In this study, a mathematics activity that used creative drama method to teach the fifth grade standard "Expresses a position with respect to another point using direction and unit" under geometry and measurement was implemented. Twenty students attending the fifth grade of a public school participated in the study. The lesson plan…

How can a teacher make learning vocabulary and academic content meaningful to students from diverse cultural backgrounds? The author shares strategies for incorporating dynamic participatory processes into the classroom.

This article describes the influence of process drama on fourth grade students' written language productivity and specificity. Participants included 16 students with learning and/or behavioral challenges at an urban public charter school. The influence of process drama on students' written language was compared across contextualized and…

Describes one teacher's methods for introducing to secondary English students the concepts of improvisation, experimentation, and innovation. Discusses numerous techniques for fostering such skills when working with William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." (HB)

Provides insights into the benefits of using role playing in the context of cross-grade educational activities. Demonstrates these benefits by giving transcripts of interviews with fifth and sixth graders as well as second and third graders who participated in such activities. (HB)

Outlines a method of teaching literature in which both students and teachers are asked to enter a fictional world through role playing. Provides a specific example of how the approach might be implemented with a short story. Concludes with reasons why the method is effective. (HB)

Illustrates the use of drama as a form of literary response. Suggests that drama allows students to develop and exhibit a range of skills and to demonstrate their literary understandings in "unschooled" ways. Suggests that Howard Gardner's work on multiple intelligences demonstrates that students may not be developing understandings because they…

Role-plays and other dramatic activities fulfill tweens' urge to try out different life roles, to explore the world beyond their own reality, and to learn new areas of competence. Wilhelm's research into reading and motivation has shown that students value learning that they can see as immediately meaningful. He argues that drama strategies bring…

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…

Suggests that improvising scenes and developing fictional personas can help students to engage as active learners in their study of literary works. Presents examples of how such activities can be carried out in the classroom. Argues for the use of improvisation in the English classroom. (HB)

Using drama to teach English--especially as a second language--allows students to use natural, conversational English in a meaningful context; it requires students to participate in new cultural roles and to behave in a culturally acceptable way; and it provides a purposeful, highly motivating classroom activity for intermediate and advanced…

Paper presented at the 3rd International Conference of the Ontario Modern Language Teachers' Association and the New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers, Rochester, New York, March 31, 1973. (HW)

Discusses an elementary teacher's use of educational skits in history instruction. Describes the preparation of skit scripts. Observes that children who grow up passively watching television need encouragement to become actively involved in learning. Suggests that rehearsing the past may be the best way to prepare for the future. (SG)

Dynamic classroom role-playing is an essential ingredient in interpretation and performance if the student actor is to learn the technical skills of believable characterization. One of the first classroom performance principles in playing the role is for the student actor to read the playscript with a critical eye to grasp the creative suggestions…

Examines the use of drama and dramatic activities in English language teaching by reviewing some of the theories behind the use of drama with learners of English and then by studying some practical procedural strategies such as lesson preparation, students' language needs, and classroom organization. (10 references) (GLR)