What Are You Doing?
A Pantomime Drama Game
Erin K Hulse, APS Drama Resource Teacher, hulse@aps.edu 880-8249 ext 160
Appropriate Grade Levels: (1 w/modifications) 2-5+
Objectives:
 Students will show physical routines through pantomime.
 Students will distinguish movements of a partner.
 Students will collaborate with a peer.
Common Core Standards Addressed/ELA/Speaking and Listening:
Comprehension and Collaboration
1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with
diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the
line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience.
6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of
formal English when indicated or appropriate.
NM Fine Arts Standards Addressed/Theatre/Drama:
Standard 1: Learn and develop the essential skills and meet technical demands unique to dance,
music, theatre/drama and visual arts.
K-5 Benchmark 1A: Use body and voice to portray character.
Standard 2: Use dance, music, theatre/drama and visual arts to express ideas.
K-5 Benchmark 2A: Develop classroom dramatizations that express various moods or
emotions (e.g., happy/sad, funny, scary, mysterious, etc.).
Standard 4: Demonstrate an understanding of the dynamics of the creative process.
K-5 Benchmark 4A: Collaborate to design, plan, rehearse and perform dramatizations.
Materials:
 Students in pairs.
 Space for pairs to work.
Vocabulary: Pantomime, opposite, gestures
Procedure:
 Partners choose who will be “A” and who will be “B”.
 “A” begins to pantomime a simple activity--for example, brushing his/her teeth.
 “B” approaches and says, "What are you doing?"
 “A” may answer anything EXCEPT what he/she is actually doing—"I'm washing the car."
 The moment “B” hears the answer, he/she must begin to pantomime the mentioned activity.
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“A” then asks, "What are you doing?"
“B” responds with something other than what is being pantomimed—“ I’m climbing a tree”
“A” then pantomimes climbing a tree. “B” asks, “What are you doing?” and so on.
Allow for several minutes of the back and forth exchange.
Debrief—What was a challenge? What was easy? Discuss any pantomimes that “stood out”—ones
that were easily read and/or others that were difficult to envision.
Modifications/Extensions:
 Divide the group into two. Group one will be “A” and group two will be “B”. “A”
pantomimes, at the same time, a movement you call out—“A” brush your teeth. “B” asks as a
group “What are you doing?” and YOU tell them an alternative “Washing the dog”. “B”
pantomimes, at the same time, washing a dog, “A” asks “What are you doing?” YOU tell
them “Reading a book” and so on.
 Work in foursomes—pair A begins a pantomime between one another “Playing catch”, pair B
asks, “What are you doing?” A answers “watching TV, arguing over the remote control”. Pair
B starts to watch TV, trying to get the remote control, pair A asks, “What are you doing?” and
pair B answers “Riding a bicycle built for two” and so on.
 (From http://www.childdrama.com/warmups.html)
After a while, add to the original formula, "I'm _________." It can become, "I'm _________ with
a ________." Eventually it can become, "I'm _________ with a __________ while ___________."
(For example, "I'm painting the barn with a codfish while snorkeling." It doesn't have to make
sense.) The second person must begin to act as soon as she hears even PART of the answer.
(In the example, we should see her painting the barn even before she hears that she's using a
codfish. When she hears about the snorkeling she'll have to adjust.) Side coach to make sure
they get all three details into their pantomiming.