reader's theater

Creative Dramatics for Tweens: Build Confidence First

July 9, 2025 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

Creative Dramatics for Tweens: Build Confidence First

I’ve wanted to blog on this subject for a long time–Creative Dramatics for Tweens: Build Confidence First. It’s easy to assume that the best way to begin a drama class is with scripts in hand or with a monologue or duet scene. After all, that’s what theater is all about—character, dialogue, blocking, memorization. Right?

Not quite.

When you’re working with middle school students, traditional scripted drama can be overwhelming. Many students at this age are still learning to navigate their emotions. Additionaly, they are learning how to communicate effectively, and build trust with their peers. That’s why I believe the best way to start middle school theater is not with a script, but with creative dramatics.

What Is Creative Dramatics?

Creative dramatics is an unscripted, process-centered approach to theater. It includes improvisation, storytelling, pantomime, role play, and drama games. Unlike traditional scripted drama, it emphasizes exploration over performance. Additionally, it is less about perfect delivery and more about self-expression, teamwork, and discovery.

In short—it’s play with purpose.

Why Traditional Drama Doesn’t Work Right Away

Middle school students come to drama class with a wide range of abilities. Plus, they join us with different comfort levels, and backgrounds. Some are eager to perform; others are terrified of speaking aloud. When we hand them a script and ask them to “act,” we’re assuming they already have skills they may not have yet.

As we are aware, times have changed one generation to the next. I was from the generation where parents said children were, “to be seen and not heard.’ My parents let my teachers deal with me at school–they did not intervene at all. My daughters weren’t raised as strictly but guardedly. However, we did not ask them for their input in making decisions about and for them. This latest generation is much more hands-on.

Modern parents are often more involved in their children’s lives than previous generations. They attend more events, know more about their kids’ social-emotional development, and are quicker to advocate in school or healthcare settings. This shift is partly due to greater access to parenting research, a cultural emphasis on emotional intelligence, and a desire to break cycles from their own childhoods.

How Developmentally Appropriate Drama Builds Success

How does that play out in the drama classroom? In drama class we deal with our emotions right from the first day. If a student is uncomfortable sharing emotion, they will shut down on a teacher before they have even begun.

This is the primary reason for beginning the school year or even second semester with creative dramatics and not jumping into more a more traditional theater class. Take.your.time.

Here are a few reasons traditional methods may fall short:

They’re still figuring out who they are. Think of it–they enter your classroom as basically a 5th grader and leave the school as almost a 9th grader. That’s huge growth! Identity is a work in progress at this age. Asking them to take on another character can feel like too much when they’re unsure of themselves to begin with.

Reading aloud is a challenge for some. Not every student is a confident reader. Struggling through a script in front of peers can be a confidence killer.

Performance anxiety is real. Scripts and staged scenes can cause fear of failure, embarrassment, or judgment.

Additionally, they haven’t built ensemble yet. Trust is a crucial part of theater—and it takes time. Without it, collaborative scene work suffers. Students must feel safe in order to take chances and make mistakes in front of their peers.

What Creative Dramatics Offers Instead

Simply put, creative dramatics gives students the freedom to play, explore, and make choices.

Here’s why it works so well for middle schoolers:

Confidence Grows Naturally
I found that activities like studying movement and storytelling encourage participation without the pressure of “getting it right.” Students learn that all ideas are welcome, and that builds a safer space for risk-taking.

It Emphasizes Play
Middle schoolers need movement and laughter. Games and creative exercises channel their energy in productive ways—and make class genuinely fun. Students have shared with me that the warm-up games are their favorite part of their school day! One exercise that is always successful is The Three Headed Monster. Want a copy? Pick it up here: Three Headed Monster

Why Creative Dramatics Works for Every Student

It Builds Ensemble
Middle schools are generally as large as a small high school. That means your students may not be familiar with each other. Several elementaries can funnel into one middle school. Therefore, group work, partner activities, and group-based improvisation help students learn to listen, collaborate, and trust one another. These are the same skills that will serve them when they do move into scripted work. Check out this bundle: Group Based Improvisation Exercises

Skills Are Introduced Organically
Voice, body language, emotion, conflict, character motivation—these are all explored through creative dramatics. Often students aren’t even aware that they’re developing them. Because you have focused on participation rather than performance, your timid students have an opportunity to challenge their fears without criticism.

