Thought Tracking

by David Farmer | Drama Strategies

What is Thought Tracking?

Characters speak their thoughts aloud.

Thought tracking (also called thought-tapping) is a natural follow-up to freeze-frames. Once students have made an image, explain that when you tap them on the shoulder you would like them to verbalise the thoughts or feelings of their character. At first, this may be just a few words, but students will soon gain confidence to express themselves in detail. It doesn’t take long to thought-track each member of a group to reveal a range of attitudes and feelings from the characters.

Students may choose to be inanimate objects or animals. Animals can have thoughts – such as “grrrr” or “I’m hungry” and you may find that even a tree can express its opinion. You can ask characters specific questions such as what they feel about another character, what they’re dreaming about or what they want to do next. Thought tracking can easily be employed in the classroom with children at their desks.

Why use it?

Thought tracking is a quick-fire strategy enabling children to verbally express their understanding of characters and situations without the need for rehearsal. Students gain verbal confidence, preparing the ground for them to move into extended improvisation. After holding a freeze-frame for just a few moments, it’s surprisingly easy for pupils to identify with a role and express their thoughts, enabling the teacher to gather feedback from all participants.

Inspiring Drama Teacher Online Course

Drama uses the greatest resource that teachers have available to them – children’s imagination. Creative play is a natural part of children’s lives before they start school, helping them to make sense of their place in the world. Such creativity can be harnessed through drama to enable active and interactive learning experiences throughout the primary years and across the curriculum.

CLICK TO READ 5 WAYS to try out drama in your lessons across the curriculum, to inspire and motivate your students!

➤

Browse all the Drama Strategies!

3D Living Pictures

3D Living Pictures

Bring pictures to life through freeze frames, thought tracking and improvisation.

Action Clip

Action Clip is a quick way to bring a freeze frame to life – with no preparation!

Conscience Alley

Conscience Alley

One person walks down an alleyway made by the group and listens to thoughts or advice.

Cross-Cutting

What is Cross Cutting? The dramatic action switches quickly between two scenes in the same space. Cross-cutting (also called split-screen)

Developing Freeze Frames

Developing Freeze Frames

Exciting ways to use freeze frames across the curriculum and in performance.

Flashbacks and Flash Forwards

Flashbacks and Flash Forwards

What are Flashbacks and Flash Forwards? Expand on a freeze-frame to create the before and after. Performers in a scene

Forum Theatre

Why use it? The strategy breaks through the barrier between performers and audience, putting them on an equal footing. It

Freeze Frames

Freeze frames (also known as still images and tableaux) are a fast and effective method to use with any age.

Hot Seating

A character is questioned by the group about his or her background, behaviour and motivation.

Hot Spotting

An amazingly fun and easy way to mix up hot-seating and freeze frames to develop characters

Image Theatre

Image Theatre is the use of still images (freeze-frames) to explore abstract concepts such as relationships and emotions, as well

Mantle of the Expert

Mantle of the Expert

Mantle of the Expert involves the creation of a fictional world where students assume the roles of experts in a

Marking the Moment

Marking the Moment

Marking the Moment is a dramatic technique used to highlight a key moment in a scene or improvisation. This can

Narration

Narration is a technique whereby one or more performers speak directly to the audience to tell a story, give information

Role on the Wall

Role on the Wall

Role on the wall is a collaborative activity for developing thoughts and ideas about a character.

Role Play

Role play is the ability to suspend disbelief by stepping into another character’s shoes.

Soundscapes

The group is conducted to create a sound picture or “soundscape” using their voices and bodies.

Spotlight

Spotlighting is a useful teaching technique for sharing improvised drama when you have divided the class into smaller groups. When

Storytelling

Storytelling is one of the simplest and perhaps most compelling forms of dramatic and imaginative activity. A good place to

Teacher in Role

Teacher in Role

Teacher in role (TiR) is an invaluable technique for shaping the dramatic process and developing students’ learning. Simply put, the

Thought Tracking

Thought Tracking

Characters in a freeze-frame speak their thoughts and feelings aloud.

