Focuses on the use of melodrama as an instructional tool in social studies classrooms. Discusses how to set up a melodrama and stage a melodrama. Provides ideas for possible melodramas that address issues of democracy, such as constitutional challenges and civil disobedience. (CMK)

Children in two first-grade classes and their teachers decided to take an imaginary trip to Washington D.C. For three weeks, the first graders spent their afternoons on the project, and their simulated flight was the culminating activity of a unit on Washington, D.C. In this article, the author discusses several details of the activity,…