This dissertation describes the details of a study that explored what possible effects might occur in the area of oral language skills when kindergarten-age children from low socioeconomic backgrounds are exposed to sophisticated vocabulary and are engaged actively through dramatization and movement with a school's existing literacy curriculum. A sample of 20 kindergarten students, 18 of whom were English Language Learners (ELLs), from an urban elementary school, were part of this quasi-experimental, pretest and posttest control group design. Before implementation of the enhanced curriculum, students were pretested using the expressive language subtest of the Preschool Language Scale, Fourth Edition (PLS-4). For 6 weeks, a participating teacher implemented the literacy curriculum embedded with the sophisticated vocabulary and kinesthetic components. The other participating teacher implemented the literacy curriculum as prescribed by the school district. The researcher chose literacy/language lessons from the Harcourt Trophies (2007) program and designed movement and dramatization components that were incorporated twice daily. The researcher provided sophisticated vocabulary to be used during lessons and during daily routines. After 6 weeks of instruction with the kinesthetic component embedded and exposure to the sophisticated words, students in the experimental and control classrooms were posttested with the PLS-4 expressive language subtest. Analysis of the pretest and posttest data suggested that the effects of exposure to sophisticated words and active engagement, dramatization, and movement--linked to the school's literacy curriculum--were positive on the oral language skills of the participating students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]