Oral language development, the single most important factor in determining readiness for reading, may be enhanced through creative drama, especially role playing. Role playing is spontaneous play which traditionally has served many purposes, including promoting socialization. It can also be a unique method of recreating historical episodes in…

The relationships among improvisational movement, creative drama, "movement thinking," and motivation for learning in children are explored in this book. Chapters deal with (1) the meaning of movement and drama, (2) a clarification of the teacher's role and the capabilities of children, (3) sensory awareness activities, (4) body awareness--e.g.,…

This curriculum guide for the teaching of composition at the fifth grade level includes lessons in six categories: Observing, Recalling Experiences, Character Identity, Feelings, Time/Space Relationships, and Using Imagination. Additional lessons are included for fifth grade students. The lessons include a statement of purpose, a description of…

This curriculum guide provides an introductory course in the theatre for first-year high school students. The course uses an interdisciplinary approach and includes a discussion of types and styles of drama, a brief history of drama, fundamentals of acting, and techniques of play production focusing on music, costume design, make-up, scenery,…

Creative drama provides the opportunity for children to experience fantasy and for teachers and children to interact through role playing. (JH)

This study explored the relationship between symbolic representation in dramatic play and art and cognitive and reading readiness levels of kindergarten children. Results indicated children at different cognitive levels performed significantly differently on the Metropolitan Reading Readiness Test and spent significantly different amounts of time…

Examines the nature of children's creative drama in different cultures (English speaking, Chinese, and Amerindian) through a case study approach. Details other research items that modified and amplified this study. Describes some substantive outcomes and provides indicators for subsequent ethnographic research in the field. (MS)

Presents an overview of research on classroom drama which shows that its use produces positive effects on children's reading, writing, and oral language. Suggests additional questions requiring exploration, and urges researchers to emphasize qualitative rather than quantitative analyses. (ARH)

Classroom teachers can help children with speech and language impairments to use their language more effectively and with greater variety through activities encouraging and promoting student leadership, social interaction, dramatic play, and nonverbal adaptation. (CB)

Examines discourse patterns in playmaking to see if they differ from those found in more traditional settings. Indicates that playmaking can foster students' empathy, utilize their logic and creativity, and provide them with the experience of working in a group to a common end. (JD)

Describes and provides a list of materials for sensorimotor, symbolic, and construction play. Benefits of arranging the playground with a variety of materials are also discussed. (AS)

Describes children's dramatic play behavior as a structured, recognizable phenomenon that is the result of careful nurturing by caregivers and a future tool to make vivid the actualities and potentialities of human experience. (CRH)

Provides a framework for planning an approach to text through drama and describes a lesson plan using this approach with "Red Shift" by Dorothy Heathcote. (HOD)

Describes two teaching techniques for the foreign language classroom. The first involves the use of magazine pictures and simple drama techniques. The second, known as "task listening," asks students to listen only for certain things in a text and to carry out tasks such as completing maps, diaries, order forms, etc. (SED)

Based on the view that creative play and hands-on experiences are essential to the development of well-balanced children and that their teachers have the responsibility to create an environment that can stimulate children's senses and curiosity, this book provides activities incorporating the use of sand and water tables into the classroom on a…