Improvisations

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In a way, every communicative situation where two or more people are interacting is a kind of improvisation. There may be a vague script or patterning to the interaction, but the specifics are constantly being created on the spot. Language learners do the same thing when they put their language to use “out on the street.”

This collection of improvisations is designed to bridge the gap between the classroom and the street. Each improvisation is in a two-page format. There are three principal parts:

• Part I- Getting Ideas is a warm-up that starts the students thinking in general about the topic of the improvisation by doing a variety of exercises – brain-storming, free writing, read-arounds, graphic organizers, and word sorts.
• Part II- The Story is a short, spare scene that leaves much to the imagination. After reading the story, the students answer some questions that stimulate their imaginations.
• Part III- The Improvisation is where the students work on developing the characters and then plan out a story line. Finally, they perform their improvisation.

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SAMPLE TOPICS:

• The Old Monk
• The Tribe and the River
• A Shepherd Watches
• The Old Couple in the Fall
• A Remote Farmhouse
• The Artist and His Models
• Country Road
• A Storm at Sea
• Airport Goodbye
• Day Laborers
• Poor Women in a Factory
• The job Interview
• Who Done It?
• Walking the Dog
• Favela Families
• Little Boy in a Well
• Street Performers
• and 27 more

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