Performing our Reader's Theater.
| One of my students' favorite activities each year is performing a Reader's Theater on one of the events from the Revolutionary War. My brave and confident students definitely love the opportunity to act, and my more timid students actually enjoy the relatively low-pressure performance and non-existent live audience! Although these Reader's Theaters can be done at any time, I have chosen to use them as a culminating activity for our Revolutionary War unit. I do this because I don't want the content of the performance to get in the way of the 21st Century skill acquisition that happens if students already understand the material. | |
On the first day, I introduce two Reader's Theaters to my students and set out two cast lists with the correct number of student sign-ups. I explain to students that they will only be graded on their oral reading fluency during the performance and on their 21st Century Skills while preparing for the performance. I further explain that some roles are considered high-intensity (main characters & narrators) and some are low (non-speaking parts & extras). I pull sticks randomly to determine the order in which students can sign up. This allows a lot of flexibility in the kind of role each student might choose for themselves (an opportunity for risk-taking).
 Reading through their scripts. | Once students have signed up for their parts, written them down, and highlighted all of their lines, they get into their group and begin to read the script. I ask them to read through the script at least twice before preparing any props or determining stage directions. Anyone who forgot to highlight a line or copied their role down incorrectly will discover their mistake during this initial practice time. |
| As soon as the children are familiar with the storyline and their role in the skit, they begin to take on leadership roles and conflict tends to arise. I often step in early to remind them of the importance of being a leader AND a follower throughout this process. Listening to others' ideas can be just as important as sharing your own good ideas! I allow my students to struggle with this, but I make sure that they see that I'm aware of their conflict and I'm watching to see how it gets handled. Students need these opportunities to struggle and even fail when it comes to interpersonal relationships. Too often, adults intervene before children are allowed to make mistakes. This is unfortunate, because a mistake can be dissected and analyzed (appropriately) within the group and everyone will learn so much from it. I wish every teacher could have the chance to watch their students work together on a task like this because the intense collaboration that happens is amazing! Students who often have trouble processing information or attending while others speak can be seen giving intense eye contact and participating in discussions about where they should stand or how they should deliver their line. Students are intrinsically motivated to participate and even lead! |  Leadership developing. |
Although everyone thinks that this activity is a social studies and reading activity, I really consider it much more a 21st Century skill activity. There are so many opportunities to observe, guide, and assess my students on their 21st Century skills while preparing for their performances. Here is the list of the skills that I have the opportunity to pay attention to during this activity (I don't actually assess them all):
Our Reader's Theater videos from this year:
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Creativity/Innovation
- Connect Past Learning to New Situations
- Critical Thinking
- Problem Solving
- Make Judgments & Decisions
- Self-Assessment/Reflection
- Synthesis
- Metacognition
- Flexible/Adaptable to Change
- Use Different Learning Modalities
- Set & Manage Goals and Time
- Risk Taking
- Be Self-Directed
- Persist despite Setbacks
- Inquire/Be Curious
- Work well with Others
- Produce Results
- Guide and Lead Others
Our Reader's Theater videos from this year:
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