This article shares key steps in how to negotiate writing Readers Theatre scripts with English learners or any small group of students. The author aims to help promote language and literacy development and encourage critical thinking and engagement through the powerful modality of Readers Theatre.

Readers theatre is a presentation by two or more participants who read from scripts and interpret a literary work in such a way that the audience imaginatively senses characterization, setting, and action. This book offers 50, two-page reproducible scripts to entice the preschool and kindergarten group into beginning to read. These patterned…

This book contains 25 story theater scripts appropriate for Grades 2 through 6. The scripts are designed to accommodate whole-classroom participation. The book also includes a description of the process for working with students to create a school Story Fest.

Describes a theater course which engages senior high school students, through a series of units, in the creation and staging of an original script for young children. Lists the units: (1) creation of the script; (2) rehearsal and pre-production; and (3) production. Enumerates the students' responsibilities and reflects on the collaborative…

Unlike traditional Readers Theatre, which is typically limited to literature-based scripts, Curriculum-Based Readers Theatre (CBRT) allows teachers and students to create scripts based on any topic, any work of literature, any textbook, or almost any collection of facts. It can be easily incorporated into the existing curriculum, and because this…

Discusses the benefits of producing theater for young audiences and some of the scripts available. Considers the value of theater for young audiences. Discusses where to look for scripts including several play anthologies. Presents a list of 13 publishers of plays for young audiences. (SC)

Presents a sequence of exercises that address the importance of using words effectively, and considers the insensitivity so many young actors today have regarding the words they have been given by playwrights to say. Intends to help students better connect and deepen the meaning of the words they use as actors with the objectives they choose to…

This book presents science fiction readers theatre scripts for use with grades 4 through 8. The introduction provides information on what readers theatre is and its value, as well as presentation suggestions (e.g., preparing scripts, staging, props, delivery, and post-presentation). Each script includes staging directions and ideas for learning…

Continues a discussion of script analysis for actors. Focuses on specific scenes and how an eventual scene-by-scene analysis will help students determine a "throughline" of a play's action. Uses a scene from "Romeo and Juliet" to illustrate scene analysis. Gives 13 script questions for students to answer. Presents six tips for…

Based on experience gained from helping secondary students produce numerous puppet shows for children, this paper provides a step-by-step guide to the production of puppet plays by secondary students. Following sections that tell about puppeteering and about different kinds of puppets, separate sections of the paper offer suggestions in the…

This article presents guidelines to the elementary teacher for producing a class play. The script for a short adaptation of "Alice in Wonderland" is appended on pages 47-49. (SJL)

This resource presents scripts for eight Shakespearean plays. The scripts are adapted for classroom presentation by intermediate level students. Each play includes introductory materials, instructions for staging and costumes, a vocabulary list, and a cast of characters. Enough roles are provided for participation by every child in the class. Many…

For students, a multi-level of learning goes into the production of a play. When students are involved in a production, they are reading, memorizing and interpreting a script. They are writing notes and learning to take stage directions, and they are using math concepts when they are building a set. On the stage they learn that the ensemble (or…

Describes the ongoing work of a teacher whose Summer Institute for Drama/Teacher Education at the University of Tennessee provides training for both theater and classroom teachers. Focuses on her teaching method--improvisational drama--which simultaneously addresses elements common to fiction and script writing, and now contained in the language…

With the current education climate so focused on accountability, teachers need to ensure that their teaching practices are supported by today's content-specific standards. To meet this need, "A Comprehensive Guide to Readers Theatre" shows not only how to implement Readers Theatre in the classroom but also how to use it to meet current literacy…