Reader's Theater: Making Reading Come Alive

One way to get some of your most reluctant readers to read is by introducing Reader's Theater into your classroom.  I've found that the majority of my students love Reader's Theater and are willing to reread the text multiple times (YEAH, talk about improving fluency!) and read in front of others.  When evaluating my students' beginning of the year motivation surveys, I noticed that many of my students indicated that they did not enjoy reading aloud.  By introducing more Reader's Theater into my classroom, my students are gaining oral reading confidence and improving their fluency.  Check out the article from Education World for more information on using Readers Theater to increase reading motivation. 

Reader's Theater:  A Reason to Read Aloud by Cara Bafile

If you've decided to introduce reader's theater into your classroom, remember the following guidelines when selecting your texts (according to Judy Freeman):

• Peppy dialogue
• A little action
• Laugh-out-loud parts
• Lively narration
• Enough roles for all

Most of my students have greatly enjoyed the 12 Fabulously Funny Fairy Tale Plays by Justin Mccory Martin.  These twisted tales allowed for my students that are reading below grade level (everyone has some struggling kiddos, right?) to be successful with a text that doesn't seem babyish. 

For my students that are reading closer to grade level, I have found Joan M. Wolf's Cinderella Outgrows the Glass Slipper and Other Zany Fractured Fairy Tale Plays to be a great fit for my classroom.  Both can be found on Amazon or possibly at your local library. 

For my students that are reading above grade level, I have given them the chance to write their own fractured fairy tale script and present it to the classroom.  It's great to hear some of your student's wit and sarcasm put to good use!