creative dramatics

Why Drama Circles Work in the Elementary Classroom

November 21, 2025 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

Why Drama Circles Work in the Elementary Classroom

“How Drama Circles work in the Elementary Classroom” is a topic that’s close to my heart—mostly because you are far “more fortunate than I ever was. When I began teaching, I had absolutely no resources for the theater classes I taught. I was constantly tweaking college-level acting lessons for my very young students. Not the best idea…

But lucky you! After thirty-eight years (and then some), I’ve perfected my lessons to help you. Drama teachers have known for decades that movement, imagination, and storytelling help students learn. But what if you could combine all of those elements into a simple, low-prep activity that works in any classroom? Plus, you were relegated to using a stage? There’s the secret sauce!

Enter: Drama Circles.

Drama Circles are quick, engaging activities which invite students to take turns acting out prompts, exploring characters, and stretching their creativity in a structured, supportive way. Best of all, drama circles require no costumes, no rehearsals, and no performance pressure. All you need is a printed set of cards (or a list of prompts) and a group of students ready to have fun.

What Is a Drama Circle?

To begin, a drama circle is a simple activity where students stand or sit in a circle, draw a prompt, and act it out for the group.

The prompts can focus on:

Movement–“You are a squirrel trying to teach a walnut too far out of your reach.”
Vocal expression–“You are a gruff, old bear looking for berries to eat before you hibernate.”
Characters–“You are a grandmother who has proudly made the Thanksgiving turkey for the family only to find its burned.”
Emotions--“You are a clown who doesn’t know how to juggle.”
Seasonal themes–” You are one of the elves and you accidentally wrapped yourself up in the package you were wrapping.”
“Curriculum concepts–“You and your friend show us a tableau of scene from Red Riding Hood.”

It’s worth noting, that the beauty of drama circles is that they allow every child to participate at their comfort level. In addition, they encourage bold choices and imagination.

Why Drama Circles Work So Well for Elementary Students

Drama circles align beautifully with what elementary learners need:

1. They support whole-body learning.

Young children make meaning through movement. To that end, drama circles channel wiggles productively while strengthening coordination, spatial awareness, and expressive movement. Check out this blog post for more information about movement: Creative Movement: Elementary and Middle School Teachers – Ready to Move?

2. They build confidence.

Drama circles even nurture shy children to take risks. Because students “perform” only for their classmates in a casual, low-stakes manner. One prompt at a time is far less intimidating than performing a whole scene.

3. They promote speaking and listening skills.

Every prompt becomes an opportunity for students to practice pacing, volume, and clarity. These are all important communication skills that support reading fluency. Check out this post for more information about reader theater: Unveiling Reader’s Theater: What You Never Knew

4. They encourage creative thinking.

A simple prompt like “Walk as if you’re on the moon” sparks imagination, problem-solving, and character interpretation. Pick up this drama circle is you really want to stretch your students’ imagination! Drama Circle Lost in Space: The Star Voyager Chronicle

5. They strengthen classroom community.

Laughter, shared creativity, and positive peer feedback help build trust among students. Drama circles make classrooms feel safe and joyful. Check out this article on how laughter leads students to learn.

How to Use Drama Circles in Your Elementary Classroom

Drama circles are incredibly versatile. Here are several ways teachers can integrate them seamlessly into the school day.

1. Use them as a warm-up activity.

Start your morning meeting or ELA block with a few prompts to energize your students. It sets a positive tone for the day.

2. Add them to transitions.

A two-minute elementary drama circle between subjects helps refocus brains after worksheets or independent work. This is such a great idea! Check out this FREE drama circle: Drama Circle Winter Holidays

3. Use them as brain breaks.

Instead of turning to YouTube videos, let your students act out “Ride a roller coaster!” or “Be a sleepy dragon waking up.”

4. Tie them into seasonal celebrations.

Holiday-themed drama circles (like Thanksgiving, Winter Holidays, or Valentine’s Day) make festive weeks more manageable while keeping students on-task. Here is one for Thanksgiving: Drama Circle Thanksgiving Theme

5. Use them in literacy instruction.

Warm ups for kids through drama circles help students explore:

Character traits–“Show us you are proud of yourself having run the race.”
Emotion vocabulary–“Show us you are laughing hysterically at your friend.”
Setting–“Show us you are sitting near a mountain creek with your feet dangling in the freezing cold water.”
Action verbs–“Show us you are carrying heavy groceries into your house.”
Dialogue delivery–“Show us by saying this sentence in an unusual manner–Close the door.” (I’ve used this one for years.)

