Unit 1 Sample Lesson: 3 Rules

In this lesson, students will learn the specific skills necessary to collaborate in an improvised scene.  This lesson is intended as an introduction to improvisation and as a way to lay the groundwork and create the culture of the course.  Students will explore the three key skills:

• Spontaneity - the ability to speak without editing one's thoughts, with the goal of training those impulses to connect with the ideas of others.
• Agreement - the ability to say "yes and" to all ideas and offers.  The ability to create a consistent shared world with  scene partners.
• Chivalry - the ability to be changed by others' offers, to let go of one's own ideas in favour of developing the ideas of others.

Students will play a series of games that will explore the above ideas and help them to see how they facilitate collaboration in improvisation.

B3.2 Identify problem-solving techniques they have learned through drama activities and explain how they can be applied in work and other social contexts

C3.1 Identify and follow safe and ethical practices in all drama activities 

C3.3 Observe correct theatre and audience etiquette in classroom drama work and formal performance contexts

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Recognize the skills necessary to collaborate in an improvised scene.
• Understand that work becomes richer when players agree to and advance each others' ideas.
• Discover methods for developing the ideas of others.
• Develop an understanding of how listening and group interaction is a necessary part of improvisation.

Readiness

Students should have an understanding of role-playing and the difference between playing oneself and playing a character.  Students should have a basic understanding of improvisation including the concept of agreement and saying "yes, and."

This lesson is meant to be an introductory lesson to set the groundwork for the course. Little prior knowledge should be necessary. Students may create or be familiar with classroom conventions for starting and/or stopping scenes by. For example, calling "curtain" or "scene", or by freezing action into a tableau.

Terminology

Agreement
Chivalry
Advancing
Marrying 

Materials

Create an Anchor Chart on large chart paper that says the following:

1. Say "Yes, And!"
2. Say the first thing that comes to your mind.
3. Make your partner look good.

Exit Cards with the question:

Whole Class > Discussion

Refer to the anchor chart.  Engage in a discussion about the three rules.

Teacher Prompts: 

How many have experience with improvisation? 
Who can give me a definition of improvisation?
What "rules" have you heard about improvisation?

Assessment for Learning (AfL)

In initial discussion, find out how much experience and what their knowledge of improvisation is. Clarify terms 'associated' and 'disassociated'. Have students write a list of "rules" for improvisation prior to giving them the list on the anchor chart.

Assessment as Learning (AaL)

Link assessment and instruction.
Assessment of exit card. How do students follow the collaborative rules as they play?

Differentiation (DI)

Have students write down a list of words in advance of word dissociation. Help students with listing parts of larger objects, or finding ways to make connections between words. Instruct students to write down their words on a piece of paper and pass it back and forth with their partner, each writing down a different word that is dissociated. 

Quick Tip

When playing the games, focus on clarifying the game rules as they relate to the three rules on the anchor chart.

Play Trios having students freeze in tableau.

Link and Layer

Explore how the three rules relate to collaborative skills in other classes, in the workplace, family situations or in the dramatic arts.

It should be noted that Improvisation can be an ideal mode for exploring social justice themes and environmental issues.

Pairs > Word Dissociation/Association

In partners, play a word dissociation game.  Partner A says a word.  Partner B says a word that is unassociated.  This continues back and forth until one of the words spoken is related to a word that the other person has spoken.  

The following rules must be adhered to:

• They must look directly at their partner (therefore not simply listing objects in the room).
• They may not associate their own words together.
• They must listen to every word their partner says.

Have students play the same game again, but this time with the words associated.

Discuss why one is more difficult than the other.  Explore how this relates to rule number one, and how saying "the first thing that comes to your head" is not random, but can be rooted in the ideas of others.

Whole Class > Stepping Circle

Have students stand in a tight circle, shoulder-to-shoulder and take three steps out so that they are now in a larger circle.  Their goal is to get each participant in the circle to take three steps into the circle so that the whole group is once again shoulder-to-shoulder.

There are several rules that must be followed or the group starts over again:

• They may not take more than one step at a time (someone else must step before they may take another step).
• They may not take a step at the same time as somebody else.
• They may not in any way signal to other people to step.
• They may not go in a pattern.

Side coach students as needed: "If somebody else is trying to take a step, pull back."  "Put everybody else ahead of yourself."  "Remember that the group must reach the centre, not just yourself."

Whole Class > Trios

• One person embodies and calls out an object that they become, i.e., "I am a tree."
• The person next to them steps forward and becomes an object which is related in some way to the first object, i.e., "I am a leaf."
• The next person in the circle becomes an object related to both, i.e., "I am a chainsaw."
• Begin a new trio with the next person in the circle.

Whole Class > Discussion

How do the games relate to the three rules?  How do these rules help to facilitate an improvised scene?  How do these rules help to facilitate a strong classroom dynamic?  How do these rules help to make the class feel safe and a place where everybody can take risks and make mistakes?  How is the second rule a big risk for both the teacher and players?

Exit Card (AfL)

Which of the three rules do you feel is the most important and why?