Readers' Theatre - Building Fluency, Confidence and Comprehension

Written by Stephanie (Teach Starter)

Updated 5 years ago | 3 min read

“Readers’ theatre provides readers with a legitimate reason to reread text and to practice fluency. Readers’ theatre also promotes cooperative interaction with peers and makes the reading task appealing.” – Linda Cornwell

As teachers, we are frequently asked the question: How can I assist my child to improve their reading fluency? Research indicates that repeated reading of the same text can significantly improve reading fluency. However, many children show little interest in reading the same text multiple times… understandably so!

So, how can we engage our students in repeated reading activities that are interesting, enjoyable and authentic? One such classroom activity is Readers’ Theatre. Studies have proven that this interactive learning experience can improve oral reading fluency in students of all reading abilities.

Readers’ Theatre places readers firmly in the driver’s seat. While it is, in essence, a form of repeated oral reading, children do not lose interest easily. The activity provides a clear and tangible purpose for reading aloud; that is, to produce a short piece of drama for others to enjoy. In the context of achieving this collective goal, repeated reading (which may seem monotonous in another situation) is seen as a purposeful part of the process.

If you are interested in implementing Readers’ Theatre in your classroom, read on! This blog provides a brief overview of how to implement Readers’ Theatre during your literacy sessions, as well as outlining some of the wonderful benefits of the activity for your students.

What is Readers’ Theatre?

Readers’ Theatre is a reading activity which involves the students reading a script aloud in a small group. There is no need for the students to perform actions, use props, wear costumes or memorise any lines. The goal of the learning experience is to encourage the students to ‘bring the script alive’ through the use of a clear and expressive voice, some facial expressions and some simple gestures.

How to Implement Readers’ Theatre in the Classroom

Place the students into groups, according to the number of character roles in the script. Each group member receives a copy.
Encourage the students to read the whole script silently to themselves. This enables them to become familiar with the story and the characters.
Assign each student a role. Some roles may be more text-dense than others, so be sure to take this into consideration before allocating characters.
Allow the students to read the part that has been assigned to them several times. Encourage the students to check the pronunciations and definitions of any unfamiliar vocabulary.
Have the students read through their script together as a group. Remind the students to continue reading if they make a mistake so as not to interrupt the flow of the script.
Encourage each group to decide if any props are needed to perform the script. These should only be used if absolutely necessary.
In turns, have each group sit in a semi-circle in front of the class. The goal is for the script to be read aloud with each student reading their part clearly and with expression.
Facilitate a class discussion with the students after each performance. Encourage the students to provide helpful feedback to the performers.

The Benefits of Readers’ Theatre for Students

In addition to increasing oral reading fluency through repeated reading, Readers’ Theatre provides many other benefits for students. It enables students to:

share and explore literature with others
work collaboratively in a team
prepare, view and discuss performances
develop confidence
increase reading comprehension.

There is an abundance of evidence which supports Readers’ Theatre as an authentic learning experience which builds fluency, confidence and comprehension. If you are feeling inspired to try Readers’ Theatre during your own literacy sessions, browse through our extensive collection of fun and engaging Readers’ Theatre scripts. There are 30 scripts available, catering to a wide range of age groups and ability levels.