TEACHERS: Reader's Theater

[*NikkiBell*]

I recently purchased and received a Reader's Theater book with scripts. Has anyone here used this program in your classroom? Was it successful? How specifically did it help with comprehension and fluency skills?

 

[Disneymomma]

I have used it a few times-mainly at the end of the year-so I cannot attest to long term results for comprehension/fluency. The kids loved it.

 

[ilovedale3]

I've done Reader's Theatre a couple of times with both third and fourth graders. Maybe I just wasn't a good facilitator or whatever b/c my kids hated it (especially the fourth graders). They push it as this wonderful tool in education classes in college, but maybe I just didn't "get it".

 

[*NikkiBell*]

Bump!

 

[bananiem]

My ds and dd have done it in 2nd-4th grades and have liked doing it with the class. However last year my ds's 3rd grade student teacher thought it would be a good idea to invite the parents to watch and listen. I felt it was a bad idea because of the WIDE difference in reading abilities and speech impediments. Now all the parents know which kids have trouble reading aloud instead of just the ones who volunteer during reading time.

 

[disneymom3]

Our homeschool co-op used Readers Theater last year for our drama component and to say it was painful to watch is an understatement. All of the kids read well except one (and it was his mom's idea to do it.) and he did improve quite a bit as the year went on but I don't think it was from Reader's Theater. The painful part came in because the plays were just flat out bad!

 

[Aurora63]

I really like using Reader's Theater with my 3rd graders this summer. They loved acting it out, and since they enjoyed it, and wanted to get it right (to perform for the principal) they read it over and over...thus building fluency. That's one of the keys, repetitive reading. I can't attest to long term results with it (only had these kids at the school's summer camp) but in general, we know the more they read, the better they will read and understand, so I'd give it a go again anytime.