-It was my second time seeing readers theatre in action. Thank you for presenting it and it is something I look forward to also doing soon in my own classrooms. I really had fun and love acting out.
-You guys did a good job in explaining how as teachers we will need to adapt and be considering students with ESL, struggling readers, and different needs.
-I liked how you shared the interesting ways in assigning groups.
- The first time I saw a teacher do readers theatre it didn’t quite work as well as your guys way of doing it. However, it would also depend on the class and teacher I think in how successful readers theatre can be like any other lesson. My question for you is if you have the teacher assign groups then would you also have the teacher assign which role each student will do? I ask because sometimes students fight over who gets to do what? How would this be resolved? And how would you help a student who is a weaker reader but really wants to take on the role of a character with many reading lines and difficult vocabulary usage?
God Bless and I really will use this lesson in my teaching. Thank you for it :)
Leah Pells July 6th-2009 Readers Theatre: by Devon, Lejla and Tracy. I loved this lesson and will most certainly use Readers theatre in my class. I found the lesson to very interactive and fun. The think/pair/share was a great strategy to get us all thinking of theatre and what our past knowledge of theatre was. The overall lesson was extremely well organized, fun and very interactive. Great lesson ladies. Thank you Leah
This lesson did a good job in trying to establish bakcground knowlege. We forget sometimes how important it is to make sure evryone know what we are talking about. Good job! The lesson was fun and useful. I like the idea of a reader theater and think it cna be done with any age group. Thanks for the hand out, nice lesson
- introduction – I like that how the lesson involves a lot of variety that can appeal to different students by different roles. Very clear points on how fluency can affect student’s comprehension and how expression plays an important aspect when reading and performing. - lesson- good idea to incorporate think, pair, share gives students an opportunity to share what they already know to activate prior knowledge. But what if there was a student that doesn’t know what a play was? It was good that the teacher asked the class what is a narrator, character, what is important when performing on a stage. This gave students that a chance to understanding what the words mean. - I really how reader’s theater can be incorporated in non-fiction and fictional books. This also enables all students to participate cooperatively.
I loved this lesson!! I think that readers theater can be used for all different grade levels. Our class really seemed to enjoy it! It really made reading fun and would make students want to be able to read fluently. I liked how the group used the think, pair, share strategy to get background info from students while helping to inform those who may not know as much about theater. I thought the idea of the whole class reading together was great because it helped to address that some students may be more shy then others and this way they would not be as singled out. Overall, a fun and enjoyable lesson!
I loved this lesson. Reader’s Theatre is so great in that for helping students with fluency and for differentiated learning. I had never seen it read as a group before. While it was an intersting twist I don’t know that I would want to do ALL of the performances this way… because I think it is important to let the students express how they would read and perform it too. It was nice to see a readers theatre that was small in terms of cast size as well. Most of the ones I have seen done in my kids classes are written for the whole class and so there are not a lot of lines for each student. The only exception I have seen to that is a whole class Reader’s Theatre of ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ which comes complete with songs. I really enjoyed your lesson and how confidently you presented it to the class. Thanks, Crystal
I liked how you included all learning levels in your lesson. I thought a child that has more difficulty could choose a smaller part to read. Question: what would you do with a child that is unable to read at all?
I enjoyed the reader's theatre lesson, as mentioned it gives great opportunity to those students who need to act out and have the spot light on them. I would ask though, in a grade 4 classroom how long would you teach reader’s theatre? How long would the lessons be?
I thought you girls did a fantastic job. It was great to get the class really involved and have very little “upfront” time. The purpose and the objective of the lesson was very clear while at the same time we were engaged and active. I am excited to use Reader’s Theatre in my future classroom! I also loved that this activity was so inclusive of all readers. This is a great one to use with a class that has vast levels of abilities as it challenges everyone at the right level. Loved the think/pair/share. I also really appreciated that you explained why T/P/S worked so well here. It’s good to be reminded of why we use the strategies we use. Excellent job!!!
In response to Ashok: I'm not sure if I would assign roles, just so students feel like they have some choice in the process. As the groups have already been picked to encompass all abilities, I think it would be nice to let children choose. If there were two children that wanted the same part, I would really consider suggesting to the children to problem solve the issue. At this age, the whole 'social' thing becomes an issue, and students really need to learn to resolve problems with classmates. They would need to find some sort of compromise. If the class were to stay in the same groups, but work through a variety of reader's theaters, then the child who didn't get the part he/she wanted the first time, would get to choose the second time. I think that would be a fair way. If it were a weak reader, I would inform them that there are a lot of difficult words, but would not turn the child down from a part that he/she wants. I would explain to the child that they would need to work very hard and need to practice, practice, practice. It's amazing what children can do when they really want something. If the child was still struggling, but was clearly showing effort, maybe those difficult words could be changed to be simpler.
