The Joy of Improv
                                                           By:  Sarah Lenhart

Project at a Glance :

This project helps drama students explore how to make improv comedy skits funny. It incorporates the basic drama skills and examines humor. 
       
 
Driving Question:

How can we make improv funny?           

Standards:

• Theater Standard 5: Develop and refine artistic techniques and a work for presentation. 
• Actors use all the basic drama skills and techniques within improv.

Team / Culture Building:

• Hopes, Fears, and Norms protocol​​

Entry Event:

• Do a Zoom call interview with a teacher who was on an improv team. 

Stakeholders:

• Students in our class as an audience. 
• Parents as an audience. 
• Professional improv actors 

Empathy Building:

• Create an Empathy Map for a pretend character in an improv scene and audience member.

Inquiry / Need to Knows:

• Need to Know Sticky Notes.  Have each individual write on sticky notes what they already know and what they still need to know.  Then have them share with small groups and as a class. 
• Introduce the Innovators Compass 
• Remix Metaphors Protocol- look at question from opposite position. What makes improv boring? 
• Watch professional improv team on Youtube. Use the Five Whys Protocol in small groups.  Have student make observation.  Ask Why five times? 
• Play some basic improv games and look at what was effective.  Chalktalk protocol for this. 
• QFT protocol- Question Formulating Technique.  Really look at what is humor. . .

Incubation:

• Think, Pair, Share what they've learned so far
• Concentric Circles
• Anti-Problem Protocol  How can we make improv boring? 
• Subtract Something- What if we can’t talk? What if we can’t move our feet? What if we can’t change our face expression? 
• Brainwriting Protocol​

• How would ______ solve this?​ protocol

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Solution Building:

• Affinity Mapping- Taking all the brainstorms and putting them into categories.
• $100 Test Protocol - give them $100 to spend. Chart with item, $, why

Critique and Revision: 

• Plus and Deltas - do some improv scenes, what worked and what could be improved.  What general principals and drama skills did the group use that made their scene effective? 
• Talking Chips - Each student gets 3 chips, place it on table when speak, once gone they need to listen.  A couple of questions: 
• Fireside Chat- 2 people, find comfy place, give talking points but conversational
• Metaphor making protocol, followed by a Charette discussion.

Authentic Audience:

• The audience will be the other classes of students watching to observe what they think is funny. If we are online we may perform for a professional improv actor.​

Final Presentation:

• If online, students will perform on
  Flipgrid and the audience will sign on and give feedback. ​

Click here for teacher's full plan.

​Reflection and Feedback:​

• Basic drama skills rubric 
• ​​Fishbowl reflection

Click here for the  teacher's Journey through PBL on Padlet.

Meet the Educator:
Sarah Lenhart teaches orchestra, drama, and genius hour at Baldwin Middle School in Hudsonville Public Schools. 

      "This is my first time learning about PBL and I already see the difference in the level of critical thinking and student engagement. I am also excited that this process teaches skills for success." ~S. Lenhart ​