Reader Performance Ideas (See Performing Text)

Have you ever been to an "Open Mic" or a coffeehouse poetry reading? The enthusiasm of readers and writers as they share favorite pieces of text is an authentic expression of their love of literacy and ideas. After students have had ample opportunities to rehearse their text so that they can read it fluently. Each of the ideas below will motivate students to read, reread, and rehearse text. Try some of these ideas and let us know how they go!

Performance Opportunities and Ideas

Create a coffeehouse atmosphere. Put on the hot chocolate, dim the lights, gather in a comfy spot of the room, and spend some time to sharing favorite selections of text. A perfect way to end a week!

Conference presentations. Incorporate science and social studies content by asking students to research a topic and presenting their findings to the class with a brief presentation. Print up nametags and ask students to create handouts on their topics, just like you would do at a professional conference.

Readers Theater. Students perform their favorite stories for the class. See the readers theater page for more information.

Guess my character. Students prepare a section of dialogue from a favorite book, play, poem that most of the class is familiar with. After a dramatic reading, the rest of the class tries to figure out which character(s) was depicted. First graders will have a blast when one of their friends 'becomes' Junie B. Jones or the Cat in the Hat. Older students could prepare a speech or a monologue after reading a biography and use props to provide hints for the classmates.

Take the show on the road! Take any of these ideas to the classroom down the hall, to your book buddies, or to a local retirement community.

Types of Performance Text

Student Led Read Aloud

• Book buddies
• Book talks
• Student-recorded books (see tape assisted reading)

Reader's Theater

Poetry Performance

Teacher Tips

Claire Rosenbaum's Fourth Grade class held a Poetry Coffeehouse last April. Here are some of her tips:

• Use black butcher paper for the back drop. You can write on the paper with chalk. Ours said, "Rosenbaum's Coffee House" and "Snap, snap, snap," so the guests knew to snap and not applaud.
• We used a standing lamp (one with three lights) as our spotlight.
• If you have a program typed ahead of time, some students can be hosts or hostess where they greet and seat guests. We also had students that were waitresses and had a little sheet where the guests would place their orders. (A teacher had to help with pouring of the coffee).
• One of our most talkative students was the MC

How do students perform text in your class? Submit your ideas here!

Resources and Links

Books

Wham! It's a Poetry Jam: Discovering Performance Poetry by Sara Holbrook (Boyds Mill Press, 2002)

Readers theater for building fluency: Strategies and scripts for making the most of this highly effective, motivating, and research-based approach to oral reading by Jo Worthy (Scholastic, 2005)