Great Group Skits : 50 Character-Building Scenarios for Teens

EDUCATION / TEACHING METHODS & MATERIALS / GENERAL

Katy McEwen, Associate Artistic Director, Brave New Workshop Theater Company

W

ant to get students excited and involved in your classroom or program— and teach valuable life lessons at the same time? Great Group Skits is a surefire way to get your cast of characters out of their routine and into the exciting world of improv.

■

Creativity

■

Self-reliance

■

Analytical skills

In addition, each skit is specifically designed to address an important life concept.

You’ll find scenarios about: ■ ■ ■

Leadership Teamwork Communication skills

■ ■ ■

Integrity Motivation Conflict resolution

Ranging from small pieces for a few people to large-scale scenes that involve an entire class, the skits are designed to be as “prep-lite” as possible, letting you get to the action right away. Every skit includes a list of follow-up questions designed to reinforce the lessons learned. You’ll also find a Facilitator’s Guide that includes physical and mental warm-ups, tips on getting kids motivated and energized (and drawing out the shy students), and suggestions for making the most of every scenario.

$16.95

www.search-institute.org

GGS_cover.indd 1

GREAT GROUP SKITS

Rather than hampering teens with line-by-line dialogue that can sound dated and clunky, this book provides 50 different creative improv scenarios that let the students decide where they want to go. They could be superheroes on the way to a burning building. Lawyers defending Earth from an intergalactic lawsuit (for hoarding all the pizza). Or a team in the middle of a dance competition. What happens next is their decision—and that lets them move beyond typical peer pressure lectures to develop:

G RASBERG and O LDENBUR G

“Wonderfully inventive, concise, and enlightening . . . a must-have for the beginning instructor or the seasoned veteran.”

Great

Group Skits 50

Character-Building Scenarios for Teens

LYNN GRASBERG and GINA OLDENBURG 5/27/09 4:10:53 PM

Great Group Skits 50

Character-Building Scenarios for Teens

LYNN GRASBERG and GINA OLDENBURG

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Great Group Skits: 50 Character-Building Scenarios for Teens Lynn Grasberg and Gina Oldenburg The following are registered trademarks of Search Institute: Search Institute®, Developmental Assets®, and

Search Institute Press, Minneapolis, MN Copyright © 2009 by Search Institute All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced in any manner, mechanical or electronic, without prior permission from the publisher except in brief quotations or summaries in articles or reviews, or as individual activity sheets for educational use only. For additional permission, write to Permissions at Search Institute.

At the time of publication, all facts and figures cited herein are the most current available; all telephone numbers, addresses, and Web site URLs are accurate and active; all publications, organizations, Web sites, and other resources exist as described in this book; and all efforts have been made to verify them. The authors and Search Institute make no warranty or guarantee concerning the information and materials given out by organizations or content found at Web sites that are cited herein, and we are not responsible for any changes that occur after this book’s publication. If you find an error or believe that a resource listed herein is not as described, please contact Client Services at Search Institute.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed on acid-free paper in the United States of America.

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Search Institute 615 First Avenue Northeast, Suite 125 Minneapolis, MN 55413 www.search-institute.org 612-376-8955 • 877-240-7251 ISBN-13: 978-1-57482-265-6 Credits Editor: Kate Brielmaier Book Design: Percolator Illustration: Alicia Schwab Production Supervisor: Mary Ellen Buscher Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Grasberg, Lynn.

Great group skits : 50 character-building scenarios for teens / by Lynn Grasberg and Gina Oldenburg. p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-57482-265-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-57482-265-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Teenagers–Conduct of life. 2. Values in adolescence. 3. Drama in education.

4. Improvisation (Acting) 5. Active learning.

I. Oldenburg, Gina. II. Title.

BJ1661.G73 2009 268'.433–dc22 2009011574 About Search Institute Press Search Institute Press is a division of Search Institute, a nonprofit organization that offers leadership, knowledge, and resources to promote positive youth development. Our mission at Search Institute Press is to provide practical and hope-filled resources to help create a world in which all young people thrive. Our products are embedded in research, and the 40 Developmental Assets®—qualities, experiences, and relationships youth need to succeed—are a central focus of our resources. Our logo, the SIP flower, is a symbol of the thriving and healthy growth young people experience when they have an abundance of assets in their lives.

