Close Encounters of the Middle-Kingdom Kind

So, a few weeks ago (late as usual) our class theme was "outer space."  One of our "stellar" (pun, get it?) activities was one I called "First Contact."  In this activity students took on the role of either a human or extra-terrestrial and created a skit in which humans meet aliens for the first time.  

The set up was: "Two friends are camping in the woods.  Maybe they are best buds from high school or maybe they are sweethearts (cue giggles from about 30 girls).  They are roasting marshmallows (or making out) when suddenly they see bright, descending lights in the sky.  They follow the lights to where they land.  They walk into a large clearing and before them lies a strange craft.  Suddenly a door opens and out of the bright interior light steps a strange creature (or creatures), the likes of which they never could have imagined...."

I had the students brainstorm questions each party would ask the other.  Most were about their home planet or the purpose of their visit.  Often the aliens had come to take over the earth or save humanity from some kind of cataclysm.  Others came to find suitable husbands for their daughters.  Often each group would teach the other a custom from their planet, like walking, the concept of money, or inviting them to a dinner of traditional Chinese food.

Without costumes they had to rely on mannerisms and funny voices to display their other-worldliness.  One pair spoke in monotonic unison, another student was a robot, so he moved  and spoke like a machine (and slowed down when his batteries were drained).  Other features were revealed through rather funny dialogue ("Which head do you use?")  I also had them draw pictures of themselves on the board.  I picked some of the most creative ones to show you.

Leb wohl (and prosper).