Objective:
Students will understand the basics of communication through movement and implement them through a game of Charades.
Materials Needed:
High-energy aerobics music and means by which to play it.
Many little strips of paper, bowls or cups to put them in, and pens for Charades.
HOOK:
Excitedly invite all students to the stage and get them PUMPED UP FOR AEROBICS. Have the students form dance lines and turn on the music. Lead students through an aerobic routine and stretching.
INSTRUCTION:
Step One—DISCUSSION: Ask students what tools they have to use as actors. Their bodies should be one of the answers given. Ask students why and how their bodies are useful in performance and in acting. What can be conveyed?
Step Two—DIRECTIONS/GUIDED PRACTICE: Ask students if they have ever played Telephone Charades. This game is played in the following manner. Select five to six participants and ask them to leave the room. The audience chooses an action that is specific, silly, and obscure to act out (ie: “a nerd’s romantic first date”, “washing an elephant”, “going skydiving naked”, etc.) Once the clue has been decided, bring in all the participants and instruct them to face the right side. The moderator reveals the clue to the first person, who taps the second person on the shoulder and acts out the topic using charades rules (no talking allowed, no noises). The second person then taps the third person and acts out his or her understanding of what was acted out. This continues until it reaches the last person in line, who must guess what the action is. This is a fun game because the action mutates and changes based upon each person’s interpretation of what is going on, often leading to confusion and silly motions.
Step Three—DISCUSSION: Between each round of Telephone Charades, ask the audience members what the participants did well to convey the message. Where did the message get lost? Why did it get lost? What are effective methods of communicating clear meaning through movement?
Step Four—DIRECTIONS/GUIDED PRACTICE: Divide students into two teams—place the slips of paper, pens, and two bowls on the ground and allow students to write down whatever move, song, play, book, or television show they like for a game of Charades. Explain the basic rules of Charades and play the game! May the best movers win.
CLOSURE/ASSESSMENT:
Ask students what movement can convey aside from just story? Tell them that in the coming days, these areas will be covered. Students are assessed by participation.