In this article, the authors help teachers see below the surface so that play can be used to help children's learning and communication. A closer and deeper look at play can reveal children's learning of concept development, communication, budding social relationships, and very specific literacy skills. The authors state, that viewing play not…

This report, in both English and Spanish versions, aims to highlight the Bernard van Leer Foundation's identity, objectives, and major activities, as well as the work undertaken by the projects the foundation supports. The review features articles on the Foundation's work on advocacy, supporting families living in disadvantaged circumstances,…

Playing in literacy-enriched, sociodramatic play centers is an important component of children's literacy development; yet due to the limited number of available computers in many low-socioeconomic-status urban schools, occasions for children to playfully explore literacy as it relates to technology are frequently absent in the early childhood…

The purpose of this guidebook is to help persons interested in establishing a family day care program in their homes set up a quality learning environment that enhances children's cognitive development through play. Following a literature review showing the importance of play in Piaget's theory of child development, the author describes a…

Psychodrama is the acting out of difficult situations one has experienced. It gives the actors and spectators the chance to try out alternative solutions to problem situations. When these problems are acted out, the actors become better acquainted with themselves and their peers. This awareness becomes a dominant determinant of future behavior.…

Describes an experiment in which 43 children aged 12 to 13 years were withdrawn from their regular classes to spend a week in a French immersion program. The week was organized around the theme of the French Revolution; a particular part was assigned to each student. All activities were in French. (SED)

Emphasizes the educational benefits derived from research in dramatics arts. Cites research indicating that role playing has a positive effect on oral language, moral reasoning, and self-esteem. Points out that teachers and administrators do not include dramatic instruction in their curriculum, and offers ways to make dramatic arts more appealing.…

This paper argues the value of drama processes in science classrooms as a way of enabling students to learn openly from and with each other and of enhancing higher order learning skills. Role-playing, focus, and tension are described as constructs to guide the pedagogy of drama processes. (YP)

Describes Project Desert Shield, a curriculum that preschool children and teachers at a U.S. military base in Germany developed to embrace and constructively deal with the interests and concerns of the children about Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm through dramatic play. (Author/BB)

Explores what creative drama is, why it should be included in the teaching of both expository and creative writing, and how language arts teachers can implement creative drama activities to increase student success in writing and to improve learning. Describes how using creative drama to enhance creative writing restores authority to students for…

Describes how a seventh-grade teacher introduced her students to poetry by having them create performances of rhythmic poems. Describes how her students created moving performances of poems and responded to poetry with deeper and more personal insights than she had ever seen. Describes students' public poetry performances. Offers examples of…

Children's lives are infused with stories at home, at school or the library, and in the media. This article discusses how to harness the power of literature and use it to develop positive character traits in young children. Storytelling is a fundamental way in which human beings process and share events as well as the feelings surrounding those…

Describes procedures found to be effective for eliciting children's creative dramatic play in the classroom. A second-grade classroom scenario provides an example of the way key components of play training techniques can be implemented by the teacher and indicates the decision-making processes to be addressed.

Since children draw no sharp distinction between work and play, it is possible to link science and drama in school, integrating science learning with the rest of their education. The success of this approach is attested by descriptions of four dramatic presentations which were finalists in an interschool competition. (Author/JN)

An antismoking program for elementary schools, using a mannikin of a thirteen-year-old boy in a skit with a doctor, reveals some of the side effects of smoking, including shortness of breath, bad breath, stained teeth and fillings, and the inability to properly taste and smell. (JMF)