In response to Alanna: If at grade 4/5 a child could not read at all, I think there would be a larger issue than whether or not the child would participate in reader's theater. However, if a child could not read, this child may be given a really easy part, where there aren't very many lines or the lines are repetitive. Also, if the child could not read, I think the teacher would have to provide some one-one assistance on reading those words, building on phonemic awareness.
In response to mr. grant: I think the length of reader's theater can be done for as long as the teacher thinks is necessary and still purposeful. With the wide variety of scripts out there, teachers are equipped to provide students with a variety of scripts. And as it was mentioned in class, reader's theater can also be used to teach non-fiction, such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day (the example provided in class *I think it was Janaya that said this*) Also, as I saw in my practicum classroom, my SA ended the reader's theater theme with students writing their own scripts, as groups.
The lesson on building fluency was an interesting lesson.
- The introduction was very clear and articulate. I enjoyed the fact that you would state the purpose to the students at the beginning, I never thought of starting a lesson this way. - It was nice to see how you brought in the idea of tailoring the lesson to the multiple intelligences – memorizing and performing as well as your thoughts on struggling/new readers/ESL students. For this latter group of students, as you stated, practice is very important. - It was nice that you got the class involved in choral reading. It was interesting to see how we progressed in our parts throughout the reading of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
As you all were aware, I loved this lesson! I'm always a big fan of incorporating drama into the classroom and I really enjoyed this.
- The Popsicle sticks were a great way to put everyone into groups. It has a bit of a random curve to it, and I think the students would appreciate that. Like you mentioned (I think) it's good to also be aware of assigning groups when you need to. (But I know you guys know that!!)
- I really enjoyed participating in this lesson! Thanks ladies!
I thought this was a great, interactive lesson. I like the idea of reading as a whole class. This involves those students who are too shy to read in front of the whole class. However, with more practice, eventually groups could perform. Wonderful Job!
Reader’s theatre, as pointed out by this group, is great for word work and teaching the students about different tenses etc, because of the repletion in the scripts. I really liked that a purpose was set for the lesson (the ‘teacher’ explained to the students that this activity would help with their fluency). It’s important for students to know why they are doing a certain activity and this lesson had a clear, easy to understand purpose. The lesson was great for incorporating team work and had lots of interactivity built in to it. Great work!
Reader’s Theatre. I love Reader’s Theatre! As I shared in class, I had the opportunity to use this type of reading in my grade 1 class. A child was informally labeled as ‘feral child’ (wild, untamed) by the staff. She was a very intelligent child who had some behavioural issues. I observed her in music class and in the Reader’s Theatre: she was transformed. She became a gentle spirit filled with joy, fully and appropriately animated. It was incredible. It shows you the power of differentiated learning. I also loved the choral reading. There is such modeling, support and encouragement to the struggling or shy reader for building fluency and confidence. Everyone becomes one and the voice that resonates through the room. PS Remember to introduce yourselves when you do a presentation.
Reader’s Theater and reading Fluency The lesson was fun and engaging. I really liked the idea that students who had the same role had an opportunity to practice reading the scripts together. A shy or ESL learners can join to this activity without feeling embarrassed in speaking in front of a whole class. The lesson encouraged all students to practice reading fluency with a lot of expression.
Readers Theatre is such a fun way to do repeated reading. While researching for my essay on oral reading I read over and over again that repeated reading was the single most effective way to improve fluency. I am glad you had us do the whole play-I wouldn’t have thought to do it chorally but it worked very well.
Thank you for sharing your reader’s theatre lesson idea and for providing us with a resource that we will be able to use in our future classrooms! Reader’s theatre is fun and great for all levels of reading. You could even group kids according to their reading ability and then assign an appropriate ‘play’ for them to present. I think the class would enjoy watching the different plays! You did an excellent job of organizing the groups, providing enough practice time, and then leading a ‘choral’ reading of the play. GREAT JOB!
Thanks Ladies! This is a great vocal example for encouraging "expression". The choral reading encourages inflection and cadence too. I liked how the repetition lends itself to sight vocabulary, while encouraging fluency and automaticity.
I like how you used choral reading for your version of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears! It takes a lot of the pressure off of the kids who are not fully confident reading aloud. You could really see and hear how we all fell into sync after a while, and this would be really helpful for struggling readers to build their fluency and confidence. I used a form of reader’s theatre in my practicum, and I found that the students’ really responded to this. I saw their fluency grow in leaps and bounds, and kids who mumbled monotonously through their lines in the first part of the book were finishing off their parts with more enthusiasm than I could have hoped for!