They’re also a great way to introduce reader’s theater or creative writing.

6. Substitute Plans Made Easy

Left with a day’s notice? Drama circles in the elementary classroom require almost no explanation. Plus, they work perfectly as a structured, engaging sub activity. Because you can do so many activities with them, a substitute will feel at ease using them, especially if they are not a drama teacher.

Tips for Successful Drama Circles

Here are a few tricks I used for 38 years in the drama classroom—and they work beautifully in elementary settings:

✔ Keep prompts short and clear.

Elementary students respond best to simple phrases they can interpret creatively.

✔ Model the first prompt.

A quick demonstration helps them understand there are no “right answers.” This is essential in any situation!

✔ Encourage big choices.

Tell students, “Make it bigger than you think!” They’ll surprise you.

✔ Celebrate every attempt.

Applause, snaps, and positive comments build a feeling of success for all students. Here’s the importance of applause. Why Do We Clap at the Theater?

✔ Offer adaptation options.

Let anxious students perform with a partner, freeze-pose their prompt, or describe what they would do.

Drama Circles Fit Everywhere

Whether you teach in a traditional classroom, a drama room, or a homeschool environment, drama circles are a joyful way to build creativity, communication, and confidence. They’re easy to implement. Drama Circles require virtually no prep, and ignite the kind of imaginative play that elementary students love. Who doesn’t love that?

If you’re looking for ready-to-print drama circles—seasonal themes, holidays, character challenges, and more—I have a growing collection created specifically for the elementary classroom. First and foremost, they’re classroom-tested and developmentally appropriate. Plus, they are designed by a veteran drama teacher who believes learning should be joyful.

Why is a growing bundle a good deal? Because if you get in now, you will receive every new drama circle I add to it for FREE! (And as this bundle grows, the price will go up for new buyers.) You can check them out here: Drama Circle Growing Bundle

I hope you will take me up on using drama circles in the elementary classroom. Honestly, they will not disappoint you. You will be astounded at how quickly your students pick up the directions and engage!

Have you used drama circles in your elementary classroom? I’d love to hear how they have worked for you. Feel free to email me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com

Deb

Photo Gallery of DramaMommaSpeaks — Directing

Easy-to-Use Middle School Drama Lessons: Volume 1

June 25, 2025 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

Easy-to-Use Middle School Drama Lessons: Volume 1

My second year of teaching — School photo of my second year of teaching

Today, let’s talk about easy-to-use middle school drama lessons, volume 1, shall we? I bet you’d agree with me–teachers are conscientious people. We are like a dog with a bone–we just don’t give up. When I began teaching, my first three years of teaching (English) were exhausting and challenging. In fact, I had never student taught the subject. Plus, I was on my own trying to understand the scope and sequence pacing.

Back then, we did not have mentor teachers. A nice, equally young teacher gave me a huge tome complete with English department standards with outcomes expected by grade level. It was filled with jargon which I had to translate into laymen terms before I could even consider teaching them! Talk about overwhelm. However, I never gave up and learned tons from teaching English for those three years.

From Grad School to the Classroom: What Really Works with Middle Schoolers

Time went by and I survived those first years of teaching. Later, when I began teaching a pre-elective drama class for middle schoolers, I had just finished my M.Ed. in Creative Arts Learning. It was perfect timing—I ended up using so many of those teaching methods in the classroom right away.

What I learned over many years is that middle school students need variety and short bursts of learning. Of course, it’s good if it’s fun, too. (Trust me, here. My students and I laugh a lot in a class period.) Looking for a play to direct? Check out: 8 Middle School Plays That Work Every Time

My lessons generally followed this pattern:

warm up (15 mins.)
teacher lesson (10 to 20 mins.)
student application (15 mins.)
cool down, exit slip, etc. (5-10 mins.)

What’s Inside Volume 1?

