Second City Guide to Improv in the Classroom

THE AUTHORS KATHERINE S. McKNIGHT, Ph.D., associate professor at National-Louis University and an onsite consultant for the National Council of Teachers of English, is coauthor of Teaching Writingin the Inclusive Classroom MARY SCRUGGS, is an actress, director, playwright, and educator. She is currently the head of writing and education programs for The Second City Training Center in Chicago.

• About This Book vAbout The Authors viAcknowledgments xiiiChapter ONE: It Begins with Play 1Montessori’s Connection Between Play and Learning 2Spolin’s Connection Between Play and Learning 2What Has Happened to Play? 4Why Improvisation Works in the Classroom 5The Second City Connection 6Overview of the Book 7Chapter TWO: Improvisation as a Pedagogical Tool for Engaged Learning 11Connections Between Improvisation and Authentic, Engaging Teaching and Learning Experiences 12Teaching and Learning Experiences 15Improvisation for Engaged Teaching and Learning in the Diverse and Inclusive Classroom 17The Brain Connection 19Building a Community for Engaged Teaching and Learning 22Chapter THREE: Literacy Learning and Improvisation 27Potential Impact on Literacy Skill Development 28Improvisation and Reading Links 28Improvisation and Writing Links 33Improvisation Links to Speaking and Listening 36Some Concluding Thoughts 38Chapter FOUR: Explanation of Improvisation Exercises 41Getting Started 41Time for Improvisation 42Classroom Management 44Sidecoaching and Reflection 46Improvisation Games 48Ad Game 48Alphabet 50Beginning, Middle, End 53Bippity, Bippity, Bop 56Bus Trip 58Conducted Story 61Deck of Cards 63Dr. Know-It-All 64Gibberish 67Give and Take 70Half-Life 73Mirror 74Object Work 76One-Word Story 79Panel of Experts 82Parts of a Whole 84Pass the Clap 87Slide Show 89Space Walk 91String of Pearls 94Take That Back 98Throwing Light 100Who Started the Motion? 102Zip Zap Zop 103Chapter FIVE: Skills and Teaching 105Lesson: Lights, Camera Re-Action! 106Alphabet Book 111Story Generation Using Beginning, Middle, and End 114Conducting an American Revolution Review 118Speaking in Songs 121Becoming Characters 129Math Gibberish Translator 131Building a Relationship 133Geometric Object Work 136One-Word Story, a Many-Word Story 139Physicalizing Cell Structure 142“Ten Days in a Madhouse” Human Slide Show 144Geometry Walk 151Painting Visualization 154String of Ideas 157Tableau Activity for Analytic Geometry 160Picture Book Tableau 165In-Class Field Trip—Using Tableaux to Explore the Role of Perception in Communication 167Throwing Math Light 170Chapter SIX: Engaging Students in Learning 173Authentic and Engaged Learning 174The Literacy Connection 175Some Final Thoughts 175Index 177