(a) Introduction.      
        (1) The fine arts incorporate the study of dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts to offer unique experiences and empower students to explore realities, relationships, and ideas. These disciplines engage and motivate all students through active learning, critical thinking, and innovative problem solving. The fine arts develop cognitive functioning and increase student academic achievement, higher-order thinking, communication, and collaboration skills, making the fine arts applicable to college readiness, career opportunities, workplace environments, social skills, and everyday life. Students develop aesthetic and cultural awareness through exploration, leading to creative expression. Creativity, encouraged through the  study of the fine arts, is essential to nurture and develop the whole child.       
        (2) Four basic strands--foundations: inquiry and understanding; creative expression; historical and cultural relevance; and critical evaluation and response--provide broad, unifying structures for organizing knowledge and skills students are expected to acquire. Through the foundations: inquiry and understanding strand, students develop a perception of self, human relationships, and the world using elements of drama and conventions of theatre. Through the creative expression strand, students communicate in a dramatic form, engage in artistic thinking, build positive self-concepts, relate interpersonally, and integrate knowledge with other content areas in a relevant manner.  Through the historical and cultural relevance strand, students increase their understanding of heritage and traditions in theatre and the diversity of world cultures as expressed in theatre. Through the critical evaluation and response strand, students engage in inquiry and dialogue, accept constructive criticism, revise personal views to promote creative and critical thinking, and develop the ability to appreciate and evaluate live theatre.       
        (3) Statements that contain the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.       
      (b) Knowledge and skills.      
        (1) Foundations: inquiry and understanding. The student  develops concepts about self, human relationships, and the environment using elements of drama and conventions of theatre. The student is expected to:                  (A) react to sensory experiences such as sight or sound through dramatic play;                   (B) expand spatial awareness in dramatic play using expressive and rhythmic movement;                   (C) participate in dramatic play using actions, sounds, and dialogue; and                   (D) role play, imitate, and recreate dialogue.         
        (2) Creative expression: performance. The student interprets characters using the voice and body expressively and creates dramatizations. The student is expected to:                  (A) demonstrate safe use of  movement and voice;                   (B) role play in real life and imaginative situations through narrative pantomime, dramatic play, and story dramatization;                   (C) create dramatizations of limited-action stories using simple pantomime or puppetry; and                   (D) dramatize poems and songs using simple pantomime or puppetry.         
        (3) Creative expression: production. The student applies design, directing, and theatre production concepts and skills. The student is expected to:                  (A) select aspects of the environment such as location, climate, or time for use in dramatic play;                   (B) adapt the environment for dramatic play using common objects such as tables or  chairs;                   (C) plan dramatic play; and                   (D) cooperate and interact with others in dramatic play.         
        (4) Historical and cultural relevance. The student relates theatre to history, society, and culture. The student is expected to:                  (A) imitate life experiences from school and community cultures in dramatic play; and                   (B) explore diverse cultural and historical experiences through fables, myths, or fairytales in dramatic play.         
        (5) Critical evaluation and response. The student responds to and evaluates theatre and theatrical performances. The student is expected to:                  (A) discuss, practice, and display  appropriate audience behavior;                   (B) react to and discuss dramatic activities; and                   (C) integrate music, creative movement, and visual components in dramatic play.         
     Source Note:        The provisions of this §117.110 adopted to be effective July 28, 2013, 38 TexReg 4575