| Full lesson | Create for a teacher a set of content for giving a lesson, beginning with the lesson plan. Each new block of materials must begin with an H1 heading (other subheaders must be H2, H3, etc). When you describe required pictures, write those descriptions in curly brackets, for example: {A picture of a triangle} |
| Which subject | Drama |
| What topic | Improvisation |
| What length (min) | 30 |
| What age group | Year or Grade 10 |
| Class size | 20 |
| What curriculum | |
| Include full script | |
| Check previous homework | |
| Ask some students to presents their homework | |
| Add a physical break | |
| Add group activities | |
| Include homework | |
| Show correct answers | |
| Prepare slide templates | |
| Number of slides | 5 |
| Create fill-in cards for students | |
| Create creative backup tasks for unexpected moments |
Improvisation
Year 10 (approximately 14-15 years old)
Drama
20 students
This lesson adheres to the National Curriculum for Drama by promoting creativity, collaboration, and performance skills through improvisation.
| Step Number | Step Title | Length (minutes) | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to Improvisation | 5 | Briefly explain what improvisation is, its importance in drama, and provide examples. |
| 2 | Warm-up Activity | 5 | Conduct a quick warm-up game to get students comfortable and focused. Potential activity: "Zip Zap Zop". |
| 3 | Printable Card Activity | 10 | Distribute cards to students. Explain the activity where they will fill in prompts/ideas during improvisation exercises. |
| 4 | Group Improvisation Exercise | 5 | Divide the class into small groups. Assign a scenario for each group to improvise while using the prompts from their cards. |
| 5 | Random Checking Activity | 5 | Collect or randomly check the filled cards from the students to assess their engagement without formal presentations. |
| 6 | Reflection and Feedback | 5 | Facilitate a group reflection on their experiences and feelings about the improvisation exercises. Ask students to share insights informally. |
Students are to write a one-page reflection on their improvisation experience, focusing on what they learned and how they felt during the activities. This homework will be collected in the next class without having individual presentations.
"Good morning, everyone! Today, we are diving into the exciting world of improvisation in drama. Improvisation, often referred to as 'improv', is the art of creating scenes and dialogues spontaneously, without a script. It's an essential skill in drama because it fosters creativity, quick thinking, and collaboration. Think of your favourite comedy shows where the actors seem to come up with lines on the spot – that's improvisation at its best! We're going to explore this concept today and have some fun with it!"
"To get us started, we’re going to play a quick warm-up game called 'Zip Zap Zop'. I’ll explain the rules first. We will stand in a circle. One person will say 'Zip' while pointing to someone else in the circle. The person pointed to must say 'Zap' while pointing to another person, and that person will say 'Zop'. This continues around the circle, and we’ll try to keep the pace going faster and faster. If someone makes a mistake, we’ll start over. Ready? Let’s give it a go!"
"Great job with the warm-up! Now, I have some printable cards for each of you. Please take one card and a pen. On the card, I want you to write down a character, a location, or a situation that you think might be fun to improvise with. Make sure it’s something that excites you! Once everyone is done, we'll use these cards in our next activity."
"Now that everyone has filled out their cards, let's move on to our group improvisation exercise. I’ll divide you into small groups of four. Each group will receive a scenario that we’ll create together using the ideas you have on your cards. You will have five minutes to come up with a short improvised scene based on your scenario. Have fun, be creative, and remember, there are no wrong answers in improv! Let’s get into our groups now!"
"Well done, everyone! I loved watching your scenes come to life! Now, let’s take a moment to check your cards. I’d like you to hand your cards to me, or I will come around and collect them. This is just to see how engaged you were with the prompts you created. Don’t worry, this isn’t a formal assessment, and we will not be going into detail about what you wrote."
"Finally, let’s gather our thoughts on today’s activities. I want you to think about how you felt during the improvisation exercises. Did you enjoy the process? Were there moments where you felt challenged? Let's hear from a few of you about your experiences. You can share any insights or feelings you had during the activities, whether it was excitement, nervousness, or even surprise at your own creativity."
"Thank you for sharing! Remember, for homework, please write a one-page reflection about your improvisation experience and how you felt about the activities. I look forward to reading your thoughts in our next class. Great job today, everyone! See you next time!"
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is improvisation in drama? | |
| Why is improvisation an essential skill in drama? | |
| Can you name a comedy show that effectively uses improvisation? | |
| What was the name of the warm-up game played in class? | |
| How do you play 'Zip Zap Zop'? | |
| What should you write on your printable card? | |
| How many people were in each group during the group improvisation exercise? | |
| What were the main tasks during the group improvisation exercise? | |
| Why did the teacher collect the cards after the improvisation activities? | |
| What feelings or insights did you have during the improvisation exercises? | |
| What is the homework assignment given at the end of the lesson? | |
| How can improvisation foster creativity in performers? | |
| What role does collaboration play in the improvisation process? | |
| What is meant by "there are no wrong answers in improv"? | |
| How can quick thinking benefit actors during improvisation? |