Eltam journal no 2 8th eltam iatefl tesol international biannual conference managing teaching and learning

Readers Theatre 
Readers’ theatre is an excellent activity for beginning second language readers as they read and 
dramatize a script form a story. Readers theatre is when readers read a script adapted from 
literature and the audience is picturing the action while hearing the script being read aloud. It 
doesn’t require sets, memorized lines or costumes. The goal is to read a script aloud effectively 
which would enable the audience to visualize the action, instead of memorizing lines and acting 
out literature as in a play. By using voice, gestures and facial expressionsperformers bring the 
text alive. Readers Theatre helps students to develop fluency because they have repeated 
exposure to text, toimprove comprehension and to integrate reading, writing, speaking, listening 
in an authentic context. Furthermore, it provides a real purpose for reading, engages students 
and increases motivation, provides opportunities for cooperative learning, builds confidence 
and improves self-image of students. The Reader's Theatre strategy combines students' desire 
to perform with the need for oral reading practice. It presents an enjoyable and engaging way 
of improving fluency and increasing comprehension. Teacher should introduce Readers Theatre 
using prepared scripts since students need to grasp the concept of Readers Theatre and become 
familiar with the format of a script before writing their own. Readers need to practice their roles 
in different ways 
– individually, in pairs or small groups, privately and in front of others. 
Teacher should also rehearse with the readers and model expressive reading, providing 
direction and support regarding their expression, interpretation, positions and motions (Peregoy 
& Boyle, 2012). 
The possible challenges of using Readers Theatre in class may be the complex vocabulary or 
language structures in scripts for a specific group of students. But this can be overcome by 
adapting the scripts to the form they will be comfortable with without losing the essence of the 

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story. Another challenge may be the unfamiliarity of the stories and the cultural dimension, but 
this can also be overcome by gradually introducing students to different stories from different 
cultural background. This 
can present an opportunity to broaden children’s horizons and 
introduce them to stories from different parts of the world, which can be very beneficial for 
young children,as Mixon& Tamu, 2006suggest. However, it can be challenging to find 
appropriate script that beginner readers can use. Thus, teachers need to adapt the stories and 
scripts to suit the level and the needs of their students. There are many websites that offer many 
interesting and appropriate scripts that can be downloaded and used with young learners, for 
e.g.
http://www.thebestclass.org/rtscripts.html
. 
Readers Theatre in action - The North Wind and The Sun