Students observe and demonstrate pantomime and improvisation. They define and discuss improvisation and pantomime, then in small groups discuss and brainstorm ideas using a bag of props. Students then create and present a scene using...

Students reinforce sequencing skills by retelling stories. After being assigned roles in the production, they create dialog, props, and costumes for retelling the story "Leo the Longhorn." Working in cooperative groups, students may also...

Learners study the Civil War. They conduct research in order to find out more information about the Battle of Corydon. Using this information, they create accurate props and sets for a play about this battle. They perform the play in...

Act out the African folktale Abiyoyo. Kindergartners listen to the tale and discuss the characters, dressing as their favorite characters in order to retell and perform Abiyoyo using props. They will gain an understanding of...

Action! Get your Spanish speakers acting with this plan. First read a short story together, then have small groups write various endings. After they write their ending, have them bring props and film their alternate ending.

Students explore the actions and tricks used by clowns to entertain and fool others. A clown prop is created and a trick practiced to mimic the clown's activities. The presentation is made to family members.

Through discussion and role-play, youngsters learn how to take care of their health. Stuffed toys become "patients" which are cared for by children and taught healthy habits. Having some medical props such as stethoscopes, tongue...

Students study the similarities and differences between ducks, geese, and swans. They tell the story about how water fowl adapt to life in water using props.

Students create newsgathering equipment using recycled materials and a variety of craft materials. They discuss the roles and responsibilities of a news reporter and the kind of equipment they use, create their props, and use their props...

Young learners love to pretend and role-play. Here is a lesson that allows them to do both. They get to pretend they are going to open and operate a restaurant. They set up menus, gather restaurant props, and role-play the jobs of...

Bring a Mexican marketplace to your classroom! Your middle schoolers will practice buying and selling items and learn more about marketplace culture. Set up booths with props beforehand, and consider adding a few products they're...

Pupils identify words that rhyme and realize that this literacy skill is engaging. Then they prepare their own language game props. Students also monitor each other in following rules, erasing duplicate words, and scorekeeping. Finally,...

Students explore a unique way to view the personalities of the characters in William Shakespeare's play "Othello." They facilitate online research "deconstructing" poetry and performing scenes from the play with costumes and props.

Students act out the Civil War through reader's theater. In this performing arts activity, students research the Civil War and find costumes, props and scenery appropriate to the time period. They become characters from the Civil War...

Students reenact a scene from Macbeth using umbrellas as props.

Students explore the earth's rotation and phases of the moon. For this planets lesson, students rotate and revolve around a light representing the sun. Students use movement and props to simulate what causes the phases of the moon as...

Students discover the relationship between the sun and Earth.  In this weather lesson, students examine the effect of the sun on the Earth's seasons.  Students complete a weather activity using props to simulate the sun and...

The Holocaust is the focus of this interactive poetry strategy. The classroom will be set-up to remind students of the Secret Annex, with a table, lamp, and various other props. Each participant will receive 3  Saltine crackers and...

Students engage in activities to practice their speaking skills. They role play, tell stories, use puppets and props, play games and solve puzzles. They sing songs and use rhymes to practice repetition. They read and respond to articles...

Students demonstrate how an actor might engage sensate reaction using 3 sets of stage props. They imagine and use as many sense reactions as they can to make the props become endowed with a reality. They use one table and chair to...

Learners explore the concept of renewable energy. In this alternative energy lesson, students participate in a play that conveys information regarding wind energy. The script may be performed as a play with props or as a reader's theatre.

Twelfth graders examine all the descriptions of costumes, props, movement, lighting and music in the stage directions of A Streetcar Named Desire. They begin to imagine this drama as a production, not simply a script. Students perform...

Fifth graders, working in pairs, create 30-second commercials for fish food products. They create slogans and incorporate props, music, costumes, or illustrations in their spots. The commercials are videotaped and parents are invited...

Eleventh graders prepare a skit in which the entire dialogue must center around the grammar and mechanics of writing. They come up with a scenario on their own or you can provide them with one. Students can use props if they like. They...