Transcript Readers` Theatre

Using Reader’s Theatre
Lynn W. Zimmerman, PhD
English Language Fellow
A. Xhuvani University
Elbansan, Albania
https://lwzimmerman.wordpress.com/poland-workshop-materials-may-2015/
[email protected]
An Effective Group
• Group
– not just several individuals getting
together to do something
– a unit that functions together
– opportunities for students to spend
more time speaking English
Advantages of Group Work
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More students participate in discussions
Promotes teamwork
Moving around can be a good break
Fosters learner autonomy
– Make their own choices and decisions within the
framework
• Can be motivating
• More opportunities to practice speaking and
listening
Disadvantages of Group Work
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Teacher has less control
Students may use L1 too much
They may be too noisy
They may not be engaging in the task
How much are students learning?
Some students do not like nor do well with
group work
• Students may not understand its purpose
Two Important Elements
• Assigning roles
• Clear procedures
Assigning Roles
• Everyone should
– Make contributions
– Have responsibilities
• Some possible roles
– Leader/organizer
- Designer
– Reporter
- Time keeper
– Language coordinator - Recorder
Clear Procedures
• Instructions should not be too long or too
complicated.
• Give instructions before giving materials
• Tell them in preliminary instructions how
and when the task will end
• Monitor that the students are on-task
• Give a warning signal that group work is
ending soon (x-minute warning)
Assessing Group Work
• Use a rubric
– Group activities
– Individual activities
Dangerous Encounters
• Read the text
• If you were going to ask your
students to create a script from this
text, which characters would they
need?
Readers’ Theatre
• Minimal theater in support of literature and
reading
– Narration serves as the framework of dramatic
presentation
– No stage sets
– No costumes
– No memorization
RT Performance
• How well did this script follow the
story?
• If you were asking you students to
write a script for this story, what
would you have them do differerntly?
Benefits of Readers’ Theatre
• Repeated readings promotes fluency
• Promotes reading
• Relatively simple activity for the teacher
The Hunter and the Alligator
• Groups of 5
• Identify group
roles
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Organizer
Recorder
Reader
English checker
Time keeper
What else?
• Identify the
characters
• How will you set
the scene?
– Do you need a
narrator?
• How long should it
be?
Feedback
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What went well?
What were challenges?
How did you decide on your roles?
How did you decide who would do what?
Were there any problems? How did you
resolve them?
• What would have made this group project
better?
Assessment
Group
Content
Individual
Participation
Organization
Delivery
Mechanics
Mechanics
Other Ideas
• Make a comic book of the story
– Illustrate the story by drawing the
action and showing conversation.
For More Reader’s
Theater
• Aaron Shepard’s RT Page: www.aaronshep.com/rt
• http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/literacy/readers_th
eater.html
References
• Ur, P. 2012. A course in English
language teaching. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.