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