Compares the effects of drama and discussion as planning activities for narrative writing in the second and third grades. Finds that writing quality of the group that used drama activities (developing individual ideas for stories through paired improvisations and role plays) was significantly higher than that of the control group. (SR)

Describes learning activities based on the U.S. Constitution that enhance higher level thinking skills in elementary students. One activity proposes a hypothetical constitutional amendment banning Saturday cartoons; a second taxes children's earnings; and other activities focus on dramatizing events surrounding the Constitutional Convention. (LS)

Drama in the classroom means honing thinking skills, increasing comprehension, bringing the written word to life, and fun. And it's effective with general, gifted, and at-risk students from K-12. (Author/TE)

Examined children's cognitive style and their play in different play areas according to sex and age. Found that females played most in the physical, block, manipulative, and dramatic play areas, while males played most in block play. Four-year olds played most in physical, block, and dramatic play, while five-year olds most often chose…

Examined the effects of activity period duration on preschoolers' play with playdough and blocks. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests showed significantly more constructive and dramatic play, and less functional play, at the end of the play period. Differences between the quality of play in block and playdough centers were found. (Author/BB)

This paper describes two alternative strategies for fostering communication skills in preschool children with disabilities: one that teaches normally developing peers to use specific communication strategies when interacting with their less skilled classmates and one that teaches both normal and disabled preschoolers to enact sociodramatic play…

Finds that fifth grade remedial reading students' comprehension skill, as measured by standardized and criterion-referenced tests, are enhanced through a reading program that utilizes the strategy of creative drama integrated with children's literature reading material. (SR)

Describes Living Stage Theatre Company of Washington, DC, project that uses art of improvisational theater with special needs youth to affect social change. Specific initiative of project that focuses on group of young mothers between ages of 13 and 16 is described. This initiative strives to change their self-perceptions and choices in relation…

The arts and college preparatory academic program at the Interlochen Arts Academy (Michigan) for talented high school students is described. The academy offers intense training in creative writing, dance, music, theater, and visual arts. Also briefly described is the Interlochen Arts Camp which offers intense study in a performing or visual art.…

Describes the development and implementation of a health promotion curriculum for four- and five-year-old children in a preschool class. The curriculum emphasized the use of the visual arts, drama, and music as learning strategies for health promotion. (BB)

Explores and advocates the role of teachers as researchers, specifically within the field of drama. Outlines approaches useful for drama educators. Lists issues involving drama education that might form useful content for teacher research inquiries. (HB)

Used traditional housekeeping and novel dramatic play centers to compare the effects of theme, novelty, and duration on the social and cognitive play of two- to five-year olds. More dramatic play was observed in centers that used familiar rather than unfamiliar themes. Girls preferred traditional to novel centers; boys preferred novel to…

Suggests ways for teachers to support children's literacy development in the classroom's dramatic play center by providing literacy-related props, such as pencils and pads of paper, that people use in real situations. (BB)

Using French, English, and Hungarian accents, and from 1 to 4 voices, students in a Hungarian French language class dramatized and presented 32 versions of a Guillaume d'Apollinaire poem. Factors that varied in the presentations included the number of participants, recitation patterns, tone of voice, props, and physical movement. (MSE)

Studies how dramatics activities and theatrical production can affect high school students positively. Finds statistically significant increases in oral communication skills, student attitudes toward self and theater, and knowledge and comprehension of a play. Provides strong support for curricular use of theater production and dramatic…