Whoosh activity: Teaching Shakespeare | Royal Shakespeare Company

Whoosh! Bringing Stories Alive through Drama

An interactive technique in which participants become characters and objects in a story as it is told.

3D Living Pictures

3D Living Pictures

Bring pictures to life through freeze frames, thought tracking and improvisation.

Action Clip

Action Clip is a quick way to bring a freeze frame to life – with no preparation!

Conscience Alley

Conscience Alley

One person walks down an alleyway made by the group and listens to thoughts or advice.

Cross-Cutting

What is Cross Cutting? The dramatic action switches quickly between two scenes in the same space. Cross-cutting (also called split-screen)

Developing Freeze Frames

Developing Freeze Frames

Exciting ways to use freeze frames across the curriculum and in performance.

Flashbacks and Flash Forwards

Flashbacks and Flash Forwards

What are Flashbacks and Flash Forwards? Expand on a freeze-frame to create the before and after. Performers in a scene

Forum Theatre

Why use it? The strategy breaks through the barrier between performers and audience, putting them on an equal footing. It

Freeze Frames

Freeze frames (also known as still images and tableaux) are a fast and effective method to use with any age.

Hot Seating

A character is questioned by the group about his or her background, behaviour and motivation.

Hot Spotting

An amazingly fun and easy way to mix up hot-seating and freeze frames to develop characters

Image Theatre

Image Theatre is the use of still images (freeze-frames) to explore abstract concepts such as relationships and emotions, as well

Mantle of the Expert

Mantle of the Expert

Mantle of the Expert involves the creation of a fictional world where students assume the roles of experts in a

Marking the Moment

Marking the Moment

Marking the Moment is a dramatic technique used to highlight a key moment in a scene or improvisation. This can

Narration

Narration is a technique whereby one or more performers speak directly to the audience to tell a story, give information

Role on the Wall

Role on the Wall

Role on the wall is a collaborative activity for developing thoughts and ideas about a character.

Role Play

Role play is the ability to suspend disbelief by stepping into another character’s shoes.

Soundscapes

The group is conducted to create a sound picture or “soundscape” using their voices and bodies.

Spotlight

Spotlighting is a useful teaching technique for sharing improvised drama when you have divided the class into smaller groups. When

Storytelling

Storytelling is one of the simplest and perhaps most compelling forms of dramatic and imaginative activity. A good place to

Teacher in Role

Teacher in Role

Teacher in role (TiR) is an invaluable technique for shaping the dramatic process and developing students’ learning. Simply put, the

Thought Tracking

Thought Tracking

Characters in a freeze-frame speak their thoughts and feelings aloud.

Whoosh activity: Teaching Shakespeare | Royal Shakespeare Company

Whoosh! Bringing Stories Alive through Drama

An interactive technique in which participants become characters and objects in a story as it is told.

101 Drama Games and Activities

101 Drama Games and Activities

'Belongs amongst the top 10 books any director or drama teacher should own.' - English Touring Opera

101 More Drama Games and Activities

101 MORE Drama Games and Activities

'This book cheered me up. Buy it and smile. There will be a lot of laughter in your classroom.' - Drama Magazine.

Learning Through Drama in the Primary Years

Learning Through Drama in the Primary Years

'Full of easily accessible advice... clear explanations and inventive suggestions.' - National Drama Magazine.

Playful Plays Volume 1

Playful Plays

'David Farmer has hit gold with Playful Plays... an off-the-shelf, ready-to-go, high-quality rehearsal process ideal for primary-aged students' - Drama Magazine.

Playful Plays Volume 1

Drop of a Hat

‘A flexible, varied book filled with engaging drama activities’ – Drama and Theatre magazine. Lesson plans to bring the curriculum to life through drama and creativity.