Play Acting

Before reading Chapter Six, "The Platinum-Blond Man" in Matilda, readers preview the illustration of Mrs. Wormwood dropping her plate of food, and think about what may have happened to cause the scene. After reading the chapter, class...

Save the Lofty Trees, by Leslie Mills, provides the text for a study of the roles of animals and humans in the forest. Richly detailed, the plan offers two approaches to the play: as a scenario for children to imagine what actions would...

Develop a world-wide, email chain on which class members can showcase their acts of kindness. After defining the meaning of random acts of kindness through discussion and through a reading of Random Acts of Kindness,...

When it comes to learning a language and literacy, understanding nonverbal communication is often as important as verbal communication. An interactive body language activity incorporates role play to demonstrate the difference between...

Read and act out folktales, fairy tales, or myths from various Asian American cultures with your class. Each group reads a story aloud and then works together to create a short play or skit about the story. Suggestions for stories are...

Students role-play sports situations and determine the actions needed to stay safe from injuries. They define the term sports safety, develop short skits about situations involving sports safety, and work together in cooperative groups.

No lesson plan accompanies this drama about the American Revolution. With 13 speaking roles, the short script could be used for a class production, a lesson plan on the parts of a play, or to supplement your social studies curriculum.

Do figures of speech enhance a play or story? In small groups, learners locate and describe figures of speech they find while reading a reader's theater play. After making predictions, they describe how the figures of speech make the...

The first of a three-part series on bullying, this plan has class members present skits about bullying, write and sign an anti-bullying pledge, and complete a service project. For the skit, learners use information from previous lessons...

Help your pupils learn how to problem-solve through role-playing activities. Small groups brainstorm ideas of common conflicts and present their skits to the class. They can present their skits to other classes to promote the common good.