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Can Readers Theatre Be Used In The Classroom

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Can Readers Theatre Be Used In The Classroom
How can readers’ theatre be used in the classroom? Identify the syllabus outcomes targeted for your enactment.
Readers’ theatre is a minimalist style of drama, in which actors use their facial expressions, body language, movement, and vocal expression to convey a story, rather than the traditional sets and costumes. The style has been praised for its ability to give life to written text, giving audiences a renewed understanding of literature.
Readers’ theatre is a suitable activity for use within the classroom, and can be utilised to effectively cover multiple outcomes. Readers’ theatre is an effective way to evaluate students’ understanding of their reading, as their dramatisation of the text reflects their interpretation of the text’s meaning (their actions and placement of actors in the scene can reflect the students’ understanding of their character’s personality, the mood of the scene, and the relationship with other characters). The use of drama within the classroom is also a way to differentiate the learning, as classes are often composed of students with varying
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When studying ‘Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book’ in class, students could be put into four groups, each assigned three pages of text. The students would then perform for their class, afterwards writing a report on how the script was divided for the group members, and why they chose to portray it the way they did (for example, one student used a wavery voice because that’s what they think a ghost sounds like, one student used a very rough and angry voice, because that’s what they think pirates are like). By asking the students to explain the choices they made, they are becoming aware of the stereotypes placed on characters, which may foster higher order thinking. The activity would be an effective demonstration of English outcome EN2-10C, and drama outcome DRA

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