READERS’ THEATER
Educational Initiative
Sharon Kleinerman
Orot Girls School
Bet Shemesh
Principal: Pirchia Nachmani
Morim Yozmim
Hebrew University
5772-5773
Coordinator: Dr. Adi Ben David
FROM A RECENT REPORT OF THE U.S. NATIONAL
READING PANEL: (Washington, DC, 2000)
“TEACHING CHILDREN TO READ”
Repeated oral reading procedures that
included guidance from teachers, peers, or
parents had a significant and positive
impact on word recognition, fluency, and
comprehension across a range of grade
levels...
Readers’ Theater is a style of theater in
which the actors do not memorize their
lines. Rather, they read from their
scripts.
When used in schools it is highly
motivating and fun. It helps develop
reading fluency, vocabulary and
comprehension skills.
Extra benefits for ESL Students
 Helps ESL build their familiarity with standard
English pronunciation
 Comprehension improves as they take on the
feelings of characters
 Helps students learn to communicate with an
audience
 Excellent for less confident readers
 Provides strong motivation for re-reading text
until they become fluent in reading it
Adaptations for Non-native ESL learners
 Special scripts adapted from stories for nonnative speakers
 Process: Emphasis on vocabulary acquisition,
accent as well as oral reading skills
 Start on short simple plays with performances to
younger grades
 More emphasis on costume, props and scenery
in final performance than with native speakers
 Use in “Partani “hours.
Targeted population
• First semester – Grade 5 students, two
groups of 6 students each.
• Second semester- Grade 4 students, two
groups of 6 students in each
Feedback from the staff
The English language gains made by the Hebrew speakers through the
preparations for the play and the play itself were very significant.
Pirchia Nachmani, Principal
The rehearsals for the play helped raise the girls’ self
confidence in speaking in English. In class, the girls
who were to be in the audience learned the text before
the performance, so that the whole class came out
enriched. English teacher
The girls were happy and developed a positive
association with the language. .. Their teacher
never stopped encouraging them. And girls who
are generally bashful, who might have a lack of
confidence reading in a foreign language, read
their parts with courage. Fifth grade homeroom
teacher
Feedback from the students
"When it is the day for Readers’ Theater, I become very
excited and I run fast to class”
"I think, Wow! I must go to school, today we have
theater with Mora Sharon”
“I feel proud that I know how to read and I am excited
that I am getting better.”
“I am proud when the teacher adds new words and I am
happy when they make fun plays.”
It is fun being in a small group – everyone gets
"attention”
Measurements of success
• Kids loved it !!!!
• The students were always waiting, no
one ever missed a session
• Vocabulary retention: the performers
retained the vocabulary words that
were presented in the play.
• The students were able to explain the
goals of the program clearly
• Every student from grades 4 - 6, both
native & non-native speakers, in some
way participated as a performer or as
an observer