" Part food for thought, part instruction manual, part stories and scripts to explore, and part encouragement to recharge, this practical book offers a comprehensive approach to using role play and discussion to build meaningful language experiences. It explores issues around storytelling, silent speech, writing, and imagination and shows teachers how to be effective observers and support the deeper meaning that comes from working inside and outside the text. This authoritative resource is full of simple strategies and texts that have been chosen for their ability to engage students, get them out of their chairs, and let them learn actively and socially. The strategies begin with simple games, and evolve into more complex learning opportunities. The model texts give teachers a great place to start, and anecdotes from real classrooms put them into context. These classroom glimpses illustrate the real power that students can bring to their learning as they share within groups and find ways to involve their audience."--Publisher.

How dull plays are killing theatre and what we can do about it. Had I become disenchanted with the form I had once fallen so madly in love with as a pubescent, pimple-faced suburban homo with braces? Maybe theatre was like an all-consuming high school infatuation that now, ten years later, I saw as the closeted balding guy with a beer gut he’d become. There were of course those rare moments of transcendencethat kept me coming back. But why did they come so few and far between? A lot of plays are dull. And one dull play, it seems, can turn us off theatre for good. Playwright and theatre director Jordan Tannahill takes in the spectrum of English-language drama – from the flashiest of Broadway spectacles to productions mounted in scrappy storefront theatres – to consider where lifeless plays come from and why they persist. Having travelled the globe talking to theatre artists, critics, passionate patrons and the theatrically disillusioned, Tannahill addresses what he considers the culture of ‘risk aversion’ paralyzing the form. Theatre of the Unimpressed is Tannahill’s wry and revelatory personal reckoning with the discipline he’s dedicated his life to, and a roadmap for a vital twenty-first-century theatre – one that apprehends the value of ‘liveness’ in our mediated age and the necessity for artistic risk and its attendant failures. In considering dramaturgy, programming and alternative models for producing, Tannahill aims to turn theatre from an obligation to a destination. ‘[Tannahill is] the poster child of a new generation of (theatre? film? dance?) artists for whom "interdisciplinary" is not a buzzword, but a way of life.’ —J. Kelly Nestruck, Globe and Mail ‘Jordan is one of the most talented and exciting playwrights in the country, and he will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.’ —Nicolas Billon, Governor General's Award–winning playwright (Fault Lines)

La Jill Hunt’s bestselling No More Drama is just as relevant now as it was when it was first released. Veronica "Roni" Black has met her match. The hardcore, never fall in love, marriage is for suckers, is engaged to none other than the player of players, Tobias Sims, aka DJ Terror. Toby has found everything he wants in Roni and more. But just when Toby's ready to settle down and commit, one of his many lady "friends," Darla, is determined not to let anything—or anyone—come between their friendship, especially when Toby is the father of her child. Will Ron learn to trust her man long enough to marry him? Will Toby realize that sometimes being "just a friend" can be fatal to a relationship, and will he finally stand up to his past? The drama continues, and so does the laughter in No More Drama...

In exactly one hour, eighteen minutes, and thirty-five seconds, Mina Mooney will be dipping her pink Nellie timbs into the infamous frosh pit. . . Hoping Del Rio Bay High will live up to her greatest expectations, Mina has big plans for infiltrating the school's social glitterati. After all, she's been mad popular for as long as she can remember—and she isn't about to go from Middle School Royalty to High School Ambiguity. But Del Rio Bay is a big school, so it'll take some plotting to avoid getting lost in the crowd. Good thing she isn't afraid of a little hard work and that her playground peeps—Lizzie, Michael, and JZ—have got her back. But it isn't long before Mina's big plans for securing her social status take a back seat to some drama that was so not expected. Lizzie's scored an invite from the beautiful people that Mina can only dream about, and not only is Michael tripping about being back in school, but now he's beefing with JZ. Worst of all, Mina's sociology class experiment to rid the world—or at least Del Rio Bay High—of prejudice is about to backfire. . .because it might just mean she'll have to rid herself of her very best friend. A novel about friendship, betrayal, and how far some will go for popularity, So Not the Drama takes a fresh and wickedly funny look at planet high school.

From Raina Telgemeier, the #1 New York Times bestselling, multiple Eisner Award-winning author of Smile and Sisters! Callie loves theater. And while she would totally try out for her middle school's production of Moon over Mississippi, she can't really sing. Instead she's the set designer for the drama department's stage crew, and this year she's determined to create a set worthy of Broadway on a middle-school budget. But how can she, when she doesn't know much about carpentry, ticket sales are down, and the crew members are having trouble working together? Not to mention the onstage AND offstage drama that occurs once the actors are chosen. And when two cute brothers enter the picture, things get even crazier!

Channel the ways of the no drama llama, the ultimate guru when it comes to leading a simplified lifestyle. Tense? Worried? Overwhelmed by the modern world? You need to meet Leroy the llama, a beast who knows a thing or two about burden. Leroy leads the alPAC(k)a when it comes to helping people quit the am-dram in favor of living a hassle-free lifestyle. Having been reared on the challenging Argentinian landscape, Leroy is as tough as anything. He can tolerate a harsh environment, but when it comes to the petty troubles of modern living, his patience wears thin. Let Leroy share his sage wisdom and special brand of blunt advice with you, and you'll soon learn how to cut the crap and live a drama-free existence.

She can do anything-and you can help her! So Not the Drama! (Pick a Villain Chapter Book #4): For Kim Possible, being a teen superhero is no big. But when she hears that four of her wackiest archenemies are planning to rob four different branches of the World Bank at the same time, she's got to move super-fast to stop them! Can you help Kim Possible pick the right paths to save the world from financial ruin? Featuring four original mini-adventures and 20 possible endings!

Reveals how young children use drawing to play with ideas. Through engaging anecdotes, Ursula Kolbe gives insight into the rich possibilities of drawing, and celebrates it as a powerful fool for thinking and imagining. This book includes many practical suggestions.