SPEAK TOGETHER · PRACTICAL TEACHER GUIDE
See the game.
Find its place.
Seven optional warm-ups and rehearsal approaches, linked to the eight-week programme. Use one that serves the lesson’s communication purpose.
Choose a moment, not another task
Keep the 55-minute lesson total. Replace a suitable warm-up or use part of an existing rehearsal stage; do not add every game to a lesson. Model with adults, then try a pair or group of 4–6. Keep familiar AAC, pass, pause and return available.
Use the illustrated arrangements as starting points. Offer pupils a choice of roles, familiar materials and ways to participate.
Freeze frames
Where it fits
Week 2 expressive warm-up, or Week 4 character rehearsal · 4–6 minutes within the existing stage.
Week 2 plan → · Week 4 plan → · Open the matching Studio space →
Try saying
“Can we make the moment when the parcel reaches the castle?”
What it looks like
- Model one still pose, then invite a pair to choose the next moment.
- Use bodies, puppets or objects. A pupil can direct an adult, choose a cue or watch first.
- Ask what meaning the picture suggests. Change one detail and check what the listener notices.
Notice: Notice a selected intention, a clear direction or a listener’s interpretation. Avoid judging stillness or acting quality.
Thought tracking
Where it fits
Week 4: after a character freeze frame, before the main viewpoint task · 4–6 minutes of rehearsal.
Try saying
“Pause the story. What might this character be thinking?”
What it looks like
- Revisit a neutral fictional moment, using the castle scene if useful.
- Invite the character’s thought through AAC, a symbol, gesture, text or a partner. Confirm the pupil’s intended message.
- Hear two possible thoughts, then step out of role. Thoughts can differ.
Notice: Look for a chosen viewpoint and what helped the pupil express it. Keep the focus fictional; no touching to cue a response or personal disclosure.
Soundscapes
Where it fits
Week 2 expressive warm-up, or Week 7 production rehearsal · 5–8 minutes within the existing stage.
Week 2 plan → · Week 7 plan → · Open the matching Studio space →
Try saying
“What could we hear in our imaginary forest? Who will cue the sounds?”
What it looks like
- Preview a quiet forest setting and agree start/stop cues.
- Choose a shaker, rustling cloth, selected audio, movement or listening role. The conductor cues one contribution at a time.
- Try a short sequence, stop together and ask which cue helped the audience imagine the place.
Notice: Notice a shared cue, purposeful selection or response to a partner. Preview volume and offer quiet visual or conducting roles.
Puppet hot-seating
Where it fits
Week 4 character rehearsal, or Week 6 On Air question practice · 5–8 minutes of rehearsal.
Week 4 plan → · Week 6 plan → · Open the matching Studio space →
Try saying
“Our puppet is the parcel recipient. What could we ask to understand its problem?”
What it looks like
- Agree a fictional character and prepare one or two useful questions.
- Offer preparation time. The pupil authors an answer through usual AAC or another route; an adult may operate the puppet.
- Confirm the message, invite one checking question, then step out of role.
Notice: Notice a relevant question or pupil-authored answer. Pass and private rehearsal are valid; do not require a public hot-seat performance.
Story orchestra
Where it fits
Week 5 Yes… and… warm-up, or Week 7 scene rehearsal · 5–8 minutes within the existing stage.
Week 5 plan → · Week 7 plan → · Open the matching Studio space →
Try saying
“When our story reaches the forest, which sound, movement or line would you like to add?”
What it looks like
- Teacher narrates a short agreed story, built from a familiar stimulus.
- Pupils choose a sound, movement, prop, AAC line or directing role. Rehearse when each cue enters; use the soundscape picture as a starting arrangement.
- Tell the story once, stop and gather the chosen Start / Build / Finish in the planner.
Notice: Notice a purposeful cue, a contribution that builds on another idea or a meaningful repair. This is live rehearsal; Create remains a planner, not an audio editor.
Mirroring: lead, notice, respond
Where it fits
3–5 minutes as an optional warm-up or rehearsal within the existing lesson.
Try saying
Can we move this slowly enough for our partner to join?
What it looks like
- Offer a pair: one leads a slow movement, object or puppet action; the other responds as a reflection. Model a comfortable seated or object route.
- Swap by agreement, or let the pupil direct an adult. Offer a pause or a chance to watch.
- Notice what helped the partner follow: a clear cue, a manageable pace or checking together.
Notice: Look for shared attention to an action and a chosen response. Eye contact, exact copying, speed and a particular range of movement are not success criteria.
Pip’s playful mistakes
Where it fits
4–6 minutes as an optional warm-up or rehearsal within the existing lesson.
Try saying
Pip thinks this spoon is a telescope. Shall we help—or invent another way it could work?
What it looks like
- An adult or pupil-directed puppet makes a gentle fictional mistake with a familiar safe prop. Preview the idea if helpful.
- Invite noticing, a new purpose, a checking question or a repair through usual AAC, gesture, text or a partner.
- Try the pupil-selected change, pause and ask what made the idea clear. Pupils may keep the silly fiction, direct from the side or pass.
Notice: The humour comes from the fictional problem. Do not imitate a pupil’s communication, movement or personal characteristics, and do not make being funny a requirement.
Practice references
These are Studio adaptations of established drama approaches. Read BBC Primary Drama Workshop teacher notes and Drama Resource’s primary workshop summary for further practice. See also University of Texas: Mirrors and the National Theatre’s clowning practice resource. These are practice references; adapt to your group. These sources do not establish this programme’s impact.
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