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Contents Introduction: Great Group Skits for Active Learning, Creativity, Teamwork, and Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Facilitator’s Guide Making Improvisation Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Costumes and Props: Your Bag (or Box) of Tricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Facilitating a Skit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Ready, Set, Play! Warm-ups for Body, Mind, and Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Great Group Skits 25

Imagination

26 The Best Thing That Ever

Happened to Me (Us) 28 Camp Food Fantasy 30 Improbability Drive 33 Bubble Gum Champs 35 Cook-off 37 Dear Blabby 40 Remote Control 42 Household Appliances

of Doom 45

Teamwork

46 “Did You Hear That?”

48 Instant Superhero versus

Group Obstacles 51 It’s a Dummy’s World 53 Emotional Rock ’n’ Roll

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55 Restaurant Chaos 57 Detention Invention 59 Superheroes at the Gym 61 History in the Making 63 Dance Machine Game Show 65

Communication Skills

66 Can You Help Us? (Eeska

Loonee Inga Booga?)

68 Ask the Expert 70 Whiny, Gripey, and Worry 72 Vote for Me! 74 Commercial Success 76 Guest of Honor 78 Outrageous Job Interview 80 Parental Nightmare 82 Road Trip 84 Ridiculous Rumors

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86 Shoe Store

110 Breaking into the Circle

88 Escape from the Island

112 The Babysitter

of Insults 90 Learner’s Permit 93

Motivation and Leadership

94 Homework Cheerleaders 96 Earth on Trial 98 Sports Scholarship 100 Elephant Trainer 102 Reunion 104 Coach’s Dilemma 107

Peer Pressure and Integrity

108 Art Depreciation

114 Who Took My Stuff?

116 Slumber Party 118 Wishful Thinking 120 Amusement Park Putdown 123

Resolving Conflict

124 Conflict Claptrap 127 Stand Up for Your Friend 129 “Gimme Your Lunch

Money” 131 Hall of Mirrors 133 Movietime Shhhh!

135 After-School Bully 137 Police Encounter

Appendix Handout 1: Making Improvisation Work

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

140

Handout 2: Costumes and Props . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Handout 3: How to Create Your Own Skits

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

143

A Short Dictionary—Improvised . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 The Developmental Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 The Eight Asset Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 The Framework of 40 Developmental Assets® for Adolescents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 The Power of Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Asset Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Skit Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 Additional Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

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Introduction

Great Group Skits for Active Learning, Creativity, Teamwork, and Fun! They’ve got plots, characters, ideas, and (ideally) a beginning, middle, and end. They’re interactive, and they help people connect and laugh with each other. What are they?

Silly (or Serious) Kreative Interactive Theatrical They’re SKITs. You have a lot to accomplish each time you meet with your students or youth group. How do you make learning enjoyable and empower your students to apply what they’re learning in new ways?

Skits and improvisational scenes help teens anchor information, use all their senses in the learning process, and discover they can speak and think on their feet, all while developing their creativity and relationship-building skills.

Learning is not a spectator sport. Students do not learn much just by sitting in class listening to teachers, memorizing prepackaged assignments, and spitting out answers. They must talk about what they are learning, write about it, relate it to past experiences, apply it to their daily lives. They must make what they learn part of themselves.

—Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson, “Seven Principles for Good Practice.”

You can use skits to energize your group, refocus attention, and integrate and reinforce new information. Skits are great storytelling

1

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tools. In just a few minutes, participants have the opportunity to create characters, plots, challenges, and resolutions.

The activities in this book are designed for use by teachers and other adults who work with groups of young people in grades 6 and higher. Our intention is to help the facilitator create an environment where young people can laugh, be silly, and be brilliant.

Practicing and performing skits helps students learn to: Cooperate with their acting teammates.

n

Collaborate and develop ideas together.

n

Plan ahead as well as think on their feet.

n

Use imagination and creativity.

n

Develop trust and empathy.

n

Remember subject content.

n

Bring humor and play into serious learning.

n

These benefits come through four major areas: role playing, improvisation, humor, and active learning.

Role Playing Playing different characters helps students develop empathy for other people and their situations, increases their flexible thinking by prompting them to take on different viewpoints (walk a few yards or a mile in someone else’s shoes), and lets some people express creativity that would otherwise go unused or undetected in their everyday lives. Role playing also helps participants think critically, make decisions, and practice assertiveness skills.

