Games, Ideas & Activities for Primary Drama
By Michael Theodorou
May 2010
Pearson Education
Distrubuted by Trans-Atlantic Publications Inc.
ISBN: 9781408223291
335 pages
$44.50 Paper Original
The book aims to provide ready-made drama lesson ideas, in the three key areas of movement, voice
and character. These activities will considerably reduce the workload for many overburdened teachers,
and can be easily adapted to suit varying levels of ability. Offering links to many curriculum areas, this
resource will provide a strong base of accessible ideas to enhance drama education in the primary
classroom. The companion website to accompany the book will offer unique scripted scenes from great
literary works which will offer the teacher further ideas for not just one lesson, but a series of lessons, as
well as a ‘Teachers Notes’ section. An essential tool to help bring creativity to life in the classroom!
Features
Key features:
- Over 150 activities aimed at developing dramatic skills in the primary classroom
- Appendices providing suggestions for music to accompany the ideas, lists of essential props and costumes and other useful resources
- Companion website with downloadable scripts and extra advice
- Cross-curricular links to inspire creativity across the primary curriculum
- Activities can be easily adapted to suit different classes or topics
- Reduces the time spent planning, and fit easily into a busy timetable
Table of Contents
Introduction
Part 1 – Movement
Fingertips
Mirror Work
Starters (solo)
Starters (pairs)
Starters (groups)
Fun Games
Circle Work
Objects (pairs)
Object Shapes (groups) (The Fridge)
Object Shapes (groups)
Letters and Words
More Letters and Words
Numbers
Leading with the Nose (part 1)
Leading with the Nose (part 2)
Changing Direction
Monsters
More Monsters
Even More Monsters
Walking
Character Walks
Animal Movement (The Cat)
Animal Movement (Fish)
Animal Movement (The Tortoise )
Animal Movement (Birds)
Animal Movement (Kangaroos and Cuckoos)
Looking and Listening
Making Statues
All Aboard!
Expressive Mime (The Letter)
Expressive Mime (The Window Cleaners)
Expressive Mime (The Tramp)
Expressive Mime (The Report and The Cake)
Gesture
More Gestures
Dramatic Change
Melodrama Movement (part 1)
Melodrama Movement ( part 2)
Group Movement
Double-Glazed Window
Period Movement
Comedy Movement
Visualisation
Pip, Squeak and Wilfred
More Games
Use of Props
Crowd Work
Using the Five Senses
Changing Shapes
Movement and Voice
Part 2 – Voice
Sing Up!
Witch Voice?
Sound Effects (part 1)
Sound Effects (part 2)
Playing with Words
Nonsense Words
Repetition and Variation
War Chants
Once Upon a Time (part 1)
Once Upon a Time (part 2)
Character Work with the Voice (part 1)
Character Work with the Voice (part 2)
Character Work with the Voice (part 3)
Character Work with the Voice (part 4)
Melodrama (Voice Work)
Choral Speech
The Travellers and the Bear, a fable by Aesop (part 1)
The Travellers and the Bear, a fable by Aesop (part 2)
The Ant and the Grasshopper, a fable by Aesop
The Hare and the Tortoise, a fable by Aesop
The Fox and the Crow, a fable by Aesop
Pronouncing Difficult Words
Soundscapes
The Splendour Falls on Castle Walls, a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Improvisation Starters (Family Life)
Spoken Improvisation Work
Character Box Conversations
Loopy Dialogues (part 1)
Loopy Dialogues (part 2)
Stating Intentions
Dramatic Pause
The Owl and the Pussycat, a poem by Edward Lear (part 1)
The Owl and the Pussycat, a poem by Edward Lear (part 2)
Group Sounds (part 1)
Group Sounds (part 2)
Talking in Sounds (part 1)
Talking in Sounds (part 2)
The Daffodils, a poem by William Wordsworth
Householder
The Eagle, a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Shopkeeper
Spooky Stories
The Land of Counterpane, a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson
Waiter, There’s a Fly in My Soup!
What Really Annoys Me is...
Peter and The Wolf
Television Channels
Books
Nursery Rhymes
At the Zoo, a poem by William Makepeace Thackeray
Part 3 – Character
Oliver Twist (The Board)
Oliver Twist(Picking Straws)
Oliver Twist (Meeting his new Employer)
Oliver Twist (Fagin)
The Secret Garden (Mary Lennox in India)
The Secret Garden (Mary Lennox in England)
The Secret Garden (Arrival at Misselthwaite)
The Secret Garden (At Misselthwaite)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Supernatural Characters)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Mechanicals)
The Cuckoo Clock (Griselda Meets Her Aunts)
The Cuckoo Clock (Griselda Sees the Clock)
A Christmas Carol (Scrooge and His Nephew)
A Christmas Carol (Scrooge and the Charity Collectors)
A Christmas Carol ( Scrooge and Cratchit)
A Christmas Carol (Unearthly Characters)
Great Expectations (The Convict)
Great Expectations (The Tickler)
Great Expectations (Stealing the Pie)
Goodbye, Mr Chips (Teacher’s Nightmare)
Back Cover
Designed with busy teachers in mind, the Classroom Gems series draws together an extensive selection of practical, tried-and-tested, off-the-shelf ideas, games and activities, guaranteed to transform any lesson or classroom in an instant.
Easily navigable, allowing you to choose the right activity quickly and easily, these invaluable resources are guaranteed to save you time and are a must-have tool to plan, prepare and deliver first-rate lessons.
Games, Ideas and Activities for Primary Drama aims to provide ready-made drama lesson ideas in the three key areas of movement, voice and character. Offering links to many curriculum areas, this resource will provide a strong base of accessible ideas to enhance drama education in the primary classroom. An essential tool to help bring creativity to life through drama.
· Activities can easily be used in many primary lessons with cross-curricular links provided
· Companion website containing unique scripted scenes to provide further ideas for not just one lesson, but a series of lessons available at www.pearsoned.co.uk/theodorou
· No specialist or prior knowledge necessary
· Step-by-step instructions for each activity, with aims, resources needed and possible variations listed
Instant ideas to brighten up your classroom!
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