Learning Goals

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to …

  • Participate in physical warm-ups to enhance body awareness and control.
  • Review basic principles of expressive movement and apply them to simple actions.
  • Practice fundamental mime techniques to create illusions of objects and environments.
  • Review/be introduced to core Laban Effort Factors and select Effort Actions.
  • Explore how variations in weight, time, and space influence expressive movement.
  • Begin to integrate Laban Effort Actions into their mime work for expression.
  • Collaboratively create a short group movement piece using mime and Laban principles.
  • Present their pieces, demonstrating integration of movement concepts.
  • Provide constructive peer feedback.
Materials
  • Open, clear space (drama studio/classroom)
  • Comfortable clothing for movement
  • Music player and selection of instrumental music (varied tempos/moods)
  • Whiteboard or chart paper for recording vocabulary
  • Pre-selected stimuli for performance challenge (e.g., abstract photos, short poems/song lyrics, one-word themes like "Transformation," "Conflict," "Growth," "Isolation") - enough for each group to choose one.
  • Appendix 2 Commonly Used Drama Terms
  • PDF #1 General Teacher Anecdotal Recording Tool
  • PDF #2 General Creative Process Anecdotal Recording Tool 
  • PDF #3 General Drama Self-Assessment Tool
  • PDF #5 Creative Process Rubric
  • PDF #6 Laban Effort Actions, Motion Factors and Effort Qualities
Terminology

Minds On

Whole Class > Body Scan & Intentional Walk

Guide students through a quick head-to-toe body scan to identify and release tension. Then, instruct them to walk freely in the space, then specifically walk with different intentions (e.g., determined, burdened, weightless, hurried).

Teacher Prompt: 

  • Notice where your body holds tension.
  • How does releasing it change your movement?
  • How does a subtle shift in your internal intention immediately change your external walk?
  • What 'story' is your walk telling about your character or purpose?

Whole Class > Discussion

Invite students to reflect on the activity.

Key Questions for Discussion:
  • What did you observe about how small changes in your posture or tempo communicate different ideas?
  • Why is body awareness crucial for an actor?

Action

Whole Class > Expressive Movement Exploration

Have students perform simple actions with varying expressive qualities (e.g., slowly sitting down as if exhausted, quickly picking up a feather as if it's very fragile, reaching for something desperately). Emphasize full body commitment.

Teacher Prompt: 

  • Commit fully to the emotion or quality.
  • Let it infuse your whole body.
  • Are your physical choices clear enough to convey meaning without words?

Whole Class > Basic Mime Illusions

  • “The Wall": Demonstrate and practice the classic mime illusion of pushing against an invisible wall, focusing on fixed points, resistance, and weight transfer. Students practice individually and then briefly in pairs.
  • "Object Transformation": Guide students to mime holding an imaginary object and transforming it into various others, emphasizing distinct weights, textures, and sizes (e.g., from a feather to a heavy brick, a hot potato to a delicate flower). Focus on precision in handling. Have students watch each other in pairs. Encourage them to comment on magical moments (when the mime is able to make space and weight change ie. a balloon or a feather to appear heavy, an imaginary door to open with consistency in size, location, weight etc…)

Teacher Prompt: 

  • For the wall, is your fixed point truly unmoving?
  • How does your body react to the pressure?
  • When transforming objects, show the weight, the texture, the temperature.
  • Is the audience seeing the object, or just your hands moving?
  • What physical details make this illusion believable?

Whole Class > Mime Clarity Check

Students perform a very short, simple mime (e.g., drinking a cup of coffee, tying a shoelace, etc.) for a partner.

Whole Class > Discussion

Partners provide brief, specific feedback on what made the mime clear and believable. 

  • What was one key physical detail that made the illusion convincing?
  • What's challenging about communicating only through movement?

Whole Class > Introduction to Laban Movement Analysis

See PDF #6 Laban Effort Actions, Motion Factors and Effort Qualities. Students travel through the space continuously. As they move, coach students to explore:

  • Weight (Strong/Light)
  • Time (Sudden/Sustained)
  • Space (Direct/Indirect). 

