Lesson 2 - Drama Games that Build Trust

Whole Group > Where the Wind Blows Game

This game serves the dual purpose of allowing students to learn something about each other and to learn how to safely move within the space. Before this game begins, take this as an opportunity to reinforce the protocols of whole group engagement, active listening and safety.

Have students sit in a circle on chairs. Take one chair out of the circle. The person without the chair goes into the middle and says: “The wind blows for everyone who likes/has…” (E.g., a sister, can speak French, is wearing blue). If the statement is true for the students, they must get out of their chair and try to sit in a chair that has been made empty by someone for whom that statement is also true. The person left standing makes a new “The wind blows…” statement.

Variation: If a student has mobility issues, place a chair in front of the spot where they are sitting. Have them raise their hand or an object to indicate that they like/have the item being described. While that student may not run to a new space, you as the teacher may run for them. If they end up being the last one, they come up with the new question and you run for them. 

Whole Group > Greeting Game Yo! Yes!

Have students return their chairs to their desks and gather as a whole group. Explain that two ways that we can create a welcoming atmosphere in our class is by our facial expressions and the tone of our voice when we interact with each other. 

Divide the class into two lines. Have the two lines face one another so that the lines run end to end (vs in parallel). Tell the students that the game involves one person from the front of each line saying a line of dialogue to the other.  The first person in line A will start walking forward and greet the first person in line B by saying “Yo!” The first person in line B will then walk forward and reply “Yes!” Once they have said their dialogue the two people in the conversation pass by each other and go to the back of the opposite line and the next two people keep the pattern going. 

Before each round of dialogue, give the students a feeling or mood that they have to try to communicate through their dialogue and gestures. E.g., “This time say it as though you are happy to see the other person.” Other suggestions: upset, distracted, furious, disinterested, hesitant, nervous

Variation: You can also have students in the A line pick their own mood and then B can respond in whatever way they feel matches the ‘vibe’ of A’s line delivery.

Repeat 4 or 5 times. As students work, provide feedback about what students are doing with their faces, voices or bodies to communicate their mood effectively. 

Sample feedback: Great! Did you see the way that Amani pushed her eyebrows together to show she was angry? I liked the way that Dylan took a long pause before saying “Yes!” to show how fearful he was. Watch how Alicia matched Abdul’s energy and walked just as forcefully as he did when she gave her response.

Whole Group > Creating a Scene in Silence

Explain that one way to make people feel welcomed is to be open to their ideas without shutting them down. The next game will require you to take a chance and try something and for no one else in the group to shut you down or correct you. 

Ask students to sit as an audience, facing the space you will use as the performance area. Explain that the point of the game is to act out a scene happening in a very specific setting by adding one person at a time to the scene.

One person enters the scene and does an action that is connected to something that a person in that setting might do. E.g., if the first person decides they are at a baseball game, they might mime coming up to bat.

When someone in the audience thinks they know the setting, they add themselves to the scene taking on the role of a different person who may also be in that place. Once there are about 6 or 7 actors in the moving image, have them freeze. 

Ask the audience where they think the scene is taking place. Have them pick an actor and explain what they did to help make them think this. Check in with each of the actors. Prompt: Did you all think that they were in the same place? Why or why not? 

Repeat for three or four different settings.