Reader's Theater For Real Life Mysteries

Description

A fun—and mysterious—way to introduce kids to oral interpretation! No costumes, no moving about the stage: just dramatic reading. Why practice this? Oral reading gives kids practice reading, learning control of nonverbal skills like tone, enunciation, engaging and audience, and more. Each book contains 8 fictional accounts of still unsolved, real-life mysteries (told creatively). Scripts are written for 6 students. Typically, 3 roles are available for each reading grade level. If needed, stronger readers could read more than one part (which gives them practice with voices and playing parts). For each of 8 readings (units), there will be a teacher lesson plan (with key vocabulary, the mystery's background, performance suggestions, and theories suggested to solve the mystery), characters (reading levels assigned to each part so you can match student to part easily). Then, each student identifies their character with badge art (to decorate and identify their character) and a script (copy one for each student). In addition to the theater script, give students a journal entry (to record students' theories of what occurred) and an activity assessment. Reproducible for classroom use. 113 pgs, pb.

Teaching Method
Traditional
Teacher-centered curriculum commonly used in classrooms that may include a text, teacher manual, tests, etc.
Charlotte Mason
A methodology based on the work of a 19th century educator who maintained that children learn best from literature (Living Books), not textbooks.
Classical
A methodology based on the Latin Trivium (three stages of learning), including the grammar stage (memorization and facts), logic stage (critical thinking), and rhetoric stage (developing/defending ideas).
Unit Study
A thematic or topical approach centered around one topic that integrates multiple subject areas.
Montessori (Discovery)
A methodology based on the work of a 20th century educator that emphasizes student and sensory-driven discovery learning and real-life applications.
Other
Other methodologies
Religious Content
Secular
Contains content contrary to common Christian beliefs (i.e. evolution).
Neutral
Avoids religious or theoretical topics or presents multiple viewpoints without preference.
Christian/Religious
Faith-based or including instructional religious content.
Learning Modality
Auditory
Learns through listening, talking out loud or reading out loud.
Visual
Learns through seeing, prefers written instructions and visual materials.
Kinesthetic/Tactile (Hands-On)
Learns through moving, doing and touching.
Multi-Sensory
Curriculum that employ a variety of activities/components.
Presentation
Sequential
Curriculum progresses through well-defined learning objectives. Emphasizes mastery before moving to the next topic.
Spiral
Topics and concepts are repeated from level to level, adding more depth at each pass and connecting with review.
Conceptual/Topical
Focus is on the “why,” often with a unifying concept as well as specific skills; coverage may be broader.
Teacher Involvement
Low Teacher Involvement
Student-led materials; parent acts as a facilitator.
Medium Teacher Involvement
A mix of teacher-led time and independent student work.
High Teacher Involvement
Teacher-led lessons; may utilize discussions, hands-on activities and working together.
Additional Materials Required
No other materials needed
Everything you need is included.
Other Materials Required
There are additional required resources that are a separate purchase.
Other Materials Optional
There are additional resources mentioned or recommended but are not absolutely necessary.
Consumable
Consumable
Designed to be written in; not reusable.
Non-Consumable
Not designed to be written in; reusable.