Even though this was a pass/fail class, I had the opportunity to teach as much or as little theater information as I liked. The principal left it up to me which was gratifying to way the least. Also, I taught them the rudimentary concepts of stage geography, stage positions, blocking positions, acting positions, and movement. Most youth theater and school theater programs focus on the actor. I knew that the concepts of stage orientation would be needed no matter what program or class they enrolled in next time.

Hooked from the Start: Building Excitement and Ownership in Drama Class

Additionally, students learned about the origin of theater (did it begin through myth or ritual?). We had lively debates discussing their opinions. By establishing the class with this resource, a teacher can put their students in the driver’s seat right off the bat. They learn that their opinions count!

Always I kept it in mind that I wanted my students to enroll in another drama class after mine. Most importantly, I wanted them to leave my class so in love with theater arts they couldn’t wait to learn more about it.

Why Teachers Love It

It is not out of the ordinary for me to receive a positive review. I’m thrilled that I helped a teacher!

“My students loved this unit for my theater class. I have always struggled on how to teach set deisng in this class and your presesntation took me step by step through the procerss! Plus, I was able to modify it for my Behavior Theater class who loved the hands on aspects of this unit. ”

“Thank you for the teacher’s script and details. YOu could easily print and use this in your classroom immediately. SO MUCH DETAILS and SO MANY OPTIONS! I can use it all or in pieces as time allows. Thank you.”

My Favorite Lessons in the Volume

One of my favorite units to teach is set design. Students enjoy it because it’s concrete. It’s not that scary acting/ emotion stuff! Plus, I focus on fairy tales as the theme. When I first began teaching this unit, fairy tales hadn’t become as popular as they are at present. In fact, some students weren’t even familiar with the story of The Three Little Pigs!

However, now that fairy tales are popular in television and film, students nearly jump at the opportunity to create their own set for whatever fairy tale story they choose. The unit includes titles such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood or Jack and the Beanstalk.

In addition, I enjoy teaching about Kamishibai Storytelling. If you are unfamiliar with Kamishibai, you’ll enjoy how well it works in the classroom. Got shy students? You can encourage to break out of their shell through this unit. First, you’ll put your students into teams of two to create their stories. They draw their story and finally they perform them in tandem. Talk about win-win!

How to Use It Throughout the Year

Have you picked up a copy of my Scope and Sequence resource of drama lessons? It’s free to you and will give you a comprehensive and organized plan. You can find it here: Scope and Sequence, Vol. 1.

When you pick up the scope and sequence guide, you’ll notice that I suggest beginning the learning with the basic components of theater. They include tableaux, movement, sound effects, improvisation, movement, etc. Furthermore, there is time for designing a set and costumes, too. I’ve included everything a teacher may need from teacher’s scripts (so you know what to say) to procedures (with time stamps) to warm-up exercises, live video clip links and a rubric or two.

So, there you have it! I hope you’ll grab Volume 1 here to take the guesswork out of teaching drama! Or…buy Volume 1 and 2 here: Bundle Volume 1 and 2 Middle School

Looking for more? Check out my new book, We’re Live! Radio Theater #101–all about how to use radio theater to engage students in any classroom.

Got a question or request? Just email me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com. I’d be happy to help you!

P.S. If you all ready own these, check out volume 3! It’s brand new: BUNDLE MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM VOLUME 3

Click here: We’re Live! Radio Theater #101

Overcoming Fear and Anxiety When Speaking English As A Second Language

March 16, 2023 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

Overcoming Fear and Anxiety When Speaking English As A Second Language

One of the most valuable aspects of theater class is how it can be integrated into core subjects. Today, I want to speak about overcoming fear and anxiety when speaking English as a second language. Personally, I think the best way is by taking a theater class. Let me explain.

If you are unfamiliar with the term, “ESL”, simply put it means English as a second language learner. “ELL’ means the same thing, but we also have World language learner.

Since I taught theater classes for over thirty-eight years, my teaching experience is vast. Not only have I taught middle school students for a large portion of my career, but I worked with elementary and high school as well.

However, my favorite grade level is middle school. If you’d like more information about my reasons, go to: Striking a Balance with Students in Their Middle School Years.

