Drama Lesson Plan for The Gruffalo (Part Two)

Further drama activities on The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson can be developed by using some of the techniques below.

Expressions: Showing facial expressions of the different characters at various points in the story. Ask the children to stand in a circle. Explain that you are going to ask them to imagine how characters felt at different times in the story. Choose a character and a moment, for example the fox when he first met the mouse. Countdown three-two-one and clap your hands or bang a drum as a signal for them to make the face. You could pick out some of the children to show the others. Then choose a different moment/animal, for example the fox when he sees the Gruffalo.

Movement: Practice moving as different animals through the forest. Then the children could make the shapes of different objects in the forest, for example trees, plants, fallen logs, stones or streams with their bodies using still images. Explore different levels - high, medium and low. Half the class could make the forest shapes while the others move amongst them as animals.

Music: Create a sound picture of the forest using vocal sounds or simple musical instruments. You can combine this with the activity above, with one group making the forest, another making the sound picture and the third group moving through the forest as animals.

Conscience Alley/Teacher in Role: Explain that the Gruffalo needs advice about making friends and the children are going to give him some help. The children form two lines and the teacher walks in between them in the role of the Gruffalo. The children whisper advice as the Gruffalo moves past them. It can also be fun to combine this with the forest exercise. When the children have made the forest using still images, the teacher moves through the forest in role as the Gruffalo. As she passes by each object, the child whispers their suggestion.

Still images: Creating still images or frozen pictures of different moments from the story - sad moments, happy moments, scary moments - for example the moment when the Gruffalo and the mouse first meet. If this is during the story reading, then the children could make a second frozen picture to show what they think happens next.

Thought tracking: As a follow-up to the above activity, tap the child on the shoulder and ask him or her to speak the thoughts or feelings of the character aloud. For younger children this can be a single word.

Teacher in Role: Another idea for this technique is to take the part of the Gruffalo's mother. Play the character as a mother who is worried about her child not being able to make friends. Ask the children for advice about your problem: I'm really worried about my son - he doesn't seem to have any friends. Everyone he meets seems scared of him... How could I help him to make new friends?