California Textbook Adoption
Aligned With the 2019 California Theatre Standards PK-12 
Curriculum for Creative Drama, Theatre, Literacy, and Arts Integration Ideal for PK-12 Theatre or English, and PK-5 Classroom or Music Teachers |
Program Components (Digital and Print)
Drama Works! Online• The entire curriculum in digital format
• Access DW from computer, tablet, or phone
• Read, project, or print digital content
• Alignment with AL theatre standards K-12
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Companion Book of Lesson Plans• 150 lesson plans, 65 indexes, and glossary
• Work offline to quickly find and lead lessons
• Save time and cost of printing from DW
• Custom plastic binding/covers/tabs/pocket
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Creativity Cards• 500 cards from DW in 10 color-coded sets
• Instant ideas and story starters for acting,
arts integration, and vocabulary development
• 3x5” size, wild cards, tabs, booklet, and box
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Vocabulary Cards• 300 cards from DW in 4 color-coded sets
• Standards-based theatre and literary terms
with definitions, examples, and bonus content
• 3x5” size, durable tabs, booklet, and box
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Adoption Information for California Schools and Districts
Textbook Adoption Powerpoint | Price List | Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) | License Agreement
Drama Works! Teaching System: adoption overview
Drama Works! Online now includes a detailed alignment to the new California Arts Standards for theatre in all grades PK-12 (adopted by California Department of Education in 2019). Drama Works! was previously reviewed and approved by the Texas State Board of Education as the new textbook in creative drama and theatre arts for the state of Texas (details). We chose not to participate in the California state review process for textbooks in 2021 because they require student textbooks to be offered separately from a teacher edition, which we do not offer, making it much easier and far less cost to adopt Drama Works! than traditional textbooks. In fact, after the CDE review process was completed, there are no state-approved textbooks for theatre in California. However, districts are allowed to select any textbook or resource materials to adopt for drama/theatre, and we would like to show you how Drama Works! can help your teachers and students.
Drama Works! is created from and aligned with state and national standards in arts and literacy, including the NCCAS national arts standards, Common Core ELA, California Arts Standards, and Texas TEKS for theatre. It is a non-traditional textbook in that you do not need to purchase books for every student, just one set per teacher. Ours is a dynamic teaching system that combines digital and print components to reach visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles. Drama Works! has been adopted in dozens of districts and we have trained thousands of teachers how to get the most out of the digital and print components (theatre K-12, elementary generalists for arts integration, and elementary music teachers). We can offer you free consultations to take advantage of our experience and help you put together a package of licensing and PD teacher training services.
Drama Works! adoption choices for California schools/districts
California school districts may choose any textbook to adopt for theatre arts. The adoption process can occur at any time, and is not limited to the year after the adoption of new theatre standards. Instructional Materials Allotment (IMA) funds from the state can be used to purchase theatre arts textbooks. Drama Works! Teaching System is an ideal textbook or supplemental teaching resource for theatre, English, or arts integration in the elementary classroom. Adopting Drama Works! represents a substantial savings over traditional textbooks because you do not have to pay for books for every student or purchase class sets. Our pricing is per teacher and each Single Teacher License includes use by all of that teacher's students at no extra cost. In addition, each district-purchased license can be reassigned to a new teacher taking over for an outgoing licensed teacher at no extra charge (by changing the user information and password). To simplify the process, we offer 3 package choices. Pricing is per teacher (see Price List).
1. Digital Only: includes Drama Works! Online digital access for each teacher
2. Digital/Print Package: includes Drama Works! Online and the Companion Book of Lesson Plans for each teacher
3. Complete System: includes Drama Works! Online, the Companion Book of Lesson Plans, the Creativity Cards, and the Vocabulary Cards for each teacher
Explore the tours and samples of the digital and print components available on our website to decide which package suits you best.
All 3 choices include an extended digital access option that lasts through school year 2028-2029.
Benefits of purchasing the extended digital access option
- Each license will be valid for the full adoption cycle through school year 2023-2024 (no need to pay for annual subscription renewals).
- Each license can be transferred to a newly hired teacher replacing a previously licensed teacher at no extra charge
- Save money and time compared to the cost of renewing licenses each year
Scheduling a free virtual presentation (for textbook review committee or administration)
Contact us to schedule a free virtual presentation with your textbook adoption committee or administration if considering licensing Drama Works! to multiple teachers. We connect with you from Los Angeles via Zoom, Skype, Google, or Teams, then take you on a virtual tour of the curriculum, adoption packages, and PD teacher training options. We can answer questions and show you more than is publicly viewable on the website.
