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What
is Readers' Theatre ?
Readers
theatre is a joint dramatic reading from a text, usually with no
memorization, no movement and a minimum of props. It involves children
in oral reading through reading parts in scripts. Unlike traditional
theatre, the emphasis in on oral expression of the part - rather
than on acting and costumes.
What
is its purpose?
It
enables students to bring a text to life and together create a powerful
interpretation. It offers less confident readers support from peers
and provides a genuine social purpose for attentive reading. It
also provides students with models for creating 'the voice behind
the page' in their own silent reading. Readers'
Theatre provides a real context for reading and has obvious benefits
for students by increasing their skills as readers, writers, listeners
and speakers.
Readers'
theatre can be used to introduce longer texts that students may
then go on to read. In the same way that a television adaptation
can push book sales through the roof, readers' theatre can take
students into the world of a text and entice them into enthusiastic
reading.
How
can I do it?
First
an appropriate text is selected. Many narrative texts can be adapted
for readers theatre. Picture books are often ideal and fun to use.
For longer texts, several narrators can be allocated, characters
can be assigned to students who read their speech, and longer descriptive
passages that do not suit dramatic reading can be omitted. Alternatively,
scripts are sometimes prepared specifically for readers' theatre.
Susan
Hill and Joelie Hancock suggest starting by demonstrating with repetitive
picture books such as Hattie and the Fox by Mem Fox or Who Sank
the Boat? by Pamela Allen. The teacher can start by reading the
text through and then getting the students to join in with the dialogue
or for alternate sentences to create a dramatic reading.
The
degree of preparation depends on the expertise of the readers and
the specific purpose of the reading. Some students like to include
costume suggestions, music and other props.
How
can I adapt it?
The
whole class can work on the same text, or cooperative groups can
work on different parts of a text. An alternative is to invite groups
to select their own texts to present, from a collection of picture
books or short stories. The performance can be just for the class
or for other classes or audiences.
When
using readers' theatre to tune students into reading and studying
a set text, a gripping segment from any part of the book can be
chosen to work on, with a brief introduction by the teacher to set
the scene.
Create
and read scripts to introduc and reinforce concepts related to other
subject areas.
Adapt
stories from various cultures to the readers' theatre format.
Assessment
& Evaluation Considerations
- Observe
students' willingness and ability to make predictions and inferences
about character and plot development.
-
Note students' efforts to interpret characters and communicate
meaning through voice (volume, pitch, stress and juncture), facial
expressions and hand gestures.
- Note
students' interest in participating.
- Record
or video tape presentations.
- Note
students' interest in independent script writing.
- Readers'
Theatre Evaluation
Teacher
Resources
- Braun,
W. and Braun, C. (1995) Readers' Theatre - Scripted Rhymes
& Rhythms, Braun & Braun Educational Enterprises Ltd,
Calgary.
- Braun,
W. and Braun, C. (1995) Readers' Theatre - More Scripted Rhymes
& Rhythms, Braun & Braun Educational Enterprises Ltd,
Calgary.
- Braun,
W. and Braun, C. (1996) A Readers' Theatre Treasury of Stories,
Braun & Braun Educational Enterprises Ltd, Calgary.
- Braun,
W. and Braun, C. (1998) Readers' Theatre For Young Children,
Braun & Braun Educational Enterprises Ltd, Calgary.
- Dixon,
N., Davies, A., and Politano C. (1996) Learning With Readers'
Theatre, Peguis, Winnipeg.
- Hill,
S. (1992) Readers Theatre: Performing the Text, Eleanor
Curtain Publishing, Armadale.
- White,
M. (1993) Readers' Theatre Anthology, Meriwether Publishing,
CO.
- Walker,
L. (1996) Readers' Theatre in the Middle School and Junior
High School, Meriwether Publishing, CO.
- Readers
Theatre - Aaron Shepherd's site gives scripts that can be
used for students in grades 3 to 9. They can be edited and printed
for classroom use. Aaron Shepherd, who is a children's author,
also gives some useful tips on how to make readers theatre work
well in the classroom.
- Free
Sample Scripts from Storycart® Press
- Classroom
Theatre - lesson plans and scripts
- Free
Sample Scripts from Lois Walker
- ReadingLady.com's
Reader's Theater Scripts
- The
Beginning of the Armadillios by Rudyard Kipling: Readers' Theatre
Script
- What
Is Readers Theater?
- Readers
Theatre (from ReadWriteThink)
- Readers'
Theatre Assignment
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