How can drama help pupils with second language learning?

Abstract: Abstract This is a paper about language learning through drama exercises. In my experience of teaching young children in the ages from six to nine, I have found that children learn the most in environments that are dynamic and that challenge them. This can be achieved by doing different types of exercises to get to know a new language. Even when learning mathematics or science there is a language to learn: We might use the word ‘misty’ when describing a window with water on it in our everyday language, but when we are in an scientific environment we would call the same phenomenon ‘condensation’. There is language acquisition taking place when learning anything, and drama can be a way to channel it. The purpose of this research synthesis is to find out what advantages can be gained by drama pedagogy with a language acquisition focus. My findings show that drama can be used to improve the understanding of languages as well as give motivation to learn more. In the primary research you can see that students learned about culture and vocabulary in their drama exercises and that they gained confidence while doing so. . Key words. drama, children, communication, language acquisition, pedagogy, second language learning