Using Reader’s Theater to Develop Reading Fluency

My class has been doing a lot of reader’s theater relating to our Fairy Tale theme. Students are working very well together and even the reluctant readers are participating well. Some of the parts have only a few lines or words, while other parts are spoken together. Consequently I feel this enables my reluctant readers to feel more successful but also less self conscious. Our goal has been to develop expression and fluency. Reader’s theater in one strategy I have found effective in getting students to reread and practice the same passage over and over again while keeping them engaged and working cooperatively with others. Having gone over the rubric for reading fluency, each student is aware of what they are striving toward. Most are able to tell me what they liked about their reading and what they think they could improve on. I’ve been pleased with everyone’s effort.