At Secondary School No. 4, the first sessions were held for 7th- and 8th-grade students within the framework of the project “Developing a Technology for Overcoming the Risks of Adolescence: School Theatre Based on Role Experimentation” implemented under the auspices of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Contemporary Childhood (MSUPE).
All participants took part in training exercises designed to encourage self-expression, develop the ability to move confidently in a large group, and establish effective communication. One of the most engaging activities for the adolescents was “Brownian Motion” during which they had to move around chaotically without colliding, while performing tasks modeling everyday situations. At the leader’s command, participants formed pairs, trios, or quartets and shared their thoughts on specific topics (“My biggest fear”, “My school success”, “What I’m best at”). This exercise helps teenagers open up in communication and interact with different people in a short amount of time.
The exercise “That’s Me!” focused on relaxation and building healthy self-esteem: students stood in a circle and, one by one, praised themselves for something. The final exercise, “Thank You, Friend!” proved the most challenging, as students had to pay attention to and compliment one of their peers aloud in front of the whole group.
In the second part of the session, the 8th graders practiced interviewing skills. They worked in pairs with prepared question sheets. First, each student had to answer the questions on behalf of their partner, based on their own assumptions, and then conduct the actual interview, presenting the results in the form of a short sketch. The creative finale of the task captivated the students: they staged their interviews as talk shows, impersonating famous journalists and media personalities. After this practice, the adolescents began discussing the theme of the project and created a template for interviewing acquaintances and relatives who had spoken with veterans of the Great Patriotic War. The 8th graders decided to pay particular attention to the emotional sphere of wartime participants: what they feared, what they dreamed about, and what feelings they experienced.
Meanwhile, the 7th graders worked with Anton Chekhov’s short story “Out of Sorts.” Divided into groups, they reconstructed the story from cut-up fragments, identified its main idea and themes, and, finally, creatively reinterpreted the text, presenting their own vision of the literary work through short sketches.
The first sessions of the project were dynamic and diverse, engaging both participants from last year’s project and newcomers who were encountering this type of creative activity for the first time.

Source: Secondary School No. 4