Like so many other examples of my probably convoluted thinking about language resources (in which things that are supposed to be used for x can be used for y) Improv Everywhere is not really about April Fool's Day, but can be used to talk about it. In preparation for some possibly fun lessons this coming week, I wanted to feature the blog of this theater troupe, whose goal is to stage "missions" that cause "scenes of chaos and joy in public spaces." The troupe edits all their missions into short, bite-size bits of video hysteria, along with wonderfully detailed and visual breakdowns of the preparation and execution of the missions, most of which are totally clean. I would avoid missions like "No Pants Subway Rides," especially with younger students, but fully recommend "Slo-Mo Home Depot," "High Five Escalator," and "Spontaneous Musicals." Watch them all the way through in case I missed something, though! Check out the blue sidebar for links to all the missions. Here is one of my faves, Grocery Store Musical:
Language Lens:
- The Improv Everywhere videos would be great to present to students as a saboteur strategy and see if they can describe the context.
- Each mission is a nice opportunity to work on concepts such as expected and unexpected behaviors, perspective taking, sequencing (with use of the mission breakdowns) and use of humor.
- Try completing a setting map for any given video- what is the place like and what do you usually see happening there?
- The Unthinkable character Wasfunnyonce from the Superflex curriculum would be a great point of comparison- Why are these missions acceptable use of humor? What changes would make them not acceptable? (lots of if statements here!)
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