Improvisation As you and your group work with skits, you may want to script some parts (during brainstorming, you may find a line that seems too good not to use) and allow other parts to be improvised (made up on the spot). It’s amazing what our brains can come up with in a relaxed and playful atmosphere. Improvisation helps students work as part of a 2  introduction

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team, improve public-speaking and decision-making skills, learn to brainstorm, enhance creative thinking, and increase confidence.

At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.

—Jean Houston

Humor Skits often create laughter. They can help increase the humor in your group or classroom. Why’s that so great? Humor reduces stress, increases connections among people (when it’s nonconfrontational), makes situations fun, and helps people remember information.

“But what if I’m too serious to teach with humor?” No problem. You can use the students’ energy, humor, and excitement about comedy to create splendid memorable lessons. The secret is applying the structure and discipline inherent in the improvisational framework.

Active Learning Skits are active, on-your-feet, test-what-you-know learning at its best.

Skits and improvisation provide a great opportunity for active learning. Participants use their bodies, minds, and emotions to organize and present information, solve problems, and express themselves. It helps them “own” ideas and information and increase their repertoire of life skills.

Incorporating the 40 Developmental Assets These skits are designed to work for multiple situations, whether you’re trying to break the ice, brainstorm, or reinforce a lesson plan or lecture. In addition, you can use these skits as a way to introduce or reinforce Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets—40 positive qualities, skills, experiences, and opportunities that are critical to the lives of children and young people. Each skit includes “Add an Asset” introduction 3

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questions designed to get players thinking about the message behind the skit and how it relates to specific Developmental Assets.

Search Institute, a nonprofit group that studies child and adolescent development, has done extensive research on prevention, resilience, and development to identify what young people need to thrive. The 40 Developmental Assets describe qualities and experiences that are crucial to positive youth development. They range from external supports like a caring school climate and positive family communication to internal characteristics such as school engagement and a sense of purpose. You can find more information and a list of these assets in the back of this book.

Research conducted by Search Institute consistently shows that Developmental Assets provide a solid foundation for positive development and academic success and that their presence helps protect young people from engaging in risky behavior and promotes acting in productive ways. The data consistently show that the power of assets is cumulative: the more assets young people report experiencing, the more apt they are to succeed in school and live positive lives and the less likely they are to participate in high-risk behaviors such as drug use, violence, and early sexual activity.

4  introduction

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Imagination Imagination: the ability to create something out of nothing; mental creation All the skits in this book require imagination. We’ve grouped the skits in this section as imagination activators because they have fantasy elements or require working with imaginary objects.

Skits n The

Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me (Us)

n Camp

Food Fantasy

n Improbability n Bubble

Drive

Gum Champs

n Cook-off n Dear

Blabby

n Remote

Control

n Household

Appliances

of Doom

  25

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2

PLAyERS

The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me (Us) Creating an Adventure Together Brain research reveals that the same parts of the brain you use to perform an action are also activated if you imagine doing it. See how that plays out in this skit.

Time 3 minutes

Players: 2 n

strangers at a party

Props and costumes None necessary

The Skit Two people meet at a party. One of them “recognizes” the other and starts telling a story about a great adventure they had together in the past. The second player has to accept the idea and add more details, including some danger they had to overcome. They trade off telling parts of what happened and how they helped each other, getting more and more excited and adding more information. The skit is over when one of them says, “That was the best thing that ever happened to me!” and the other replies, “Me, too!”

This skit is about accepting and developing offers and building emotional excitement to a peak.

26 iMagination

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Coaching Encourage players to accept each other’s offers. For example, if one of them remembers a tiger charging toward them on a safari, the other needs to “remember” it, too, and add more parts of the memory, rather than blocking the offer with “No, that never happened,” or changing the subject without using it. Encourage players to take their time. Don’t cut to the closing before they have really developed the experience.

Discussion 1. What surprised you about the ideas you added to the adventure?

2. How did the scene take on a life of its own and take off as if the story had really happened?

Add an Asset Asset 40: Positive view of personal future. Are the ideas you came up with things you want to do someday? How can you make that happen?

Asset 16: High expectations. Do you think other people believe you could do these things someday? Why or why not?

