One way of understanding the impact of the (re)emergence of a performance approach to teaching Shakespeare's plays that was, in part, initiated by the "Shakespeare Set Free" program and the books its creators composed is to say that for many teachers their work initiated the process of making performance activities central in English classrooms.…

The research on which this paper is based is a response to the UNESCO directive for the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) 2005-2014. Educators are advised to prepare young people for sustainable development and global citizenship and the Arts should be included in programmes in ESD. This paper presents an overview of a research…

Ten seasonal plays are presented: (1) September (nutrition); (2) October (Halloween); (3) November (Thanksgiving); (4 and 5) December (Hanukkah, Christmas); (6) January (Martin Luther King, Jr.); (7) February (friendship); (8) March (Saint Patrick's Day); (9) April (Easter); and (10) May/June (Memorial and Flag Days). (CJ)

Recommends eight plays from the 1980s which will challenge the thinking of students with issues such as evolving independence of young people, growing up in the context of racism and discrimination, insights into the world of the deaf, and the suffering of humanity during the French Revolution. (MG)

Intended for teachers who have no particular experience or training in teaching theater, but who have a love of theater and enjoy a good play, this book discusses making theater with children. It explores improvisation, reading and acting with scripts, adapting plays for young actors, and writing plays. The examples presented in the text are…

Dramatic activities, tasks that unite language learning with bodily movements, voice intonation, emotion, and imagination, may be eased into the traditional classroom structure to enrich and enhance the intellectual aspects of language learning and to motivate students. These activities can be modified to meet the needs and difficulty levels of…

Examines the use of dramatic techniques as tools for learning in the second language classroom. Discusses different ways to use improvisation. (EKN)

Proposes several strategies for overcoming obstacles to an integrated methodology, and to student interests and learning, in teaching a foreign language dramatic literature course. The activities focus on both reading and writing of drama, characterization, and interpretation. (CB)

Often the way one communicates ethical choices is conditioned by the dynamics of the communication process more than by a well-developed "ethical system." Sociodrama is an excellent method of teaching both ethics and communication skills. The technique can be used for playing out any real-life situation, but unlike much actual life experience, it…

Argues that medieval drama in performance suggests a number of important issues about the nature of literature, particularly about the way narrative and dramatic art can express the life of a community. Presents a series of exercises that start with familiar, nonthreatening situations in order to approach the richness of medieval plays and the…

A study addressed the general issue of whether or not a touring college drama production would somehow stimulate greater interest, on the part of elementary teachers and students, in the use of drama as a classroom learning medium. Specifically addressed were whether (1) educational gains would be realized; (2) data would show measurable gains in…

The contents of this booklet focus on effective techniques for using dramatics in the classroom and are based on the premise that drama can integrate all skills and help to avoid fragmentation in learning. Chapters discuss motivating the dreamers in the classroom, curriculum dramatics--eclectic teaching, training the teacher, transforming the…

Intended for use by reading teachers, this document presents classroom activities for using drama as an aid to reading comprehension. Following a brief introduction discussing the rationale for drama in the reading classroom, the paper details various phases in comprehension, matching each level with suggested books and appropriate dramatic…

One of a series of resource manuals written by participants in the University of North Dakota teacher education programs to help teachers develop more open and responsive classrooms, this booklet focuses on the teaching of creative drama. Following an introduction by Vito Perrone, the titles and authors of the articles are as follows: (1) "'They…

This booklet was developed from the premise that the activity of drama is central to a child's language experience. Its purpose is to help the classroom teacher initiate drama activities, understand the relationship of the activities to one another, use drama activities as an integral part of the classroom curriculum, and determine whether the…