When I taught a pre-elective drama class in Missouri, the ELL students were integrated into my class. There are many funny experiences of these sweet students trying valiantly to learn English and still be a child. (Sometime ask me about the time I sat two girls together from warring tribes, the Tsuti and Hutus, without understanding their tribes were mortal enemies. Yikes!)

Did you know I have a new book, We’re Live! Radio Theater #101 which teaches you how to engage students with a unique tool? Check it out here.

Overcoming Fear and Anxiety When Speaking English As A Second Language

A sidenote: My grandparents were missionaries in Japan where my mother was raised until she was eighteen years old. When I was a child, my mother gave free boarding to international college students because she said, “They make me feel like I’m home in Japan.” Because I was raised around these people, I am very comfortable with people of all different nationalities and find them extremely interesting and generally quite friendly.

Being the observant person that I am, I noticed the ELL students were petrified to speak in front of their peers and did not fraternize with the native speakers. I thought this was sad, but understandable. Neither knew each other and neither was willing to be the first to extend a friendly hand. (Truly, it should be the native speaker.)

One year, I was looking for something different to offer after school as part of my career ladder responsibilities. Remembering the native speakers and the ELL students sitting apart in the cafeteria not speaking to one another, I approached the ELL teacher about me sponsoring an after-school drama club specifically for them. She jumped at the idea!

It seemed simple enough, right?

Three ELL Drama Club Problems to Overcome

I planned to have six weeks of drama club and then a performance at the end.

The first problem: The students would need transportation to take them home from school since they had no other means of travel. We applied for money from the state for this and they came through handsomely.

The second problem: How do inform the students and their parents about the club? Easy. Mrs. Zumwalt would take care of that for me. (I must say, co-teaching with another teacher from my school was fabulous.) She took care of communication with parents and the students, while I planned the weekly activities.

The third problem: What were my goals for the club? I knew that ELL students needed to overcome their fear and anxiety about speaking aloud. The best way I knew to do this was by integrating drama. Obviously, I wanted to strengthen their speaking of English. But what else? Drama games are always a hit with all of my students and I noticed the ELL students enjoyed them when we played them in class. For particular games I used, see: Drama Games for the Introvertive Student, but I needed many more.

Readers Theater Resources on the Internet

I took to the internet and looked for websites that shared particular games that ELL teachers used in their classroom, hoping to find some which integrated drama. Although this was many years ago, I looked at sites such as Fluentu.com. I ran on to several books which were helpful, too–Enlivening Instruction with Drama and Improv: A Guide for Second Language and World Language Teachers . The ESL / ELL Teacher’s Survival Guide: Ready-to-Use Strategies, Tools, and Activities for Teaching English Language Learners of All Levels.

Generally, I relied on my go-to drama games and exercises that are successful with all students. I always suggest to new teachers that they purchase a copy of Viola Spolin‘s book, Theatre Games for the Classroom. IIt is an excellent source for creative dramatics exercises to use in any elementary and middle school classroom.

My plan included ending the club with a production of some sort. I turned to Aaron Shepherd’s readers theater website, Aaron Shepard’s RT page as I was familiar with his work. His script, The Legend of Lightning Larry which is still one of my favorites.

I selected readers theater because students read from a script rather than memorize lines and sit together when they perform (safety in numbers, you know). Both attributes would help the students as they slowly overcame their fear and anxiety when speaking English.

If you are unfamiliar with the strengths of using readers theater in your classroom, check out: The Reasons Reader’s Theater is Successful with Our Students.

Overcoming Fear and Anxiety When Speaking English As A Second Language

The day arrived to perform the play. I was very excited, but very naïve. I thought the students’ parents and siblings would attend. Parents attended every other time my students performed in my class. We sent out invitations both through email and hard copies. We baked cookies, had punch ready and decorated.

No one attended.

Why? Transportation issues. I never occurred to me that transportation could be an issue, but of course it could be!

The important thing, however, is that the students had a blast doing the play. The local newspaper came out and photographed the students performing. Just think of how wonderful that would be for an immigrant to be acknowledged in their community’s newspaper!

The next year, we participated in the school’s diversity celebration. Using a book titled All the Colors of the Earth and a song from the movie, Making an American quilt, the students performed a movement piece to it using multi-color flags. I narrated most of the poem and one student echoed me in several places in the poem. It was a tremendous success! The student body and teachers applauded for them. It makes me cry just to think about it now.