It Welcomes All Learners
Some students didn’t choose to take drama. Others are English language learners or neurodivergent. Creative dramatics gives everyone a way in—regardless of background or ability. My favorite memories of teaching middle school have always been when a secial needs student get to participate in the performance. Or the ELL students show their classmates that they don’t need to be good English speakers to win at a game! Need something for a substitute teacher to teach? Check out: Emergency Sub Plan Bundle

What It Looks Like in Practice

So, what does creative dramatics actually look like in the classroom? A middle school drama classroom is joyful, dynamic and always fun!

Here are a few ways to begin your middle school drama class:

Tableaux exercises where students freeze in poses to tell a story or capture a scene–pick up Fairy Tales with Tableau
Improvisation games like “Yes, And…” or “What Are You Doing?”
Story circle activities where students help shape a narrative such as Magic Circle
Movement builds expression and clarity without words such as Creative Movement
Character walk explorations where students invent physical traits for imaginary people. This first begins with a charater analysis such as Character Analysis

None of these require a script. All of them build foundational theater skills.

When to Introduce Scripts

Scripts do have a place in middle school drama. They come after the ensemble is built, the fear is reduced, and the students are comfortable in their own creative voices.

When that time comes, try:

Class plays where the entire class is involved, such as The Brave Little Tailor
Reader’s theater as a gentle transition, such as The Magic Lake
Radio theater is non-threatening and requires very little preparation for you or the students, try Bow Wow Blues

Once they’re ready, traditional drama becomes much more successful—and meaningful. It’s worth noting you should also not begin the year delving into theater history. If you’d like a free lesson for this subject, check out: The Origin of Theater

Final Thoughts

Here’s some advice: don’t be like me and get all caught up in the quality of the performance. When I first started teaching middle schoolers, I was too focused on the final performance. Some students can only equate a play performance as doing “theater”. They may not come out of their shells until they are standing in front an audience (hopefully, someone else’s class of students are serving as audience).

What is key here is that your students are LEARNING. Once you accept this, your teaching will be much more fun and fulfilling. Middle school drama is not about putting on a perfect show. It’s about helping students discover who they are, how they express themselves, and how they connect with others. Want more advice about teaching middle schoolers? Check out: How to Make Your Drama Class More Successful –Lessons Learned from 38 Years of Teaching-Middle School

Where Confidence Begins: Creative Dramatics

If we want them to fall in love with theater—and we do—we need to meet them where they are. That starts not with scripts, but with play. With movement, with laughter and 2ith ensemble.

It starts with creative dramatics.

Have you tried creative dramatics with your students? Drop a comment and share what’s worked for you, or explore my ready-to-use lessons that make the first weeks of drama class engaging and low-stress—for you and your students.

Unveiling Reader’s Theater: What You Never Knew

February 7, 2024 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

Even though I lacked familiarity with Reader’s Theater as a student, once I was a teacher its advantages surpassed any apprehensions I harbored. Let’s talk–unveiling Reader’s Theater: what you never knew. In today’s dynamic educational landscape, teachers are continually exploring innovative methods to engage students and foster deeper understanding.

Unveiling Reader’s Theater: What You Never Knew

One technique gaining popularity is Reader’s Theater. Reader’s Theater is a powerful instructional tool that combines reading, performance, and collaborative learning. Particularly in upper elementary classrooms, Reader’s Theater offers numerous benefits, from improving literacy skills to enhancing social and emotional development. Let’s delve into why incorporating Reader’s Theater can be a game-changer for educators and students alike.

Boosting Literacy Skills

One of the most important reasons Reader’s Theater is beneficial is its power in boosting literacy skills. It provides an interactive platform for students to actively engage with text. By taking on different roles and reading aloud, students develop fluency, comprehension, and expression. According to a study published in The Reading Teacher, students who participated in Reader’s Theater experienced significant gains in reading fluency compared to those who did not. The repetitive reading inherent in rehearsals helps reinforce vocabulary and comprehension, leading to improved reading proficiency over time.

