End-of-Year Drama Project Ideas for Non-Performers

The end of the school year is a challenging time for drama teachers. Teachers are tired, students are distracted, and the curriculum doesn’t always fit the remainder of the calendar. These issues are compounded when you have a classroom full of non-drama students who are reluctant to perform. So here are two projects that encourage your non-performers to tap into their artistic/creative side and allow you to finish the year on a high note.

Recap Map

This is a great review activity that reminds your students of what they have learned and how far they have come over the course of a year.

• Divide students into small groups and tell them they are going to document what they have learned in this drama class.
• Students will work together to create a list of the most memorable units and lessons they participated in over the past year. The list should be between 5 and 10 items long.
• The groups will then design a map. Each item on their list will be represented by a location on their map. For example:
  
  • The acting unit is a location.
  • The daily journal entry is a location.
  • The game Kitty Wants a Corner is a location.
• Every location on the map will be represented by an image, depicting a lesson or unit, drawn by the students. For example:
  • The acting unit could be represented by a star on a stage.
  • The daily journal is illustrated as a book, a clock, and a question mark.
  • Kitty Wants a Corner is a picture of a cat.
• Their maps should have a starting point, follow a chronological path, and end in the present. THE PATH SHOULD NOT BE A STRAIGHT LINE.
• Groups will decorate their map, including all of the “locations” of memories. Encourage the groups to be as creative as possible when drawing their maps. Consider including:
  • A border/frame
  • Mythical creatures (fairies, sea monsters, yetis, etc.)
  • Geographic features such as lakes, rivers, and mountains
• Groups will present their finished maps to the class, sharing why they chose the units/lessons they did, what made them memorable, and how they can take what they learned into future classes, or even into real life!
• When all groups have finished presenting, display their maps in the classroom or hallway as a visual representation of how far the class has come.

To help kickstart group discussions, download the End-of-Year Reflection sheet!

Musical Memories

This project will allow students to interpret their memories of your class as a musical montage.

• Put students into groups of five.
• Lead a discussion reminding your students about various lessons and activities they participated in over the course of the year. What stands out? What did they learn that they could take into a different class? Or even into real life?
• Ask each group to discuss and decide on five lessons or projects that were most memorable to them. What stands out about the lesson/project when they remember it? Groups are to write a description of each memory and why they chose it.
• Tell students that each group is going to create a playlist of five songs that they believe best represent the memories they have chosen.
  • Each person in the group is responsible for one memory and its accompanying song.
  • Students may use either available classroom technology or personal technology to access their songs.
• Groups will decide upon the final list and order of their songs.
• Groups should also design cover art for their playlist and give the collection a title.
• Once the groups have assembled their five songs, their order, designed a cover and decided on a title, their next task is to create a tableau (a picture using people) for each of the five memories and songs they have chosen.
  
  • Each tableau must include everyone in the group.
  • Each tableau is a single frozen image, not an active scene.
  • The person whose song/memory is being interpreted will act as the “director” of that tableau. They must also be included in the tableau.
• When all groups have completed their five tableaux, each group will present their songs, their reasons why they chose them, and tableaux to the class.
• For an extra challenge, have the groups present their songs and tableaux without providing any explanation, and challenge the rest of the class to correctly identify the memory they are presenting. Then groups can explain their rationale for each memory.

To help your students kickstart their memories of your class, have them complete an End-of-Year Reflection Sheet. Download below!