My Question has changed.-Cathy..it seems fluid at this point

Here is my very rough draft of a lit. review
Ann, I was very impressed with your work, as you will see I need mucho help.

Literature review:

In 2010 classrooms are throbbing with the expectations of outside forces. Teachers are being pushed from above with directives from local administration to meet “Adequate Yearly Progress”, administrators are pressured by the State Department of Education who in turn have the looming stipulations of NCLB at a national level which all seem to be connected to monetary support of schools and education. The intense pressure for teachers and students to “make the grade” and pass the test is sometimes overwhelming. As a special education teacher I am constantly trying to find different ways to engage and interest the students in my classroom. They struggle with phonemic awareness, fluency and Comprehension as do many students but these students in particular are slow to pick up skills. These difficulties have contributed to the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results, indicating that 69% of fourth graders read below the “proficient” reading level (NAEP, 2005). It has also been noted that by third grade, children who cannot comprehend tend to fall further behind their peers in overall reading abilities regardless of their decoding skill levels (Chall, Jacobs, & Baldwin, (1990).Sometimes the difference between making AYP and not is measured by a few students who usually fall under the umbrella of special education. From IDEA 2004 “All children with disabilities are included in all general State and district-wide assessment programs ... with appropriate accommodations and alternate assessments, where necessary and as indicated in their respective individualized education programs.” (Section 1412(c)(16)(A)) Many times, the buck falls backward. Fifth grade teachers blame fourth grade teachers who blame 3rd etc. and often I hear; “We missed the benchmark by just a couple points.” followed by the inevitable glance at the special education department. For most of my teaching career I have described my students as a collection of little locks that all just need the right key. It is my job as a special education teacher to provide as many “keys” or different methods of learning to these children so that they may experience success in a classroom

For many years I have tried to inter-weave my master’s degree in theater with my teaching and have had small successes, seen amazing progress with students who seemed unreachable through drama and the arts. Harvard Graduate School of Education sponsors “Project Zero” a educational research group whose mission is to enhance learning through creativity in the arts. There are many current projects that work within the United States and internationally to build communities of independent learners across disciplines that is based on Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences.
From a website by Dr. Thomas Armstrong who is a proponent of the theory of multiple intelligences’
“Dr. Gardner says that our schools and culture focus most of their attention on linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligence. We esteem the highly articulate or logical people of our culture. However, Dr. Gardner says that we should also place equal attention on individuals who show gifts in the other intelligences: the artists, architects, musicians, naturalists, designers, dancers, therapists, entrepreneurs, and others who enrich the world in which we live. Unfortunately, many children who have these gifts don’t receive much reinforcement for them in school. Many of these kids, in fact, end up being labeled "learning disabled," "ADD (attention deficit disorder," or simply underachievers, when their unique ways of thinking and learning aren’t addressed by a heavily linguistic or logical-mathematical classroom.

If Harvard University thinks that education through the arts is a viable option, my question then becomes: Why can’t I teach reading and writing to Kindergarteners through drama and role playing?
It has been proven that using different modes of learning is beneficial for emergent literacy learners and that K-3rd graders are able to retain more through movement and hands on activities ----- students comprehend significantly more when their lessons include both a linguistic and nonlinguistic input system. When information is received through a variety of pathways (e.g., auditory, visual, kinesthetic), readers’ retention of information increases significantly (Paivio, 1991; Sadoski, Paivio, & Goetz, 1991).