This book provides a collection of brief biographical sketches with accompanying problems for students to learn the Creative-Problem-Solving (CPS) process. Selected profiles include man as the following: painter, writer, musician, composer, sculptor, actor, dancer, architect, photographer, and designer. In order for students to effectively use…

This book begins by pointing out that although much has been written on how the drama elements of the English curriculum might be taught in schools, not much guidance is available for teachers who regard drama not as an adjunct of English but as an arts subject in its own right. The book (a collection of articles by drama experts) shows how the…

Designed as a teacher and therapist training tool, this booklet demonstrates how to make several types or kinds of puppets, and how to use them in a variety of classroom situations. The first section includes instructions for the following hand puppets: simple cloth, paper mache, knitted finger, paper bag, and Muppet types. The second section…

Describes a junior high language arts curriculum project in which students played the parts of famous authors. Notes stages of preparation, including reading, researching biographies, practicing speaking skills, and understanding authors' viewpoints. (JG)

Since the Internet has become a primary information source, this digest offers a list of online resources to assist teachers and educators in conducting research and curriculum development and in meeting the National Standards for Arts Education in Theatre. The digest provides brief summaries of three Web sites on theatre education. It then…

How did the bee get his bumble? How do birds get their feathers? Why is the bluebird blue? Curious first through fifth graders want to know how and why things happen! Judy Wolfman has created 40 Readers Theatre scripts based on imaginative and creative porquoi stories that stem from multicultural folktales as well as Native American Indian legends…

The use of creative drama in a multicultural classroom can allow a teacher to establish a student-focused base for experiential learning and can allow students from various cultures to use drama as a way of expressing their individual cultural differences. Using literature about various ethnic groups in creative drama can contribute to the…

A teacher at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (District of Columbia) discusses the process of creating, rehearsing, and producing a play using sign language as an expressive and artistic tool. The importance of performing often enough to achieve the euphoria of mastery is stressed. (DB)

Presents a hands-on lesson that can integrate the use of makeup with studies of the history of Halloween; the history and practices of the theater; Native American or African tribes and their use of paint, makeup, and masks; and the history, skills, and makeup of clowns. (MDH)

Suggesting that reading plays aloud is an effective way to promote literacy and history in the grade 4-8 classroom, this book presents 22 short, readers' theater plays about extraordinary American men and women. The plays in the book are designed to enrich classroom learning by building oral literacy, fostering a knowledge of American heritage,…

This book summarizes itself as "A collection of excerpts from children's literature on themes related to the United States Constitution scripted in Readers Theatre format for elementary school students." It is based upon the belief that an integrated curriculum that correlates content and skills is most appropriate at the elementary…

Intended for teachers of theatrical design who need to describe a design process for their students, this paper begins by giving a brief overview of recent research that has described the different functions of the right and left cerebral hemispheres. It then notes that although the left hemisphere tends to dominate the right hemisphere, it is the…

The skills of playwriting are correctable, the craft of playwriting is teachable, and the art of playwriting is encourageable. In the area of craft, students can learn through models how accomplished playwrights deal with plot, characterization, dialogue, and theme. For the first element, plot development, students can look at written models to…

Intended for elementary school teachers, this short pamphlet describes the processes involved in executing a readers' theater. Much easier to implement than dramatic performances, reader's theater is seen as part theater and part oral interpretation. As outlined in the pamphlet, the procedures for implementing readers' theater in the classroom…

Closure is that element of the learning experience wherein the important points of the class period are reviewed and short-term goals are evaluated and related to long-term goals. The need for closure in musical rehearsals is discussed, and examples of closure are provided. (RM)