Demonstrate and have students explore contrasting qualities (e.g., move with strong weight vs. light weight; suddenly vs. sustained). 

Next, introduce and physically explore 3-4 distinct Laban's Effort Actions that combine these factors (e.g., Punch - Strong, Sudden, Direct; Float - Light, Sustained, Indirect; Press - Strong, Sustained, Direct; Flick - Light, Sudden, Indirect). Have students embody each quality in abstract movement.

Teacher Prompt: 

  • Don't just think about the quality; feel it throughout your entire body.
  • How does 'strong' weight feel different than 'light' weight?
  • Exaggerate the contrast.
  • What's the difference between a direct movement and an indirect one?
  • What kind of character might move with a 'Punch' quality? Or a 'Float'?

Pairs or Small Groups > Mime Scene with Laban Focus

In pairs or small groups (3-4), assign a simple mime scene (e.g., trying to carry a large, fragile object, climbing an imaginary ladder to rescue something, opening a magical box, etc.). Each group must choose and clearly incorporate 1-2 specific Laban Effort Actions to define the characters' approach or the nature of the task (e.g., the object is carried with a 'Float' quality, or the ladder is climbed with 'Press' actions). Perform for another group.

Teacher Prompt: 

  • Are your chosen Laban qualities clearly visible in your mime?
  • How does the way you move (your Effort) enhance the believability of the illusion or tell us more about your character?
  • Is your mime still clear, even with the added Laban nuance?

Consolidation

Whole Class > Discussion 

Discuss how adding Laban qualities impacted their mime work.

Key Questions for Discussion:
  • What did Laban Effort Actions add to your mime performances today?
  • How does understanding these movement qualities help you, as an actor, create more specific characters?
  • What's the difference between merely doing an action and embodying it? 
Assessment for Learning (AfL)
  • Ongoing Teacher Observation & Targeted Side-Coaching: See PDF #1 General Teacher Anecdotal Recording Tools. Throughout this lesson, the teacher actively observes students' physical engagement, commitment to mime illusions, application of Laban Effort Actions, and collaborative efforts in group work. Direct side-coaching prompts (e.g., "Show me the weight of that object," "What Laban quality are you embodying here?", "Is your fixed point solid?") are used to provide immediate, formative feedback and guide student exploration. Purpose: To continuously monitor student understanding of movement and mime principles, identify specific areas for improvement in physical execution, and adjust real-time instruction.
  • Mime & Laban Application Check-ins: During the Action section, the teacher conducts brief, informal checks on student understanding. This could involve asking students to quickly demonstrate a specific mime illusion, embody an Effort Action, or explain how they are showing a certain quality. Purpose: To quickly assess students' grasp of fundamental techniques and concepts before moving on, allowing for immediate clarification or re-teaching if needed.
Assessment as Learning (AaL)
  • Daily Reflection Prompts: See PDF #3 General Creative Process Anecdotal Recording Tool and/or PDF #4 General Drama Self-Assessment Tool. As this lesson will span several periods, consider having students participate in a brief reflective activity (e.g., "One new thing I discovered about my body/movement today," "What was challenging/exciting about working with mime/Laban?") at the end of each period. Purpose: To encourage metacognition, prompting students to articulate their own learning, identify personal discoveries, and reflect on their physical and creative experiences throughout the lesson. 
Assessment of Learning (AoL)
  • Creative Process Assessment: See PDF #5 Creative Process Rubric. A summative assessment of each student's consistent engagement in all movement activities, their willingness to experiment with new techniques, and their active contribution to group work across the three periods of Lesson 2. Purpose: To evaluate the student's overall commitment to the practical exploration and collaborative aspects of the lesson, acknowledging that active participation is crucial for developing physical performance skills. See PDF#2 General Creative Process Anecdotal Recording Tool.