- STEP 1: Students may be seated at desks or seated in a circle on the carpet. Explain to students that you will be reading a sequence of items and they will need to listen carefully, remember the sequence, and then echo it back to you.
- STEP 2: Begin by saying a memorable sequence of numbers such as “2,4,6,8.” As a class, students then have to echo that sequence back to you in the same order in which you said it. If students make a mistake repeat your original sequence back to them or try only including three items in your sequence.
- STEP 3: Repeat this exercise using various sequences containing:
- Colors
- Shapes
- Names
- STEP 4: For an added challenge raise and lower the pitch of your voice throughout the sequence, adding emotion and expression to the words in the sequence, or saying the sequence in a different dialect or accent and have the students echo the sequence back to you using those same vocal elements when 3 they say each item.
LESSON IDEA:
Use this warm up anytime students are working on concepts that simply need rote memorization. You can also use this warm up as a way to introduce number sequences and patterns in math.
EXTENSION:
This warm-up specifically works on developing short term memory which can be instrumental to theater performances and scenes. Try seeing how far students can go by expanding the sequences to be memorized.
 |  |  |