All the World's a Stage

    Reading aloud to groups of students was one of the most enjoyable parts of my job as a Library Media Technician some ten years ago. But as much as the children seemed to enjoy my reading to them, how much more might they have enjoyed experiencing some of those stories through a Readers Theater? Even in the self-conscious tween years, there are always those students who enjoy being "on stage." And preparing a version of a well-known tale to present to younger children can often catch the imagination of even the most reluctant students. (The added benefit of this approach is that it allows even those students who read significantly below grade level to be fully involved.) Not everyone needs to be an "actor," either - although Readers Theater is sometimes referred to as "minimalist" and is intended to be presented without costumes or stage sets, there is still a need for a director, a prompter, and perhaps someone to create supplemental narration. There could also be a committee of students who select the books to be presented. Readers Theater need not be limited to fiction. Fictionalized biographies could be adapted to Readers Theater (Claire Rudolf Murphy's I am Sacagawea, I am York comes to mind here), as could some works in history.
    As Elizabeth A. Poe reminds us, Dewey observed as early as 1938 that the deepest learning takes place when students are involved in the creation of their own learning experience. (Dewey, 1938) Writing in From Children's Literature to Readers Theatre, Poe points out that teachers and reading specialists have praised the positive effects on fluency produced by the repeated readings that occur in rehearsals for Readers Theatre.
    For librarians, particularly school librarians, Readers Theater represents a chance to collaborate with classroom teachers, as well as an opportunity to get children more interested in reading. It's a win-win situation.

References:
Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. New York, NY: Macmillan.

Murphy, C.R. (2005). I am sacagawea, i am york: our journey west with lewis and clark.. New York, NY: Walker Books for Young Readers.

Poe, E.A. (2010). From children's literature to readers theatre. Chicago, IL: American Library Association. excerpted in the May 2010 issue of American Libraries, 41(5), 28 - 31.