First Visit! (September 18, 2018)

For the first visit with Miss Adair’s class, I wanted to get to know the students and introduce them to the subject of drama. My goal was to get them to become comfortable with moving and developing expressions so that we can build on that from here on out.

Name Fame

The first activity that we did was a name game entitled “Name Fame.” For this activity, we sat in a circle and listened to each person say their name and one thing that they are “famous” for. In between each person’s turn, we clapped and repeated the phrase “Name game, name game, what’s your name and what’s your fame.” I only had to repeat this phrase twice before the students caught on. Once they figured out the phrase, they excitedly chanted it and were proud to share their name and facts. Through this activity, the students were able to practice speaking loud in front of the entire class. The activity also helped me begin to learn the names of each student (although I will need more practice with this).

Mirror

After “Name Fame,” we did the activity entitled “Mirror.” In this activity, students paired up and faced each other. The task was to complete movements together to resemble what would happen if you were looking in a mirror. Each pair established who would make the first movement and who would follow. I told the students that their goal was to try to fool me into who was leading because they were working together so well (as in I wouldn’t be able to tell who moved first). They did this so well. Each student focused on their partner and did well moving in sync. The activity started with the students only making the movements with their upper bodies by sitting crisscross on the floor. After several minutes of doing it on the floor, each pair spread throughout the classroom and completed the exercise standing up, using their entire bodies. Through this activity, students were able to explore the power of movement and explore the space around them. They were also able to work together with another student, contributing to their social development. Another aspect of this activity that the contributed to the students’ cognitive development was the focus and attention that was needed to follow their partners and move as one.

                              

 

Number Levels

The last activity that we did was called “Number Levels.” For this activity, we stood in a circle. The students were able to define the word “level” for me, and I told them that the game contained 5 levels: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Each number was a different height that the students would go to. The students defined what their version of each level was, though many students went to the same height as their neighbor for the called level. Level 1 was on the floor; level 5 was standing on their toes with hands reached up, with the other three levels in the middle of the two. After reviewing the levels, I stood in the middle of the circle. I then called out a numbered level, and the students would have to go to that level. I continued to call out numbers in different orders. After doing so myself several times, Miss Adair called the numbers. Then, I had two students take turns calling out the numbers. Through this activity, students were able to explore different levels of space. They were able to see a difference between a Level 1 and a Level 5. This is also a good activity to get the wiggles out and get the students up and moving.

                         

 


Because the students were able to move around through these activities, they could continue with their written work once I left. When children move, oxygen flows to the brain and allows them to focus for longer amounts of time on other tasks.

I am excited to continue working with Miss Adair and her class! We have fun plans for the next visit!