Reader's+Theater

Reader's TheaterBy: Sarah Rock

Reader's Theater is a strategy used that combines oral reading and performing. Students "perform" by reading aloud scripts created from grade-level text.

**__Main Goal__**: The main goal of Reader's Theater is to enhance students oral reading skill and confidence. Reader's Theater gives students the ability to read text repeatedly, gaining practice and confidence while reading the script out loud in front of the class. Students are practicing reading with a purpose.

__**Reader's Theater Basics **__
 * Student's simply read their script, they do not memorize their parts
 * A stage is unnecessary
 * No props or costumes are needed (there is more of a focus on reading aloud rather than performing)


 * __How to Use Reader's Theater: __**
 * 1) Choose a script
 * 2) Choose an entertaining story line to involve all students
 * 3) Base it off a story or unit your using in class
 * 4) Start easy and work your way up to more difficult text
 * 5) You can purchase, download, or make your own scripts
 * 6) Adapt the Script
 * 7) Go over the script with your students. Remind them to read with expressions!
 * 8) Model each character's role and explain what that character is doing to help your students know exactly how to portray that character
 * 9) Provide students with instructional support for new vocabulary and/or characters
 * 10) Assign Parts
 * 11) You may let students choose their own parts or assign specific roles
 * 12) Highlight parts and rehearse
 * 13) Highlighting individual parts provides your students with a visual while they are reading their roles in front of the class
 * 14) Make sure you give students ample time to practice reading their parts independently, out loud!
 * 15) Perform
 * 16) The group of students stand in front of an audience and reads their scripts confidently!


 * __Why Reader's Theater? __**
 * Great tool for English Language Learners, reluctant learners, and fluent readers.
 * Builds on:
 * Fluency
 * Comprehension
 * Reading Confidence
 * Reader's learn to read aloud with expression


 * __<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Teacher Resources: __**
 * http://www.teachingheart.net/readerstheater.htm
 * http://www.webenglishteacher.com/rt.html
 * http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/instructor/readerstheater.htm

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: center;">"Reader's Theater motivates reluctant readers and provides fluent reader the opportunity to explore genre and characterization." -Cara Bafile.

Bafile, C. (2011). //Reader//. Retrieved from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/39/

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