MASON STROUSE

How Does Readers Theatre Affect a Student’s Reading Fluency?

DESCRIPTION OF SCHOOL

• Public School in a Suburban Area

• 31.68 teachers, 562 students, with a Student/Teacher Ratio of 17.74

• Title I School

• 290 eligible for free lunch

• 24 eligible for reduced-price lunch

ENROLLMENT

K 1 2 3 4 5 6

Students 90 82 69 84 75 85 77

By Grade

American Indian/

Alaskan

Asian/Pacific

Islander

Black Hispanic White Two or More Races

Students 0 4 66 5 420 67

By Race

Male Female

Students 294 268

By Gender

DESCRIPTION OF CLASSROOM

• Grade 3

• 28 students (15 boys, 13 girls)

• 5 learning support students with IEPs

• 1 classroom teacher and 1 student teacher

• 1 paraprofessional to assist 1 student

• Only 14 students used for this study

LITERATURE REVIEW ARTICLES

Enhancing Reading with Readers’ TheatreBy Suzanne I. Barchers

Implementing Readers Theatre as an Approach to Classroom Fluency Instruction

By Chase Young and Timothy Rasinski

Improving Oral Reading Fluency through Readers Theatre

By Maryann Mraz, William Nichols, Safronia Caldwell, Rene Beisley, Stephan Sargent, and William Rupley

I Thought About It All Night: Readers Theatre for Reading Fluency and Motivation

By Jo Worthy, Kathryn Prater

“BIG IDEA”

Reading fluency has once again, after a long absence, become a critical goal in the elementary reading curriculum. Although fluency is often associated with oral reading, it is assumed that fluent oral readers are fluent in their silent reading as well. Research has demonstrated a strong connection between proficient oral reading and proficient silent reading comprehension. (Rasinski, 2003).

METHODOLOGY - BEFORE

• Assessed students using a fluency reading passage

• Students who fell below the norm were part of this study

• What is Reader’s Theater?

• Model using adults in the room

• Students read aloud with the teacher

• Students were assessed

• Groups were assigned

METHODOLOGY - DURING

• What is today’s focus?

• What can I do to make this better?

• How do I “perform”?

• Am I ready?

• Scores were recorded usingOral ReadingRubric

Monday – Pronunciation

Tuesday – Fluency

Wednesday – Expression

Thursday – Projection

Friday – Performance

METHODOLOGY - AFTER

• How did I do?

• Did I make something better?

• What did I do that helped me?

• What can I improve upon next time?

• Students were assessed again

ASSESSMENT OF PERFORMANCES

• Self-Check

• Performance

• Teacher Check

• Final Grade

ASSESSMENT OF FLUENCY

• Assessed students using a fluency reading passage as before

• Documented the scores and growth

RESULTS

14%(2)

21%(3)

36%(5)

29%(4)

Fluency Scores BeforeImplementation

50-59

60-69

70-79

80-89

90-99

100-109 14%(2)

29%(4)

29%(4)

21%(3)

7%(1)

Fluency Scores AfterImplementation

50-59

60-69

70-79

80-89

90-99

100-109

RESULTS

50-59 60-69 70-79 80-89 90-99 100-1090

1

2

3

4

5

6

BeforeAfter

Fluency Scores

Nu

mb

er o

f S

tud

ents

INTERPRETATION OF DATA

• All the students improved their scores!

• Most students met their goals

• The class as a whole improved their scores

IMPLICATIONS

• Readers Theatre makes reading fun!

• Students don’t realize they are learning

• Reader’s Theatre is an effective tool for improving reader’s fluency

• I will continue to incorporate Readers Theatre into my instruction

REFERENCES

Barchers, Suzanne I. "Enhancing Reading with Readers‘ Theatre." Knowledge Quest 30.1 (2001): 11-12. Print.

Mraz, Maryann, William Nichols, Safronia Caldwell, ReneBeisley, Stephan Sargent, and William Rupley.

"Improving Oral Reading Fluency through Readers Theatre." Reading Horizons 52.2 (2013): 163-80. Print.

Worthy, Jo, and Kathryn Prater. "“I Thought about It All Night”: Readers Theatre for Reading Fluency and Motivation." The Reading Teacher 56.3 (2002): 294-97. Print.

Young, Chase, and Timothy Rasinski. "Implementing Readers Theatre as an Approach to Classroom Fluency

Instruction." The Reading Teacher 63.1 (2009): 4-13. Print.