Minute Monologues for Kids
Classroom Drama Activities for Elementary Students
Many students are in awe of movie stars and dream of being in the spotlight. Minute monologues are a wonderful drama activity to further develop oral language and self-confidence in children. For the students' first monologue, it is ideal if it id short, funny, and makes a connection with them.
Magnificent Monologues for Kids [Sandcastle Publishing, 1999] is a excellent book to introduce monologues to teacher and students. It has an extensive index allowing the teacher to find the ideal monologue for students. Author Chamber Stevens has written monologues that encompasses a wide range of emotions. As well, he divides them into girl and boy monologues, with a variety of themes from not doing your homework to being a teddy bear brat. He has many funny minute monologues but also has more serious monologues to open discussions about divorce and drug use.
Minute Monologue Lesson Plan
Before the Lesson
Begin a discussion about actors and how they are granted the acting part. It is important for students to understand how an actor will need to audition and practice different emotions. Potential actors must be able to show happiness through their words but more importantly their body language. As well, they need to be able to morph from one emotion to another effortlessly.
During the Lesson
Divide the class into girls and boys and find a funny monologue appropriate for your students. Speak with each group separately to discuss the elements of a minute monologue. Students will be asked to memorize the monologue, so briefly discuss why that is important. Ask students what actors do if they forget lines. Introduce the teleprompters and their importance in the acting world.
Each group will write the monologue on chart paper to use as a "teleprompter" and it will be displayed during the minute monologue performances. Teleprompters are a safety net for actors. Choose 2 students who have readable penmanship to write the monologue. It is not necessary to choose a student with excellent penmanship.
Next, students will need to memorize the lines and become the character. The student who perfunctorily rhymes off the words is not necessarily an engaging performer. An actor must use body language to convince the audience of his emotions. As well, timing,pacing, and tone are important elements to succeed in a minute monologue performance.
Students will perform the monologue to the class. After they have performed and released some of their fears and anxieties, put on a second performance for fellow teachers and their students.
Video tape students on their first, second, or both performances to be viewed later by students for self reflection.
After the Lesson
After all students have finished their funny monologue performance, it is time for them to self reflect on their own and other students' performance. It is imperative ground rules are set in place to ensure students are not insulting a student's performance but rather providing good feedback. If you are able to videotape it is a powerful tool for self-reflection and to track each students' progress.
Funny minute monologues are a great drama activity to engage students as they develop self confidence and communication skills. After students have performed one monologue, they will be excited to do many more.
Minute Monologues for Kids
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