Whole class > Moving Names

  • Standing in a circle, one by one, students call out their name and make a movement or gesture such as stomping, waving their hands, or shaking their legs, etc. 
  • Once presented everyone in the circle repeats the name and movement until each student in the circle has had a turn.  Shuffle and reorganize the circle and repeat.
  • Shuffle and reorganize the circle and ask the students once again to individually go around the circle and call out their name in a dramatic manner (e.g., angry, happy, sad, quietly, etc.) using alliteration  (e.g., Cute Cathy, Athletic Alex, Pretty Paula, etc.) 
  • Once presented by the student, the group immediately repeats the dramatization and alliteration.  The game continues until everyone in the circle, including the teacher has presented their name.

Alternative

Step 1
Circle students up and ask them to take a moment of protected think time to come up with a name, an adjective that describes themselves, and a gesture. Model the final desired result for them.

Step 2
Once everyone is ready, the workshop leader (you) performs the Name, adjective and gesture (i.e Magnificent Michael + gesture) by sending it into the centre of the circle, go around the circle with each student performing their introduction.

Step 3
The final phase of this exercise is to ask students to drop the name and adjective and just perform the gesture. In a circuit, students send their gesture without speaking to their peer to the left of them, their peer repeats the SAME gesture that they just watched with the same energy, this student then turns to the peer to their left and they send their own gesture for the next student to repeat. This process continues until everyone in the circle has both absorbed and repeated a gesture, and then expressed their own to the next peer in the circle circuit.

Note: Have fun and lead with as much expression and energy as possible!