For the uninitiated, reader’s theater is a wonderful, creative way for teachers to bolster a sense of enthusiasm in students’ reading curriculum. Basically, reader’s theater involves students adapting a piece of literature to be “performed” in front of your class.
Frequent TeachHUB.com contributing writer Janelle Cox defines this teaching strategy as, “Reader’s theater is much more than just putting on a play. Remember that students are using the repeated reading strategy which enhances their reading fluency. It is also using cooperative learning, problem-solving skills, and not to mention the common core learning standards of speaking and listening.
At first, these types of teaching strategies might seem like they would involve a ton of classroom time. But in actuality, with just 20 minutes, a teacher can plan a beautifully engaging piece of reader’s theater.
The key is to fit your prep time into the normal part of your teaching day. Today, Janelle explains how educators can pull off some of these exciting classroom teaching strategies, including:
- Use reader’s theater as part of your literacy center rotations.
- Match your scripts to the learning standards of other subjects like social studies.
- Have students put on their production first thing in the morning.
- And more!
In closing, Janelle notes that reader’s theater is an excellent tactic to increase your kids’ listening, reading, and thinking skills in an engaging new way.
Do you do a reader’s theater in your classroom? What tips do you have that work well for your class?
Technology in the Classroom: 50 Ways to Use Twitter
We’re always on the lookout for new ways that technology in the classroom can be leverages to maximize student involvement, and Twitter continues to evolve as a worthwhile tool in a teacher’s arsenal to further engage kids.
At first glance, it might seem as though Twitter, with its 140-character limitation, is too shallow to be used by teachers in a meaningful way.
However, one of the consistently most popular articles on TeachHUB.com recently has been our rundown of 50 ways to successfully use Twitter in an academic setting. Some examples:
- Track a hash tag
- Write a story
- Write a poem
- Engage parents
- And more!
Using technology in the classroom like Twitter can create a nurturing environment for students of all ages.
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Education