This curriculum guide presents a methodology for teaching language and literature through role-playing in the classroom and demonstrates to teachers the link that exists between effective communication and the techniques used to achieve it. The new French program views language as an instrument of communication, a concept that implies that…

The critique circle is a pedagogical technique for involving students in the process of oral evaluative criticism of performance work. After the performance of scenes, students gather in a circle. Any student may begin the critique and responses proceed around the circle in a clockwise fashion, with the rules requiring each student to evaluate or…

The purpose of this guidebook is to help persons interested in establishing a family day care program in their homes set up a quality learning environment that enhances children's cognitive development through play. Following a literature review showing the importance of play in Piaget's theory of child development, the author describes a…

A workshop leader and consultant makes an impassioned plea for more and better movement education. Provides ideas for focused movement explorations and discusses the overall goals and advantages of this new breed of physical education. (ED)

Reports recent research which illustrates the educational value of play in preschool education. Play theory, the relationship between cognitive development and play, implications from research on preschool program models, the use of play equipment, dramatic play and teacher participation in play activities are discussed. (SDH)

In this play, aliens from a distant galaxy visit an Earth site in three time periods, observing people as they deal with the environment. The aliens bring their wisdom and vision of the future to show children of the present what to do to avoid a grim fate. The lessons are suitable for grades 3-6, and include from 18-32 speaking parts plus cues…

The essential skills in the dramatic arts for K-12 students as promulgated by the State of Arizona are presented. Three goals are identified for all students: (1) create drama through artistic collaboration; (2) form aesthetic judgments; and (3) relate dramatic arts and its significant works to its social and historical context. The ways in which…

Repetition in vocal characterizations and deviant listening perceptions are two major weaknesses of American acting. That is, voices and diction usually sound the same in everything the actors do, but no one perceives it. One reason listening is so deficient is because of the uninformed or incorrect concepts of those who practice or teach acting.…

The focus of this issue is to explore the lives of pioneers who lived during the territorial period (1838-1846). Articles and activities highlight various aspects of pioneer life. "Celebrate 150!" reviews the settlement of the territory and the establishment of a territorial government. Excerpts from actual newspapers and books,…

Play-acting is a natural human instinct; role-playing, disguising, game-playing are all favorite activities for people of all ages. In a foreign language course, dramatization is especially appropriate and can be used in many ways both in class and as an extra-curricular or supplementary activity. Much language learning occurs during the…

From the beginning, readers theatre performances generally have been held in academic or theatrical settings and have relied heavily on literary scripts. Now, readers theatre performers are finding a wider range of audiences and materials for their use. Among these special audiences are elementary and secondary schools, schools for the physically…

Influenced by film and television exposure, the student designer tends to be camera oriented and two-dimensional in creating theatrical sets. This paper outlines six visual projects designed to help students develop a selective visual sense for dealing with the three-dimensional aspects of the stage. The projects include the following activities:…

Seven language arts booklets present samples of student writing, teaching suggestions and resources for an enrichment program for gifted elementary students. Focused on in each of the booklets are the following topics (sample subtopics in parentheses): introductory activities (word and sentence expansion, imagery, and patterns in poetry); short…

In a survey of the status of theatre in high schools throughout the United States, questionnaires were sent to a random sample of high schools stratified by state and by school size. Analysis of the responses obtained from 606 schools (20.2% return) indicated that most secondary-school drama programs operate on the cocurricular level and emphasize…

Defines and advocates an "acting as experience" approach to basic Introduction to Theater courses. Acting instruction techniques are outlined. Available from: Players Magazine, National Collegiate Players, N.I.U. Theatre, DeKalb, Il 60115. ($8.50, two years. Foreign, $1.00 per year extra.) (MH)