Who Needs Drama?: A Resource for Teaching Primary and Junior Drama

This engaging and practical book includes numerous exercises and activities as well as a wealth of advice for primary and junior teachers who teach drama and those teachers who want to include drama more broadly across the curriculum. Drama serves a valuable purpose in the educational system. Students not only learn about theatre but also about themselves and others, something which helps prepare them for life. This book will help you as a teacher understand the place of drama in the curriculum, suggest how to integrate drama into other subject areas, provide a large number of lesson plans and ideas for drama activities, and, in general, show how valuable a drama program can be. The book also includes five plays written by the author that are ideal for staging in the classroom or in front of a larger audience of parents and peers. Key topics covered in the book include: the creative process elements of drama forms of drama building student confidence integrating drama into other subjects creative and dramatic play drama games acting basics putting on a play starting a drama club lesson plans for teaching drama CONTENTS INTRODUCTION: Who Needs Drama? CHAPTER ONE: The Overall Drama Program CHAPTER TWO: The Creative Process (From Brainstorming to Performing) CHAPTER THREE: The Elements of Drama CHAPTER FOUR: Cultural Representation CHAPTER FIVE: Drama Forms CHAPTER SIX: Developing the Student Critic CHAPTER SEVEN: Who Is This For? CHAPTER EIGHT: Creative and Dramatic Play CHAPTER NINE: Helping Students Build Confidence when Performing CHAPTER TEN: Integrating Drama with the Rest of the Curriculum CHAPTER ELEVEN: Lesson Plans CHAPTER TWELVE: Acting CHAPTER THIRTEEN: One-Act Plays CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Drama Games CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Putting on a Play CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Starting a Drama Club CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Before the Curtain Closes CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Drama Ideas for Lessons Based on the Drama Curriculum INDEX FIVE PLAYS Peer Changer The Baseball Cap Spiders, Dogs and Underwear The Time Machine Working Together to Save the Environment SOURCES ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jackie Bennett has not only taught drama but has also written, produced and directed many plays with both student and adult casts. She lives in Ontario, Canada, near the city of Barrie.