Strengthening Verbal Skills through the Use of Classroom Drama: A Clear Link

Does classroom drama help children develop verbal ability? Some suggestive evidence would lead us to believe that the answer is yes. American high school students involved in theater are more proficient readers than are non-theater students, and their reading skills grow more during the high school years than do those of students not involved in theater.' American students who report studying drama in high school also score significantly higher on their verbal Scholastic Assessment Tests than do those who take no arts.2 Studying drama in high school in Britain is related to success on national examinations in English.3 And Dutch students who take drama outside of school increase their vocabulary when tested on words related to their drama activities.4