Reader's Theatre
What is Reader's Theatre?
According to Miller & Veach (2011), reader's theatre is a fluency strategy where "students repeatedly practice the reading of a passage to perform later as part of a play or skit." Research shows that repeated reading increases oral reading fluency (Vandenberg, Boon, & Fore, 2008), and reader's theatre provides students with an engaging and relevant activity to practice. In reader's theatre, students read their assigned portion of a script repeatedly, aiming for accuracy and expression and reading at an appropriate rate. To motivate students to become fluent readers, students can perform their skit for the class or for a buddy class. How can Reader's Theatre be used in middle school? Reader's Theatre can be directed toward the individuals in the group, with scripts that fit the students' interests and fitting in the students' instructional reading level. It provides relevant rereading practice that is engaging and challenging. Because reader's theatre can be catered to meet student interests, is engaging and challenging, it is part of an effective middle school curriculum (NMSA, 2010). |
How can I differentiate Reader's Theatre?
Reader's theatre can be differentiated within the script for the group. A reader's theatre group can have students at various levels, and the individual parts, or characters, can be differentiated by containing varying difficulties of vocabulary and phrasing. |
Internet Resources
- http://www.aaronshep.com/rt/RTE.html : This webpage is a resource that provides free scripts for reader's theatre groups aged at children ages 8-15. This will accommodate middle school learners and provide materials for teachers wishing to try reader's theatre in their classroom.
- http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/carrick/ : This resource gives a definition of reader's theatre and gives implementation ideas for using reader's theatre in the classroom. This webpage provides additional resources for reader's theatre as well.
- http://www.vrml.k12.la.us/curriculum/reader_theatre/home.htm : Story selection, scripts, and printable props for the skits for each level of schooling
- http://www.scholastic.com/librarians/programs/readerstheater.htm : Detailed information and tips for using reader's theatre in schools
- http://www.ala.org/alsc/issuesadv/kidscampaign/gamesactivities/rthowto : Guide to reader's theatre in the classroom and creating your own script
- http://www.ateacherstreasure.com/2011/12/treasured-tip-readers-theater.html : A teacher's guide to readers theatre, including videos, tips, and freebies