Saying Yes! In The Uppers (6th-8th)

As anyone who has ever taken an improv class knows, one of the cardinal rules is to “say yes!” Say yes to your scene partner, say yes to any wacky idea that the audience suggests, say yes to how the scene unfolds. This rule helps keep the scene moving and building and will take the actors and your audience to places you never imagined!

There are a lot of similarities between being a teacher and doing improv. You’re on your feet a lot, you never know what your audience might throw at you, there are a lot of laughs, and scenes don’t always work out exactly as planned. And even though it’s not always possible, it’s usually best to “say yes” whenever you can. 

When you look around the Uppers, you can see teachers (and students) saying yes all the time:

7th Grade Math Class: All this talk about cups and tablespoons and fractions is making me hungry! Can we cook something??

Emily: Yes! Let’s make mug cakes on Friday. Does that sound ok?

Class: YES!!

Last week I said yes to one of the most delightful requests I’ve had in a while. It takes a little explaining, so hang in there. In my 6th grade lit class, we just started reading a memoir called The Genius Under the Table by Eugen Yelchin. It is about growing up in St Petersburg during the 70s and 80s and what life was like during the last gasp of the Soviet Union. In one of the first scenes, the author and his brother Victor encounter an American Tourist who gives them a stick of Juicy Fruit gum. Victor chews the gum for three weeks, soaking it in tea overnight to keep it soft. We talked in class about why the characters did that and what it tells us about what their lives were like. Can you guess what my students asked me after reading and discussing this scene?

Students: Can we do that?

Josie: Do what?

Students: Chew the same stick of gum all day and then soak it in tea during snack and lunch?

Josie: Yes! I’ll bring the gum tomorrow!

Now I know what you’re thinking. Is this part of your lesson plan, Josie? Is this an activity you did last year? Is this something you even remotely considered ever. The answer is no. But reader, we did it. We made tea, chewed gum and experienced first hand what it would be like to cherish something (like gum) that we hardly consider a luxury. Say yes!!!