The CDE includes standards in Drama and Theatre Arts, as well as
standards in Reading, Writing and Communication.
To help meet these standards, Merry-Andrew Afoot’s creative dramatics
workshops include retell and identifying parts of a story, which help
students organize their speaking and writing; choose vocabulary that
communicates their messages clearly and precisely; and revise and edit their
speech. And of course, seeing a play or workshop helps generate topics and
develop ideas for a variety of writing and speaking purposes.
Also, because Merry-Andrew Afoot workshops are participatory, students use
listening skills to understand directions; use speaking, and listening to
define and solve problems. Seeing a performance gives students an
opportunity to respond to written and oral presentations as a, listener, and
articulate speaker; and formulate questions about what they hear, and view.
Merry-Andrew Afoot workshops and plays help students respond to and discuss
a variety of literature such as folk tales, legends, myths, fiction, rhymes
and poems; respond to and discuss literature as a way to explore the
similarities and differences among stories and the ways in which those
stories reflect the ethnic background of the author and the culture in which
they were written; use new vocabulary from literature in other contexts.
For a complete list of standards set by the Colorado Department of
Education standards click on this link:
http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeassess/UAS/Printable_Standards.html
WHY INCLUDE CREATIVE DRAMATICS IN PRIMARY CLASSROOMS?
Many teachers hesitate to include creative
dramatics or live performances in their classroom curriculum because:
1) The value of creative dramatics cannot be assessed.
2) Often teachers do not understand how creative dramatics fits in with
state and district educational standards.
Here are SOME reasons to include creative dramatics or live performances in
a primary classroom:
* STANDARDS Creative Dramatics and performances DO fall within educational
standards. Click Here to see how
Merry-Andrew Afoot can help meet standards established by the Colorado
Department of Education.
* COMPREHENSION For years research has shown that when children perform the
stories they read - even just a few - their comprehension for ALL reading
improves. This is because when children act out storybooks, their
imagination kicks into high gear and they begin forming vivid, mental images
of the reading material, which is a vital skill in building comprehension.
As their mental-imaging muscles develop, their comprehension improves for
everything they read.
* VERBAL SKILLS Creative Dramatics are so exciting that most students
continue talking about the activities long afterward, helping to stimulate
the verbal skills that are vital to reading and writing.
* LEARNING STYLES Plays and creative dramatics incorporate a variety of
learning styles including kinetic, verbal, auditory and visual.