Notes

imagination 27

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6

PLAyERS

Camp Food Fantasy Imaginary Feast and Guest Time 5 to 10 minutes

Players: 6 n

5 campers

n

1 bear

Props and Costumes None necessary

The Skit Five friends on a camping trip return from a hike to find that their camp has been ransacked and all their food is gone. It’s getting dark, so they decide to stay until sunrise. The group must make it through the night without eating. They decide to create an imaginary feast to entertain themselves. They act out eating, describing an array of foods and beverages.

In the midst of the feast, a bear enters their campground and the campers must scare it away. After the bear leaves, they start packing up.

Coaching Pick one person ahead of time to start the feast. Encourage players to use their senses to describe the imaginary feast. Send in the bear after everyone has had a chance to describe their food (or five minutes, whichever comes first).

28 iMagination

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About the Authors Lynn Grasberg teaches conflict resolution through improvisational theater in her Instant Replay programs and has 30 years of experience presenting entertaining and skill-building keynotes, assemblies, and training programs for schools, businesses, and government agencies.

She also performs her one-woman diversity show, Life as a Person of Many Colors: One Clown’s Story, for audiences of all ages.

Other performances in theaters, festivals, and conferences have included Tokens (a musical produced by Whoopi Goldberg), Vancouver Folk Festival (with Patch Adams), Pirates in Corsets or PMS Pinafore (her original musical) at the Boulder Fringe Festival, and humor programs for the International Association of Facilitators and the Association for Experiential Education. She has published in the Chicken Soup series and is the author of Bounce Back! The New Play Ethic at Work.

Gina Oldenburg studied theater at the University of Colorado and trained at Denver Academy of Theater Arts and Stage West in Los Angeles. She has more than 30 years of experience as a guest speaker and trainer for wellness conferences, staff-development workshops, national business meetings, and crime/violence prevention conferences.

Gina is currently the executive director of the Creative Expressions Center, a nonprofit performing-arts center and theater that provides opportunities for youth to explore, utilize, and celebrate their creativity, culture, talents, and relationships while learning critical life skills through the arts and entrepreneurship. She is the author of Energize!

A Daily Guide to High Energy Living and has published several plays for middle and high school: The Mystical Forest (bully-proofing), Life Beyond Dead End Street (choices), The Sights and Sounds of America (culture and diversity), and The Pirates of Conch Island (creating family). She can be contacted through her Web site, creativeexpressionscenter.org.

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EDUCATION / TEACHING METHODS & MATERIALS / GENERAL

Katy McEwen, Associate Artistic Director, Brave New Workshop Theater Company

W

ant to get students excited and involved in your classroom or program— and teach valuable life lessons at the same time? Great Group Skits is a surefire way to get your cast of characters out of their routine and into the exciting world of improv.

■

Creativity

■

Self-reliance

■

Analytical skills

In addition, each skit is specifically designed to address an important life concept.

You’ll find scenarios about: ■ ■ ■

Leadership Teamwork Communication skills

■ ■ ■

Integrity Motivation Conflict resolution

Ranging from small pieces for a few people to large-scale scenes that involve an entire class, the skits are designed to be as “prep-lite” as possible, letting you get to the action right away. Every skit includes a list of follow-up questions designed to reinforce the lessons learned. You’ll also find a Facilitator’s Guide that includes physical and mental warm-ups, tips on getting kids motivated and energized (and drawing out the shy students), and suggestions for making the most of every scenario.

$16.95

www.search-institute.org

GGS_cover.indd 1

GREAT GROUP SKITS

Rather than hampering teens with line-by-line dialogue that can sound dated and clunky, this book provides 50 different creative improv scenarios that let the students decide where they want to go. They could be superheroes on the way to a burning building. Lawyers defending Earth from an intergalactic lawsuit (for hoarding all the pizza). Or a team in the middle of a dance competition. What happens next is their decision—and that lets them move beyond typical peer pressure lectures to develop:

G RASBERG and O LDENBUR G

“Wonderfully inventive, concise, and enlightening . . . a must-have for the beginning instructor or the seasoned veteran.”

Great

Group Skits 50

Character-Building Scenarios for Teens

LYNN GRASBERG and GINA OLDENBURG 5/27/09 4:10:53 PM