This paper reports on a major study which examined how middle-primary teachers (of students aged 8-10) in Australia used drama-rich pedagogy in their literacy programs to support the development of academic language proficiency, a critical element of ongoing student progress in literacy beyond the early years. Despite its proven status as a powerful literacy teaching strategy, drama-rich pedagogy remains underused by teachers. Key findings from a qualitative collective interventionist case study conducted in three schools in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia demonstrate that embodied and role-based experiences can work both individually and in combination to create supportive contexts for academic language development.