Teaching Drama - any ideas for good activities/games?

[GraceAnais]

i'm teaching drama to 13 year olds next school year ( normally just teach English). does anyone know of any good drama games/ activities to play as a warm up or even any good drama ideas i could use? or even any good websites i could search. i have some, but some original ideas would be great!

many thanks Grace.

[daftpixie]

Working with young people I have had some feedback from them re School, and they feel that the teachers are not down with the latest music/ fashion/ icons. Among certain young men, there is genre of 'mc' and rap contests, a kind of dance off but using lyrics/ words against an opponent. You can find this in both the dance/ house scene (mc' ing) and the hip hop scene. Classic example in 8 Mile, the film based on Eminems life. Perhaps you could use this? Many girls I have met have expressed a desire to be able to also do this, following the success of Lady Soveriegn etc.

Obviously depends on your school and pupils, but have found that music is fundamental to these kids, I know that you are teaching Drama, but the lyrics and emotion conveyed can, with an open mind, be interpreted as urban/ modern poetry etc. Indeed Mike Skinner of The Streets has been cited as an Urban Poet.

Throughout such scenes there is an attitude that comes with it, dance/ house etc has one style, hip hop and R&B etc has another. There is also the emergence of EMO, and many kids are identifying with this. There are much more scenes, and with each one comes a fashion, an attitude, a type of music, and perhaps you could tap into that?

Just a thought!

[GraceAnais]

Many thanks daft pixie - some of your ideas sound great. i think that using The Streets would be a really good idea as they could show how actions could be related to words. i work in a modern school that allows teachers the flexibility to teach. i'm only in my twenties so i'd like to think that i was still 'down with the kids' - but my students would probably say otherwise! to them anyone over the age of twenty is old - they still can't understand why i'm not married yet!!!

many thanks - i'll be sure to try some of these ideas in september! Grace x