5 Phrase Skit
14Here’s an activity that I do in class once or twice a trimester and it’s usually is a favorite. I heard about it at a conference session and have loved it ever since. It works like this. Put a list of any 5 words or phrases that relate to what you are learning on the overhead. Get students into groups of 4-5. Their job is to create a skit using ONLY these words you put up in front of the room and they have to be used in the SAME order. Here’s an example of one I use in the first few weeks of level one.
Here’s the kicker. Give them a supply of random props and only 5 minutes to prepare. You’ll have to remind them that they can’t add anything or change the order because they always try to make it more complicated. Here are some of the crazy things I have in my prop box.
What would you do? How could you make these 5 random pieces of language come together in a real situation? Take a second and get creative!
I always show an example with a student so they can get some inspiration. Here’s how I did it. I picked the craziest girl in class as my partner. She stormed through the door as I’m working on my computer. I say “¿Cómo estás? and she rolls her eyes like a diva. I help her set up a pose as if she is a model and fix her hair a little. She says “Gracias”. I step back get out my camera (phone) and say “Uno, dos, tres…” and she sneezes as I take the picture. I yell “¿Por qué?” as if I’m so frustrated that she ruined the shot and she comes over and looks at the pic and say “Me gusta mucho.”
This activity is so great to use when the phrases are new and they need a context to help remember them. Plus, most novice level students could never create a whole on their own. This setup helps them learn to link these phrases to an situation that makes it real for them. Truly, any phrases/words will work and in the 5 skits you will watch in class it’s hilarious how different each group can make it. If you read Kara’s “phrase of the week” post, I would say this is a great place to use that new phrase as well.
All in all, this “5 phrase skit” takes about 10-12 minutes but gets students working together, using the language, and having a lot of fun at the same time. Hope your students like it!
Megan
rachel573
Kara
I test-drove this activity with my 8th grade Spanish One students, using the words you posted. It was great fun to watch them put the skits together and to watch them perform. Will be trying it out with my Spanish 2 students soon.
Thank you for the wonderful idea!
Thanks for letting us hear about how it went! That’s my favorite part- watching them put it together and see them work without me!
I just found this on Pinterest. It would be a great combination with the 5 phrase skits!
I’ve got to work it out and try it!
BTW, that was my comment about Que hora es? I’m used to my name already in the boxes, but I guess it wasn’t there.
I love “que hora es”! Seriously every student knows how to ask the time after that video! I’m sure it sounds crazy from the hall but it’s tons of fun for them!
Hi, I just came across this blog a few minutes ago via Pinterest, and I KNOW I’ll be back. This idea reminds me of a competition I do called “Cortado,” which I based off the Food Network Show “Chopped.” Instead of cooking secret ingredients, they make skits using secret, random props on a set topic in a set amount of time. Teams with the lowest scores were “cut” and then became judges. I did rounds like the TV series, and awarded certificates and prizes to the winning team of the finals. The kids loved it so much, we did a “reunion special” later on in the semester. My favorite was probably a “commercial” advertising their school requiring use of formal and informal commands.
Sounds fun! Students were the center of he class- entertaining each other and creating with the language! I love it!
Can you give an example of 2-4th year words/phrases you would use and how it would get acted out? I’d like to try this with 2nd year students. We’ll be doing sports, body, medical. After that comes house words and reflexives.
Thanks.
Mainly you pull some major “function” phrases and add some humor. So for “body/medical”, I’d use “me duele mucho”, “toma ésta”, “cuídate”, “aquí” and “diarrea” (or another symptom if you don’t like bathroom humor). There are a million ways they can act it out. That’s the fun part of this activity! They get creative. I let mine use the words in any order, but they cannot add any words. Maybe one student could walk up to another and say “Me duele mucho” as they are holding their stomach. The other goes and grabs a bottle of medicine, gives it to the first one and says “toma ésta”. The first one chugs the whole bottle, the other yells “cuídate”. The first starts running around the room, stops suddenly and says “diarrea”. The other looks confused and disgusted. The first points to their pants and says “aquí”.
Encourage them to think about the characters and setting. A prop box always helps to inspire them.
I tried this activity yesterday and it went pretty well. My kids are studying Useful Classroom expressions right now (just a list of phrases like “May I use the restroom” and “Turn to page…” to get them speaking immediately in class), so it was a little harder for them to create a skit, but they did a pretty good job with it and they definitely had fun.
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My kids love this too! I also give each pair a card with a random object on it, and they have to include that object in their dialogue.
Good idea!
I have each student write a phrase to put in my caja de opciones and then each group picks as many phrases as there are people in the group. I got some funny ones like “Charlie hace pipi en la piscina” and “Cantas el himno nacional en la ducha.” Some of them were hilarious.