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30 October 2024

7 Spooky Exercises to Boost Classroom Engagement

Young girl holding a carved pumpkin in front of her face.

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If you're looking for new ideas to engage your students with curriculum-aligned activities (with a Halloween twist!), read on...

In this blog, we're using thrills to develop student skills! We've collected a variety of resources that can be easily adapted for Halloween, encouraging students to immerse themselves in spooky stories and expressive characters. To access the resources linked in this blog, start your free trial. 

Here are 7 Spooky Exercises to Boost Classroom Engagement:

  1. Spooky Shakespearean Sonnets
  2. Character Exploration: The Mysterious and the Macabre
  3. Magical Movement Exercises
  4. Spooky Storytelling Through Voice
  5. Building a Haunted Set Design
  6. Improv Game: "Haunted House"
  7. Creating a Halloween-themed Scripted Performance

1. Spooky Shakespearean Sonnets

Did you know: Shakespeare has a lot more supernatural chills than you might expect!

  • Resource: Production of Macbeth, Act 4 Scene 1 (Macbeth visits the Witches).
  • Activity: Ask students to perform this scene using exaggerated movements, dark costumes, and dramatic lighting if possible. For added fun, students can practice their vocal inflections to create the creepy atmosphere Shakespeare intended. Use DT+'s performance clips as examples for interpretation.

2. Character Exploration: The Mysterious and the Macabre

Perfect for teaching character analysis while embracing a Halloween theme!

  • Resource: Productions of Frankenstein or Dracula.
  • Activity: Assign students roles as Gothic characters like Frankenstein's monster or Dracula. They can work on building character motivations and creating a 'backstory' for their character to bring them to life on the stage. This can be paired with improvisation exercises, where students act as their character, and respond to different Halloween-themed scenarios.

3. Magical Movement Exercise

Halloween is a great time to practice body movement and gesture with supernatural flair!

  • Resource: Are You Teaching Movement and Physicality?
  • Activity: Encourage your students to embody Halloween archetypes, such as zombies, ghosts, or monsters! Have them explore postures, movement patterns, and physical traits that would make their characters believable on stage. This activity encourages creativity and is perfect for a Halloween-themed lesson.

4. Spooky Storytelling through Voice

Mastering vocal modulation can transform a story's tone, making it a fantastic Halloween exercise.

  • Resource: Acting Essentials PD (Session 1: Voice), and short story videos of your choice, i.e. The Tell-Tale Heart or The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe, The Hand by Guy de Maupassant, The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde, and The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell.
  • Activity: Challenge students to create eerie narrations or retell gothic short stories using tips learned in the Acting Essentials PD session on Voice. Whether they're working on deepening their voices, using whispers, or projecting with suspense, this exercise develops voice control and expressiveness, while engaging students in Halloween fun.

5. Building a Haunted Set Design

Incorporate elements of design into your theatre class with Halloween-inspired creativity.

  • Resource: Scene and costume design examples in Macbeth and Frankenstein.
  • Activity: Ask students to create their own haunted sets based on a Halloween theme. They could draw inspiration from DT+ productions, or take on a particular scene to design. Have them think about lighting, props, and costumes that evoke a spooky setting. This can help students to understand the relationship between storytelling and stagecraft.

6. Improv Game: "Haunted House"

Get your students thinking on their feet with a Halloween improvisation challenge.

  • Resource: Browse through helpful resources on improvisation exercises.
  • Activity: Set up an improvisation exercise where each student must act as a character in a haunted house (i.e. a ghost, vampire, or even a terrified guest!). Using tips from DT+ improvisation resources, students can focus on spontaneity and character authenticity. This game not only adds some Halloween fun, but also enhances improvisational skills and group dynamics.

7. Creating a Halloween-themed Scripted Performance

Encourage scriptwriting by developing short, spooky scenes.

  • Resource: Production of The Crucible, an eerie tale of witch trials and mass hysteria (perfect for Halloween)!
  • Activity: Have students work in groups to write short scenes inspired by The Crucible. They can incorporate themes of fear, mystery, and even betrayal to create scenes that feel relevant to Halloween. This task offers a great opportunity to discuss historical context and dramatic tension.

A row of glowing carved pumpkins.

Embracing the Season with Meaningful, Fun Theatre Activities

By incorporating DT+ resources into these exercises, students can develop core theatre skills in voice, movement, and character interpretation, all the while engaging with the season's excitement.

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