Peter Kennedy  drama in education

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Drama Resources for Key Stages 3 and 4  are available here.  See also links page for websites that may be of help.

 

Drama Resource Books

FOUNDATION STAGE, KEY STAGE ONE & KEY STAGE TWO

A Child’s Work (The Importance of Fantasy Play)

            - Vivian Gussin Paley                                   (ISBN: 0 226 64487 1)

Vivian Paley writes from experience, her experience working as a kindergarten and nursery school teacher in Chicago for over thirty years. This book makes the case for the critical role of ‘fantasy play’ in the psychological, intellectual and social development of young children.

 

Drama and Traditional Story for the Early Years      

            - Nigel Toye and Francis Prendiville           (ISBN: 0 415 19536 5)        

This book is packed with really interesting things you can do with Little Bo Peep, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Humpty Dumpty, The Billy Goats Gruff and plenty more. There are summaries of the drama lessons and these are related clearly to learning objectives.

 

Drama Play: Bringing Books to Life Through Drama for 4 – 7 year-olds

            - Kay Hiatt                                                      (ISBN:1 84312 178 6)

This is a simple easy to follow book that aims to help teachers use a range of drama techniques with confidence and enjoyment. It has clear practical ideas for bringing twelve commonly used story books to life.

 

Role Play in the Early Years Series

        - Jo Boulton and Judith Ackroyd

Book 1: The Teddy Bears’ Picnic and Other Stories (ISBN: 1 84312 123 9)
Book 2: Pirates and Other Adventures (ISBN: 1 84312 124 7)
Book 3: The Toymaker’s Workshop and Other Tales (ISBN: 1 84312 125 5)

                                   

All three books respond to the increasing awareness of role play as an exciting and effective approach to enhance children’s learning. These books are easy to use and offer not only a selection of themed drama activities but many suggestions for other linked activities too.

 

Covering the Curriculum with Stories

-         Sharon Ginnis and Paul Ginnis (ISBN: 1 90442 497 X)

Aimed at teachers of Foundation Stage and Key Stage One, this is a complete resource. Its underpinning philosophy is that through story, teachers can capitalise on children’s natural instinct to play and promote cross-curricular learning. There are six play-based projects and an accompanying CD provides extensive worksheets and learning materials.

 

Beginning Drama 4 – 11

            - Joe Winston and Miles Tandy       (ISBN: 1 85346 702 2)

A useful book for teachers who have previously used little drama in their teaching. Chapter on Drama in the Curriculum includes ‘The Saxons and the Viking Raids' (Year 4) and ‘The Seige of Troy’ (Year 6).

 

Drama Lessons for Five to Eleven Year Olds

            - Judith Ackroyd and Jo Boulton      (ISBN: 1 85346 739 1)        

Thirteen clearly laid out lesson plans including ‘Building the Pyramid’ (History: 6 – 9 year olds); Land Tax (Geography: 6 – 10 year olds) and The Romans in Britain (History: 8 – 11 year olds).

 

Teaching Literacy Through Drama

            - Patrice Baldwin and Kate Fleming                       (ISBN: 0 415 25578 3)

This book is divided in to three parts: the first looks at literacy and the power of drama as a ‘brain-friendly’ medium for teaching and learning. The second contains ten structured practical units of work each based on a different story, poem, play or traditional tale or rhyme. There are units for each year group from Reception to Year 6 and the units are linked directly to the National Literacy Strategy and the QCA objectives for speaking and listening. The final part contains photocopiable resources to support the units in part 2.

 

 

With Drama in Mind

            - Patrice Baldwin       (ISBN: 1 85539 094 9)

Excellent publication divided in to four parts: the first about how drama promotes learning; the second offers clear explanations of and suggestions for using drama strategies; the third contains five drama units (including The Victorian Cotton Mill) while the final section provides photocopiable resource sheets to accompany these units.

 

 

Drama, Literacy and Moral Education 5 – 11

            - Joe Winston                                                (ISBN: 1 85346 636 0)

 

The book divides into three sections. The first contains six drama schemes (one for each of Years 1 to 6) that have all been trialled in primary schools. Each scheme is linked directly to the National Literacy Strategy. The second section describes the way drama can promote social and moral learning and the third presents a whole school framework for literacy, drama and moral education.

 

Drama 7 – 11 (Developing Primary Teaching Skills)

            - Neil Kitson and Ian Spiby   (ISBN: 0 415 14184 2)        

Starting by looking at three different drama approaches to a theme (‘bullying’), this book then analyses how children engage and learn through drama. As well as clear theoretical underpinning it includes a detailed section entitled: “Ways of working: roles and conventions”.

 

 

Drama and English at the Heart of the Curriculum
(Primary and Middle Years)        

- Joe Winston                                                (ISBN: 1 84312 059 3)

This is a practical handbook for teachers demonstrating how Drama and English are key to creative teaching. It contains four schmes of work: ‘Lucien and Marie – Refugees in Victorian Britain’; ‘The Selfish Giant’; ‘The Forbidden Planet’; and ‘Blodin the Beast’.

 

Improve Your Primary School Through Drama

          -       Rachel Dickinson, Jonothan Neelands and Shenton Primary School      (ISBN: 1 84312 306 1)

This book is about using drama as a school improvement strategy in primary schools. It covers drama work from the Foundation Stage to Key Stage 2 and focuses on the pedagogy of teaching and learning through drama. It is based on the writers’ own experiences of improving the quality of life in school through drama.

 

Speaking and Listening Through Drama 7-11

            -  Francis Prendiville and Nigel Toye     (ISBN: 978 1 41292969 1)

This book focuses on how teachers can use drama to promote speaking and listening for pupils. Relating this to the important idea of Dialogic Teaching, it analyses and teaches how to use role-play effectively and looks at how to generate productive dialogue between teachers and pupils.



100+ Ideas for Drama                                           

            - Anna Scher and Charles Verrall               (ISBN: 0 435 18799 6)

Another 100+ Ideas for Drama                           

- Anna Scher and Charles Verrall               (ISBN: 0 435 18800 3)        

Both the above books do exactly what they say in the title: give ideas. They are suggestions for games, improvisations, themes, starting points, etc and as such are a useful resource for ideas. However, they do not provide drama in education structures so you need to select what you want and adapt for your own purposes. First published as long ago as 1975 and 1987 respectively some of the material is a bit dated and stereotypical.

 

Ideas for Drama KS1

            - Alison Chaplin                                             (ISBN: 0 439 01779 3)

 

Ideas for Drama KS2

            - Alison Chaplin                                             (ISBN: 0 439 01780 7)

Both these books are part of the Scholastic ‘Ready to Go’ series providing instant activities for primary teachers. The books are divided in to five sections: introductory warm-up games; movement game and exercises; language and vocal skills; developing creative expression and role-play, improvisation and performance skills. There is also a skills grid that demonstrates how each section relates to National Standards for Key Skills.

 

 Next page for KS3 & 4 >>>>>>>>