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##  Dramatic Activities in Language Arts Classrooms: Resource Summary.              ERIC Digest.                                                                 

Increasing numbers of teachers are discovering classroom drama to be            highly valuable as an instructional tool (Kaaland-Wells, 1994). In              dramatic activities, children learn to use language effectively and             creatively while they are experiencing different points of views,               looking for solutions, and discussing ideas. This digest will review            some of the related literature regarding the benefits of classroom              drama, as well as introduce a variety of resources to help educators            incorporate dramatic activities in their language arts                          classrooms. 
Although several terms have been used to refer                    to "classroom drama" such as creative dramatics, educational drama,             theater games, sociodramatic play, role drama, and role playing, the            terms "creative drama" and "drama in education" are umbrella                    concepts which embrace all the various types of improvised and                  informal drama used in classrooms. According to some authors, the               goal and focus of creative drama are twofold: (1) creating "an                  experience through which students may come to under-stand human                 interactions, empathize with other people, and internalize                      alternative points of view" (Wagner, 1988, p. 5), and (2) developing            understanding and learning through drama rather than "some finished             product such as a well-mounted play" (Heinig, 1993, p. 22). In other            words, the purpose of educational drama is not to produce a theater             play for an audience but to contribute to students' personality                 growth and facilitate their learning by having them respond to                  situations, dilemmas, or conflicts assuming the role of imagined                characters. It should be also noted that almost all students,                   regardless of their artistic skills for acting, can perform and                 benefit from this type of drama. For example, some of the techniques            used in creative drama such as mime, movement exercises or invented             dialogue give every child an opportunity to be actively engaged in              drama without necessarily having to act or speak (Stewig,                       2000). 
According to Heining (1993, p. 6), the value of drama in               teaching language arts comes from the fact that "learning language              arts becomes more meaningful when it stimulates everyday life                   experiences." Dramatic performance can provide students an                      opportunity to use language to express various emotions, to solve               problems, to make decisions, to socialize, and to develop empathy               which eventually contributes to their self-esteem and creativity. In            addition, drama activities may be useful in the development of oral             communication skills, reading, and writing. Through drama, children             may discover different styles and registers which are very different            from their everyday speech. Wagner (1998) notes that "drama provides            children with experiences that enhance their ability to judge the               appropriateness of verbal and non-verbal communication strategies               for a wide variety of imagined experiences" (p. 35). Drama has also             been found by one author to be helpful for reading and writing                  skills: McCaslin (1990), for instance, argues that "most teachers               find drama to be a strong motivation for reading and vocabulary                 building" (p. 291). The oral language skills developed through drama            have also been found by some scholars to facilitate student's                   writing skills (Heathcote, 1981; Wagner, 1985). INTERNET-BASED                DRAMA EDUCATION RESOURCESAaron Shepard's RT Page                            http://aaronshep.com/rt/ 
This site, prepared by the award-winning             children's author Aaron Shepard, offers several resources for                   reader's theater, among them scripts adapted from stories of Aaron              Shepard and other authors, as well as online guide to scripting,                staging, and performing. 
Lisa Blau                                            Homepage 
http://www.lisablau.com/freescripts.html 
Developed by              Len Blau in memory of his wife, Lisa, a literacy educator, this page            provides more than 25 free scripts for reader's theatre and is                  updated monthly. 
Creative Drama & Theatre Education Resource                  Site 
http://creativedrama.com/ 
This page is created and                     maintained by Janine Moyer Buesgen. It offers practical classroom               ideas, book lists, theatre games, and scripts. 
The Drama Teacher's            Resource Room 
http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/erachi/ 
Developed and             maintained by Thornton Consulting & Training Services, this website             offers ideas for classroom and stage, including articles on costume,            props, set design, and lighting. 
Drama Curriculum                             Guide                                                                           
http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/artsed/g6arts_ed/g6rtblae.html 
A           part of Arts Education and Curriculum Guides of Saskatchewa, this               website provides materials for educators interested in designing a              drama curriculum for middle school students. LESSON PLANSThe              Art of Creative Dramatics through the Eyes of a Young                           Child                                                                           
http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1993/3/93.03.01.x.html             
Drama for Those Who Do Not Like or Understand                                 Drama                                                                           
http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1983/5/83.05.03.x.html             
The Creative Dramatics Cookbook: Recipes for                                  Playmaking                                                                      
http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1990/2/90.02.01.x.html             
The Family on Stage: Creative Play Production in the                          Classroom                                                                       
http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1980/3/80.03.07.x.html             
Classroom Lesson                                                              Plans 
http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/Alley/3765/lessons.html               
Storytelling activities & lesson                                              ideas 
http://www.storyarts.org/lessonplans/lessonideas/index.html             PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONSAmerican Alliance of Theatre and                 Education (AATE) 
http://www.aate.com/ 
American Alliance of                  Theatre and Education (AATE) promotes standards for excellence in               theatre and theatre education and provides a national resource                  network for professionals involved in theatre and drama in                      education. 
