Test scores across the country show American students are far more able to read narrative than nonfiction text. Some research speculates this is due to a great lack in the background knowledge of many children. Librarians are beginning to realize that a unique fit for the school librarian is as a provider of background knowledge materials for…

Unlike traditional Readers Theatre, which is typically limited to literature-based scripts, Curriculum-Based Readers Theatre (CBRT) allows teachers and students to create scripts based on any topic, any work of literature, any textbook, or almost any collection of facts. It can be easily incorporated into the existing curriculum, and because this…

These dynamic literature-based activities will help teachers energize the entire social studies curriculum and implement national (and state) standards. The author presents hundreds of "hands-on, minds-on" projects that actively engage students in positive learning experiences. Each of the 62 units offers book summaries, social studies…

This anthology of literature contains selections that can be performed in classrooms, workshops, and speech and theater conventions as reader's theater, defined as a dramatic approach to literature. Divided into six categories--comedy, mystery/suspense, Christmas specials, folklore, children's classics, and the human spirit--the anthology features…

This book brings new life to the study of social studies by integrating the tools of creative drama and theater tools like pantomime, movement, improvisation, scripted drama, oral interpretation, debate, public speaking, readers theater, storytelling, and the many other ways the body or voice can be used to creatively communicate ideas to others.…

This book contains papers presented at an "Interactive Research Conference" held in June 1996 at the University of Central England. The conference focused on the pioneering work of Professor Dorothy Heathcote in the field of drama in education. Twenty-three different countries were represented at the conference. The book has three…

This book presents a concise history of the first 100 years of development of the school of speech at Northwestern University (Illinois). Following an introduction that provides an overview of the school, the first chapter focuses on both the efforts of Robert McLean Cumnock to found a school of oratory on the principles of elocution and the…

This book explores the art of oral interpretation of literature and presents exercises designed to encourage awareness of various aspects of the interpretation process. Chapter one, "Harnessing Resources," examines the awakening of the body and voice and discusses basic sensory training. Chapter two, "Responding to Literary Worlds," details the…

Over the last few years, YOUTH SPEAKS after-school poetry workshops have helped turn hundreds of student writers into poets. Intended to be a resource for teachers who wish to transform their poetry lessons into a dynamic learning environment, this book focuses on some of the secrets of the success of YOUTH SPEAKS. Utilizing student examples from…

Suggesting that Readers Theatre is a simple, effective, and risk-free way to get K-8 children reading, this book provides strategies, organizers, and scripts that can be used as is or as models for readers' own scripts. The book provides ideas for planning and organizing Readers Theatre; oral interpretation; connecting Readers Theatre to…

Readers theater is a storytelling device that stimulates the imagination and promotes all of the language arts. Readers theater is an oral interpretation of a piece of literature read in a dramatic style. It involves and motivates students, energizes the language arts program, and stimulates learning. Geared for children in grades 1-4, this book…

The purpose of this second book of 21 self-contained essays is the same as that of the first volume published in 1972: to bring together the scholarly theory and current research regarding oral interpretation. One third of the essays are centered on literature itself: prose fiction, poetry, and the drama. These essays discuss topics such as point…

This book provides suggestions for drama activities and materials based on 14 classic and contemporary fairy tales suitable for both stage and classroom performance. After the introduction (which outlines different ways the stories can used dramatically) and a "Welcome to the Box Office" section, the book provides materials and…

The nearly two hundred activities in this teaching guide for language arts in the junior high and middle school are arranged in five sections: studying language, communicating orally, reading and reading literature, writing, and listening and viewing. Each section opens with a list of activities, a brief introductory statement, and suggested…

This practical and theoretical guide to the use of theater arts in foreign language teaching contains exercises, techniques, and fundamental theory for teachers at all levels of foreign language instruction, but particularly for those teaching adults and adolescents at intermediate or higher levels. An introductory section outlines common…