Ferrer, Femm Marie A.

BSED II- ENGLISH

READERS THEATER

Reader's theater is a strategy for developing reading fluency. It involves

children in oral reading through reading parts in scripts. In using this strategy,
students do not need to memorize their part; they need only to reread it several
times, thus developing their fluency skills. The best reader's theater scripts
include lots of dialogue.

Other definition of Readers Theater

It's a way to involve students in reading aloud. In reader's theater,

students "perform" by reading scripts created from grade-level books or stories.
Usually they do so without costumes or props. Reader's theater is a strategy that
combines reading practice and performing. Its goal is to enhance students'
reading skills and confidence by having them practice reading with a purpose.
Reader's theater gives students a real reason to read aloud.

"I love the active involvement in this approach," said Susan Finney, a retired
educator and author who gives seminars about improving reading instruction.
"It's hard for a child to be a passive observer when you have a script in your
hands." Reader's theater motivates reluctant readers and provides fluent readers
the opportunity to explore genre and characterization. "The first reader's theater
scripts I saw were shared with me by a veteran first-grade teacher," Finney
explained. "She would send small groups of her beginning readers around the
school to perform in different classrooms. It was a brilliant idea. The children
never knew that they were being tricked into re-reading — a key factor in
developing fluency."
Ferrer, Femm Marie A.

BSED II- ENGLISH

Why use reader's theater?

1. It promotes fluency.
2. It helps readers learn to read aloud with expression.
3. It helps build reading confidence.

How to use reader's theater?

1. Choose a story that can be divided into parts, or character.

2. Assign reading parts to each child.
3. Ask students to read their scripts orally for practice.
4. Have students read assigned parts to the audience.