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Readers’ Theatre
In “Readers’ Theatre”, a brief excerpt from a play,
 or a very short
play is read to an audience by the students. Typically, students remain seated throughout the presentation. However, as students grow comfortable with the format and demonstrate their ability to follow
directions, they can stand, move around and add additional elements to the performance.
The first time teachers, Brenda Sather and Julie Dale, used the technique, they found that the kids were good at standing when
introduced, and taking “bows” at the end of the play, but otherwise needed to remain seated. This resulted in a well-controlled presentation the kids really seemed to enjoy.
 The teachers used a short play based
on Alice in Wonderland found in a basal reader. The kids were delighted with the absurdity and imagination of the selection; many wanted to go on and read the entire book. The excitement
and enthusiasm generated motivated additional, fun learning, so care needs to be taken in initial play selection!
Finally, occasional use of Readers’ Theatre throughout elementary school will result in a growing ability to perform and a growing ability
to mange behavior in performance and speaking situations. This will result in good preparation for middle and high school speaking and theatre performance requirements, as well as helping kids mange
their own behavior, which is certainly one of our EBD goals!
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