Reading comprehension is often tested by teachers through verbal questioning of students on a literal, interpretive, or evaluative level. The drawbacks of this method are that it often doesn't develop understanding or require interpretation. Presents an example of how to develop thinking and comprehension through a questioning strategy focused on…

Provides an annotated bibliography of sources that will help teachers select materials and structure activities in oral interpretation, readers theatre, improvisation, and creative speaking for the English classroom. (MM)

Based on Homer's "Odyssey," this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand literature originally presented in one genre can, with care, be adapted to another genre; and adapters of a literary work into drama must consider dialogue and stage directions. The main activity of the lesson involves students converting a scene…

Describes a project in England in which a class of 9- to 11-year olds enthusiastically and successfully explored the play "Hamlet" by writing about, discussing, performing, and visually interpreting the actual text. The teacher suggests that, with a little creativity, Shakespeare is very accessible to children. (SM)

This introductory article discusses the development of oral interpretation skills to promote literature in the classroom as part of the whole language curriculum. Benefits of listening to adults read aloud and telling stories are discussed, and the importance of listening skills and audience etiquette is described. (LRW)

In a study of the processes used to compose a story, 12 Portuguese/English bilingual adults created narrations for 2 published, wordless picture stories and, while viewing a videotape of their narration, recalled aloud the processes they used in constructing the stories. One study was narrated in Portuguese and the other in English. The narrations…

This performance guide is the result of work conducted at the University of Virginia's National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute, 1989, on "Spanish Literature in Performance," in which 25 secondary school Spanish teachers studied Spanish texts from the perspective of classroom performance to deepen knowledge of the texts and…

This performance guide is the result of work conducted at the University of Virginia's National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute, 1989, on "Spanish Literature in Performance," in which 25 secondary school Spanish teachers studied Spanish texts from the perspective of classroom performance to deepen knowledge of the texts and…

This performance guide is the result of work conducted at the University of Virginia's National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute, in 1989, on "Spanish Literature in Performance," in which 25 secondary school Spanish teachers studied Spanish texts from the perspective of classroom performance to deepen knowledge of the texts…

This performance guide is the result of work conducted at the University of Virginia's National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute, 1989, on "Spanish Literature in Performance," in which 25 secondary school Spanish teachers studied Spanish texts from the perspective of classroom performance to deepen knowledge of the texts and…

Each hemisphere of the brain has several primary functions that are interesting to explore in terms of all areas of creative endeavor, particularly those involving both speech/language and imagery. Therefore in preparing students to interpret and share the artisitc expression of the poet, the writer, the storyteller, or the dramatist, the teacher…

Effective oral interpretation, like effective communication, is self-revealing. Teachers and students of oral interpretation can improve analysis and performance of the literature by remaining aware of, first, their own involvement in the presentation and, second, the effect of this personal involvement on the audience. In the performance of oral…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 12 titles deal with the following topics: (1) awareness of self, awareness of environment, mental imagery, communicative competency, and theatrical improvisation; (2) the evolution of scenography in the Western theatre; (3)…

American theatre history should include a study of Native American performances, since these performances are rich with "American" symbolic materials such as imagery, symbols, and heraldic visions of animals and landscapes. Indian cultures understood the importance of performance for both the visionary and the community at large. Even the pow-wow…

The eight articles in this booklet suggest activities designed to help students see drama as an active, engaging pursuit. The first article uses excerpts from Harold Pinter's "The Caretaker" to illustrate how improvisation can be used to help students discover meaning in a play. The second and third articles provide suggestions for…