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Warming Up to Act

First graders learn to warm up their body, face, and voice before acting — wiggling, stretching, making faces, and warming up their voice — so they’re ready to perform their best.

Grade 1Acting30 minutes1 class periodArtistic ProcessExplicit teaching4 StandardsNCAS
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Warm up my body.
  • ✓Warm up my voice.
  • ✓Order the steps.
  • ✓Get ready to act.
Essential Question

Actors warm up their body AND their voice before a show, just like athletes! How do you warm up to act?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Put in Order · Interactive

Order the Warm-Up Steps

Project this and have children put the acting warm-up steps in order.

🎭 Put the warm-up steps in order!Try it
Tap the first step!
The Lesson · Artistic Process (Warm-Up · Explore · Rehearse · Perform · Reflect)

30 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Get Ready to Act

4 min

Actors warm up their body and voice before a show — how?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Do a quick wiggle.
  • Ask why warm up.
  • Get ready.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Wiggle.
  • Think.
  • Get ready.
2

Explore — Warming Up

8 min

Children explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send children to Order the Warm-Up Steps.
  • Order them.
  • Do each one.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Order it.
  • Do them.
  • Name.
3

Rehearse — Rehearse

9 min

Children rehearse.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Wiggle and stretch.
  • Make silly faces.
  • Warm up your voice.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Wiggle.
  • Faces!
  • Me-me!
4

Perform — Perform

6 min

Children perform.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Do the whole warm-up.
  • Follow a leader.
  • Be kind.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Do it.
  • Follow.
  • Be kind.
5

Reflect — Reflect

3 min

Children respond.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name the first step.
  • Do a warm-up move.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name it.
  • Do it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the National Core Arts Standards (Theatre).

NCAS
TH:Pr5.1.1

Warm up the body and voice.

NCAS
TH:Pr4.1.1

Prepare to act.

NCAS
TH:Cr1.1.1

Explore body and voice.

NCAS
TH:Re7.1.1

Understand warming up.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Warm-up picture cards.
  • Sentence frame: “First ___, then ___.”
  • Warm up together.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with wiggle and stretch.
  • Order two at a time.
  • Copy the leader.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add a body isolation.
  • Lead a warm-up.
  • Make a warm-up song.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🎭A pretend stage
  • 💻Order the Warm-Up Steps
  • 🎵Music
  • 🖍️Crayons
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

warm upto get your body readywiggleto shake your bodystretchto reach outfaceshows your feelingsvoicethe sound you makeactorwho plays a characterreadyall set to goactto be a character
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What is a good FIRST step to warm up?
Wiggle your whole body.
QUESTION 2
Why do actors warm up their voice?
So it’s ready to speak and sing clearly.
QUESTION 3
Do actors warm up just their body?
No — their body AND their voice.

Reflect: warm up.

Have children do the acting warm-up (wiggle, stretch, faces, voice) before pretend-play at home. A printable warm-up sheet is in the Arts library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Warming Up to ActFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Warming Up to ActQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Warming Up to ActPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: act, actor, face, ready, stretch, voice, warm up, wiggle
  1. the sound you make
  2. to get your body ready
  3. who plays a character
  4. to reach out
  5. shows your feelings
  6. to shake your body
  7. all set to go
  8. to be a character

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What is a good FIRST step to warm up?
  2. Why do actors warm up their voice?
  3. Do actors warm up just their body?
Answer key — Part A: 1) voice · 2) warm up · 3) actor · 4) stretch · 5) face · 6) wiggle · 7) ready · 8) act
Part B: 1) Wiggle your whole body. 2) So it’s ready to speak and sing clearly. 3) No — their body AND their voice.