Teaching Tips and Memorable Methods Corner :  A.G. Stromsdorfer                     

 

The following  has been submitted by Stephanie McAndrews:   Stephanie McAndrews is a literacy professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE).  She teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in diagnostic reading and assessment, as well as emergent through content area literacy.  She is also an experienced classroom teacher and reading specialist for grades K-6, who taught many English language learners.  She is an international presenter, published author, and is actively involved in the International Reading Association She has served as a board member and as president of the Lewis and Clark Reading Council. Reader’s Theater:  A Dramatic Interpretation of Text Reader’s Theater is a repeated reading strategy that brings voices to life and offers an entertaining and engaging means of improving fluency and enhancing comprehension.  It encourages student’s appreciation of literature and fosters an eagerness to read through performing.  Reader's Theater addresses the reading needs of all students by motivating reluctant readers and providing fluent readers with the opportunity to explore genre and characterization.  The goal of reader’s theater is to read a script in which the story theme and character development are conveyed to the audience through intonation, inflection, and fluency. The key to success in all repeated reading strategies is reading for a purpose, such as to perform so that the audience can visualize the action in the story. Reader’s theater was originally developed as an efficient and effective way to present literature in dramatic form in colleges and universities.  Reader’s theater has now moved to earlier education, where it is seen as a key tool for creating interest and skill in reading.  Most scripts are literary adaptations, though others are original dramatic works.  Initially it is best to select works that are already written as scripts and divided into different speaking parts.  Eventually the teacher and or the students can write their own play scripts.  Procedure for Performing Reader’s Theater 1. Select scripts that are at the student’s interest and instructional level (90% or above word accuracy), so that the students can focus on intonation, inflection, and fluency, rather than word identification.  Select a text that students will be able to successfully analyze the story structure and read sections of dialogue aloud after repeated practice.  However a few unfamiliar words, is beneficial as it helps with learning vocabulary. 2. Select scripts that involve multiple readers. The narration, which helps to connect the text, can be performed by more than one reader.   Scripts should be short enough to be completed and discussed within one class period. 3.  The teacher presents a brief introduction to the characters, setting, events, and problem. 4.  The students select or are assigned appropriate parts to read and are given a separate script with their part highlighted. 5.  The teacher models and discusses appropriate intonation, inflection, and fluency behaviors, as well as listening behaviors. 6. Give the readers an opportunity to first read the script silently and then read their parts orally to themselves. 7.  Students perform the script without or with minimal sets, costumes, or props. 8.  The scripts are used openly in performance; therefore students do not need to memorize the text. 9.  The students convey the story line by their intonation and phrasing. 10.  Listeners must use their imaginations to interpret the story line.   Modifications adapted from Walker (2001) include: The teacher and students write a play script for a fiction or non-fiction text they have read.  This enhances the students’ word recognition because they need to reread parts of the text several times.  With a little imagination students can even transform a science book into a play by personifying animals and natural objects. Children are excited about learning facts and putting drama into informational learning. Having the students write the script from a story can also improve their comprehension because they must decide what dialogue and narration are necessary to understand the story. Different reading levels can be included to allow readers of varying reading abilities to participate in the same activity.   Reader’s Theater with English Language Learners   Reader’s theater provides an opportunity for students to collaborate and communicate with each other.  It provides English Language Learners with a language model and they do not have to figure out how to say something grammatically correct.  Students can be more successful because they have several opportunities to practice reading before they perform.  English language learners could also be paired with fluent English speakers so that they chorally read the same part.  Reader’s theater gives students an opportunity to not only read fluently, but also practice the articulation, structure, and the use of language. According to Shepard (2004), reader’s theater has also been found effective not only for language arts but for social studies as well. Performing stories based on another culture is one of the best ways for students to become interested in and familiar with that culture. Reader’s Theater Resources Aaron Shepard's Reader’s Theater Page This site from author Aaron Shepard explains Reader's Theater and includes free scripts and practice sheets. An excellent source of reader’s theater scripts can be retrieved at http://www.aaronshep.com.  Lorraine Griffith writes about using reader’s theater in the classroom. www.teacher.scholastic.com/products/instructor/readerstheater.htm" says. Playbooks: Playbooks provides leveled books designed in Reader's Theater format with each character’s dialogue in a different color.  Teachers can get free samples of these books at  www.eplaybooks.com   Tyler, B. and Chard, D. (2002).  Using reader’s theater to foster fluency in struggling readers, a twist on the repeated reading strategy.  Reading and Writing Quarterly, 16(2).  Walker, B. J. (2004).  Diagnostic Teaching of Reading : Techniques for Instruction and Assessment, 5th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.   Worthy, J. and Prater, K. (2002).  I thought about it all night: Reader’s theater for reading fluency and motivation.  The Reading Teacher, 56 (3)

 

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