Did you know I have the secret to boosting student engagement? My new book, “We’re Live! Radio Theater #101” explains my journey to implementing this unique tool in the classroom. Check it out here

Fostering Collaboration and Social Skills

If you were to ask me what is the greatest asset of theater, I’d say its adaptability to integrate into any core subject. However, it wasn’t until I studied for my Masters in Arts Integration that this became glaringly apparent to me. Any time it is used in the classroom, your students level of engagement increases. In addition, collaboration lies at the heart of Reader’s Theater. Working together to interpret scripts, assign roles, and rehearse scenes cultivates teamwork and communication skills. A survey conducted by the National Education Association found that 89% of teachers reported improvements in students’ collaboration skills after implementing Reader’s Theater in their classrooms. Moreover, performing in front of classmates builds confidence and self-esteem while encouraging empathy and appreciation for diverse perspectives.

Enhancing Creativity and Critical Thinking

Reader’s Theater encourages students to think critically and creatively as they interpret characters and scenes. For some students, it is the first time they see a story in a book as something other than words on a page. The story comes alive! An analysis conducted by the International Journal of Education and the Arts revealed that students engaged in Reader’s Theater demonstrated higher levels of creativity and critical thinking compared to traditional reading instruction. Analyzing text, identifying character motivations, and making decisions about performance elements stimulate higher-order thinking skills. By the way, gifted and talented students groove on unique learning and Reader’s Theater is one way to reach them.

Addressing Multiple Learning Styles

Every student learns differently, and Reader’s Theater caters to a variety of learning styles. Visual learners benefit from seeing the text come to life through performance, while auditory learners engage with the spoken word and sound effects. According to a report by the American Federation of Teachers, Reader’s Theater accommodates diverse learning styles and promotes inclusive classrooms. By providing a multi-sensory experience, Reader’s Theater ensures that all students have the opportunity to succeed and shine in the classroom.

Cultivating a Love for Literature

Reader’s Theater breathes new life into literature, history, etc. transforming reading assignments into dynamic and memorable experiences. A survey conducted by Scholastic found that 78% of students reported enjoying reading more after participating in Reader’s Theater activities. By engaging students’ imaginations and emotions, Reader’s Theater ignites a passion for storytelling and fosters a lifelong love of reading. As students connect emotionally with characters and narratives, they develop empathy, cultural awareness, and a deeper appreciation for the power of words. A by- product of passively studying another culture through a Reader’s Theater script, encourages students to be more accepting of one another. Can I prove it? Nope, I just know from my many years of teaching and directing experience.

Reader’s Theater in the Multicultural Classroom

I am aware of the many challenges our teachers are facing at this point and time. As a member of several Facebook teacher groups, I hear them lament about their worries and frustrations. One of their major challenges they are having is keeping the students engaged in their learning. In addition, the students are unkind to one another to a degree we haven’t seen in our recent past. I am as concerned about our students’ futures as the teachers.

I can’t fix everything, but I can help. In my thirty-eight years of teaching, I saw the need for multiculturalism right from the first day of teaching. What is multiculturalism? Simply, put, multiculturalism is defined as allowing many individual cultures to exist within one country. It is the idea that many different types of cultures can exist within one nation. But how to celebrate the cultures? Many years ago, I began adapting multicultural folk tales into readers theater plays and friend, it works! Students enjoy learning about other cultures through Reader’s Theater.

Looking for something to celebrate spring? Pick up The Little Girl and the Winter Whirlwinds here.

The Legend of How the Bee Got Its Stinger Reader’s Theater

For example, I created a Reader’s Theater script for The Legend of How the Bee Got Its Stinger based on a Cherokee Indian legend. The story: Back in ancient times, when the people were purer and could converse with the animals. The Creator would visit with them. The people asked the Creator for something that was “sweet” to the taste. So, the Creator sent the Bee, but the Bee had no stinger. Down came the Bee and it found a suitable tree in which, they could build their hive, live in, produce honey, multiply and feed its young. Soon the people came to the Bee and asked for some of the sweet syrup and the Bee gave each person a container full. The people loved the syrup and greedily ate it, then went back to the Bee for more. What happens next? You’ll just have to purchase the resource to find out! Looking for another Native American story? Check out: 370 Million Indigenous People Want You to Know About Their Cultures

The Sprightly Tailor Reader’s Theater Unit

The Story of the Sprightly Tailor is another fun one and so unique! This story, from the British Isles, is spooky, scary and funny all at the same time. It is about a swift-footed and energetic (sprightly) tailor who undertakes to sew some trews (trousers) at night, among the haunted ruins of an old church. Along enters a ghost! You’ll just have to see what happens next…You can find it here: Comical Readers Theater Unit The Sprightly Tailor.

