Reader's Theatre: Maker Edition
What is Reader's Theatre?
Reader's Theatre is a strategy for developing reading fluency. It involves students reading a story in a script format, where each child is responsible for one character in the dialog. Resources for finding Reader's Theatre scripts and detailed lesson plan guides can be found at:
- Reader's Theatre Scripts sorted by number of parts: http://www.thebestclass.org/rtscripts.html
- Reader's Theatre Scripts and Pedagogy: http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/readers_theater
- Reader's Theatre Scripts: https://www.readinga-z.com/fluency/readers-theater-scripts/?lbFilter[level-T]
- Scholastics Reader's Theatre Scripts: http://www.scholastic.com/librarians/programs/whatisrt.htm
- The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance Resource Guide: http://thencbla.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Readers-Theater-Education-Resource-Guide.pdf
How can Reader's Theatre be a Making Activity?
Reader's Theatre presents a unique opportunity to tie in hands on making! Check out some of the videos and ideas below:
Sets:
An important part of any story is the setting it takes place in! Give students a chance to design their own sets that help them tell the story. This is also a great opportunity to incorporate digital fabrication tools such as a laser cutter, 3D Printer, or CNC Machine.
Movies:
Instead of or in addition to performing the Reader's Theatre live, challenge students to record and edit a movie version of their story!
Puppets:
Constructing puppets to help with acting out the Reader's Theatre is another great maker challenge! Students can build puppets with found materials (recyclables, tape, popsicle sticks, paper, etc.), or go a step further and build some robotic puppets make transform your Reader's Theatre into a robotics challenge. Check out the videos below of some example LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3/NXT Robotic Puppets.
Sets:
An important part of any story is the setting it takes place in! Give students a chance to design their own sets that help them tell the story. This is also a great opportunity to incorporate digital fabrication tools such as a laser cutter, 3D Printer, or CNC Machine.
Movies:
Instead of or in addition to performing the Reader's Theatre live, challenge students to record and edit a movie version of their story!
Puppets:
Constructing puppets to help with acting out the Reader's Theatre is another great maker challenge! Students can build puppets with found materials (recyclables, tape, popsicle sticks, paper, etc.), or go a step further and build some robotic puppets make transform your Reader's Theatre into a robotics challenge. Check out the videos below of some example LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3/NXT Robotic Puppets.