Reader’s Theater with a Technology Twist
Presented byKathy Schmidt, Media Specialist
& Janet Zawacki, 4th grade Gifted teacher
Rock Springs Elementary, Lawrenceville, GA
This is a GREEN Presentation. Find this slide show and
presentation notes at
http://librarystew.blogspot.c
om
Reyna
What is Reader’s Theater??
• Staged reading of scripts that are based on a work of literature
• Emphasis on the text • Limited movement, no costumes, no props
Why Reader’s Theater?
• Increase Reading fluency• Increased comprehension of the text• Building Vocabulary• Improved public speaking skills• Increased self-confidence• Exposing students to different genres
Jenna
The Collaboration
• How it happened• Incorporating Reader’s Theater into the
curriculum• Finding the time
2nd Quarter• Script: A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon• Practicing – working on– Fluency– Voice– Wiggling– Expression
The Tech Twist
• Podcasting – – Recorded using Audacity– Stored using OurMedia (this year we are storing
on Podbean)– Uploaded to my Blog (this year will be uploaded
to student blog)
3rd Quarter
• Non-Fiction scripts: When Rain Falls by Melissa StewartUnder The Snow by Melissa Stewart
Scripts from her website:www.melissa-stewart.com
Michael
The Tech Twist• Art work created by students put into
PowerPoint to use as a back drop for presentation
• Had students narrate the slideshow and upload it to PowerShow.com
• http://www.powershow.com/view/2aa5d9-ZDA5M/Under_the_Snow_readers_theater
• I uploaded it to my blog, and we get a comment from Author Melissa Stewart!
• http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2010/04/friday-fun.html
4th Quarter
• Writing their own Scripts• They choose from picture books we chose, – Good dialogue– Funny– A variety of characters in the story
• Final choices: – Knuffle Bunny Too by Mo Willems– How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long– Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
Grant
The Results
• More than 50% of our students raised their Language Arts CRCT scores
• More than 50% of our students raised their Reading CRCT scores
New Tech Twists This year
• Student blogs http://rtreflectionstue.blogspot.com/http://rtreflectionsthurs.blogspot.com/
• SKYPE author visit ???
Resources
Scripts:• Teaching Heart• Aaron Shep• Melissa Stewart (Author)• Margie Palatini (Author)
Resources
Technology• Blogger http://www.blogger.com/• Audacity http://audacity.sourceforge.net/• PodBean http://www.podbean.com/• PowerShow http://www.powershow.com/?
u=pp&t=a
ResourcesReferences/Articles
• American Libraries: From Children’s Literature to Reader’s Theater (April 2010)
• School Library Journal: Have You Heard the Word (Dec. 2009)
• Scholastic Instructor: The Power of Reader’s Theater (Jan/Feb 2003)
• Skype an Author Network Wiki