Teaching Strategies

Freeze Frame

Students are asked to represent visually one part of a scene from a story (usually one where there is some type of tension—mystery or surprise).

Students work in their groups to improvise their freeze frame. The teacher can assist their exploration by asking:

 "What is the tension in this freeze? What is the focus? What mood are you trying to create and how are you going to portray this to your audience?"

Students can be encouraged to consider how they use their bodies and facial expressions to communicate the story and create a dynamic image.

Each group presents their freeze to the rest of the class. The teacher counts down and at zero, all in the group 'freeze' into position.

Afterwards there is class discussion focusing on where the scene occurred in the story and what was happening in the scene. Students can be encouraged to think about the tension or mood of the scene and how that was portrayed.

The benefits of Freeze Frame

• Can be used as part of a reading programme (such as co-operative reading) to encourage both receptive and productive language skills.
• Encourages close reading of a particular scene in order to effectively plan and communicate that scene.
• All students in a group can contribute equally.