The application for Dollar General’s 2012 Youth Literacy Grant for up to $4000 is due May 16. The purpose of the grant is to support expanding literacy programs by purchasing materials, equipment, and more. Don’t miss this opportunity to help fund your reader’s theater program! Apply here.
Every year, Target offers a $2000 grant to support organizations with programs fostering early childhood reading development (PreK-3). Programs should also encourage families reading together. Applications are accepted between March 1 and April 30. Apply here.
Reader’s theater easily fits the parameters of the grant with its power to build fluency rapidly, and several products are designed for parent engagement at home, such as Lend and Extend Reader’s Theater™ packs to allow students to check out books from the classroom, and Summer Fun Take Home Packs specially packaged for parents and families reading with children over the summer. Call Playbooks® Reader’s Theater at 1-800-375-2926 for information about the summer packs which are discounted until May 31.
Reader’s theater and social interactive reading are once again featured in AfterSchool Today magazine, with an article written by reader’s theater expert and Playbooks® president, Dianna Cleveland. Read the new article here!
Below is a free comprehensive, multi-step expression exercise packet which works as a stand-alone activity in dramatic performing arts or as an introduction to a reader’s theater program. Each exercise included brings expressive reading practice to a new level … from watching examples, to reading in small table groups, to performing in front of the class! With gradual advances, students become comfortable reading aloud with emotion and character!
(left) Student practicing one of the exercises, which demonstrates how emphasizing different words in the same sentence can completely change its meaning. Click on the photo to watch a demonstration of this exercise.
Download the Free Playbooks®
Expression Exercise Packet
Reader’s theater is great for kids to enjoy over summer break, whether in organized programs or just at home with their siblings or friends! One mother shares her experience of keeping bored children entertained with a productive and fun activity: http://www.readingrockets.org/blog/32015/. Watch the video below!
Educators can do several things to encourage reader’s theater practice at home over the summer, which helps prevent summer learning loss for students across all family income levels. Fostering reading at home also increases parent involvement, which results in better overall reading success for children.
*Send home with students a list of free reader’s theater script sources from our blog: http://www.freereaderstheater.com/free-readers-theater-stories-and-scripts
*Purchase Playbooks® Summer Fun Take Home Packs at a discount before May 31st. Get information here.
*Order Playbooks® Lend and Extend Packs to create a reader’s theater library for students to check out scripts over the summer. Get information here.
This year’s National Title I Conference, which took place January 21-24, 2012, featured a session by reading recovery teacher and Playbooks® author, Gregory Brown. Brown’s presentation, “When Pink Flamingos Feel Blue,” focused on how to use choral reader’s theater to build fluency and self-esteem. Brown’s experience as shy, “slow reader” during his own childhood inspired him to help children feel better about themselves through fun and effective reading activities. Reader’s theater helps engage students in reading and feel like part of the group! Brown is the author of five published scripts, including four by Playbooks® Reader’s Theater: The Great Rhyme Travel Machine I: Famous Americans, The Great Rhyme Travel Machine II: African American Heroes, The Great Rhyme Travel Machine III: Saving Planet Earth, and Questionella and the Perfect Prince: A Fairy Tale of Multiple Choices. He also was recognized as Teacher of the Year in his school district for 2009-2010. Playbooks® is proud to work with Gregory Brown to help children build confidence in reading and beyond!
New York students (Evans Park Elementary) recently performed two reader’s theater stories at a Board of Education meeting, with board members joining in and taking part in the second story. This can be a great way to gain support and approval for purchasing additional reader’s theater materials, or just showing off the success of the program you already have in place! Below are pictures and video documenting the event.
Read the full story here!
A free reader’s theater script is available at superteacherworksheets.com, with additional scripts available for site members. The free script is about a kickball team wishing for a snack (with magical results!), and is written for 8 readers. Download here.
Elephant Fork’s Elementary School in Suffolk, VA has successfully applied grant money to a reader’s theater program, purchasing script materials and hand puppets, one unique tool that can help shy students come out of their shells and get into character. Read this article (excerpt below) to learn how the school implemented an engaging reader’s theater program for students of all grade levels!
‘“We [media specialists] get to do things teachers don’t have time for, like improving their fluency,” she said. “I want to see if we could get it for all the schools.”
To make that happen, Glanden applied for a grant from the Suffolk Education Foundation last spring to buy several Reader’s Theater scripts and puppets that could be used by all of the media specialists in the school division.
She received about $900 for the project, and she purchased about 35 puppets.
All grade levels can participate in Reader’s Theater, but scripts are tailored to different ages.
“The lower grades focus on learning to read and practicing,” Glanden said.
In contrast, students in third, fourth and fifth grades get to practice fluency and public speaking, and they also touch on standards of learning for other subjects.”
—Suffolk News Herald
These fifth graders (shown below) in Crookston, MN are having a blast with reader’s theater, performing “The Three Little Wolfies and the Big Bad Pig.” Fractured fairy tales are a popular genre for students. As you can see in the photo, one student thinks it is hilarious when the prince proposes to “Cinderella Big Foot!” Other fractured fairy tale scripts (as well as classics) are available here.
