at they seem to follow each day. Examples might be where they buy groceries, what time they get up in the morning, and what television programs they watch. Have the groups discuss why they follow these «rules» and what it would take to get them to break them. Alternative: Try the same sort of activity, this time having students list beliefs they accept without question-truisms like «Recessions are bad» or «It takes money to make money.» New Devices Break students into groups of three. Have each group member draw a picture of someone doing something. (The ideal subject will be someone caught mid-movement.) After all the drawings are complete, have the students study them with the object of creating for each a device that will support the position shown in a steady state. Explain that the devices the students create can be made of paper, wood, plastic, or metal. (What the students will end up with are various forms of furniture, but they will have designed their creations without limiting themselves to their prior knowledge of furniture. The object of the exercise is to show the value of ambiguity in stimulating creativity.) Troubleshooters Once again, break the students into groups of three. Name a problem with which everyone is familiar-say, how to reduce the number of homeless people on the streets. Then assign each group a familiar figure from history, fiction, or current events, and have them determine how that person would solve the problem. For example, what if Martin Luther King, Jr. were to tackle the homeless problem? What if the Ninja Turtles were to try it? Barbara Walters? General Schwarzkopf? As a starting point, suggest that the students consider what particular expertise the person would bring to the problem and what his or her objectives would be. Not Just for Breakfast Place a box of ready-to-eat cereal (like Cheerios or Trix) on a desk or ledge at the front of the room. Ask the students to generate as many uses for the product as they can in two minutes. (Some of the more creative suggestions students might come up with-using the cereal as fertilizer or a component in jewelry.)
FAIRY TALE FUN - JIGSAW STYLE! [1] Divide students into five equal groups. Each group will get one fairy tale to read. The stories are « The Ugly Duckling,» «Snow White,» «Hansel and Gretel,» «Jack and the Beanstalk,» and « The Three Little Pigs.» Each group is responsible for collecting the following information: are the characters in the story? Does the story take place? Are the major events of the story? There any magical or supernatural events? If so, what are they? The students read, discuss, and record the above information, split them into jigsaw groups. One person from each fairy tale assemble in a new group. In their new groups, students are each given three minutes to tell the other group members about the story they had read as well as the information they have collected. After that, the group has to create a poster and give a presentation that addressed two points:
. What do all five stories have in common?
. Using what you found in common, write your own definition for a fairy tale.
Debate Activities
INTRO is a well known theatre exer...
