Job Discussion Forums

theoriginalprankster · Joined: 19 Mar 2012 Posts: 895

As per the previous two semesters I will be having a Drama class/club one hour a week with a group of 10 sixth graders.

I've already done Robin Hood and Snow White, and need to do another simple 10 minute play with the new group.

We have a full semester to prepare for the final show, and past experience shows they need a full semester to put together a semi-decent play.

Of course I include warm up and closing activities/games, and teaching the basics of acting (I'm not a drama teacher, so I do my best).

Suggestions please for a 10 minute play.

Many thanks!

adventious · Joined: 23 Nov 2015 Posts: 237 Location: In the wide

At my last school, the students chose scenes from popular and contemporary cinema. Often scenes were sequential, but some decided along the lines of scenes from the beginning, middle, and end. Teams cued their performance with a clip from the title. Props and costumes were creative.

So, selecting for scenes (versus a single title) allowed for choices like number of players and genre-- comedy, drama, and romance all mixed up.

LarssonCrew · Joined: 06 Jun 2009 Posts: 1308

I did Aladdin and they loved it

wildgrace · Joined: 17 Nov 2010 Posts: 55

Improv can be fun and entertaining. Link to Improv books https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/improv

nimadecaomei · Joined: 22 Sep 2016 Posts: 605

Rapunzel

OhBudPowellWhereArtThou · Joined: 02 Jun 2015 Posts: 1168 Location: Since 2003

Are they far enough along for them to write their own play? If so, it will be more meaningful and probably more helpful to their ability to think and speak in English.

Zhejiang_Man · Joined: 23 Aug 2012 Posts: 123 Location: Zhejiang

A Chinese folktale performed in English, e.g., 'We Are All One' or 'The Storm Dragon'. Chances are, the kids already know and understand these folktales.

Curtinca · Joined: 26 Feb 2016 Posts: 73

I taught a group of (Chinese) English teachers at a summer camp in Zhuhai. Some of them knew the story of the Zhuhai fisher girl -- you can see her statue at the waterfront -- and we did that, winning a competition with four other groups.

lionheartuk · Joined: 03 Jun 2005 Posts: 173 Location: Guangdong

Don't know if this helps. I do an acting class twice a week with nine grade 2 and 3 students and I use scenes from movies , usually musicals. They watch the scene over and over and learn the lines and then we do the actions. The hard part is getting them to act and sing at the same time.

At the moment I am doing a song from Matilda,"when I grow up", and have changed the acting from the swings to the relevance of the actions mentioned in the dialogue they play/sing.The song is only 3 minutes long but the acting can be extended to include the before or after scenes
Later I will do a scene from Annie and then maybe look at happily n'ever after and see if there is anything I can use from there. There is also The sound of music, Mary Poppins, and others.
I prefer musicals as I think singing and acting makes the role play stand out more. Maybe you could go in that direction.