In reader’s theatre, students take a text and transform it into a performance. Students are assigned roles and characters from the text to enact, and they reenact a short text, such as a play, short story, chapter in a book, fable, poem, etc. They work together and rehearse to provide the audience with an entertaining and informative show about their text. Students are required to maintain meaning, make inferences, and use emotion to produce their show. This could involve sets and props, but it is not necessary. Reader’s theatre is also not limited to plays; students could do a puppet show, interpretive dance, silent movie/play, etc. For older students, it may also be more challenging and engaging for students to create videos and share them with the class for their scene reenactment.

 

If I were to use reader’s theatre in my elementary classroom, I would first model and provide examples of how the process works. Students would need guidance and would benefit from doing a practice reader’s theatre using a familiar text before working in groups of unfamiliar texts. I would most likely ask students to work in their literature circles to choose and read a book of their choice or one that meets certain requirements based on what we are currently studying, and then prepare a theatrical performance for the class. Students would be given rubrics, so they know what is expected of them, and time to plan/practice. On performance day, I would love to decorate the classroom and set up a stage of some kind, so the room feels like a theatre. While not necessary, it would be nice to invite parents, another class, or other teachers into our room to watch the performance if possible.

 

In addition to helping students maintain meaning and engage with texts while reading, this strategy incorporates the dramatic arts and oral speaking skills. This is crucial for students who do not have fine arts classes throughout the week or who struggle with reading/writing independently. Students are practicing and applying reading skills in a unique and untraditional way, which will increase excitement and joy for reading in the classroom.