Ever wish there was a fun and fast activity you could do in 1-3 minutes that would help your students increase their focus, attention and essential communication skills, all while reinforcing class content? The theater game, Zip-Zap-Zop, does all of that for students of all ages.
Zip-Zap-Zop is one of my absolute favorite theater game structures to use in the classroom. It was designed to teach communication skills, increase focus and attention and help students respond quicker. It takes only 1-3 minutes to play, requires no free movement and can be integrated with curricular content from any subject.
As young students will jump at the opportunity to play a game, adolescent and adult students buy into playing this game when they understand that it will help them be heard and not ignored in class or with their friends; and will help them not to “go blank” when called upon or put on the spot.
Skills Developed
- Communication Skills:
- Speaking loud enough to be heard
- Making eye contact
- Turning one’s whole body toward the person with whom they are speaking
- Sustained practice in focus and attention
- Faster responses and quicker decisions
Things You Might Learn About Your Students
Zip-Zap-Zop also helps teachers learn important information about their students. While this game reveals which students are extroverts, introverts, quick thinkers, or who freeze under pressure, it also reveals those who lack physical coordination, have auditory or speech issues, are peripheral learners or are capable of overcoming challenging disabilities.
- Peripheral Learners –These individuals may appear to be disinterested and disengaged because of their consistent lack of eye contact, body language and posture when instruction or dialogue is occurring. Zip-Zap-Zop exposes their awareness and engagement. Although they are not making eye contact or even looking in the direction of the person speaking, they are responding immediately and appropriately.
- Ability to focus and communicate despite disabilities: During a workshop, I observed a high school student who was confined to a wheel chair with spasmodic cerebral palsy playing Zip-Zap-Zop. He did not appear to be able to move much and did not seem to speak much either, but when someone passed “Zip” to him he mustered all of his energy and ability and passed “Zap” to the next player. Now, he was only able to move his head slightly in the direction of the person he was passing to and he could not articulate “Zap” very well, but he was able to communicate clearly enough for the other players to receive and continue the pass, surprising many teachers and staff.
- Auditory Issues: Some students may not be able to discern the difference between the three vowel sounds.
- Speech Issues: Some students may not appropriately articulate the three vowel sounds.
How to Play
- Players stand in a circle.
- One player begins by doing three actions simultaneously.
- The player holds one hand out in front of them, like a handshake. Then the player slides the other hand by it to make a ‘Clap.’ The other hand, which just created the clapping sound extends it as if pointing at the receiving player, but is not pointing with fingers.
- The player turns towards and makes eye contact with the person to whom they are passing, “Zip.”
- The player says “Zip” loud enough for everyone to hear.
- The receiving player then passes “Zap” to another player, using the same simultaneous actions described in 2.
- The next receiving player then passes “Zop” to another player, using the same simultaneous actions described in 2.
- The game continues in this way with players passing Zip-Zap-Zop.
- Notes:
- If the players are capable of discerning and articulating the syllables, correct players who do not say the proper syllable or who do not pass it correctly and start again. If discerning and articulating “zip, zap, zop,” is too difficult try using 1, 2, 3 instead.
- Encourage the players to pass Zip-Zap-Zop properly for a set length of time, for example 15 seconds. Players are competing against the clock and not each other; therefore players are not eliminated and can develop essential skills.
Integrate Content
- Random Content Review (RCR): Using the motion, but replacing “Zip,” “Zap,” “Zop,” students say a random term from their unit of study. Allow the players to repeat terms already used if they freeze or have no information to offer. Great for a quick review of material before, during or after class. For a “name game” or to check if students know each other’s name, have students call out the person’s name while doing the motions.
- Student A: Romeo
- Student C: Romeo (repeated)
- Student E: poison
- Student G: Capulet
- Student L: Juliet
- Brain Storming Structure: Follow same structure as RCR, but ask for ideas on a topic
- Ball Toss Variation: Zip-Zap-Zop is essentially a ball toss game without a ball, so there is no need to worry about inappropriate tossing or embarrassing misses. Set this review activity up as an RCR but with a “catch.” For example, Player A offers or tosses an element from the Periodic Table. Player D defines it as they catch it, and then tosses an abbreviation of a different element to another player. Using a throwing and catching movement helps focus and engage those students who crave and benefit from movement. Allow players who freeze or do not know the answer to repeat and pass what had been said the previous turn.
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Science/Chemistry: Math: Social Studies: Periodic Table Review Computation States & Capitals Student A: Chlorine Student A: 2+2 Student A: California D: CL…Silver D: 4…+6 B: Sacramento…New York E: AG…Sodium E: 10…-5 F: Albany… Missouri M: NA…Gold M: -5 M: Jefferson City…Texas A: Gold… A: 5…-10 D: Texas
Skills will develop overtime and with practice, so use Zip-Zap-Zop as a daily warm-up, energizer or review.