I would just like to begin by saying that I LOVED THIS LESSON! It brought so many fun things together- reading for enjoyment, attention to voice and punctuation, and it allowed for creativity. My favorite thing about readers theatre (and I think your group made this point very clear)is that it gets everyone involved and it makes everyone feel successful. From personal experience with readers theatre, it is a great activity that just brings all children out of their 'shells'. It allows the strongest readers to excell, but it also allows children who need a bit more time to work through their lines to practice, gain confidence, and then add their personalities. Again, I thought that this was a really great lesson, and I also really enjoyed the way you had our class say our lines together. It was so funny, but it was also something that I would like to try in a class full of children. Well-done ladies!
I loved your presentation. I did my paper on Readers Theatre, and I was surprised and impressed to finally see what I had been writing about- for what seemed like forever- to be presented in front of me!!
I love how readers theatre gets everyone involved, and allows students to practice repeatedly what they are going to present, focusing on reading with expression. As in your lesson, having students read their "parts" in a choral readaloud would reduce the pressure placed on each individual student during the initial readings of the script. Your lesson was fun, engaging, and everything tied together well; you presented clearly and in an organized way. -- and thank you for giving us a resource to use in the future!! :D
Reader's theatre is a great way to increase fluency in students. Your lesson illustrated how people automatically change their voices and expressions when they are given the opportunity. Kids may feel embarrassed at first but deep down they are having fun hamming it up for the class. This activity can be adapted in so many ways. I participated in a literacy fair at a middle school where the kids performed different Dr.Seuss books and 12-14 year oldsters had a great time. Well done group!
Group 3: Readers Theatre Thank you for this lesson, I have never seen reader’s theatre done before. It was fun, non-threatening, allowed for creative expression and students get to see their peers modelling different ways of reading the same passage. A great idea to do a T/P/S about theatre to get everyone on the same page and to recall some prior knowledge. Would you do RT as a separate unit or include RT activities throughout the year?
Ashok’s 3 stars and a question for group 3:
ReplyDelete-It was my second time seeing readers theatre in action. Thank you for presenting it and it is something I look forward to also doing soon in my own classrooms. I really had fun and love acting out.
-You guys did a good job in explaining how as teachers we will need to adapt and be considering students with ESL, struggling readers, and different needs.
-I liked how you shared the interesting ways in assigning groups.
- The first time I saw a teacher do readers theatre it didn’t quite work as well as your guys way of doing it. However, it would also depend on the class and teacher I think in how successful readers theatre can be like any other lesson. My question for you is if you have the teacher assign groups then would you also have the teacher assign which role each student will do? I ask because sometimes students fight over who gets to do what? How would this be resolved? And how would you help a student who is a weaker reader but really wants to take on the role of a character with many reading lines and difficult vocabulary usage?
God Bless and I really will use this lesson in my teaching. Thank you for it :)
Ashok K.
Leah Pells
ReplyDeleteJuly 6th-2009
Readers Theatre: by Devon, Lejla and Tracy.
I loved this lesson and will most certainly use Readers theatre in my class. I found the lesson to very interactive and fun. The think/pair/share was a great strategy to get us all thinking of theatre and what our past knowledge of theatre was.
The overall lesson was extremely well organized, fun and very interactive.
Great lesson ladies.
Thank you
Leah
This lesson did a good job in trying to establish bakcground knowlege. We forget sometimes how important it is to make sure evryone know what we are talking about. Good job! The lesson was fun and useful. I like the idea of a reader theater and think it cna be done with any age group. Thanks for the hand out, nice lesson
ReplyDeleteReaders Theater and Fluency Lesson
ReplyDelete- introduction – I like that how the lesson involves a lot of variety that can appeal to different students by different roles. Very clear points on how fluency can affect student’s comprehension and how expression plays an important aspect when reading and performing.
- lesson- good idea to incorporate think, pair, share gives students an opportunity to share what they already know to activate prior knowledge. But what if there was a student that doesn’t know what a play was? It was good that the teacher asked the class what is a narrator, character, what is important when performing on a stage. This gave students that a chance to understanding what the words mean.
- I really how reader’s theater can be incorporated in non-fiction and fictional books. This also enables all students to participate cooperatively.
Great lesson and very informational
I loved this lesson!! I think that readers theater can be used for all different grade levels. Our class really seemed to enjoy it! It really made reading fun and would make students want to be able to read fluently. I liked how the group used the think, pair, share strategy to get background info from students while helping to inform those who may not know as much about theater. I thought the idea of the whole class reading together was great because it helped to address that some students may be more shy then others and this way they would not be as singled out.
