Reader's Theater: A Positive Way to Act Out

Heading into the New Year, we all know that it is important to build in new ways to reinforce the same skills we have been working on with our students. We also know that kids can get antsy and that they like being able to express themselves whenever possible!

Reader's Theater is a great way to practice fluency and comprehension through an alternative method to the leveled readers and fluency passages. In Reader's Theater, students are assigned parts in a play and then you read through the script with your group. Reading A-Z (log-in info is in your binder on the curriculum chart) has Reader's Theater scripts on Level E (Grade 1) and up. To access the scripts, log in to Reading A-Z, click on the Fluency tab at the top, and then click on Reader's Theater Scripts on the left. Reader's Theater should not replace your lessons, but should be used as something special.

As with all things, planning for and introducing this activity appropriately is vital to its success. Students will be excited about the prospect of having a part, acting things out, and doing something different. Follow the below best practices to ensure a smooth production:

- Assign parts by picking out of a hat (otherwise students may argue over parts or feel like it was unfair)
- Use Reader's Theater as an incentive for good behavior. Work on a script over a few lessons at the end if students have earned it.
- If you are working with an individual or have more parts than students, assign yourself multiple parts
-You may want to go down one level from the lessons you usually do when choosing the script (at least at first) to build in successes. You want them to be able to read it fairly fluently and independently after a few read throughs, so a script that would be on the independent level is a good starting point.  

To ensure that students gain academic benefits, follow this general procedure:

-Hand out scripts, have students go through their own script and highlight all of their lines
-Have students practice their own lines independently, underlining any words they do not know. You move from student to student, helping them with their underlined words
-Do two read throughs as a group where you help students with any words they do not know. Work on following punctuation, using the right emotions, and directing their lines to the right characters.
- Monitor the students' comprehension of the play while reading by asking questions and discussing how different lines should be said.
-Do one read through where you try not to prompt students to say their lines
-If behavior/space permits, they may act the play out. Even if you can't have them act it out, do a final reading where they "perform". The idea is that by this point, they should be reading their lines fluently and with the proper intonation on their own. It is important to build in scaffolding for them by doing many run-throughs (first independently with your help, then as a group with your help, then on their own) to avoid having a student stumbling over many words in front of the group and feeling bad. 

After the performance, you can use the plot of the play to reinforce comprehension skills. Have the students write a paragraph about what would happen in the sequel or have them complete a plot sequencing activity about the play.

Break a leg!