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Reader’s Theater

Reader’s Theater. Carol Bedard, Ph.D. Greater Houston Area Writing Project. Objectives. To build background knowledge of the Dust Bowl. To perform a choral reading of the background knowledge. To define reader’s theater.

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Reader’s Theater

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  1. Reader’s Theater Carol Bedard, Ph.D. Greater Houston Area Writing Project

  2. Objectives • To build background knowledge of the Dust Bowl. • To perform a choral reading of the background knowledge. • To define reader’s theater. • To describe the benefits of Reader’s Theater according to the research. • To write/perform a reader’s theater based on information taken from various texts.

  3. Standards • Standard I: Listening, Speaking 2.1D—listen critically to interpret and evaluate 2.3D---present dramatic interpretations of experiences, stories, poems, or plays • Standard VI: Reading/Fluency 2.6C---read orally from familiar texts with fluency (accuracy, expression, appropriate phrasing, and attention to punctuation)

  4. TEKS • 5.C  Listening/speaking/audiences.   Students present dramatic interpretations of experiences, stories, poems, or plays to communicate (4-8); • 7 C  Reading/fluency. Students  demonstrate characteristics of fluent and effective readers (4-6) •  Writing/purposes. Students  write to express, discover, record, develop, reflect on ideas, and to problem solve (4-8)

  5. Reader’s Theater Defined(Galda & West, 1995) • Reader’s Theater is one form of story drama. • It involves the close scrutiny of texts, characters, and events and the use of oral language to plan and discuss scripts. • The written script reflects the events, characters, and information students have read about, viewed, or discussed.

  6. Reader’s Theater Possibilities • Published scripts— Zachary Beaver Came To Town by Beverly Holt • Scripts from fictional books, short-story collections… IRA: Richard Peck, Avi, Sarah Weeks… • Informational Scripts---Dust Bowl…

  7. Benefits of Reader’s Theater • Builds fluency Fluency is important in the development of the higher-order literacy proficiencies because engaging in these sorts of thinking about texts, ideas, characters, and themes requires substantial mental activity space. Demonstrations of higher-order literacy proficiencies are more likely if the material is read accurately, fluently, and with reasonable recall of text content (Allington, 2001). • Develops ability to determine what is important (summarization) The students realized that they should have read the material more carefully. Some students said they focused too much on details and others said the task (writing a script) made them realize they didn’t have the “big picture (Worthy, 2004).

  8. Benefits continued… • Makes writing more comprehensible “The students discussed how they should have included a setting and introduction of characters to help situate the scene” (Worthy, 2004). • Builds vocabulary “Effective vocabulary instruction helps the learner to use the instructed words meaningfully. The more deeply some information is processed, the more likely it is to be remembered. There is a big difference between being able to say what a word means and being able to use it (Nagy, 1988).

  9. Provides an opportunity to work collaboratively to accomplish a meaningful task. Many of the social forms and conventions of conversation parallel the forms and conventions of reflective thought. Therefore, we can think because we can talk, and we think in ways we have learned to talk (Oakeshott, 1962).

  10. Sample Lesson Plan 1. Build background knowledge: A. Students study Dust Bowl posters and perform choral readings--- facts, impressions. B. Shared Reading-of Karen Hesse’s book, Out of the Dust. • Research Dust Bowl topic Students read textbook, and watch PBS Documentary, “Surviving the Dust Bowl.” • Conduct a class discussion of the historical events presented in the various genres. Make a list of possible topics for a reader’s theater script.

  11. 4. Write Reader Theater scripts based on information gleamed from video, photo gallery, text, and book. 5. Practice scripts • Perform for classmates and conduct a follow-up discussion about the scripts and performances. • Revise scripts based on peer comments. • Final Performance for a “real” audience.

  12. References Allington, R.L. (2001). What Really Matters for Struggling Readers. New York: Longman. The Dust Bowl: Twelve Historical Photo-Posters. (2001). Amawalk, NY: Jackdaw Publications (914-962-6911). Galda, L. & West, J. (1995). Exploring Literature Through Drama. In N. Roser & M.G. Martinez (Eds.), Book Talk and Beyond: Children and Teachers Respond to Literature (pp. 183-190). Newark, DE: International Reading Association. Hesse, K. (1997). Out of the Dust. New York: Scholastic. Nagy, W.E. (1988). Teaching Vocabulary to Improve Reading Comprehension. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. Oakeshott, M. (1962). Rationalism in politics. New York: Basic Books. Surviving the Dust Bowl. (1999). PBS Home Video: American Experience. (www.pbs.org). Worthy, J. (2005). Reader’s Theater. New York: Scholastic. (Release Date: Fall, 2005).

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