Movement/Pantomime UnitLesson 2 - Beginning PantomimeEducational Objective: Students will demonstrate their developing understanding of pantomime by participating in various movement and pantomime activities.Materials Needed: Four identical small objects (like whiteboard markers)Hook:What are you doing? Game. Allow everyone to go through the line twice.Activity:Have the class spread out in the room. (Allow students to move around the room, but with the understanding that if it gets dangerous or if they can’t be quiet, they will only be allowed to stand in place. If standing in place is still too difficult for them to handle, they will need to do it in slow motion.) STANDING IN PLACE (if it gets too crazy, tell them it needs to be in slow motion). They will be instructed to move based on what the teacher instructs them to be. Periodically, have them freeze and describe to you the way they are moving to be the particular thing you told them to be. Ask them what muscles they feel themselves using.Focus on the different aspects of moving.• Low: Be a caterpillar. Pretend you are doing a limbo contest.• High: Be an airplane. Be a kite. Pretend you are walking on a tight rope.• Horizontal: Be a bell that is swinging. Be a lion, pacing it’s cage. Paddle a canoe.• Vertical: Be an elevator. Be a bird. Do ten jumping jacks.• Fast: Be a fire engine, racing to put out a fire. Be a leaf caught in a storm. Pretend you are rushing to get to class on time.• Slow: Be a turtle. Pretend you are in slow motion.• Turning: Pretend you are in a revolving door. Be a merry-go-round.• Strong: Pretend you are chopping wood. Pretend you are a bulldozer.• Soft: Pretend you are a balloon. Be a butterfly. Be a kitten.• Sharp: Pretend you are a cuckoo clock. Be a toy soldier. Be a robot.• Floppy: Be a rag doll. Be a flag in the breeze. Pretend you are fish out of water.• Smooth: Be syrup, pouring onto pancakes. Be a fish, swimming in water.• Twisted: Be an octopus. Be a pretzel. Pretend you are crumpled up paper.Discussion:After students have done all of these, conduct a discussion with them asking these different questions:What were some of the different kinds of movements you were doing?What were some similarities and differences you noticed between the movements?What was the hardest/easiest to do?What were you imagining or picturing in your mind as you made these movements?How were you able to internalize these different kinds of movements when so many of them were different from how you normally move?Transition:Ask the students to sit in a big circle on the floor.Ask, “who has ever played pretend? Do you ever have something and pretend that it is something else?” Ask for examples.Activity:Instructions: “I am going to pass around this marker, but guess what! It isn’t a marker. It is something else entirely - each time we pass it around the circle, it will be a different object (that I will tell you) and I want to see you treat it as such. For example, what if I said that this was an ice cream cone? How would you show me that it’s an ice cream cone?” There are four people who will start with the marker, so that more people can go at a time. When a person who starts with a marker gets a second marker, they hold it and wait until the object changes again.Pass around the white board markers. The first time around, it is a diamond bracelet. (Side coaching - how do you handle something as fragile as a diamond bracelet? how do you feel about this bracelet? - offer praise for when students do well.) The second, it is an old, dirty wallet. The third time around it is a small, fluffy kitten. The last time, it is a full glass of hot water.*Only the first two times around the circle will they have an object. After the second time, take it away and tell them that they need to pretend (pantomime) the object. This makes it more difficult because they really need to watch one another and they need to try to “see” the object they are holding.Discussion:After students have done all of these, conduct a discussion with them asking these different questions:What was difficult about trying to “see” the object you were holding?Were you able to show what the object was?Was it more or less difficult when I took the marker away?Activity:Have everyone stand up, in their own space (no one touching or too close) and have them pantomime these different scenarios, focusing on the different sense that is introduced. These are absolutely silent, and have students do it all in place.Seeing-1. Enter a large room and look around for someone you know.2. Dig through the lost and found to find your sweater.3. Look for your shoes in a very dark closet.4. Watch your favorite show on television.Hearing-1. Hear an explosion.2. Listen to a small sound, try to decide what it is.3. Listen to your favorite song on the radio.4. Listen to your teacher giving instructions.Smelling-1. Come home and smell cookies baking in the oven.2. Walk in the woods and smell a campfire.3. Smell different perfumes at the mall.4. Smell something gross and try to decide what it is.Tasting-1. Eat your favorite piece of candy.2. Taste something you have never had before. Decide if you like it.3. Eat something spicy!4. Lick a very sour lemon.Touching-1. Accidentally touch a hot stove.2. Hold a soft piece of fabric.3. Try to pet a spiky porcupine.4. Make a very cold snowball.Assignment:Students need to prepare a 30 second (to 1 minute) pantomime activity. The activity should be something that they do everyday (or have at least done once before) and must include at least three separate actions. For example, sleeping for your entire pantomime won’t count — but if you sleep, and wake up, and brush your teeth and it takes at least thirty seconds, then you’re great. You will perform these next class. A good idea would be to practice in the mirror.