ReplyDeleteOverall, a fun and enjoyable lesson!
I loved this lesson. Reader’s Theatre is so great in that for helping students with fluency and for differentiated learning. I had never seen it read as a group before. While it was an intersting twist I don’t know that I would want to do ALL of the performances this way… because I think it is important to let the students express how they would read and perform it too. It was nice to see a readers theatre that was small in terms of cast size as well. Most of the ones I have seen done in my kids classes are written for the whole class and so there are not a lot of lines for each student. The only exception I have seen to that is a whole class Reader’s Theatre of ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ which comes complete with songs. I really enjoyed your lesson and how confidently you presented it to the class.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Crystal
I liked how you included all learning levels in your lesson. I thought a child that has more difficulty could choose a smaller part to read.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: what would you do with a child that is unable to read at all?
I enjoyed the reader's theatre lesson, as mentioned it gives great opportunity to those students who need to act out and have the spot light on them. I would ask though, in a grade 4 classroom how long would you teach reader’s theatre? How long would the lessons be?
ReplyDeleteI thought you girls did a fantastic job. It was great to get the class really involved and have very little “upfront” time. The purpose and the objective of the lesson was very clear while at the same time we were engaged and active. I am excited to use Reader’s Theatre in my future classroom! I also loved that this activity was so inclusive of all readers. This is a great one to use with a class that has vast levels of abilities as it challenges everyone at the right level. Loved the think/pair/share. I also really appreciated that you explained why T/P/S worked so well here. It’s good to be reminded of why we use the strategies we use. Excellent job!!!
ReplyDeleteIn response to Ashok: I'm not sure if I would assign roles, just so students feel like they have some choice in the process. As the groups have already been picked to encompass all abilities, I think it would be nice to let children choose. If there were two children that wanted the same part, I would really consider suggesting to the children to problem solve the issue. At this age, the whole 'social' thing becomes an issue, and students really need to learn to resolve problems with classmates. They would need to find some sort of compromise.
ReplyDeleteIf the class were to stay in the same groups, but work through a variety of reader's theaters, then the child who didn't get the part he/she wanted the first time, would get to choose the second time. I think that would be a fair way.
If it were a weak reader, I would inform them that there are a lot of difficult words, but would not turn the child down from a part that he/she wants. I would explain to the child that they would need to work very hard and need to practice, practice, practice. It's amazing what children can do when they really want something. If the child was still struggling, but was clearly showing effort, maybe those difficult words could be changed to be simpler.
In response to Alanna: If at grade 4/5 a child could not read at all, I think there would be a larger issue than whether or not the child would participate in reader's theater. However, if a child could not read, this child may be given a really easy part, where there aren't very many lines or the lines are repetitive. Also, if the child could not read, I think the teacher would have to provide some one-one assistance on reading those words, building on phonemic awareness.
In response to mr. grant: I think the length of reader's theater can be done for as long as the teacher thinks is necessary and still purposeful. With the wide variety of scripts out there, teachers are equipped to provide students with a variety of scripts. And as it was mentioned in class, reader's theater can also be used to teach non-fiction, such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day (the example provided in class *I think it was Janaya that said this*) Also, as I saw in my practicum classroom, my SA ended the reader's theater theme with students writing their own scripts, as groups.
The lesson on building fluency was an interesting lesson.
ReplyDelete- The introduction was very clear and articulate. I enjoyed the fact that you would state the purpose to the students at the beginning, I never thought of starting a lesson this way.
- It was nice to see how you brought in the idea of tailoring the lesson to the multiple intelligences – memorizing and performing as well as your thoughts on struggling/new readers/ESL students. For this latter group of students, as you stated, practice is very important.
- It was nice that you got the class involved in choral reading. It was interesting to see how we progressed in our parts throughout the reading of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
As you all were aware, I loved this lesson! I'm always a big fan of incorporating drama into the classroom and I really enjoyed this.
ReplyDelete- The Popsicle sticks were a great way to put everyone into groups. It has a bit of a random curve to it, and I think the students would appreciate that. Like you mentioned (I think) it's good to also be aware of assigning groups when you need to. (But I know you guys know that!!)
- I really enjoyed participating in this lesson! Thanks ladies!
I thought this was a great, interactive lesson. I like the idea of reading as a whole class. This involves those students who are too shy to read in front of the whole class. However, with more practice, eventually groups could perform. Wonderful Job!