My Advice

If you are on the hunt for drama activities for ELL, ENL or World Languages students, I hope you’ll check out the materials I’ve mentioned above. However, if you want to purchase from someone who is a veteran teacher and has first hand experience teaching creative dramatics to students, I’m your gal.

Earlier I mentioned readers theater scripts. I have adapted several multicultural folk tales into readers theater scripts. Here are a few. You can check them all out at: Dramamommaspeaks Readers Theater Units

I hope my experiences are helpful to you. If you have any questions or need advice, please don’t hesitate to email me. You can find me at DhcBaldwin.net or DhcBaldwin@gmail.com

Middle School Drama Lessons from a Veteran Drama Teacher

January 24, 2020 By dhcbaldwin 5 Comments

Middle School Drama Lessons from a Veteran Drama Teacher

Hello!

You may not know me or be familiar with my work. I’m Deborah Baldwin (but my friends call me Deb.) I am a recently retired award winning drama teacher of thirty-eight years. In that time, I directed over 300 plays and musicals with students and adults as well. I taught every grade level, but the bulk of my time was spent with secondary students.

Here is my resume if you’d like to see it: DeborahBaldwin.net

If you are looking for lessons for high school theater classes, check out Drama Lessons for High School from an Award Winning Drama Teacher or elementary classes at Creative Dramatics Lessons for Elementary Grades by an Award Winning Drama Teacher

My Teaching Style

Drama is a hands-on class. To this end, I’m always on my feet, modeling for my students while teaching them a host of concepts. It is not unusual to hear my classroom in chortles of laughter because humor is an outstanding way to gain a student’s attention. I empower students at an early age.

Although I am always mindful of my learning objectives, I think it’s vital for students to experiment within the confines of my instruction. I encourage students to be independent and creative thinkers. Many less confident or reluctant students benefit from my teaching methods as together we hit the challenges they encounter. I am creative, intense, driven and brave–these are qualities I nurture in all my students and generally receive outstanding results.

Check out my store at Dramamommaspeaks.

Here is my opinion about expectations of middle school My Pet Peeve

Drama Lessons with Easy Prep for the Teacher

If you are looking for drama units, lessons and plays for your students, I can help you. Here are a few of my lessons for middle grade students:

Drama Curriculum and Units

Set Design Units

Set Design, the Rendering

If you need theater lessons for elementary students, check out Creative Dramatics Lessons for Elementary Grades by an Award Winning Drama Teacher

Choice Boards

If you have reluctant students in your class, try choice boards. They give students an opportunity to learn what they want to know the most about.

Wicked Costume Design Boom Cards

Do you ever use Boom cards? This lesson is great for teaching about the musical Wicked, while also studying costume design near Halloween.

Costume Design with Superheroes

Bow Blues Radio Play Unit

Invite a Play Character to dinner

Pick up this bundle with Wicked, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth Biographies

Also, this Google Classroom version: Wicked, the Broadway Musical (Google Classroom)

You might enjoy this Famous Theater Artist Biography for the Google Classroom: Sarah Bareilles

Middle School Drama Lessons from a Veteran Drama Teacher

Cynthia Erivo (FREE)

Wicked Broadway Musical

Famous Theater Artists: Lin Manuel Miranda Biography (FREE)

Additionally, here is a new readers theater script lesson based on an Inca legend: The Magic Lake

Satisfied Customers

I’m so flattered by reviews such as these:

“Absolutely brilliant! Brightened my classroom with purpose!” (Famous Theater Artist Pendants)
“What a terrific and thorough study of Sarah Bareilles. My students really enjoyed learning about her. She’s a great role model for having a growth mindset.”
“I used this Lin Manuel Mirranda lesson in conjunction with the Hamilton unit, and my students really enjoyed it. Thank you for putting this together!”
” Set Design with School Setting has been a great lesson for my students during digital learning last year. They really enjoyed doing it and I got some great set designs turned in.”
“This unit, The Wiz Broadway musical resourcse is highly detailed and contains all of the information I need to support my unit on the Wiz.”
“Wow! This resource is filled with activities that can give students an experience outside of the classroom! You can design independent lessons from this unit, where students can explore radio show history and listen to examples. My class is going to perform our radio show over a zoom call. Deborah is great; she responded promptly to my questions and even added resources for me!” (Bow Wow Blues Radio Theater Unit)
I used this resource to get my students ready to attend the Come From Away musical as a field trip. Back in September, we had written letters of gratitude to the people of Gander for what they did on 9/11. Long story short and a few interviews in-between, my EL’s got to attend the musical in Houston in early March 2020 with Captain Bass herself! Thank you for this resource. It helped them prepare for what we would see onstage before seeing it in real life. THANK YOU!!

