Turn Summer Learning Loss into Summer Gain With Reader's Theater!
It is never too early to get started on planning your summer school curriculum, but as spring approaches, it is definitely time to get organized!
Almost all students lose some of their educational progress when they are away from their studies for an extended period of time, and disadvantaged students experience the steepest losses in reading achievement during summer break.
In summer educational programs, students are particularly susceptible to distraction, creating a demand for curriculum that holds both academic value and interest for kids. Playbooks® Reader's Theater is a fantastic example of "edutainment," a popular way to engage children in learning. The Playbook® format with color-coded dialogue, appealing stories, colorful pages and optional costume kits make reading fun!
While any Playbooks® products are suited for use in summer education, we also have several options designed specifically with summer school in mind.
Camp Reader's Theater™ is one of these, available in kits made for 4, 6, or 8 week schedules and each containing a variety of titles.
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Summer Fun Tote Bags are another tool, perfect for improving parent involvement over the summer.
Don't miss out on a great way to apply "Repeated Guided Oral Reading" methods in a way that students enjoy and that has the power to turn summer learning loss into summer gain! |
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Attention Summer School Coordinators! Opportunity to Attend Popular Reader's Theater Workshop at "Summer Changes Everything" Conference This Fall
This fall, the National Summer Learning Association is hosting its annual "Summer Changes Everything" conference in Indianapolis. The conference will take place November 9-10, 2010 and is the only national conference designed completely to address summer education topics. The schedule features presentations and workshops on research-based education methods designed to help summer program directors improve their curriculum and teaching techniques.
Because Reader's Theater is ideal for preventing summer slide in reading, Playbooks® will provide its popular Reader's Theater Implementation Workshop at the conference! Exact time and location is pending. Reader's Theater appeals to kids of all ages because it engages the imagination, making it perfect for keeping students' minds active all summer long and encouraging growth instead of academic loss during the break from school. Learn about what's included in our Reader's Theater Workshops.
If you are a summer program director or coordinator, you won't want to miss out on this great opportunity. Keep a lookout for our special invitation to the workshop, coming soon. |
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Reader's Theater Exercise 27:
Improve Reading With Expression
Through Student Demonstrations
Last month's Reader's Theater Exercise helped students learn about famous African Americans' accomplishments while giving them a stage to read famous quotes with expression. This month's exercise includes a series of simple and fun activities that help students become more aware of how they can improve their own expressive reading.
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Expressive reading is an essential component of reading fluency. The National Reading Panel defines reading fluency as reading with speed, accuracy, and proper expression. Expression is so important because it helps a reader comprehend and retain what he or she just read. Some of the most important components of expressive reading are vocal inflection, tone, tempo, and body language.
Vocal inflection is so powerful that it can change the meaning of a sentence, as your students will see in part of this exercise! Emotion and tempo, or how you bring your voice up and down and vary your pace and volume, directly convey what mood you or your character are feeling when speaking. When you have something to say, the tone of your voice makes up 38% of the impact of the message you are trying to communicate, and body language makes up a whopping 55%! Comparatively, the words you use only have a 7% impact! (Positive Path Networks) Actions are an extension of the voice and add power and vitality to words. Without body language, conversations are boring and less effective. The same goes for oral reading during Reader's Theater activities!
Over-acting is also a great warm-up to expressive reading because it helps proper expressive reading become natural. This month's exercise includes an overacting activity and more to provide entertaining expressive reading practice to help your students make the most of fluency-building lessons.
Get this month's free Reader's Theater Exercise including several easy classroom activities! |
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