semi-equal groups. Have each group take turns coming to the stage to perform improvisations based around a few of the historical props you provide.
Place three incongruous props on a table, and instruct students to create individual story monologues that incorporate all three items. For example, three items that do not immediately "go together" are red nail polish, a man's wallet, and a diaper. Have students perform their story monologues one at a time.