Connecting drama and writing: Seizing the moment to write

This paper outlines research which examined the relationship between drama and writing, detailing the method of enquiry, theoretical foundations and emergent findings. The study sought to understand the nature of the support that drama offers children as writers and to identify features of writing which regularly surfaced in drama-related writing. The pilot study trialled two approaches to connect drama and writing: ‘genre specific’ which involved working towards a particular text type during drama, and ‘seize the moment’ which offered spontaneity and choice. The main study employed the latter approach and identified some elements of drama that impacted upon and supported children's writing. The research demonstrates that drama has much to contribute to the composing life of the primary classroom.