Funding sources
- Instructional Materials Allotment (IMA) funds
- District budgets: Fine Arts, Gifted and Talented, Technology, School Site, Classroom
- Prop 28 arts education annual funding from CA Department of Education
- Title I and Title II funds to support underprivileged, ESL, or struggling learners through arts integration
- Grants: arts integration, differentiated learning, STEM to STEAM
(e.g., California Arts Council, Arts Education Collective, NEA, private foundations)
Who do I contact in my district for help with funding and ordering?
Best options are a Fine Arts Director or VAPA Coordinator, Curriculum & Instruction administrator, Textbooks Coordinator, or your principal.
Ordering instructions and process
School or district volume orders, textbook adoptions, and extended digital access options for California adoption are not available online and we do not accept credit card payments for such orders. We do accept purchase orders. Shipping/handling will be based on quantity and weight. We are required to charge tax for California orders as we are located in Los Angeles.
Step 1: Get an official price quote from us that includes all products, licenses, shipping, and PD teacher training services.
Step 2: Have your office or purchasing department send us all required paperwork to become a vendor for your school district.
Step 3: Send us your official purchase order with correct totals (PD services may require a separate PO and contract).
Step 4: We ship you print components and you choose a Login Administrator to oversee the teacher login credentials.
Step 5: We setup login credentials and send them to the Login Administrator who distributes them to each licensed teacher.
Step 6: We send you the invoice for payment due and you send us the check for payment.
Step 7: We work together to schedule any agreed upon teacher training services.
Drama Works! alignment with California's PK-12 theatre standards
Drama Works! Online includes a section for Standards Alignments that is only available to licensed users after login. We have added a detailed alignment to the California theatre standards for grades PK-12. Note that the Standards Alignment is only available in the digital component (Drama Works! Online) and not the print components (Companion Book of Lesson Plans, Creativity Cards, and Vocabulary Cards). Below are sample views of Drama Works! user-friendly California standards alignment pages, which are located under Standards Alignments after logging into Drama Works! Online. The screenshot sample shows a basic view of the layout, and the complete alignment PDF shows the full layout for all standards and grade levels (links and navigation anchors will not function in these samples, but do work for licensed users when logged in to Drama Works! Online).
California Theatre Standards Alignment:
Elementary School
Teacher Training PD Services
Take advantage of our Staff Development services to help teachers learn how to use Drama Works! Teaching System to meet the California theatre standards and enhance learning across the curriculum with arts integration. Learn directly from Mr. Jonas Basom, the author and creator of Drama Works! and award-winning teacher, professor, and arts education consultant. Contact us for a free consultation to help you design an effective PD plan for teachers in your school/district. Our website statistics show that teachers who participate in our PD trainings are 5x more likely to login to Drama Works! Online than teachers who received materials but no PD training.
PD Evaluations |
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Elementary Teachers
• Integrating Drama Across the Curriculum• Implementing Drama Works! • Model Demonstration Lessons |
Secondary Teachers
• Theatre Specialists (6-12)• English Teachers (grades 6-10) • Skype for Theatre Specialists (6-12) |
Testimonials
School District Administrator Letters
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Drama Works! Teaching System
"The best curriculum I have seen in 35 years teaching high school drama! It is an amazing synthesis of a lifetime of top-quality theatre training, performing, teaching, and research. Ideal for beginning and veteran drama teachers of middle school and high school."
Ruben Van Kempen Nancy Jo Humfeld Beverly (Burnside) Johnson Pam Fletcher Hill Esther Kim Kay Strenio Kiffen Madden-Lunsford Edie Lynn Alexander |
Staff Development Trainings
"The games and techniques on this program meet the TEKS and challenge students to the highest levels of creativity, language development, and thinking. Jonas is an engaging and inspiring presenter who has helped 120 of our generalist teachers gain skill and confidence using drama across the curriculum. These wonderful materials and dynamic teacher training workshops are perfect for meeting Senate Bill 815."
Troy Tinney Tim Jones Martha Fair Susy Oh Luis Rojas Kay Bliss Jason Buchalter Michael Zito |
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