There is a plethora of research that supports the case for the arts in education; specifically that students demonstrate higher levels of academic achievement in content areas when there is a strong arts program in place. Activities such as creative drama, children’s theatre, and even charades, pantomime, and journaling also nurture and develop creativity. Classroom drama, in particular, is a valuable classroom tool. It not only teaches effective language, it encourages creative thinking, looking for solutions, and discussing ideas. The articles Dramatic Activities in Language Arts Classrooms and Using Drama and Theatre to Promote Literacy Development: Some Basic Classroom Applications address this point and list resources that help educators incorporate dramatic activities into their language arts classroom. Creative dramatics, which you will read more about this week, is more than just children’s theater as it is for everyone, not just those with artistic, musical, or dramatic talents. It helps develop thinking, imagination, and creative problem solving. View this illustration of more ways students benefit from the arts.
