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Drama for Art's Sake (4 - 5)

Last changed: 05/19/2023 7:54pm
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4 , 5 Music Dance Theater Visual Art
Theater Science Social Studies English
Both Grade Level and Arts/PE Program Alignment
2 45 min
2 45 min

Two 45-minute sessions per classroom or one 90 minute session
Length and timing of sessions easily adapts to the Art Specialist's schedule.
In-School Short Term Residency
All year In-School,
$10 0
yes In-Person

Props, handouts and prompts for Sensory Awareness activities

Chart paper or white board
Paper (unlined) and Pencil for each student
Agreed upon materials, supplies or copies for activities and possible art project

Open space in classroom or multi-purpose space large enough for entire class to participate on their feet simultaneously or spread out to work in small groups
Access to tables/desks/chairs for writing or drawing responses
Outdoor space near the building for sensory exploration


I can demonstrate focus and concentration by using one or more of my 5 senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste and/or smell) to notice specific details when observing a person, place or thing.

I can use appropriate grade-level vocabulary to vividly describe by speaking or writing what I see, hear, smell, touch and/or taste in a sensory experience.

I can use sensory recall as inspiration to design a project in Visual Arts and to add vivid details to my work.

Observe "“ Recall "“ Create "“ Repeat

Drama for Art"s Sake, guides students to explore the world through their five senses and inspires personal expression of their experiences. Drama exercises develop tools for effectively "seeing" and vividly describing people, places and things. Students embark on a journey that builds concentration and observation skills, heightens Sensory Awareness, sharpens Sensory Recall and stimulates the imagination.

Session One - Sensory Awareness: Working "alone together" students are encouraged to slow down and tune in to details in their immediate surroundings through activities such as Through a Windowpane, Listening to the Environment, Discovering an Object or Trust Walk. They then reflect and communicate their observations by drawing, writing and/or speaking to a partner to compare and contrast experiences.

Session Two "“ Sensory Recall: Learning to go beyond just remembering in words, students build tools needed to place themselves "in the moment" and fully re-sense their experiences. Observing with partners or teams, students discover that others can recognize and be drawn into the sensations of what is seen, heard, smelled, tasted or touched. Sample activities include Seeing a Sport, What Am I Listening To? and What's That Food?

The workshop culminates by students working individually or with peers, to create a sketch or simple collage using color, shape, words and texture inspired by their sensory experiences. Alternatively, students finish the session by planning/designing a follow-up project selected from the curriculum by the Visual Arts Specialist. (If selected project focuses on portraits, Character Study exercises can be substituted in Session 2)

This program also works well as a Theatre/Language Arts/Visual Arts collaboration in which a specific sensory experience becomes the inspiration for writing poems or descriptive paragraphs and creating a related Art project.


The skills developed in Drama for Art's Sake not only offer a means for creating various Visual Arts projects, but can also support building Dance/Movement sequences, composing/arranging Music/Sound, or bringing added reality to Drama scenes. Though the database format does not provide space for including Arts standards for each discipline, appropriate ones can be selected.

*All ACTive Learning Through Drama programs have been developed and implemented by a professional Theatre Educator in collaboration with classroom Teachers and Arts Specialists.

1-3 are welcome to assist in classroom, if desired by the Art Teacher

Grade 4

Grade 4: Writing Standards: Text Types and Purposes #3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. d. Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.
Grade 4: Speaking And Listening Standards: Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas #4: Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
Grade 4: Visual Art: Creating: Anchor Standard 1:1 Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.

a. Brainstorm multiple approaches to a creative art or design problem.
Grade 4: Theatre: Creating: Anchor Standard 1.1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.

a. Articulate the visual details of imagined worlds, and improvised stories that support the given circumstances in a drama/theatre work.

Grade 5

Grade 5: Writing Standards: Text Types and Purposes #3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. d. Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.

Grade 5: Speaking And Listening Standards: Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas #4: Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
Grade 5: Visual Art: Creating: Anchor Standard 2.3: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.

Identify, describe, and visually document places and/or objects of personal significance.
Grade 5: Theatre: Responding: Anchor Standard 8.1: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.

a. Justify responses based on personal experiences when participating in or observing a drama/theatre work.
Get to Know Our Arts Provider:

ACTive Learning Through Drama with Barbara Washer