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Readers Theater Scripts Overview

Reader's Theater Scripts are designed to enhance students' oral reading fluency through drama without the need for props or costumes. They provide opportunities for practicing skills such as intonation, public speaking, and collaboration, and are available for Grades 1-5 at various reading levels. The scripts also support English language learners by offering explicit instruction and practice for effective reading delivery.

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Lina Mossawy
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16 views2 pages

Readers Theater Scripts Overview

Reader's Theater Scripts are designed to enhance students' oral reading fluency through drama without the need for props or costumes. They provide opportunities for practicing skills such as intonation, public speaking, and collaboration, and are available for Grades 1-5 at various reading levels. The scripts also support English language learners by offering explicit instruction and practice for effective reading delivery.

Uploaded by

Lina Mossawy
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Reader’s Theater Scripts Overview

Purpose
In order to become fluent readers, students benefit greatly from reading and rereading instructional-level texts,
being exposed to a variety of genres, and listening to examples of fluent reading. Reader’s Theater scripts are
part of the Reading A–Z Fluency resources and can be used as a Fluency Center activity to help build essential
oral reading skills. Reader’s Theater Scripts are adapted from Reading A–Z Leveled Books and other sources,
offering students a resource to perform drama without the need for props, costumes, or sets.
Each script gives students opportunities to:
••Practice oral reading fluency skills such as pause, intonation, and inflection. This practice helps students
develop prosody (pitch, stress, and timing), accuracy, and speed.
•• Practice public speaking.
•• Engage in group interaction, cooperation, and collaboration.
•• Explore the elements of drama—from characterization to structure—by taking on character roles and following
character tags.
•• Improve listening skills while tracking text and listening for spoken cues.

Levels 6. Allow students plenty of opportunity to practice


fluent delivery of their lines independently and within
Reader’s Theater Scripts are offered for Grades 1–5.
their groups before performing. Encourage students
Each grade is divided into three levels: early, middle,
to improve their fluency, highlighting the use of
and upper. Choose an original script or a script from
prosody, awareness of the rate at which they are
a single-level book when you are teaching a group
speaking, and the accuracy of their lines.
of readers at the same reading level. Use a multilevel
script when you want to use a single reader’s theater 7. Coach readers to occasionally look up from their
script with a group of varying ability. Multilevel scripts scripts to make eye contact with the audience or
have parts written at three different reading levels to other characters.
match the corresponding book levels. 8. Encourage students to think about expressions and
movements their characters might make. (See Tips
Time/Duration for Instructional Support for more information.)
35–40 minutes in duration to be completed by groups 9. Review the expectations of members of an
on a five-day rotation audience, including active listening and responding
appropriately.
How to Use
Make the performance as simple or elaborate as you Tips for Instructional Support
like. Keep in mind that the most important purpose of Use the following techniques to provide students with
Reader’s Theater is to teach and practice fluent reading additional support or extension activities including
of printed text. discussing elements of drama, such as character,
1. Review the cast of characters included in each script setting, dialogue, and structure.
and assign roles or allow students to select roles. ••Once students have been assigned a part, discuss
2. To evenly distribute lines, assign multiple small roles characterization. Encourage students to think about
to one student or divide one large role between two the expressions and movements their characters
or more students. might make. Have students discuss their ideas with
a partner. You may provide the following sentence
3. Make copies of the scripts for each student. Sharing
starters to guide the discussion:
scripts may lead to confusion and missed cues.
4. Have students highlight or mark their lines. I think my character feels (happy/sad/silly/
angry). To show how my character feels, I will
5. Pre-teach and review difficult vocabulary.
(dance/jump/frown). My character makes a
(funny/mean/sad) face when he or she talks.

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Reader’s Theater Scripts Overview

••Before students highlight their lines, explain that a Support for English Language Learners
dramatic work includes character tags and point them
English language learners require more explicit
out in the script (look for the square boxes).
instruction and practice around using the appropriate
•• Discuss how each reader knows when it is time for rate and expression. Review the Teacher’s Guides first
their character to deliver their lines and model how and determine if any vocabulary needs to be pre-taught
to listen for cues. to ensure that the content is accessible. Expand on the
•• Define the word cue. Say: A cue is a word or action information in the Teacher’s Guide, making sure to elicit
that lets you know when it’s your turn to say your lines. additional examples from students. Include whole-class,
•• Call on a volunteer to read a few lines. Say: I am small-group, and partner practice before expecting
playing the part of (character). I know that my lines students to use the skills independently. Incorporating
come right after Sarah reads. I am going to follow games, communicative activities, and group practice
along and listen carefully as she says her lines so I also helps students gain mastery. Visual support such
will be ready when it’s my turn. When Sarah finishes as providing images, sketches, color coding, or acting
the last line, that is my cue to start reading. When the out actions will support understanding. Additionally,
volunteer is finished reading, use gestures (such as make sure each student participates according to their
pointing to yourself or clearing your throat) to indicate language level and abilities. Students who are in the
that it is now your turn to read and begin reading. Say: early stages of language development may need to
I was ready to read my part as soon as Sarah finished partner with another student for support in carrying
her last line. When she read the word happy, that was out their role.
my cue to start reading.
•• Instruct students to circle the last word of the line
that comes before their first line. Say: The word you
circled is your cue to start reading your lines.
•• After the class has read the script, have students do
a “Think, Pair, Share” activity about setting. Provide
sentence starters such as the ones below to guide
the discussion. After the discussion, have students
create an illustration of the setting using the following
prompts:

•• This story happens in/at .


•• The characters in this script can see/touch/taste/
smell/hear .
••After reading the script, discuss the structure of the
script. Explain that plays have a beginning, middle,
and end. Work together as a whole group or divide
into small groups to summarize the plot of the script
using sequence words (first, next, then, finally).
Extension Activities
••Have students split into pairs and help each other
memorize lines, work on intonation, and so on.
•• Have students split into pairs or small groups and
swap parts to see how they might characterize a role
differently.

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