Abdullah’s Gold Reader’s Theater Unit

Abdullah’s Gold is a story with a moral which students can understand and readily identify. Abdullah was one of the richest men in town, but you could easily mistake him for a beggar. It was his theory that since there were so many people out to rob a rich man, it was safe to pretend to be poor. And so he did.

But he really didn’t have to pretend. Stingy to the core he found it very easy to be poor. So what if people sniggered and children called out, “Kanjoos! Kanjoos!” (miser, miser), whenever he passed by in his worn-out clothes. Abdullah became more and more content with his growing pile of money as the years went by. But one night, something happens to Abdullah’s money and things were never the same for him. You can find Abullah’s Gold here.

Unveiling Reader’s Theater: What You Never Knew

Looking for more information about Reader’s Theater? Check out: Learning Through Reader’s Theater Scripts

You can check out all of my readers theater scripts at: Dramamommaspeaks

As you can see, incorporating Reader’s Theater into the upper elementary classroom offers a wealth of benefits, from enhancing literacy skills to fostering collaboration and creativity. By providing a dynamic and interactive approach to reading instruction, teachers can inspire students to become confident readers, effective communicators, and lifelong learners. Plus, let’s not forget how the study of cultures can encourage students to have a global perspective and culturally sensitive. Who knows? You may enjoy it just as much as your students! At least, that is my hope. Let’s embrace the transformative potential of Reader’s Theater and empower our students to shine on stage and in life.

What Reader’s Theater have you used in your classroom? What discoveries did you make by implementing it? I’d love to hear about it. Contact me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com

The Reasons We Need Girls to Be Heroes in Stories

March 17, 2021 By dhcbaldwin 3 Comments

The Reasons We Need Girls to Be Heroes in Stories

My husband and I watched Mulan last night. Wow! I especially enjoyed the terrific plot twists in the film. And those costumes! It made me think of the reasons we need girls to be heroes in stories.

So, to the Disney production company —

Thank you for not having a passionate kiss between Mulan and Chen Honghui, the romantic lead (sort of). It wasn’t needed. It was far more interesting to think they became friends.
Thank you for demonstrating a female can be just as fearless as a male.
Thank you for allowing her to be her own person.
Thank you for giving Mulan a persona so large it was difficult for her to hide it.

Women’s History Month

in this day and age, especially during March the designated Women’s History Month, it only seems appropriate to celebrate women who have been heroes.

Everywhere around us (at least at present), there are little video snippets about women in history. This is terrific.

I believe what we need now more than ever is more stories like Mulan. The reasons we need girls to be heroes in stories is because it is difficult for them to relate to a male’s story. Our young daughters and nieces need role models near their age even if they are imaginary. Although I think we are more aware of the pressure put on our young women, it has not faded away.

Getting Lost in Social Media

Trust me, it’s very easy for our girls to get lost in social media and social pressure to conform. What kind of messages are they hearing–one is to have beautiful long luxurious hair. What about young girls climbing a mountain and covered in bumps and bruises? We don’t see those so much, but we want our daughters to not only have choices but good ones which will benefit their lives not just their face.

Of course, girls need to learn about women who have made scientific discoveries, blazed frontiers, etc. They are inspiring to study, however when you are young it is difficult to admire someone as old as your grandmother or auntie. We need more stories whether fiction or nonfiction about young women or girls.

There are many folk tales with girls as the heroine. I’d begin with a folk tale such as Swamp Angel. Swamp Angel is a tall tale about a girl (who got her name from saving passengers of a wagon train that “got mired in Dejection Swamp”) who competes against the Tennessee men in trying to kill Thundering Tarnation, a huge bear who ate all of the settlers’ food. It’s funny and worth dramatizing.

