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.
* 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.
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.
* 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.