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From Gregory Brown, Wayne County Public Schools - Goldsboro, NC
Email: ReadersTheater4U@aol.com
I am one of the very fortunate individuals who is allowed to save lives on a daily basis. No, I'm not a physician, a nurse or even a minister. I'm a reading teacher.
In my 20th year of public instruction, I continue to face the challenge of guiding young non-readers toward fluency. It's no exaggeration to state that in order to survive in this modern world, one must possess more than a mere proficiency with words. Whether it is on the printed page or dancing across a computer screen, we must be able to read and comprehend text. The soul who suddenly discovers he is an illiterate adult surely walks down a dead-end street. It is a direction I try my best to detour students from following. A good teacher knows that reading is the key which can open any locked door. As I said…this vocation can literally save lives. I'm very proud of that.
Often poor readers feel like a sore thumb on a hand where the rest of the fingers are good at grasping and holding. Sometimes it stems from negative experiences with text or a lack of early exposure to books. The average classroom assignment might just be too difficult. We all have our own talents and weaknesses. Not everyone learns at the same pace, but we're all expected to reach the same goals at the exact same time. It must be really hard to feel like a failure when you're only six years old.
Low self-esteem can also be born out of environmental or personal factors. What student has not felt the pain from appearing "different" or "left out" at some point in his or her classroom career? I certainly did. It doesn't help that the polished images we see on television and magazine covers are difficult for children (and adults) to live up to. The media makes limousines and mansions look like the norm. Yet, many of my students float between temporary security and homelessness from week to week. It breaks my heart to see a child who not only has to struggle to be a better reader, but who also has to worry where he will sleep that night.
How can we help these children feel better about who they are? How can we convey to the more fortunate students that they should strive to make everyone feel an equal part of the whole? I don't propose to have an easy answer to those questions, but I do have some concrete ideas on how to move forward and take a few first steps.
During the past two years I've been lucky enough to have had four of my children's scripts published by educational companies specializing in improving fluency. Writing Reader's Theater pieces is a "good fit" for me since my educational background is a combination of theater arts, elementary education and reading instruction.
Recently I wrote a special script that I hope may one day become a useful character education activity for students across the nation and beyond. We live and work in areas where there are students of diverse cultures, ethnic backgrounds and interests. I've always felt that in celebrating and appreciating our differences we are drawn closer together as a society. I wanted to write a play that reflected that belief, but it needed to be something that elementary teachers could easily integrate into their whole classroom instruction. Yet, I had to make sure that the very kids who shy away from reading were not alienated. It also had to be brief, fun and ultimately meaningful.
What I came up with is something I refer to as Choral Readers Theater. It is a play that is read aloud, but no child ever reads alone. Each character part is read by GROUPS of children so that everyone is supported by the voices around them. The teacher is the narrator of the piece and directs the instruction.
My script is called WHEN PINK FLAMINGOS FEEL BLUE. The reading levels of the play are appropriate for students in grades 3 through 5, though lower grades could benefit from hearing it read by their older peers.
It's my hope and dream that every elementary school might soon have access to a copy of WHEN PINK FLAMINGOS FEEL BLUE…along with the supplemental materials (on how to facilitate choral reading) that are featured on these webpages. Since I am the sole owner of the copyright to the script, I grant permission for it to be used freely (and reproduced) for educational purposes within the school setting. I truly believe character education and choral reading make excellent partners.
They might even save a few lives.
~Gregory Brown
2008
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