How do you motivate students to learn from nonfiction Readers Theater scripts they perform?

How do you motivate students to learn from nonfiction Readers Theater scripts performed by others?

How about using our "Nonfiction Readers Theater Rubric"?

Students often enjoy being in "selfies." Many also enjoy doing self-evaluations and expressing their own thoughts, too.


Nonfiction Self-Evaluation of Learning

Our "Nonfiction Readers Theater Rubrics" (linked below) offer students an opportunity to develop reading, listening, thinking, and communication skills as they fill out the self-evaluation. Any nonfiction Readers Theater script works–whether the students read aloud as performers or watch and listen as part of an audience.

Below you'll find helpful links to a couple of free downloadable "Nonfiction Readers Theater Rubric" PDFs (i.e.,1 page or 1/2 page). Hopefully, these rubrics will save you time and simplify your lesson plans or unit studies and help your students build their thinking skills.

We have a growing collection of nonfiction Readers Theater scripts in our Script Buffet to help you build lifelong skills in your students; however, many of our scripts combine science, nutrition, or historical facts and more with a story. Who says Readers Theater has to be totally fiction or totally nonfiction?

No matter what script you choose, this Readers Theater rubric (below) does NOT evaluate an individual or group performance. The focus of this rubric is on what a student LEARNS from the Readers Theater script, as well as questions raised. Of course, there's also opportunity for the student to share personal thoughts and potential application. Use the last section for future projects or discussions!

Do you have a nonfiction topic that you need a Readers Theater script on? First, check our growing Script Buffet. (Every script in our TPT store comes from our Script Buffet.) If you don't see what you'll need in the future, write to me, please: rtallyear@gmail.com. I serve the caring teachers in our community first, but I'm always open to new ideas.

Really? A Game Show Nonfiction Readers Theater Script?

I remember one of our loyal Script Buffet Club members asked me to create a Readers Theater script about rocks because teaching about rocks could be boring at best.  She even  wrote, "pretty please."

Fortunately, I collected rocks in elementary school because I liked them. I knew other children could get interested in rocks, too.

So, I did a bunch of research and wrote the "Rocks and Minerals Game Show" Readers Theater for the entire class to enjoy. Did she like it? Here are some of her comments on this nonfiction Readers Theater script:

After reading only the first page..... OH MY GOSH!! So excited! Creative and NOTHING out there like it that is FUN like this (that I have found anyway about this topic) and I've been doing this a LONG time. Super duper excited to read on!

(Later…)

You are a complete ROCK STAR!! Amazing!…You are SOOOO good at what you do I just want the WORLD to know about you... Readers Theatre IS MISSING from almost every classroom (except us OLDIES)…You have NO IDEA how excited my class is going to be!…My nonEnglish Speaker LOVES anything similar to these!!

She made my day. It's an honor to help teachers like her and like you. Feel free to reach out. Maybe together we can help make your days and your students' days better with trustworthy Readers Theater?

*** Click on the yellow link below to download the full page PDF "3, 2, 1, Blast Off! Nonfiction Readers Theater Rubric-1" to help build thinking skills in your students as they do self-evaluations.

Download the one-page PDF "3, 2, 1, Blast Off! Nonfiction Readers Theater Rubric-1" for motivating learning from Readers Theater.

*** Click on the yellow link below to download the 1/2 page PDF "Nonfiction Readers Theater Rubric-2" to help build thinking skills in your students as they do self-evaluations while you save paper. [NOTE: The 2 rubrics are the same, but one is full page and allows more room for writing. The other is half-page and requires cutting the page in half–to save paper.]

Download the PDF "Nonfiction Readers Theater Rubric-2" with 2 half-page rubrics for motivating learning from Readers Theater.