Warming up: a teacher directed routine

T he right to move

• Some children are so geared up to make others aware of their human rights that they’re getting involved in all kinds of cool projects

T he right to speak

• Why should your rights be protected?
• What would you do if your rights were violated?

Let your mind go on the information you have just read and enjoy being creative with the following activity.

Be creative in the following exercise.

1. Selecting a scenario

• Divide into groups of six to eight.
• Choose a theme for your improvisational exercise from South Africa’s Constitution.
• Discuss the themes you want to work with.
• Decide upon characters you want to portray in your improvisation.
• Keep the following in mind when planning your improvisation:

• Is the scene outside or inside?
• Where and what are the objects and/or furniture?
• What is the immediate off-stage world?
• Are there associations of freedom or restraint, fulfilment or deprivation?
• What has just happened to the character?

• Where has he just been?
• How will the other characters potentially affect the achievement of his goal?
• Does the character know anything about the other characters?
• Is there conflict between the characters?
• Who is the character?
• What is his objective?
• Where is the action taking place?
• What is the moral, theme or message of the improvisation?

2. Improvisation

Definition:

Chambers’ Twentieth Century Dictionary in its revised edition offers the following definitions of improvisation: ‘‘to compose and recite, or perform, without preparation’; ‘to bring about on a sudden’; ‘to make or contrive offhand or in an emergency’; and for the word ‘offhand’ there is this: ‘without study: impromptu free and easy; ungraciously curt or summary’

The aim of improvisation is to exercise specific abilities and skills – rehearsal to improve performance and ease of operation.

• Improvise your scene for the rest of the class.
• Have the ‘audience’ comment constructively on the performances.
• Participate in a brief class discussion based on the following:

• Could the ‘child rights’ message be clearly identified?
• Were the characters appropriately developed?
• Was the proposed feeling and emotion properly and clearly conveyed?
• What was the climax or highlight of the improvisational piece?

Assessment