ReplyDeleteReader’s theatre, as pointed out by this group, is great for word work and teaching the students about different tenses etc, because of the repletion in the scripts. I really liked that a purpose was set for the lesson (the ‘teacher’ explained to the students that this activity would help with their fluency). It’s important for students to know why they are doing a certain activity and this lesson had a clear, easy to understand purpose. The lesson was great for incorporating team work and had lots of interactivity built in to it. Great work!
ReplyDeleteReader’s Theatre. I love Reader’s Theatre! As I shared in class, I had the opportunity to use this type of reading in my grade 1 class. A child was informally labeled as ‘feral child’ (wild, untamed) by the staff. She was a very intelligent child who had some behavioural issues. I observed her in music class and in the Reader’s Theatre: she was transformed. She became a gentle spirit filled with joy, fully and appropriately animated. It was incredible. It shows you the power of differentiated learning.
ReplyDeleteI also loved the choral reading. There is such modeling, support and encouragement to the struggling or shy reader for building fluency and confidence. Everyone becomes one and the voice that resonates through the room. PS Remember to introduce yourselves when you do a presentation.
Reader’s Theater and reading Fluency
ReplyDeleteThe lesson was fun and engaging. I really liked the idea that students who had the same role had an opportunity to practice reading the scripts together. A shy or ESL learners can join to this activity without feeling embarrassed in speaking in front of a whole class. The lesson encouraged all students to practice reading fluency with a lot of expression.
Readers Theatre is such a fun way to do repeated reading. While researching for my essay on oral reading I read over and over again that repeated reading was the single most effective way to improve fluency. I am glad you had us do the whole play-I wouldn’t have thought to do it chorally but it worked very well.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your reader’s theatre lesson idea and for providing us with a resource that we will be able to use in our future classrooms! Reader’s theatre is fun and great for all levels of reading. You could even group kids according to their reading ability and then assign an appropriate ‘play’ for them to present. I think the class would enjoy watching the different plays! You did an excellent job of organizing the groups, providing enough practice time, and then leading a ‘choral’ reading of the play. GREAT JOB!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ladies! This is a great vocal example for encouraging "expression". The choral reading encourages inflection and cadence too. I liked how the repetition lends itself to sight vocabulary, while encouraging fluency and automaticity.
ReplyDeleteExcellent lesson!
I like how you used choral reading for your version of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears! It takes a lot of the pressure off of the kids who are not fully confident reading aloud. You could really see and hear how we all fell into sync after a while, and this would be really helpful for struggling readers to build their fluency and confidence. I used a form of reader’s theatre in my practicum, and I found that the students’ really responded to this. I saw their fluency grow in leaps and bounds, and kids who mumbled monotonously through their lines in the first part of the book were finishing off their parts with more enthusiasm than I could have hoped for!
ReplyDeleteI would just like to begin by saying that I LOVED THIS LESSON!
ReplyDeleteIt brought so many fun things together- reading for enjoyment, attention to voice and punctuation, and it allowed for creativity. My favorite thing about readers theatre (and I think your group made this point very clear)is that it gets everyone involved and it makes everyone feel successful. From personal experience with readers theatre, it is a great activity that just brings all children out of their 'shells'. It allows the strongest readers to excell, but it also allows children who need a bit more time to work through their lines to practice, gain confidence, and then add their personalities. Again, I thought that this was a really great lesson, and I also really enjoyed the way you had our class say our lines together. It was so funny, but it was also something that I would like to try in a class full of children. Well-done ladies!
I loved your presentation.
ReplyDeleteI did my paper on Readers Theatre, and I was surprised and impressed to finally see what I had been writing about- for what seemed like forever- to be presented in front of me!!
I love how readers theatre gets everyone involved, and allows students to practice repeatedly what they are going to present, focusing on reading with expression. As in your lesson, having students read their "parts" in a choral readaloud would reduce the pressure placed on each individual student during the initial readings of the script.
Your lesson was fun, engaging, and everything tied together well; you presented clearly and in an organized way. -- and thank you for giving us a resource to use in the future!! :D
Reader's theatre is a great way to increase fluency in students. Your lesson illustrated how people automatically change their voices and expressions when they are given the opportunity. Kids may feel embarrassed at first but deep down they are having fun hamming it up for the class. This activity can be adapted in so many ways. I participated in a literacy fair at a middle school where the kids performed different Dr.Seuss books and 12-14 year oldsters had a great time. Well done group!
ReplyDeleteGroup 3: Readers Theatre
ReplyDeleteThank you for this lesson, I have never seen reader’s theatre done before. It was fun, non-threatening, allowed for creative expression and students get to see their peers modelling different ways of reading the same passage. A great idea to do a T/P/S about theatre to get everyone on the same page and to recall some prior knowledge.
Would you do RT as a separate unit or include RT activities throughout the year?