Declining academic performance, along with a growing apathy of students toward the value of education, demonstrates that students in the United States public education system do not recognize the value of a positive experience in middle schools. A plethora of research and writing has been done on elementary schools and secondary schools, but…

Intended to help elementary school teachers find new and more varied ways of using drama--both for its own intrinsic value and as a school-wide teaching strategy--this publication examines the place of drama in the kindergarten through grade six curriculum. Following a rationale, the publication provides guidelines for planning a drama program and…

Discusses events that enhanced credibility of theater education including: the birth of the Alliance for Theater and Education; publication of "A Model Drama/Theater Curriculum"; inclusion of theater in the curriculum; change in emphasis in endowment programs; and publication of the National Endowment for the Arts "Toward…

This document features a curriculum guide for the development of K-6 theater course outlines. The guide establishes three major goals for drama/theatre education and the concepts pertinent to each goal. The objectives relevant to each concept are identified and stated in behavioral terms. For each objective, student experiences pertinent to that…

The most popular liberal arts elective offered during "Interim," a three-week intensive study semester given at the Fashion Institute of Technology, is described. Course origin, concept and format, course instructor, department coordinator, and course modifications are described. (MLW)

Notes that "drama has been seen by many to be one of the best means of helping students to know themselves more fully," and discusses the place of drama in the schools, what drama does for people, drama as a literary genre, readers' theater, mime, role playing, simulation, creative dramatics and plays for an audience. (Author/JM)

The humanities, an area of study often left out of the elementary curriculum, is essential as society becomes more global in nature. Because of the time restrictions in elementary teaching schedules, the humanities must be incorporated into the school program, not as an extra class, but as an enrichment of what is already taught. The purpose of…

The question of why only English teachers and their students study Herman Melville's novel, "Billy Budd," is raised in this paper. The book offers insights and fundamental social questions for students in secondary school social studies. Suggestions are offered as to how social studies teachers (with their perspectives, concerns, and…

Emphasizes the educational benefits derived from research in dramatics arts. Cites research indicating that role playing has a positive effect on oral language, moral reasoning, and self-esteem. Points out that teachers and administrators do not include dramatic instruction in their curriculum, and offers ways to make dramatic arts more appealing.…

This curriculum guide for secondary-level gifted students presents curriculum alternatives which are interdisciplinary and which emphasize a comprehensive study of major content areas through the humanities. The curriculum demands from the student complex learning, critical thinking, in-depth inquiry, creativity, and active participation. The…

This state guide to curriculum planning is designed to provide direction to teachers, administrators, and curriculum specialists for developing programs in informal drama and theatre. For each school level (preschool, elementary, middle, and high school) the following topics or concepts are discussed in terms of the student at that level: informal…

Ten major art concepts and methods are presented in this Pennsylvania state curriculum guideline. These concepts include how artists invent and develop vocabularies, tools, and systems in the artistic process; how individuals and groups develop unique means and forms of artistic expression affected by their own experiences and culture; and how…

Arts education reform in South Carolina led to the development of frameworks for dance, drama/theater, music, and visual arts education that were organized around a common set of curricular components. Aesthetic perception, creative expression, historical and cultural heritage, and aesthetic valuing form the basis of comprehensive education in the…

Presenting a consistent, integrated approach to the English/language arts, this book describes integrated, research-based principles for the teaching and learning of language, accompanied by numerous examples drawn from either the author's own experiences in the schools or from the professional literature. New and expanded features in this fourth…

This curriculum guide aims to provide a beginning process for developing a K-12 balanced, comprehensive, and sequential arts curriculum for all students. Dance, drama, music, and the visual arts are treated as distinct and separate disciplines although five common goals and corresponding learning process components have been identified. The goals…