Open Forum

I think it's a good time for us to all post our favorite an most successful opening week activities for theatre and tech students....please share.

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Melody Herzfeld
Parkland FL
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In my 8th grade drama class, we played a game called "If This is True." You sit in a circle, with one person in the middle. The person in the middle has to make a true statement about themselves, and if it's true for anyone else in the circle, they have to get up and switch seats with others who are standing, and the person in the middle tries to get a seat. The goal is not to be left in the center. 

We also did a Human Machine - they really liked that one. We did several, giving lots of people the chance to be first. 

And I like a variation of Human Bingo - I have a list of 15 things and they have to find people in the class who fit the categories. Things like "has pets," "has siblings," "loves the color red." They have to get signatures next to each item, and the goal is to get as many different signatures as possible. Then we stand in a circle and go through the list and see how many people fit each category, so they find people with things in common. My twist is that all 15 of the categories is true for ME. And that way they learn about me, too. 

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Dianne Rowe
Birmingham AL
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I play the old name game, which has been played by many already.  I apologize to them all the while that I need to learn their names, so sit tight while we bore the socks off each other.  Then I encourage them to ham it up, so no one is really bored.

Name game: Everyone in a circle including teacher, and teacher introduces herself with some kind of action.  Person to teacher's left introduces himself with an action, and adds the teacher's name and action.  Each person has a progressively harder job as more names are added.  When it goes around the circle and gets back to the teacher, the teacher recites the names and actions flawlessly to much acclaim.

It never fails that a very shy person will have to do a lot of names, so we cheat and I help out.

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Katherine Miller
Theater Teacher
Paul VI Catholic High School
Herndon VA
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