What is Reader's Theater?
According to Jennings, Caldwell, and Lerner, Reader's Theater involves reading, without memorizing, a script and performing it without scenery, makeup, costumes, or props. Reader's Theater does not involve facial expressions, body movements, or specific acting techniques (2014). Overall, this strategy mainly focuses on effective reading. When implementing Reader's Theater in the classroom, teachers choose a text that can be divided into different parts or characters and students either choose their characters or are assigned specific parts. Prior to performing in Reader's Theater, it is important students have the opportunity to read either chorally or independently to practice their parts. Because there is a performance piece to this strategy, students are motivated and engaged in repeatedly reading their given part of the script. This fosters both reading fluency and expression. Jennings, Caldwell, and Lerner state, "Reader's Theater may seem better suited to the regular classroom than to an intervention setting because of the time involved. However, because it is so motivating to students and so effective in increasing fluency, short scripts could be practiced over a series of lessons and the final performance could be recorded for students to take home" (2014). This strategy benefits all students, especially those who struggle with fluency in reading because each student is required to practice his or her characters' part in repeated readings, rather than memorizing lines. This practice builds confidence in reading. Reader's Theater also provides practice opportunities for students who are English language learners in developing oral skills. A great deal of time is spent preparing to perform a Reader's Theater. Students might receive their scripts and practice during reading for two to three days in small groups and also at home before performing in front of their classmates. This performance can be recorded in order for students to share it with their families.
Visual Representations
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In the video above, Mrs. Burns' third grade class performs a Reader's Theater of Spiderella, which is based on Cinderella. This performance includes six different characters, a Narrator, 1st Ladybug Step Sister, 2nd Ladybug Step Sister, Spiderella, Fairy Godmoth, and Prince. Each student has their own copy of the Spiderella script to read off of. Third grade students are performing in front of classmates and their families and demonstrate reading fluency.
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The video above shows first and second grade students from Fisher Elementary School performing Frog and Toad are Friends, "Spring," by Arnold Lobel. This performance includes Narrator 1, Narrator 2, Narrator 3, Frog, and Toad. Narrator 1 shows a high level of fluency and expression. It is clear all five students practiced their character parts in repeated readings as the narrators share some of the lines.
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The image above is an anchor chart that describes how to be a Reader's Theater Super Star. It states expectations for students as they are participating in Reader's Theater that they can refer to or discuss as a class in preparing to perform.
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Content Area Examples
Reading- Reader's Theater is used in reading as students practice fluency and expression. Reader's Theater is also a means of practicing repeated readings. Students can perform a Reader's Theater using a variety of texts that can be divided into different parts or characters. Examples of texts that can be used include The Three Little Pigs, Tacky the Penguin, Ant and the Grasshopper, Billy Goats' Gruff, Goldilocks, Jack In the Beanstalk, Stellaluna, and many more. Each script involves a particular number of characters and can be chosen depending on the number of students in each group.
Math- Reader's Theater can be used as a strategy in math when working on word problems. Reading Rockets offers a link (below) to an example script about 100's day and the theme/concept of 100. This script is called A Mystery Message by Lois Lewis and is intended for grade levels 3-6. The story is about an old box that contains a century-old mystery message and is set in present day at a school in a small city. A Mystery Message involves all students in reading and there is a follow-up activity provided in the link to complete after the performance that requires students to work together to decode the message using the clues from the script.
Social Studies- Students can perform Reader's Theater in social studies using scripts about America. These scripts can be at a variety of text complexity levels, depending on students' reading abilities. Reading Rockets provides a link (below) to a script about America that can be divided into a range of different parts. Each student could be responsible for reading specific lines or whole paragraphs that are divided by dotted lines on the script. Students can also perform Reader's Theater in social studies by choosing one part of a historical novel.
Science- Reader's Theater can be used in science as students are learning new content. Reading Rockets provides a link (below) to an example teachers can use when teaching about dinosaurs in science. The script is titled Dinosaur Land and involves two characters, the Meat Eater and the Plant Eater. Students can be paired up or choose their partners to practice reading the Dinosaur Land script to learn the differences between herbivores and carnivores and what each type of dinosaur eats. Students can perform other scripts in science that might discuss sun, moon, and stars, etc.
Math- Reader's Theater can be used as a strategy in math when working on word problems. Reading Rockets offers a link (below) to an example script about 100's day and the theme/concept of 100. This script is called A Mystery Message by Lois Lewis and is intended for grade levels 3-6. The story is about an old box that contains a century-old mystery message and is set in present day at a school in a small city. A Mystery Message involves all students in reading and there is a follow-up activity provided in the link to complete after the performance that requires students to work together to decode the message using the clues from the script.
Social Studies- Students can perform Reader's Theater in social studies using scripts about America. These scripts can be at a variety of text complexity levels, depending on students' reading abilities. Reading Rockets provides a link (below) to a script about America that can be divided into a range of different parts. Each student could be responsible for reading specific lines or whole paragraphs that are divided by dotted lines on the script. Students can also perform Reader's Theater in social studies by choosing one part of a historical novel.
Science- Reader's Theater can be used in science as students are learning new content. Reading Rockets provides a link (below) to an example teachers can use when teaching about dinosaurs in science. The script is titled Dinosaur Land and involves two characters, the Meat Eater and the Plant Eater. Students can be paired up or choose their partners to practice reading the Dinosaur Land script to learn the differences between herbivores and carnivores and what each type of dinosaur eats. Students can perform other scripts in science that might discuss sun, moon, and stars, etc.
