It's STILL March - grab a book to relieve stress!

 

It’s STILL March.   Our clocks have sprung ahead and allegedly, the seasons have switched from Winter to Spring.   Yet so many of us feel the days dragging on and feel what many have termed to be “Teacher Burnout”.   Oh it’s real alright.   The stress of Testing, the pressure of the year counting down and so much material still to cover, and quite frankly, simply the monotony of the daily routines can be enough to make March feel like the month that never ends.   But what if we could change all of that and help your students too?

Why not try?

Sometimes Reading can feel more like an accumulation of skills to be assessed (fluency, accuracy, word speed, comprehension, reading level) than the Gift that you are passing along and refining for the next generation.   We, as Teachers, have to step back from time to time and remind ourselves that Kids Who Read Regularly Become Better Readers.   So how do our students do with the love of Reading?   Elementary Teachers are tasked with igniting a Love of Reading that needs to be blazing because it frequently dies out as kids reach 8th grade and beyond.    In all honestly, most kids these days read very little because they are on screens.   Pages in a book are supposed to compete with social media, video games, short texts and posts exchanged between friends, and the increasingly popular graphic novels.   Consequently, attention spans are becoming shorter and books are losing their intrigue with this generation.

We need to work to change this while we can!

So what does Reading have to do with alleviating Teacher Burnout?   It’s simple.   Great Novels can transport us to new places and introduce us and our students to new people and sweep us off onto wonderful adventures!   

I will never forget the first time that I read Because of Winn Dixie.   It was over a decade ago and I had not yet seen the movie.   I had wanted to preview the book to see if my students would enjoy it.   It didn’t take me long to get caught up in the book and I literally read it cover to cover in one sitting!   What a fabulous story!   Even if your students have seen the move already, I guarantee that the book will still delight them!     I love this book so much that I have all kinds of great resources on my TpT store just ready for you to jump right in!  

Maybe you teach older kids, who like you, are bothered by the ever changing weather from snow to rain and often gray and chilly, then you might appreciate being transported to a society that has figured out how to make everything just perfect.   It feels so ideal… so predictable… so problem free.   But things aren’t always what they seem.    Readers will soon discover that there is a peculiar old man who can unlock a whole new perspective for all of us.   He is known as The Giver.   Lois Lowry is a master at storytelling in this classic and unforgettable novel.   Dive right into a great Novel Study with my The Giver Novel Study Resources available on my TpT store!  

Another great way to expose your students to great books is through a class Read Aloud.   If you’re not sure what books to read out loud to your class, I highly recommend the book entitled The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease.   It’s a game changer for Educators and Parents.   (Note:  the book has gone through significant changes in recent years as Jim was no longer able to oversee it.    Despite newer editions being available, the older 6th edition is still my favorite!)  

I hope that diving into some timeless classics will help alleviate some burnout for you.    Books can be very therapeutic for teachers as well as students!   Novel studies can be amazingly refreshing for everyone!   Open a book and enjoy the adventure!

Let’s Get Reading!

Martha

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95% of people have a great fear of this… are you one of them? Will your students be? 

I recently read that 95% of people have a great fear of Public Speaking. Does that describe you? Chances are, if you're an Educator, you're probably comfortable getting up in front of SOME people because you do it on a regular basis! But what about your students? If this statistic is accurate, and I believe that it is, then that means that the remaining 5% of people will rise to the top as leaders among their peers. That 5% will have an edge academically and socially and will carry influence with their thoughts and opinions. Have you ever thought about how important it is to give your students opportunities for Public Speaking, even at the elementary ages? You're giving them a head start when you make time for Readers’ Theater in your classroom. Readers’ Theater is an excellent tool to introduce public speaking in a non-threatening way! 

We’ve spent the past few weeks in January talking about Readers’ Theater. Hopefully, you’re excited to put Readers’ Theater to work in your classroom transforming your students into readers for life and helping them to take that important first step towards becoming comfortable with public speaking! Last time we covered my 6 Steps to a Rewarding Readers’ Theater Experience. Now I want to build on those essentials. 

So how can teachers really get the most out of their Readers’ Theater time? 

*Make sure that you start with a great high interest script. I’ve taken the time to create wonderful scripts for both primary and middle grades. One of the most popular Readers’ Theaters is the timeless classic The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. You can find it here.

*Take some time to pull out some vocabulary words that you want to emphasize throughout the week. Write them on the board, or on a poster and have them readily visible throughout the week. Teach the words before you introduce the script and refer to them often. You could also have the students underline the vocabulary words in their own script. 

*Establish your guidelines for expectations for working in the groups. One of my go-to guidelines is requiring that all students must be following along with the script in front of them as others are reading aloud. This strategy helps your students familiarize themselves even more with the words, phrases, characters because they are hearing it AND reading it at the same time. This also ensures that all of your students are on task and engaged learners who are paying attention! 