Educational Theatre                                                Association (EdTA) 
http://www.edta.org/default_html.asp                       
Established in 1929, the EdTA provides professional development               workshops and courses to classroom teachers. The Educational Theatre            Association publishes "Dramatics" magazine, a monthly periodical for            theatre students and teachers, and "Teaching Theatre", a quarterly              journal for theatre educators. 
International Association of                   Theatre for Children and Young                                                  People (ASSITEJ) 
http://www.assitej.org/ 
ASSITEJ was established            in 1965 and is today an international network of theatre for                    children and young people. ASSITEJ links thousands of theatres,                 organizations, and individuals through national centers in more than            70 countries. 
I.D.E.A.: The International Drama/Theatre and                   Education Association 
http://www.idea-info.org/index.htm 
The                International Drama/Theatre and Education Association (IDEA) was                established in Oporto, Portugal in July, 1992. IDEA consists of                 several member associations representing more than 50 countries                 around the world. The association promotes and advocates for                    drama/theatre as part of a rich, full human education, and it                   provides an international forum for those working as drama/theatre              educators throughout the world. JOURNALSDrama                             matters 
http://www.coe.ohio-state.edu/edtl/llc/ 
Drama Matters is            a journal published with the support of the Ohio State University               and the Ohio Drama and Education Exchange. The journal provides a               forum for the discussion of the theory and practice of drama and                theatre education. It is designed to appeal to a wide range of                  readers including students, elementary and secondary teachers,                  drama/theatre practitioners, and academics from a variety of                    fields. 
Research in Drama                                                     Education 
http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/carfax/13569783.html                
Research in Drama Education is an international, refereed journal             aimed at those interested in drama and theatre conducted in                     educational contexts. It disseminates completed research and                    research in progress, and through its Viewpoint section it                      encourages debate among researchers, both on its published articles             and on other matters. 
BOOKS

Title: CREATIVE DRAMATICS IN THE               CLASSROOM: Curriculum Unit.
Author: Lanning, Colleen                           Caine.
Publisher: Rocky River, OH: The Center for Learning.
Year:             1997
ISBN: 1560774916
Abstract: This book, which includes 12                  cross-disciplinary lessons, canbe used both as a supplementary text             or standard text. Each lesson ispresented with objectives, notes,               procedures for 2-7 activities, andreproducible handouts. Lessons                cover vocal expression (volume, rate,pitch, stress, chanting, choral            speaking, and Reader's Theatre), bodylanguage (gesture, facial                  expression, posture and pantomime), andcharacter creation.
Title:              DRAMA FOR LEARNING: Dorothy Heathcote's mantle of the expertapproach            to education.
Authors: Heathcote, Dorothy; Bolton, Gavin                       M.
Publisher: Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Year: 1995
ISBN:                    043508643X
Abstract: In this book, the authors describe a teaching             approachcalled "Mantle of the Expert". Based on the idea that                   contextualizationis the key factor in meaningful teaching, the book             d Children and drama (pp.78-90). New York: Longman. 
Heinig, R.                B. (1993). Creative drama for the classroom teacher. Englewood                  Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 
Kaaland-Wells, C. (1994). Classroom                teachers' perceptions and uses of creative drama. Youth Theatre                 Journal, 8(4), 21-26. [EJ 490 707] 
McCaslin, N. (1990). Creative              drama in the classroom. New York: Longman. 
Stewig, J. W. (2000).              Extending the pleasure of story with drama. Book Links, 9(5),                   38-40. [EJ 615 177] 
Wagner, B.J. (1985). Elevating the written                word through the spoken: Dorothy Heathcote and a group of 9 to                  13-year-olds as monks. Theory into Practice, 24(3), 166-172. [EJ 324            609] 
Wagner, B. J. (1998). Educational drama and language arts:               What research shows. Portsmouth, NH:                                            Heinemann. 
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Digest #174 is EDO-CS-02-05 published in                   November 2002 by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English and                 Communication, 2805 E 10th St. #140, Bloomington, IN 47408-2698,                Tel.1-800-759-4723. Full text at: http://eric.indiana.edu. ERIC                 Digests are in the public domain and may be freely                              reproduced. 
This project is funded at least in part with Federal              funds from the US Dept. of Education under contract number                      ED-99-CO-0028. The content of this publication does not necessarily             reflect the views or policies of the US Department of Education nor             does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations              imply endorsement by the US Government.                                      **Title:** Dramatic Activities in Language Arts Classrooms: Resource Summary.              ERIC Digest.                                                                 **Note:** Digest number 174.                                                           **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication, 2805 E.              10th St., #140, Bloomington, IN 47408-2698. Web Site:                           http://eric.indiana.edu. Family Learning Association, 3925 Hagan                St., #101, Bloomington, IN 47401. Tel: 800-759-4723 (Toll Free); Web            site: http://www.kidscanlearn.com.                                           **Descriptors:** Class Activities,  Classroom Techniques,  Dramatics, Elementary                 Education, Instructional Effectiveness,  Language Arts,  Resource               Materials                                                                    **Identifiers:**  Drama in Education, ERIC Digests                                            
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