Media Contact: Dianna Cleveland
Telephone: 1-800-375-2926 ext. 701
Email: dcleveland@playbooks.com
Local Teacher Publishes Second Reader’s Theater Story
Commitment to helping kids build self-esteem motivates Reading Recovery teacher to inspire students through fiction with a dramatic flare.
February 25, 2008, Goldsboro, NC – Elementary school reading specialist, Gregory Brown, a Wayne County teacher, has published his second Reader’s Theater story, The Great Rhyme Travel Machine. The book, published by and available through Playbooks Reader’s Theater company, features children who create an invention fair project that somehow magically works as a time travel machine. It transports famous Americans from the past right into their classroom. The twist is that these famous people are still children themselves! Students are inspired by these young heroes as they figure out who they are and how they affected American history. The story, written in Reader’s Theater format, provides an engaging method for students to take on character roles and bring the story to life with dramatic expression. Memorization is not necessary because Reader’s Theater is designed for informal out-loud reading. With “Repeated Guided Oral Reading” being the best proven method to build reading fluency, Reader’s Theater is effective while bringing excitement and fun to reading aloud in the classroom.
“As a shy adolescent farm boy, I always felt different and out-of-step with the world around me,” says Gregory Brown. "I was the last kid in class to finish reading his book assignments and always the first to sit down during Spelling Bees. I didn't believe I was a good reader. So, I promised myself that when I grew up I would do something to help other kids feel better about themselves. By writing and sharing these Readers Theater scripts, I've begun to achieve that goal. My dreams have truly come full circle," says Brown.
The Great Rhyme Travel Machine has six character roles written at four different reading levels with each character role appearing in a different color text. The multiple reading levels of dialogue, and the opportunities for dramatic role-playing, encourage readers of differing skill levels by modeling higher levels of reading, vocabulary and creative expression. Playbooks® Reader’s Theater is used in thousands of schools across the country to promote reading skills in children of all ages.
“Just as in the classroom, children need reading role models at home. Reader’s Theater is a great alternative to watching television and is fun for parents to read with ALL their children, no matter what their age,” says Dianna Cleveland, President of Playbooks, Inc. “Parents enjoy hamming it up as much as their kids and can make a tremendous impact in reading fluency, comprehension and retention.”
Gregory Brown’s story and over 60 others are now available in a special format designed for families called StageBooks(tm) . Stories can be instantly downloaded for printing and reading at home from www.familyreadingreadingadventures.com.
The U.S. Department of Education has declared that reading aloud is the single most important activity a parent can do with their child to ensure their future success.
About the Author
Gregory Brown is a Reading Recovery Teacher in North Carolina. Brown received both his Theater Arts and Masters in Elementary Education degrees from East Carolina University.
About StageBooks(tm) by Playbooks(r) Reader’s Theater Company
StageBooks(tm) is a “family version” of Playbook’s Reader’s Theater school texts. Playbooks, Inc. is located in Ladera Ranch, CA and is a leading supplier of Reader’s Theater scripts and classroom story sets to the educational market. For more information, call 1-800-375-2926 or visit http://playbooks.com/NewsArchive.shtml.
