Monthly Archives: February 2012

So far this month, Ms. Lehnert has collaborated with Mme. Vicari, and Ms. Hull. Division 3 (Gr. 6/7 French Immersion) is continuing work on a Readers’ Theatre unit started at the end of January.

What is Readers’ Theatre?

• a text that is performed orally and dramatically
• a reading activity that brings characters to life through voices and gestures
• can be in the form of a story, a poem, a scene from a play, or even song lyrics
• uses very few (if any) props, as the main focus is on the oral presentation

What is the value of Readers’ Theatre?

• it focuses on all of the Language Arts: reading, writing, speaking, and listening
• it enhances development of communication skills such as: voice projection, intonation, inflection and pronunciation
• it facilitates the development of critical and creative thinking as readers create different interpretations of the same story
• it is a participatory event – the characters and the audience are engaged
• it is informal and relaxed – does not require elaborate props, scenery, or costumes, and does not require students to memorize text
• it stimulates the imagination and creation of visual images
• it enhances the development of cooperative learning strategies – students work together in groups to discuss, write, and perform a script
• it helps to develop a strong sense of self-confidence and self-assurance by working within and presenting within a group structure
• it is a FUN way to learn the Language Arts curriculum!

Students in Division 3 will be performing scripts that have already been written, and will then move on to adapting a picture book story into a Readers’ Theatre script. The final project will be writing and performing an original script. So far, the students have been enjoying the unit and have had lots of fun performing pre-written scripts!

Ms. Hull’s grade 7 class is continuing genre studies this month. We are currently looking at the features of Historical Fiction. With February being Black History Month, it is the perfect time to look at the different types of Historical Fiction. We have read Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine, a powerful true story of a slave who escaped to freedom in the late 1800’s.

Will will be discovering more history in the weeks to come, through picture books and novels.

Coming soon…Division 2 looks at Ancient Greece. Stay tuned!