Desktop Drama

So called because they are simple drama techniques that can be enjoyed in the classroom with a little furniture movement. The only exception is Guided Tour which could benefit from more space.

Guided Tour

Display a picture of a story setting on screen. Half the class see this and half of the class don’t; eyes closed or blindfolded. The sighted children guide the other around the imaginary setting describing what they see.

‘There is a tall, bare tree. We are just going to walk around it and then stride carefully over the fast flowing stream…’

When they return to their desks children record and classify the words they have used, nouns. verbs, adjectives etc. This helps with the descriptions and the writing of a story setting.

Telephone Conversation

Children take on the role of a character each and sit back to back on chairs. They then have a conversation in role usually about an issue or a dilemma in a story. The idea of sitting back to back is to cut out non-verbal signals and rely on the use of words.

Freeze Frame

Freeze frames are still images or silent tableaux used to illustrate a specific image or event. Children are asked to represent the characters at a significant moment in the story. Sequential frames can be used to represent key moments as a narrative progresses.

Thought Tracking

This focuses upon the private thoughts of a character in a freeze frame at a particularly tense moment. Point to the character and ask them to speak their thoughts.

Collective Character

Similar to Though Tracking, but this time the character is represented by a group of pupils who contribute thoughts.

Flash Forward/Flash Back

Again, this can be linked to Freeze frame. Fast forward or back in time – what might happen to the character in the future or what did they think in the past before this situation occurred?

Hot Seating

A character is placed in the ‘hot seat’ and interviewed by the rest of the class to enable motivation to be explored in detail.

Conscience Alley

The class create two lines facing each other. One child, in role, walks down the ‘alley’ between the lines. Children voice the options available for the character. One side for a particular decision and one side against.

Think – Pair – Share

A simple variation upon ‘talk to your partner’. Children consider an issue themselves – giving thinking time – they then discuss with their partner and finally share with the couple opposite.

Rainbowing

Allocate children one of four colours in home groups. Give each colour a subject or character to consider or research. Children then move to colour groups where all the group have the same subject or character to consider. They discuss this in their colour group before returning back to their home group to feed back in turn to the rest of their group.