The Drama and Theatre Arts content area of the Colorado Academic Standards contains three standards: Create, Perform, and Critically Respond. This section provides a broad overview of the requirements of each standard for children in kindergarten through third grade and explains how the content in these Guidelines at earlier ages prepares children for meeting these standards in their formal schooling.
Create
The first standard in the Drama and Theatre Arts content area focuses on creating new theatrical works, interpreting theatrical works for performance and design, and developing characters and analyzing roles. The Guidelines for children ages 3–5 years provide a foundation for writing and interpreting drama within the domain of Visual and Performing Arts: Drama and Theatre, which includes content such as using dialogue, actions, and objects to tell a story. In grades K–3, children demonstrate skills such as assuming characters through dramatic play (kindergarten) and creating stage environments to understand locale and mood (third grade).
Perform
The second standard in the Drama and Theatre Arts content area focuses on expressing human experience in story, movement, speech, and the staging of a drama. The Guidelines for children ages 3–5 years provide a foundation for performing dramas within the domain of Visual and Performing Arts: Drama and Theatre, which includes content such as manipulating materials and assuming roles in dramatic play situations. In grades K–3, children demonstrate skills such as dramatizing ideas and events (kindergarten) and performing a scripted scene (third grade).
Critically Respond
The third standard in the Drama and Theatre Arts content area focuses on studying drama through literacy, ethical judgment, and cultural research. The Guidelines for children ages 3–5 years provide a foundation for critical responses within the domain of Visual and Performing Arts: Drama and Theatre, which includes content such as responding to stories and plays. Content in the preschool domain Logic and Reasoning: Reasoning and Problem-Solving also relates to this standard because it requires critical thinking skills. In grades K–3, children demonstrate skills such as identifying elements of theatre in everyday life (kindergarten) and using selected criteria to critique what is seen, heard, and understood (third grade).