I hope you’ll check out my drama education products. There are nearly 450 of them ready and waiting for you.

Lastly…

Looking for something free? There are free lessons here in my blog and in my store. Here is something for you: Freebies Stuff

If you don’t find what you need, contact me. Chances are I’d be interested in creating what you are needing. That’s always fun! I also customize bundles so if that is something you’d be interested in, do email me.

Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

Creative Dramatics Lessons from an Award Winning Drama Teacher

December 28, 2019 By dhcbaldwin 2 Comments

Creative Dramatics Lessons from an Award Winning Drama Teacher

Hello!

You may not know me or be familiar with my work. I’m Deborah Baldwin (but my friends call me Deb.) I am a recently retired award-winning drama teacher of thirty-eight years. At that time, I directed over 250 plays and musicals with students and adults as well. I taught every grade level, but the bulk of my time was spent with secondary students.

Here is my resume if you’d like to see it: DeborahBaldwin.net

My Teaching Style:

Drama is a hands-on class. To this end, I’m always on my feet, modeling for my students while teaching them a host of concepts. It is not unusual to hear my classroom in chortles of laughter because humor is an outstanding way to gain a student’s attention. I empower students at an early age. Although I am always mindful of my learning objectives, I think it’s vital for students to experiment within the confines of my instruction. I encourage students to be independent and creative thinkers. Many less confident or reluctant students benefit from my teaching methods as together we hit the challenges they encounter. I am creative, intense, driven and brave–these are qualities I nurture in all my students and generally receive outstanding results.

If you are looking for creative dramatics lessons and plays for your students, I can help you. These lessons are for grades third to fifth. So many of these lessons can be used in a reading or language arts classroom, too. They jibe together easily.

Here are a few:

Given Circumstance Monologue Creative Writing Lesson

Got some creative writers? This lesson fits in nicely with a creative writing unit and/or to study playwriting just a little.

This is fun to perform for younger children. There are two versions of this product–one for younger students and one for older.

Ojisan and the Grateful Statues

Oh my gosh! Costume design is a wonderful way to celebrate Halloween. Students love this because they can be very creative and learn at the same time.

Costume Design with Halloween Theme

Do you ever show clips from The Nutcracker Ballet? This lesson includes video clips, a lesson on costume design and gives the students an opportunity to design as well.

Costume Design with Nutcracker Ballet Characters

Costume Design with Parade Characters

Tableau Exercises–Holiday Theme

Stage Properties–St. Patrick’s Day Theme

Drama Lesson: St. Patrick’s Day Play Writing Monologue

Buddy and the Evergreen Trees Reader’s Theater

Here’s my newest: Chanting Lesson for Grades 3 to 5

I hope you’ll check out my drama education products. There are nearly 160 of them ready and waiting for you.

Or maybe you were hoping for something free? Check out this: Free Teaching Resources Blog Hop

If you don’t find what you need, contact me. Chances are I’d be interested in creating what you are needing. That’s always fun!

Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

The Reasons Reader’s Theater is Successful with Our Students

December 6, 2019 By dhcbaldwin 8 Comments

The Reasons Reader’s Theater is Successful with Our Students

When I was a little girl, I loved to read aloud. I was good at it, too! I think it’s where I realized performing was something I loved because by reading aloud it gave me an opportunity to try out characters and voices.

My teachers readily noticed this about me, too. As a result, I was always asked to read aloud. I felt very special at the moment.

Because I am very creative and drill work absolutely bores me, I wasn’t always the best student.

But reading aloud? Oh, that’s so me….

I was looking around the internet to find some other educators (which there are many) who believed as strongly as I do about reading aloud. My favorite method is through reader’s theater.

