I thought of something else for when the Circling with Balls loses energy. Go from the facts you are talking about to the topic of love! That will wake them up. Here is a very simple example:
Class, Jenna likes to watch TV! (ahhh!)
Does Jenna like to watch TV? (yes) (finish circling this naturally)
Then find another kid who likes to watch TV, circle that:
Class, Mike likes to watch TV! (ahhh!)
Does Mike like to watch TV? (yes)
and then go like this:
Class, a secret! (they all have to put their hand behind their ear, lean in*, put their foot out and slam it down in unison; I reject non-synchonized foot slamming when I tell them a secret), and then I whisper to them in a dramatic way:
Jenna likes Mike! (AAHHHH!)
But class, there is a problem! (oh no oh no oh me oh my) – Mike doesn’t like Jenna! (oohh!)
Then circle that as the class laughs and just see where it goes, fishing for details and cute answers, developing and extending the PQA up to a reasonable point and then dropping it for something else.
This is a great example of where a well-trained class with good kids who can take this kind of play can really make class fun all year. They can take it and run with it. But be careful, obviously, before you try this with just any kid. I actually say as part of the norming process almost every day in the first weeks of school that it may seem as if I am “picking on” them to make things a bit zanier, just to have fun, and without meaning anything personal. I tell them that it is like I am inviting them to become a character in a play every now and again, and I hope that they can “go there” with me and not feel like I am singling them out or picking on them. I tell them that I am trying to teach them the language and for that we need to trust each other and learn how to be a little goofy and say goofy things. I tell them (this in French) that “everything is possible in French class”. Sometimes I actually grab a kid who has shown good will as they walk into the classroom and ask them if it is o.k. if I goof on them a little. With that warning, and with a great kid who gets that French class is all about making weird shit up, it works just fine. But be careful.
*credit: Jason Fritze