Rock and Read, and Reader's Theater

"These strategies created a space for multiple readings of a text. An analysis of the two strategies were completed on a 51 grade 2 students. The final conclusion was that the benefit of the two strategies were “statistically significant” when compared to a control group, which did not receive the two strategies" (Young,Valadez, & Gandara, 2016).
Reader's Theater

"The method required students to perform a text for an audience. Students chose parts, practiced, and prepared for the final performance. Unlike a play, the students were not required to memorize parts or use props. Students merely entertained audiences with expressive renderings of the text."

Reader's Theater in Action

Rock and Read "is a fluency strategy that is similar to karaoke in that students read and sing along with the music. It is a highly interactive and engaging strategy which uses popular music played on many radio stations and is familiar to the students. For this study, students practiced and performed two songs each week. On the first day, the teacher played the song so the students could listen. After listening to the song once, the teacher projected the lyrics so the students could engage in choral reading. After the choral reading, the teacher invited the students to sing along while reading the lyrics. Essentially, the teacher engaged the students in the process of gradual release of responsibility, while helping students become more familiar with the text. Finally, the teacher gave each student a copy of the lyrics so the songs could be practiced at home."

Results: It is important to make sure that students are engaged when they are working. If we can create environments that are fun, I believe learning will happen. Through using Reader's Theater and Rock and Read "teachers and students reported that the activities were fun and engaging and that students looked forward to the Rock and Read and Reader's Theater. The teachers specified that they preferred Rock and Read slightly more because it took less preparation, but they would continue both methods in their classrooms" (Young, 2016).

Having students engaged while having fun is important but we must ensure that students are learning. The results of the study stated "In the Rock and Read plus Reader's Theater group, the pre-test to the post-test increase was statistically significant" (Young, 2016). Pair of both of these fluency supports appears to be best. If you have to select one because of time constraints, then either strategy will work on their own "Theater and Rock and Read groups outperformed the comparison group and the differences were statistically significant" (Young, 2016). The main point is that teaching either of these strategies is better than not teaching fluency.

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Young, C., Valadez, C., & Gandara, C. (2016). Using performance methods to enhance students' reading fluency. The Journal of Educational Research, 109(6), 624-630. doi:10.1080/00220671.2015.1016599