Molly Whuppie

Or how about Molly Whuppie? Molly is a female trickster, an underdog who outsmarts her adversary, the giant. She saves her two sisters who she protects from the giant. The English folk tale describes how she feels the sad abandonment by her parents and becomes resilient, willing to take on and complete the three quests set by the king.

For example, this is Mary Anderson, a rising star in the British theater. No one has heard much about her, yet her story is fascinating and rather tragic as well.

Young Women in the Arts

Another route would be to make films about young women doing amazing things such as Amanda Gorman, the poet laureate, is more of what we need. As most of us are aware, Amanda took the world by storm with her poem for the presidential inauguration of Joe Biden.

Who else is there? Oh, my gosh—plenty!

I have to admit it has been tough to find women under the age of thirty years who are being celebrated like Amanda. I know they are out there, however.

Young Arts Foundation

Upon researching this blog post, I found the Young Arts Foundation. I’m embarassed to say I’ve never heard of it.

Their mission: National Young Arts Foundation identifies the most accomplished young artists in the visual, literary and performing arts, and provides them with creative and professional development opportunities throughout their careers.

I was pleased to see Viola Davis and Camille A. Brown are alumni of the program. Here is a blog post about studying theater artists (Viola and Camille are included) which might come in handy for you: Should Students Read Biographies?

The National Young Arts Foundation has an entire program whose express purpose is nurturing young artists.

Now this is what I’m talking about!

DramaMommaSpeaks Play and Readers Theater Scripts

The Reasons We Need Girls to Be Heroes in Stories is because our girls need our support however we can provide it.

As a teacher I was always on the lookout for young women who demonstrated talent in the arts. Now that I’m retired, I miss the opportunities to nurture their talents.

I can nurture young girls in the arts, however.

I’ve adapted several multicultural folk tales into plays and readers theater scripts. You can find them here: Dramamommaspeaks

In the meantime, I’d love to share with you about them.

Li Chi Slays the Serpent

Li Chi Slays the Serpent appears like many folk tales of a different time, namely several thousand years ago. What I especially enjoy about it is the fearless heroine. Li Chi takes it upon herself to kill the serpent who descends upon her village every few years to snatch up a young girl to devour. She disobeys her parents after they inform her she is not permitted to go fight the serpent and sneaks out to the mountains where the serpent lives. Using her wits and expert planning, she lures the serpent out with food and ultimately kills him.

The Little Girl and the Winter Whirlwind

This folk tale from Bulgaria features a female as the hero. (Oh, I know there is a female version of heroine, but I’m kinda partial to “hero.”)

The story reminds me a bit of Li Chi. A wicked Winter Witch decides to stop Spring from coming on time and make Winter the only season on Earth. She hides the Sun behind dark clouds and covered the Earth with heavy snow.

One morning the people from a small mountain village woke up and found their houses burried under the snow up to the roofs. They started digging tunnels from their own to the neighboring houses, and gathered in small groups to decide what they could do.

They finally decided that the best thing to do is to send someone on the highest mountain peak, where the good wizard Father Frost lived in his palace of ice and ask him for help. The Little Girl volunteers to go because she has very little to hold her back. She believes her warm heart and love for everyone will melt the snow and bring spring. It’s another dramatic story worth telling and performing.

The Magic Lake

The Magic Lake is an Inca legend about a little girl (hmmmm, seems to be a theme here) who leaves her home to travel to the Magic Lake to bring back magical water for the prince who is sick and dying. On her journey, she travels with her trusted llama and two maccaw birds who protect her. She outwits a giant rattlesnake, a huge red scorpion and swarm of ferocious army ants and finds the magic water just in time. Exciting? You bet.

If you’d like more information about this and other stories with girls as the hero, check out my store Dramamommaspeaks

or Distance Learning with Reader’s Theater Scripts.

Gotta go–I just found two more folk tales that I simply must dramatize. I can’t wait to begin!

What stories do you appreciate? I’d love to hear about them. Contact me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

Learning Through Reader’s Theater Scripts

March 21, 2020 By dhcbaldwin 3 Comments

Learning Through Readers Theater Scripts

Today’s let us consider an old friend of mine–readers theater. Learning through readers theater scripts is effortless. I’m getting ahead of myself here.

Shocking News

Did you know that 40% of our students can not read fluently. Forty per cent! Yikes.

