Creating Drama with 4-7 Year Olds: Lesson ideas to integrate drama into the Primary Curriculum »

Miles Tandy and Jo Howell are advisers with Warwickshire’s Educational Development Service, UK. They have written widely about drama and literacy, and their publications include Creating Writers in the Primary Classroom (Routledge, 2008) and Beginning Drama (Routledge, 2008).

This practical book gives you all the ideas you need to make drama a regular and integral part of your school’s curriculum, offering detailed suggestions of drama work for ages four to seven. The teaching units are arranged around four strands: drama for literacy; drama and the whole curriculum; drama film, media, and ICT; and drama for performance. The authors provide a wealth of practical activities throughout. Each unit includes:

• explicit links to the Renewed Framework for literacy and the wider curriculum


• a list of resources needed


• clear learning objectives and outcomes


• steps for teaching and learning including how to modify activities to suit your school


• links to writing


• assessment guidance.

Based on the authors’ experience as teachers and in-service trainers, this book provides a Wide range of ideas and activities for inspiring drama across the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, and is essential reading for all those interested in bringing drama into their school.

Acknowledgements ix

How to use this book xi

RL Castles 1

RC The cycle shop 8

RF Filming a traditional story 15

RP A festival of nursery rhymes 24

1L A New Home for a Pirate 32

1C The Steel Teddy Bear 41

1F Jim and the Beanstalk 48

1P The King with Dirty Feet 58

2L The Lost Happy Endings 70

2C Light and dark 78

2F The First Snow of Winter 84

2P A Midsummer Night's Dream 92

Appendix 1 Drama structures and strategies used throughout the book 103

Appendix 2 Further reading to help develop drama in your school 106

Index 107