Middle school theatre challenges
This is my first year teaching middle school theatre (and hopefully the only year, not my age level of choice, I taught two years of high school previous to this) and I'm encountering some large challenges with my sixth-grade classes at the moment. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be very appreciative
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You could have them create puppets, then have them write a script... Team people who can write up with the special ed kids... chances are the spec ed kids would be able to remember one or two lines. This would promote working together too. We did an exercise one year where the art teacher had her classes make shadow puppets (black construction paper cut into outlines, then they attatched sticks to make them move and they could cut out eyes and put tissue paper over the opening to make colors (I don't know if that made any sense) then the english teachers had kids write scripts and build a stage (cardboard w/ a cutout covered in tissue paper) and then had the groups perform there scripts. Just shine a light from behind. This project could be broken down so that everyone makes the puppets, everyone has a hand in building the stage and writing a script, finding and making sound effects...
Another game I used to play is "Rain".
Have everyone sit in a circle and tell them that once you are standing in front of the individual, they are to copy what you are doing. (Change actions once you've made it around the circle)
start by rubbing your hands together (like warming them up)
Snap your fingers,
slap your thighs
stomp your feet... then reverse w/ slapping thighs, snapping, rubbing your hands.
The result is a passing rainstorm. Then you could modify the game so that the students have to decide when to change (without a leader telling them to)
Hope this helped a little.
Good Luck
Amanda
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