Actors tell stories with their faces, hands and bodies – sometimes without saying a word! Let us practise.
Faces and hands show feelings
| Feeling | Face | Hands |
|---|---|---|
| 😀 joy | big smile, bright eyes | clapping, arms up |
| 😢 sadness | mouth turned down, eyes low | wiping tears, hands drooping |
| 😠 anger | frown, tight lips | fists, arms folded |
| 🤩 excitement | wide smile, eyes open wide | jumping, waving |
| 😲 surprise | mouth open in an O, eyebrows up | hands on cheeks |
Tableaux: frozen pictures
A tableau (say “tab-low”) is a frozen picture made with bodies, like a photo. A great tableau uses levels:
- high: standing tall, on tiptoe, arms up
- middle: kneeling, bending, sitting on a chair
- low: sitting or lying on the floor
Try a tableau of “A day at the beach”: one person high (waving), one middle (building a sandcastle), one low (lying on the sand).
Be a vehicle
Use your body to show transport: arms out wide for an aeroplane, hands turning a wheel for a car, rowing for a pirogue, chugging arms for a train. Add sounds!
TRY ITDrama games
Choose a game.
Let’s practise
Try each one. Then tap Show answer to check.
1. How can you show joy with your face and hands?
Show answer
Big smile, bright eyes, clapping, arms up.
2. What is a tableau?
Show answer
A frozen picture made with bodies.
3. Name the three levels.
Show answer
High, middle, low.
4. How would you show a car with your body?
Show answer
For example hands turning a steering wheel, “vroom” sounds.
5. Show surprise. What do your eyebrows do?
Show answer
They go up.
Quick check
1. Which level is standing on tiptoe?
Show answer
High.
2. Can you tell a story without words?
Show answer
Yes, with faces, hands and body.
3. Name a vehicle you could act with a friend.
Show answer
For example a boat, a maxi-taxi, a train.
Words to know
Say these words with a grown-up. Can you use each one in a sentence?
drama · expression · gesture · feeling · tableau · level · high · middle · low
Try it at home
- Play “Guess my feeling” at home: show a feeling with no words.
- Make a family tableau of a special day. Take a photo!
- Act out two kinds of transport for your family to guess.
For parents and teachers
After this lesson, your child should be able to:
- use facial expressions and hand gestures to show five feelings
- make tableaux using at least two levels
- use the body to show two kinds of transport
Previous: Dance: Telling Stories with Dance
Next: Drama: Acting Out Stories
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