READING WITH GRANDAUGHTER WHEN SHE WAS 18 MOS.

When we were raising our daughters, I made it a point of reading to our daughters at least thirty minutes twice a day. I know not everyone has that privilege. Now I offer to read to my grandchildren whenever I can. This little imp in the photo is our granddaughter who loves to read. It’s no wonder–look at her in the photo! You can see her delight in the story and pictures.

But back to our students reading issues. If you are looking for a way to keep your students engaged and sort of in the drama class (or actually Reading or Language Arts class) mindset, here’s an idea:

Teach through a reader’s theater script!

Rehearsal Schedule for a Readers Theater Performance

Here is what I would do in this situation—

Day One:

Select a reader’s theater which you know your students will enjoy
Announce to the students in the class you will be performing a readers theater play
Teach about readers theater and its many assets (script in hand, no memorization, everyone works together)
Inform parents and invite them to the performance. (Day Six)

Day Two:

Hand out scripts to students
Read aloud the script.
Afterward instruct students to select three roles they are interested in performing and send you their choices. You’ll send them an email with the cast list.
Cast the roles

Day Three:

Announce to the class the cast list
Teach students how to hi-light their lines.
Read aloud script a second time

Day Four

Discuss any questions or moments you want to clarify with the students (Such as when it says “ad-lib.” what does that mean?)
Instruct the students to complete any assignment you may have given them to accompany the script and send to you

Days Five, Six and Seven

Day Five

Read the script aloud again and coach the class focusing on vocal inflection, variety, tone and enunciation (Also, you may want to coach them on physicalizing of the character. How would an angry man look? What about a frightened giant?)
If you want the students to have costume pieces, perhaps you could discuss ideas for costume pieces they may have at home? (Maybe the students could use some foil and tagboard and make a crown, for instance. Or a student portraying a chicken could make a demi-mask to wear during the reading.)

Day Six

Performance Day!
Either rehearse the script once more or the teacher gives any last-minute directions
Record the performance (It will be so fun for the students to see it afterward!)

Day Seven

Hold a post production discussion about the experience (Maybe a little party could be held with everyone bringing their own snack and drink to the class?)

Grab my FREE guide and ten page lesson to help you boost student engagement here:

Reader’s Theater is an excellent way to involve all readers, no matter their skill level.

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.”

Reluctant Learners and Readers Theater

Are reluctant students successful with readers theater? Yes, yes and one more yes!

Reader’s Theater motivates 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.

If you are ready to try a readers theater unit, here are a few of mine.

The products come with:

a warm up
advice in directing reader’s theater
blocking plot for teacher’s staging needs
a lesson about the country or culture of which the folk tale hails (i.e. Italian language, Yiddish language, Grimms Brothers, Inuit dance, etc.)
script with roles for 15 to 30 students, depending upon the script
original song and sheet music (optional for performance)
sound bytes of music

Comprehensive? You bet!

Check out my store at: Dramamommaspeaks Store

These scripts are field-tested and created by a veteran drama teacher and director of thirty-eight years.

Who am I?

I am a retired drama educator having taught for thirty-eight years in both the public and private sectors. Whew! During this time, I created a curriculum for studies in creative dramatics, creative movement, introduction to musical theater, musical theater, film making, technical theater, introduction to Shakespeare, introduction to theater as well speech and debate. I created seven youth theater companies that continue today in various parts of the Midwest, oversaw productions for thirty-eight years and developed a national playwriting contest for youth theater scripts. In addition, I am an award-winning director who has directed over 250 plays and musicals with children and adults alike. My sister was an elementary teacher for many years as were my aunts. In the late 1800s, my fraternal grandmother was known for her strength in teaching math in the wilds of Kansas. My maternal grandmother established the first kindergarten in Osaka, Japan in the 1890s. In short teaching is in my blood and comes to me joyfully and naturally.

I hope you’ll consider teaching readers theater to your students through distance learning with the help of a company such as Zoom. I’d love to hear how it goes for you, too!

If you’d like to read more about my lessons, look at:

Eight Benefits for Students When Reading Plays

The Reasons Reader’s Theater is Successful with Our Students

The Reasons Teaching Multiculturalism in the Classroom is Vitally Important

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,

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

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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