When you use skits to practice theme and work on writing, you’re opening the door to a whole lot of creativity, fun, and great ELA skill review!
If you’re ready to get your students up and moving and interacting with each other, then you’ll love our newest idea for teaching theme!
First of all, make sure you grab these theme posters! Each of them goes over a common thematic topic and how that topic typically plays out in a story.
To do the skit activity, you’ll need to make several copies of the thematic topics posters. I suggest printing them so you get about 4 per page. Then, fold them and place them in a bowl or hat for students to draw from.
Setting Up Your Student Skits to Practice Theme
To set up the skit activity, split students into small groups (l like groups of 4 or 5 for this activity as it allows for a few main characters, a few supporting characters, and maybe a narrator if needed).
Next, ask one student from each group to come to the front and draw one of the thematic topics from the bowl.
Students will need to keep their theme a secret, telling only the students in their group what their theme is.
After all the groups have a theme, ask them to spend the next 20 minutes developing a skit/short play that utilizes the thematic topic they chose.
Adding in Targeted Checklists
I suggest mixing up this activity by adding in a short checklist of story elements that you want students to clearly include in their skit.
Your checklist will probably be an element or language skill that you want them to work on or something they’ve struggled with in the past that they need to practice.
For example, you may ask them to use two types of figurative language in their dialogue or ask them to have a clear climax in their story.
This checklist (only up to 3 items) can act as a side activity (see who can identify the two figurative language examples of the other groups) or as a challenge for advanced students.
Either way, it provides some groundwork for the groups to build from.
These story elements are also important in writing, and simply having to make sure they include them will help them go into more detail than they normally would.
Should Students Write Out the Skit…Or Not?
Whether or not students will actually write out the skit is up to you. If you have the time, I like having them spend the time writing.
If you are short on time, have them focus on the theme only.
Identifying the Theme… It’s All a Game
To keep students focused on the theme, they will present their skit to the class. The other groups will watch the skit and confer with each other about which thematic topic they think the group was trying to present.
Each group will present their guess. If any group gets it correct, the presenting group will tell the class what it was.
Now, here’s the kicker. If none of the other groups can figure out their thematic topic, they will need to step out of the classroom and edit their skit to present again. This will continue until their skit is detailed enough to portray the thematic topic in a way that their classmates can identify it.
Using Skits to Practice Theme (So Many Ways to Play!)
What I love about using skits to practice theme is that you can add as many variables into the activity as you want.
You can add checklists for students to practice other skills. You can have them write the skits out, and you can have them include a certain number of characters or dictate the setting to take place in a haunted house or any other number of variations.
Having so many different ways to change the activity gives you the freedom to use the general goal (creating skits to practice and review themes) to grow with the ability of the class.
For even more ways to practice and review theme, check out the theme section of the Fun in 5th Grade shop! Or you can click here to see the same resources on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Not sure you’re ready for skits? More Resources for Practicing Theme!
For even more resources to practice theme, check out our Theme Game Show and Finding Theme Review Game (UKNOW).
