I’ve been a Drama teacher in the UK for the past 10 years and I’d never heard of a drama circle before (“Where have you been?” I hear the US teachers scream!). It wasn’t until I started looking at other countries’ resources that I found this wonderful gem of a resource!

When I learned about them, I couldn’t believe I had never come across them before. Not just because I’m a Drama teacher but because this resource is amazing to explore topics that often are hard to teach (or as students call them ‘boring topics’).

How it Works

Each student gets a card which has 3 sections on it:

The first is a cue- this tells the students what they need to listen or look out for to cue their card.
The second section is what they have to read aloud.
The third section is an action or gesture that cues the next person’s card.

The best thing about drama circles is they aren’t just for Drama lessons. drama circles can be for any lesson and any topic (almost)!

I’ll give you an example. Say your class are looking at the effects of climate change and you decide to do a lesson on endangered animals. You could print out a load of fact sheets and ask students to read through them and highlight key information OR you could mix things up and explore endangered animals through a drama circle.

They all get a card and have to listen to others whilst waiting for their cue. They read their part, teaching the others about their animal and then they get to perform an action or gesture to end their go. By the end of the drama circle, not only have students learned about 32 endangered animals and how climate change has affected them BUT they’ve also practiced their speaking and listening skills, improved their confidence and sustained their focus. That’s a win win in my book! If this sounded like your cup of tea, then check it out:

Will it work for my class?

The name ‘drama circle’ seems to put people off immediately. Teachers are scared of implementing drama in their classroom (read this blog to learn how to not fear drama!) and they worry about their students refusing to take part. But I’ve found that drama circles are so engaging and are perfect for students of all levels of confidence. Students enjoy the fact that this activity is different from the ‘norm’ and they get to actively participate in the learning (we all know students LOVE to be the teacher!). I found that learning actively raised retention, concentration and progress.

Drama circles aren’t just for the younger keen beans, I’ve used them with older students too! They act as if they don’t care, but older students love to get up and get involved and have some fun with their learning! With drama circles, you can explore any level of topic. I’ve revised the play ‘An Inspector Calls’ by JB Priestly with 15-16 year olds using a drama circle and they loved it. They were revising AND having fun (something they told me was impossible!). The activity covered the plot, the main characters, key quotes and context- what more could you ask for?!

So when you want to bring a topic to life, engage all students or mix things up, drama circles are the way forward!