Walking Unit

This is a unit I created to help students develop character. One thing middle schoolers forget, is that they don't only need to think about how their character speaks, but also how the character moves.
The students have a full week (including a weekend) to find an interesting walk. They have to see the person in person and can't know him/her at all. That means even someone on campus wouldn't work because the kids will know something about the person. During the week, we do some strange walks in class (walk like you just won the lottery, walk like you saw your dog get hit by a car, etc. Then we transition to walk with your nose leading. Who would walk like this? How does it feel? Take on a character who would walk like this, etc.) for about ten minutes a day.
On the day everyone has their walk, we spend most of class writing about the character they are developing. I have them create everything possible about this person. Where they live, their hobbies, their friends/family, what they do for a living, age, etc. For the last ten minutes of class, they walk around the classroom and get about a minute to interact with someone. They must have a conversation as their character, and they need to change their voices! They get about 8 conversations by the end of the period and they love this part of it.
The next day, I have their character sheets and put a quick rubric on the top (character, walk, voice). We talk about what I'm looking for and why. They are graded on how well they know their character and their consistency with the walk/voice. They get on stage one at a time and walk the entire time. Basically, they pace as their character. The student introduces him/herself as the character and then takes 5-7 questions from the class.
This week we are starting the next portion of this Unit. The students will randomly be called onto the stage to do a partner improv. I'll call on 2 kids to get on stage and remind us of their character. Then, I'll ask the class for a location, relationship, and conflict. It should be a lot of fun! I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.