Offers suggestions for promoting dramatic play as a medium for literacy development by concentrating on three factors: (1) the settings in which play occurs; (2) the amount of time allocated for play activities; and (3) the type of teacher involvement in play episodes. (MG)

Presents basic information for teachers about how to use role-play, dramatic play, and simulations in the elementary social studies classroom. Explains how to proceed through the introduction or warm-up, the activity itself, and the follow-up evaluation. (AV)

Examines connections between children's social pretend play and their improvised classroom drama. Describes similarities and differences between language used to frame social pretend play and language used by teachers and students to frame the imaginary worlds of drama. (MM)

Defining creative drama as a teaching process that uses the inherent ability of each person to explore ideas, behavior patterns, and human relationships, this monograph is designed to help teachers create a working environment within which this process can be most productive. Various sections of the monograph provide information about how creative…

Discusses the benefits that young children derive from dramatic play and how dramatic play is enhanced by prop boxes (boxes in which are stored objects related to various areas of children's dramatic play such as bakery, repair shop, grocery store, and fire station). Also discusses how teachers can obtain and use prop boxes. (BB)

Offering a step-by-step guide to the planning and implementation of dramatic play in the elementary classroom, this book shows how the art of dramatic playing can be used as a process for integrating learning across the curriculum. The first section of the book, Playing Dramatically, discusses integrating learning and drama, areas of learning…

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.

Through storytelling and creative drama, teachers can introduce children to good quality literature they might otherwise miss. By making the connection between books and storytelling and between books and creative drama, the storyteller/teacher introduces literature as a source of pleasure. Storytelling and creative dramatics also give children…

Vivian Gussin Paley's "storytelling curriculum" consists of two interdependent activities, dictation and dramatization. It has long been recognized for its impact on young children's psychosocial, language, and narrative development. As a result of the Bush administration's educational policies, holistic, play-based curricula like storytelling are…

Describes ways in which the inclusion of literacy materials in kindergarten classroom dramatic play centers encourages young children to incorporate literacy activities into their play. (BB)

Describes a block play activity undertaken in a kindergarten through second-grade multiage classroom, in which children used blocks and various other props to construct and operate an imaginary snack shop. Discusses the benefits of block play and guidelines for teachers to follow in establishing block play activities. (MDM)

The purpose of this Child Development Associate (CDA) training module, one of a series of 18, is to provide the CDA intern with an understanding of both the processes involved in the development of language skills and the role of the teacher in enhancing language development. The module stipulates competency-based objectives and provides essential…