Put Parent/Family Night
in the Spotlight This Year
With Reader's Theater
(Reader's Theater Exercise #21)

Is your school planning a fun and educational evening event for parents and students this fall? If so, this article, and the accompanying free Reader's Theater Exercise, provides a way to increase parent awareness of their children's reading progress and how to foster fluency building and a love of reading at home.

As a part of Family Night, invite your students' parents to come to school and read a Reader's Theater story in small groups with their children. Parents get to play a role in a Reader's Theater play right in the classroom! No practice or preparation needed, just give parents the easiest roles! Parents can gain insight on how to help their children improve reading skills at home, and both parents and students may love a chance to show off their acting abilities! Giving parents an opportunity to read aloud with expression may spark an interest in reading this way at home with children.

Whether you are already using Reader's Theater in the classroom or are just about to get started, sharing the lesson plans with parents in an interactive format will help them get in touch with their students' learning.

You can incorporate simple costumes to maximize the fun during reading, and provide food, snacks, or treats afterward to encourage attendance. Students could even be asked to bring in a favorite snack to share with other students and parents in a potluck format. Follow the link below to plan your Reader's Theater parent event!

Get the details: Reader's Theater
Exercise #21 in a printable format with two free Playbook® story scripts.

Choral Reading with
Reader's Theater in Powerpoint! New!

We are now offering Playbook® stories presented on Powerpoint slides for gaining the benefits of choral reading without the extra cost of purchasing a separate book copy for every student in a classroom. This resource is designed for use in Grades K-5 classrooms where students may need a little extra help or courage reading aloud in front of their peers. All students read aloud in a choral reading format from a story displayed on a screen. You can even display the stories on a Smart Board!

Choral reading with Reader's Theater is an excellent confidence-boosting tool and can be important for students who are just starting out with reading aloud independently. A classroom of students is separated into small character groups and then the entire classroom reads a play aloud together with each small group reading their assigned role in unison. Hearing other students reading the same text at the same time gives each student the confidence to let their own voices be heard. Afterwards, students have more confidence to read their role "solo" when character groups split up to create small non-threatening story groups where only one student (instead of a group) is assigned to each character role. In these small groups, students again bring the story to life together with each student reading the same part he or she read with the character group, but instead using their very own creativity and expression. Now every student has the opportunity to shine!

Combine the fun and value of Reader's Theater with the support of choral reading for new readers.

Preview Bug Off in Powerpoint Slides

You can Place Your Playbook® Powerpoint Order Online