Recommends the use of a particular type of drama activity--playwriting and subsequent playreading--in English language teaching. Reviews the potential of play writing activities for language development as described in the literature. Describes how play writing and play reading activities were organized within the framework of a language…

The focus of this article on play training (when adults intervene in informal but purposeful ways in preschool children's spontaneous, symbolic play) is not on whether it works, but on why it works. A theoretical framework for examining adult/child play interactions, which reconciles diverse perspectives in the literature, is presented.…

Investigated Mexican American cultural traits displayed by young children during sociodramatic play in a bilingual preschool classroom. Cultural traits identified as funds of knowledge include language, values, beliefs, ways of discipline, household care, and value of education. Findings underscore the inadequacy of representing cultures through…

There are several ways in which aesthetic discourses might be positioned in the field of drama education. While some might locate "aesthetics" in the cognitive or interpretive realm of learning, and others the affective or philosophical realm. In this article, the author has chosen to speak of the discourses of aesthetics as they relate…

The history of drama education can be read as a series of arguments over dichotomies: process and product, theatre and classroom, artist and teacher, and so forth. One of the more recent discussions has focused on technology versus live classroom drama. At the heart of these discussions is an attempt to define the aesthetic dimensions of the…

Dorsey shares her practice of using a written play to connect the knowledge students bring to the classroom with Howard Gardner's concept of multiple intelligences.

In this article, first I describe from observation the spontaneous vocalisations produced during free play by young children of 18 months to three-years-old. I propose that a focus on vocalisations can provide valuable insights into general aspects of children's play. Next I describe two musical play situations between toddlers and their mothers…

This study documented the ways in which the spontaneous narratives of a focus group of young children reflected the ways in which these children constructed meaning about their world and their place in it. Participants were six kindergartners who engaged in extended episodes of imaginary, dramatic play and produced complex descriptive narratives…

This article provides an overview of 3 approaches to peer-mediated intervention that have been effective in improving the social and communicative interactions among young children with autism and other developmental disabilities and their classmates without disabilities. These empirically supported peer-mediated interventions involve teaching…

Drama is a means to develop imagination and empathy. Simulated experiences can affect profoundly one's judgment and understanding, adding insights and expanding the frame of reference. The name game is a good beginning exercise, especially if participants do not know one another. Each player states his or her name and a favorite object that begins…

A study explored the use of poetry as a dramatic form with a group of 38 second-graders who chose and developed roles for performances which were videotaped and then critiqued by the class as a whole. The population for the study was two second-grade classes in a small rural school in Utah. Both qualitative and quantitative analysis led to the…

This book begins by pointing out that although much has been written on how the drama elements of the English curriculum might be taught in schools, not much guidance is available for teachers who regard drama not as an adjunct of English but as an arts subject in its own right. The book (a collection of articles by drama experts) shows how the…

Designed to assist administrators and teachers conducting prekindergarten early intervention programs for at-risk children, this curriculum guide outlines age-appropriate arts experiences that are process-oriented rather than product-oriented. After introductory statements, content focuses on learning activities in the visual arts, dance/creative…

For 3 years, Texas A and M University Kingsville (formerly Texas A and I University) has provided a basic oral interpretation course for teachers specializing in reading on the elementary level. After teaching the course once, the instructor decided to adapt the course to the needs of the students by using children's literature instead of adult…

Working with teachers and artists from Florida to Maine, a drama educator has discovered that creative power and insight can emerge when using drama in the language arts classroom. One seventh-grade class began with simple warm-ups to loosen inhibitions and then moved into a unit that dealt with improvising using movement. A student who had hardly…