Visual & Performing Arts · 6th Grade

Active learning ideas

Improvisation: 'Yes, And'

Active learning immerses students in real-time collaboration, which is essential for mastering improvisation. The 'yes, and' principle demands immediate responsiveness, making games and scenes the most effective way to build instinctive acceptance and contribution skills.

• Common Core State Standards
• NCAS: Creating TH.Cr1.1.6
• NCAS: Performing TH.Pr5.1.6

• 10–30 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Fishbowl Discussion
• 10 min · Whole Class

Warm-Up Game: One Word at a Time

Students stand in a circle and build a story one word at a time, with each person adding a single word. The teacher stops the group when someone blocks the story's logic or hesitates too long, names what happened, and restarts. After three rounds, the class identifies patterns in what derails the story.

Why is active listening the most important skill for an improviser?

Facilitation Tip

During One Word at a Time, emphasize that pauses kill momentum, so encourage students to keep the word chain moving continuously without overthinking.

What to look for

During a 'yes, and' scene, pause the action and ask students to identify the last 'offer' made by a partner and how it was 'accepted and added to.' Teacher can call on specific students or have students write responses on mini-whiteboards.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Fishbowl Discussion
• 30 min · Small Groups

Scene Work: Yes-And Pairs

Pairs receive a simple two-line scene starter and must continue it for 90 seconds using only 'yes, and' logic , no denials, no topic changes. A second student observes and notes any moments where a partner almost blocked. The trio debriefs before roles rotate.

How does trust between performers affect the quality of a collaborative scene?

Facilitation Tip

For Yes-And Pairs, model the first exchange yourself to demonstrate how a scene can grow from a single accepting response.

What to look for

After a short scene, have students pair up and discuss: Did your partner accept your offers? Did they add to them? What was one moment where the scene moved forward effectively because of 'yes, and'? Students provide one specific positive observation to their partner.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 15 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: What Makes a Good Offer?

After watching a short improvised scene (live or video clip), students individually write down three specific offers one performer made to their partner. Pairs compare and rank which offers were easiest to build on and why, then share one example with the class.

What strategies can a group use to move a story forward without a script?

Facilitation Tip

In the Think-Pair-Share, ask students to reference specific lines from their scene to ground their examples in concrete evidence.

What to look for

Students write down one example of 'blocking' they observed or participated in during a scene. Then, they rewrite the scene segment, replacing the block with a 'yes, and' response that moves the story forward.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach 'yes, and' by starting with simple, low-stakes games to build trust and comfort with failure. Avoid over-explaining the concept; let students discover its power through direct experience. Research in drama education shows that students internalize collaboration skills faster when they see immediate results in scene work rather than through abstract discussion.

Students will demonstrate their understanding by consistently accepting their partner’s offers and building on them without hesitation. Scenes should flow naturally, showing clear momentum and shared ownership of the story.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During One Word at a Time, watch for students who treat the game as a competition to say the funniest word rather than accepting and building on the last word given.

  Pause the game and remind students that the goal is to create a coherent chain, not to joke at the expense of the sequence. Have them restart with a focus on listening and adding to the last word.

• During Yes-And Pairs, watch for students who respond with sarcastic or dismissive comments that technically follow 'yes, and' but shut down the scene.

  Point out that 'yes, and' must build the reality of the scene, not undermine it. Ask partners to rephrase their responses to create a shared world, even if the offer is absurd.

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Methods used in this brief

• Fishbowl Discussion
• Think-Pair-Share