React and Act

• One 3x5 index card for each student

• timer

React and Act is a game that continues the development of relational capacity through a fun and competitive activity. Students are required to continue the risk-taking process by acting in front of their peers, with the potential for intra-team conflict. 

1. Pass out an index card to each student and have them write one “event,” encouraging them to be creative and use words that end in -ing to describe the event.

 Some examples include:

• Being surprised by a dog on your way home from school

• Making the game-winning pass at the Super Bowl

• Winning a $50,000 scholarship for college

2. Split the class into two random teams.

3. Collect the index cards, creating two separate piles.

4. Ask for five volunteers from each team to be the actors. Ask one actor to randomly select a card from the other team’s pile. The teacher should read the card first, and if necessary, modify it.

5. Choose a time limit—anywhere from 30 seconds to one minute.

6. Say, “Go,” and have the five volunteer actors perform their event simultaneously in the front of the classroom. They can use sounds and gestures, but no words.

7. The other members of their team must attempt to guess the event that is being acted out. The teacher should monitor to keep track of when the correct answer is guessed.

8. Alternate between teams and keep score.

9. Close the activity with a debrief, either verbal or written, using a few of the questions from the Stage 2 Debrief Prompts.

To increase scaffolding: 

To increase scaffolding:

• Make sure that each student is an actor at some point during

the game.

• Allow the other team one guess to “steal” any event that isn’t guessed.

To integrate technology: 

To increase technology, divide students into small groups and assign each group an event. Provide them with 10 minutes to spread out across campus to film their short video before returning to the classroom. Project the videos and have teams guess that is being acted out.