Activity Description

Preparation:

1. Obtain a copy of the book The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry
2. Photocopy readers theater script for each student
3. Decide whether or not you will host a final performance
a. Decide where and when it will take place, and for what audience
b. Gather props and/or costumes

Implementation:

Session 1:
1. Introduce the book The Great Kapok Tree to your students
a. You may wish to activate students prior knowledge by discussing topics related to rainforest destruction or conservation, rainforest animals, ecosystems, and so on
2. Provide each student with a copy of the readers theater script
3. Read each line of the script expressively and have students echo it back to you

Session 2:
1. Split the class into groups and assign each group one or more parts from the script
a. Try to ensure each group has an adequate amount of reading
2. Invite each group of students to read their part chorally as you work through the script
3. As students read their lines, discuss the various ways the lines can be read expressively
a. For example, using interesting voices for each character, varying pitch, changing the tempo of speech, using pauses, pronouncing words clearly, using an appropriate volume, adding emphasis to important words
4. Assign the groups new parts and repeat

Session 3:
1. Split students into groups and assign each student a character
2. Allow students to rehearse their lines
a. This could be done individually, with another student assigned the same part, or as part of the group
3. Bring students back together as a class to discuss the techniques they are using to create expression

Sessions 4, 5:
1. Have students continue to practice their lines and work on different areas of expression

Session 6:
1. Have each group perform their readers theater for an audience
2. If possible, tape the performance

Session 7:
1. Have students evaluate their performance from what they recall of themselves or by reviewing the tape as a class, with a specific focus on fluency and expression

Adaptations For

English Language Learners/ESL:

- Discuss meanings of words and/or choose vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to students
- Present the script visually, by using the pictures in the book
- Discuss the social conventions of language, as well as the social context of performing in front of a real audience

LD/Reading & Writing Difficulties:

- Model expressive reading more than once
- Explicitly instruct expressive reading components
- Allow students to use the picture book as a visual aid for reading the script

Cultural Appropriateness & Diversity:

- Discuss the background and context of the script. For example, what is the Amazon rainforest? Where is it and why did Lynne Cherry write about it?

Differentiated Instruction:

- Assign parts based on reading ability

Related References

Source:
Moskal, M.K. & Blachowicz, C. (2006). Partnering for Fluency. New York: Guilford.

Evidence:
Pikulski, J.J. & Chard D.J. (2005). Fluency: Bridge between decoding and reading comprehension. The Reading Teacher, 58, 510-519.