1. By: Brittany Donaldson
Readers’ Theater
By: Brittany Donaldson

2. What Is Readers’ Theater?
Program that promotes literacy.
Benefits all but mostly struggling readers and children who are English language learners.
Specific goal is to help children become fluent readers
Designed to help children use all three cueing systems while reading. (i.e. comprehension, graphophonetical and syntatical.)
Mostly focuses on comprehension, vocabulary, and word recognition.

3. Process of Readers Theater
In Readers Theater, a group of children are given leveled scripts that they must read repeatedly in order to gain an understanding about fluency.
Then, they present their scripts to the other students in the classroom as a sort of “mini-play.” However, it is important to understand that the presentations are not plays themselves.
The hope is that the children will be so anxious to perform in front of their peers, that through repeated practice, they will try hard to learn their scripts.

4. History of Reader’s Theater
Originally developed for college students taking a literature course. It was used to develop comprehension.
Educators and Specialist saw the program as very successful and tried to integrate it in High School, Junior High, Elementary, and most recently Early Education.
Today, it has a wide following and the numbers suggest that it works well with all ages, grade levels and abilities.

5. What is Fluency?
According to Casey and Chamberlin, Fluency is defined as the smoothness, accuracy, rate, and efficacy of reading.
An element of fluency is prosody which is defined as the phrasing, intonation, pitch.
These two areas combined help children to read accuratly and with style.
Demonstration

6. Why Readers Theater Works so Well
Addresses many types of intelligence and learning styles at once.
Gives something that children can relate well to and gives them accountabilit.
Promotes a fun way to learn literacy.
Integrates art, imagination and creativity into lessons.
Gives children some freedom.

7. Readers Theater vs Plays
Done regularly
Small Audiences
Uses no props, costumes, sets
Used mostly for academic purposes focusing on specific content areas.
Think play rehersal
Done once or twice a year.
Large Audiences
Uses many props, costumes, and elaborate sets.
Meant for entertainment purposes only and can integrate other mediums of artistic expression.
Think opening night.

8. Variations of Readers Theater
Content
Time
Direction
Ways that it can be done and for who
Other content areas
Where you see success

9. Readers Theater Example: Pre Day-1 and Day 1: Chamberlin and Casey.
• Teacher and/or students select story.
• Teacher and/or students prepare or write script.
Day 1
• Teacher reads aloud the story.
Students read script independently, in small
groups, or as a whole class multiple times.
• Teacher and students discuss story.
• Students take home unmarked scripts for
practice.

10. Day Two,Three and Four Day 2, 3, and 4
• Students practice script in small and large
groups, taking turns with different parts until later
in the week when permanent parts are chosen.
• Students give each other compliments and
suggestions.
• Teachers provide mini-lessons or coaching
that explicitly teaches an aspect of fluency or
prosody.
• Students highlight parts for specific characters.
• Students select permanent parts.
• Students take highlighted scripts home for
practice.

11. Day Five Day 5 • Performance
Options in a 5-Day Plan for Readers’ Theater

12. Classroom Management
Readers Theater can be very useful in classroom management in many ways:
Mini- Lessons : prepared in advanced and address a specific area were children are struggling.
Guided Reading
Read Alouds
Centers
Write Alouds
Interactive and Independent Writing

13. Script Ideas Write your own Use a book from Read- Alouds
Leveled Readers
Leveled Scripts (would have to purchase them)
Big Books
Rhymes
Poems
Songs

14. Script Ideas Around the Water Cycle from www.teachingheart.net/
readerstheater.htm
“Boa Constrictor” from Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel
Silverstein, 1974
Chicken Little retold by Jenny Giles (Rigby, 1997)
The Christmas Santa Almost Missed by Marian Frances
(Troll, 1970)
CLICK, CLACK, MOO: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin,
2000
“Code” from Lunch Money and Other Poems about School
by Carol Diggory Shields, 1995
“The Crocodile’s Toothache” from Where the Sidewalk
Ends by Shel Silverstein, 1974
Don’t Let Ted Have BUBBLE GUM! by Phyllis Sibbing, 1999
“A Faster Fox” from Fox Outfoxed by Edward Marshall,

15. Free Scripts: Internet

16. Ways to be Creative Use Holiday Themes Integrate Multicultural themes
Social Issues
World Issues
Fairy Tales
Tall Tales
Anything you want, be creative

17. What Researchers are Saying
Improves fluency
Helps ELL students
Combines Multiple Intelligence Theories
Helps in Special Education
Builds Character and self esteem
More Parental Involvement

18. Assesments
There are many ways that you can do phase three work with students in readers thearter:
Centers
Guided reading

19. Example of Readers Theater In Progress