Acting Is Fun

Let's pretend for a moment that you're a 5th grade teacher. It's late Thursday night, and you haven't prepared one thing for tomorrow's class day. It’s also early May, so there's no chance for a snow day to save you, and getting a sub means you have to write up a lesson plan anyway. What do you do?

Here’s an idea: show your class this short film from the 1950s about a teacher who obviously hadn't prepared for his class day, so he decides to have his class “act out” scenes from Tom Sawyer, claiming it helps students to “learn better.”

When you're done watching Acting is Fun, apply what you’ve learned in your own classroom. It will eat up at least an hour before lunch, smart kids can take a break from excelling, and most of all, it’s fun!

*Your students are sure to be charmed by the educator’s mid-century modern eyebrows.

Written by: Bridget Nelson and Mary Jo Pehl