Dramatic Differences: The Power of Playbuilding for Young English Language Learners

Through a combination of anecdotal stories, the findings of a qualitative evaluative study and overview of experiential activities, this article outlines how a group of 4th and 5th grade English Language Learners benefited from a drama-based project focused on building student confidence, collaborative and communicative skills and facility with drama processes to engage interest and stimulate a sense of investment with the ELL participants. A portion of the article focuses on one participant who experienced a particularly intriguing journey that stimulated both discoveries and questions about the drama program