*Take a few minutes each day to kick off your Readers’ Theater time with some reading skills mini lessons! You could do one on punctuation and how it changes the way that a sentence is read. (So fun to put some silly sentences on the board and have students read them differently as you change the punctuation at the end!) Or you could focus on elements of literature in your script by allowing them to develop empathy with the characters, or thinking through conflicts in the story and how they are resolved. Build their vocabulary by having them describe how the characters are different from one another. 

*Remember to give your feedback when your students are in the small groups rather than in front of the entire class. Students will be more receptive to it when they don’t feel like they are the center of attention for the entire room. 

*One of my favorite Readers’ Theater strategies is hyping up their performance day. Invite some younger students in to watch your students “perform” their scripts. Allow your students to create some fun props or character name tags. Why not have popcorn for your audience? This day is where your students really get to test the waters of Public Speaking. You have an opportunity to make it fun and memorable. 

*When your Readers’ Theater week is over, have your students KEEP their scripts in folders in their desks. These scripts become a super fun way to fill those random free minutes at the end of a day, or after an assembly, or they can be perfect for a substitute teacher to use if she needs some constructive time filler! (It’s always wise to have materials on hand and ready for a substitute teacher to use in a pinch! We ALL have last minute illnesses or emergencies when we just can’t get in to leave sub plans! I have taken the time to create some winter themed sub plans for intermediate and primary grades for you to have on hand… just in case! Feel free to check them out!) 

 I hope that you have a FABULOUS time using Readers’ Theater in your classroom as you seek to create lifelong readers and equip your students to be comfortable with public speaking! 

Please join me next month as we tackle how to motivate those students with Math Phobia! (Hint: Time to get Strategic and Creative! Don’t Miss Out! Subscribe to my email list to get all the latest tips and tricks from The Owl Spot! ) 

Hope to See You Then, 

Martha

6 Strategic Steps to a Rewarding Readers' Theater Experience

Sometimes we all just need what my neighbor likes to call “Fresh Eyes”. We need a new perspective for what we’re doing, a renewed purpose for how we’re persevering through our days. Remember that we are ideally equipping our students to be Readers for LIFE!

6 Strategic Steps to aRewarding Readers’ Theater Experience!

A few years ago, I heard a staggering statistic that most kids (especially boys!) will stop reading for enjoyment by 8th grade! 8th grade! That means that this Elementary and Middle Grades window of time is CRUCIAL to winning kids over to becoming readers for life! Of course, WE KNOW that becoming lifelong readers will help them to be more successful overall in so many areas of life, but they don't know that and they aren't able to think that far ahead. 

That's why creative strategies like Readers’ Theater are so important! We as teachers can build our students' fluency and strengthen their internal reading voices alongside them, while demonstrating that reading can be FUN! I’ve heard a lot of teachers say that they hear a lot about Readers’ Theater, but they are just not sure how to actually pull it off in your classroom. Honestly, successful Readers’ Theaters always start with a solid, usable script! I've created some of my own for both primary and upper elementary that I think work very well. (You'll find them over at The Owl Spot ) 

So I want to give you 6 surefire great steps towards a rewarding Readers' Theater experience! Here we go! 

1. Do some planning ahead of time! Choose a high interest script and make sure that everyone gets their OWN copy. Plan your timeframe. (Most teachers like to start on Monday and wrap up on Friday! Just 15-20 min per day works great!) 

2. Model reading the script out loud for your students. (Feel free to pull in some colleagues like a librarian, lunch aide, secretary, or principal to add that extra boost of fun!) 

3. Divide your students into Readers’ Theater groups so that everyone in a group has a part. (Plan your groups ahead of time and assign parts ahead of time! Most teachers prefer for each group to have at least one strong reader.) Encourage your students to go ahead and highlight their own individual part. 

4. Read through the script several times to ensure correct pronunciation and to model fluency, intonation, and good oral reading practices when there is punctuation. Students should always be following along with their own script to build their own sight word recognition. 

5. Allow each group to practice at their seats and then again in front of the class. Provide appropriate, constructive and helpful feedback to your students. Remind them that there is no need to memorize their parts! The whole concept behind Readers' Theater is that they will be READING their parts and working through a script! 

6. Allow for your students to perform their Readers' Theater as a wrap up. There is no need for costumes, but some simple fun character name tags or simple accessories seem to go a long way to boost enthusiasm and interest! (We all have those students who love to be creative! Why not task them with some simple character tags for the different parts?) Feel free to invite a younger grade in to enjoy your Readers' Theater. Audiences give a greater sense of purpose to the readers. 

I hope that you are as excited as I am to get my students improving their reading skills through Readers' Theater! Next time, we'll be looking at more specific strategies to squeeze out even more benefit from the time spent using Readers' Theater in the classroom! 

Have Fun and Get Reading! 

Martha 

 ****Because you have been a loyal follower, I want you to be one of the first people to know my big exciting news!! The Owl Spot is opening on Etsy! My Etsy store is currently under construction, but I am so excited for all of the phenomenal resources that I will be able to make available to all of my teacher friends! Check out The Owl Spot Shop on Etsy!