ABSTRACT
Drama talk can be the most dynamic talk in the classroom. This chapter argues that drama can stimulate the best in whole-class teaching through discursive and interactive talk, fostered and modelled by the teacher. Drama practitioners have always promoted their subject's rightful place in the curriculum. The children were asked to return to their groups to make a 'still image' to represent their scene. This requires children to organise themselves into creating a three-dimensional image to represent a dramatic moment or a visual 'summing up' of a situation. Children in role as experts rise to the challenge of using spoken language appropriate to a situation, which is uniquely afforded them through drama. The teacher used a number of drama strategies in order to develop the children's ability to listen with concentration, to use talk in order to plan effectively, to work collaboratively and to act out well-known stories.