In case, you are unfamiliar with Reader’s Theater here is a good definition from the Education World website, a wonderful retired Language Arts Teacher,

“In Reader’s Theater, students “perform” by reading scripts created from grade-level books or stories — generally without benefit of costumes and props. The goal is to enhance reading skill and confidence through practice with a purpose. Reader’s Theater gives students a real reason to read aloud.

“A great deal of fluency research reiterates the need for repeated reading,” reported Finney. “Without fluency, there is little comprehension; the value of Reader’s Theater is increased tenfold when used as a strategy for increasing understanding of what is being read.”

Reader’s Theater motivates reluctant readers and provides fluent readers with the opportunity to explore genre and characterization.”

Yes, yes and one more yes!

Reader’s Theater motivate reluctant readers and provides them a safe environment. They can actually “hide” behind a script. As they focus on the script, they become unaware of reading aloud in front others.

Here are the Reasons I think Reader’s Theater Works:

It strengthens one’s reading–repeated reading of words makes them familiar.
It’s a safe way to involve reluctant readers.
Generally, the stories are short and highly engaging. (No one wants to read a boring script aloud!)
It’s a great way to read different genres without having to commit to an entire book.
It “feels” like you are performing, but in a non-threatening manner.
Because students feel safe, their inner performer is more likely to emerge.

My only advice: I wouldn’t suggest putting kids on a stage to try out reader’s theater. You have just shot yourself in the foot! I promise, it won’t go well.

The Reasons Reader’s Theater is Successful with Our Students

Here is more from Education World.

Judy Freeman a literature consultant states,

“Reader’s Theater allows children the luxury of lingering over a story; acting it out many times so they come to understand all its nuances,” Freeman explained. “Too often, children read a story and only understand it at its most superficial literal level. With Reader’s Theater, they’re not just reading a story; they’re living it.”

“Always perform a Reader’s Theater script at least twice,” she advises. “The first time, the children will be struggling with words and their meanings, and with making sense of the play. It’ll be rough, but who cares? The second time, they’ll be able to focus on enjoying the performance and their parts in it. You can, if you wish, carry it further, adding props, costumes, and scenery; memorizing lines; or even putting on the play for other groups. You don’t have to, though. It’s the process that’s important here, not a finished product.”

That’s an important statement–it’s not a finished product.

To sum up in one phrase–Reader’s Theater allows for trial and error when reading.

Multicultural Folk Tales Reader’s Theater Scripts

I’ve penned several reader’s theater scripts. Each is based on a multicultural folk tale.

Reader’s Theater: The Sprightly Tailor

If you are looking for some different reader’s theater scripts, I’m your gal. Because of my extensive experience teaching and directing (38 years–yikes!), you can trust the quality of these scripts.

AND HERE’S SOMETHING ELSE…

Each of these units comes with original songs written especially for the piece. How cool is that?

This is not just a script, it’s a unit!

Here’s what you receive:

Letter to teacher
Warm up exercise
Advice in directing reader’s theater
Blocking plot for teacher’s staging needs
Scripts with roles for large classes
Original song

Does this sound good to you? Check them out at: Dramamommaspeaks Store

Here’s a new bundle you may enjoy: Comical Reader’s Theater Scripts and Units

The Reasons Reader’s Theater is Successful with Our Students

When I taught at Smithton Middle School in Columbia, MO I used reader’s theater with an after school Drama club for ESL students. This was about fifteen years ago. At the time I used one of Aaron Shepherd’s scripts. They are terrific.

Another time, I used a reader’s theater script version of Holes. We invited reluctant readers to be involved. I asked several administrators and teachers to play the adult roles. It was absolutely awesome and we performed the script for the entire school.

What a boost in self confidence this was for those boys.

I co-created a youth theater program in Columbia as well–P.A.C.E. or Performing Arts in Children’s Education. We performed A Christmas Story as a stage reading. Stage readings are very similar to reader’s theater. You might think performing with script in hand would distract or detract from the performances. Nope. The audience loved it anyway.

So, I hope you’ll give reader’s theater a try whether you are in a drama class, high school language arts or social studies. It’s not just for elementary students anymore.

What reader’s theater have you done in your class? I’d love to hear about it. Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

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