1. Story Reenactment
Making Stories Come to Life!
Section IV Building Vocabulary and
Fluency
2. Engage
What does this remind you of?
Not by the hair of
my chiny, chin, chin.
Come out you little
pig!
3. Purpose
• Story reenactment encourages students to act
out stories after they have read them or have
heard them read. Students create props and
use to reenact by using the book language
they have heard or read, and comprehend the
text by acting it out in sequence.
4. Why Story Reenactment?
Herrell & Jordan Strategies and Objectives:
• Supports Comprehensible Input-Deepens comprehension by allowing
students opportunity to reread, discuss, engage in clarification, and re-
create stories,
• Encourages Verbal Interaction-Retelling stories helps students to develop
oral language by interactions
• Supports Contextualizing Language-Students will utilize the book language
they hear and apply it to their reenactments
• Reduces Anxiety-Using a story prompt relieves anxiety in students because
they are given a chance to role-play. The stories are familiar stories that
the students love and have heard many times before
• Encourages Active Involvement-Through reenactment and creating props,
students are more able to connect to their reading and interests rise.
Students benefit by increased interaction with story plot, language, and
structure.
5. Explore: Steps
Gather or Use the Assess
Read the Retell the Store the
make the props for the
story story props
props retelling retellings
6. Explain Step 1: Read the story
Use a read that is appropriate for your students and their
reading level. I teach 1st grade and their reading levels range
from level C thru N. The links below contain a sample of great
traditional reader’s theatre to use in any elementary
classroom.
Free Reader’s Theatre Scripts for Young Children
http://www.timelessteacherstuff.com/readerstheater/TruePigs.ht
ml
http://www.thebestclass.org/rtscripts.html
http://www.evsd.org/curriculum/tech/k5tech/teacher/readersthe
atreintro.htm
http://www.readinglady.com/index.php?&MMN_position=1:1
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/reading/index.shtml
7. Elaborate Step 2: Retell the Story
Practice makes permanent!
Allow your students many opportunities to practice
retelling the story. Give pictures and allow students the
opportunity to retell the story in sequence. Students can
even create their own icons and practice retelling their story
to a peer. If you practice guided reading in your classroom,
allow students to read a section of their script. The most
important step to story reenactment is practice, practice,
practice!
8. Step 3: Gather or Create Props
Write down instructions on a small index card and
remember to keep it short and simple for kids. Sample:
• We will do a story reenactment with a readers theatre
of The Three Little Pigs. We are going to create our
props using play-dough. Open your boxes!
• Recipe for play-dough
• 4 cups flour
• 1 cup salt
• 1 ½ cups water
• Mix together and knead for 10 minutes.
9. Step 4: Store the Props
Students must be involved in every step. Have students
decorate the label for their story reenactment box. Once
the students have created their props, they can store
them in their self-decorated container. Teachers, this will
eventually turn into a center where students can explore
reader’s theaters which they have created for future story
reenactments.
10. Step 5: Use the Props
Once students have finished creating their props and labeled their container,
they can now practice using their props with their reader’s theatre.
Students can create their props from anything such as paper, cartoon cut-
outs, their own illustrations, puppets, play-doh, boxes, sock puppets.
Allow your students the opportunity to explore and be creative.
11. Evaluate Step 6: Assess the Retellings
Assess students by listening to their retellings of their story. Key objectives to listen
for can be sequence, comprehension, and plot. Teachers can use a rubric to assist
with assessing.
15. Additional Resources
Articles:
Tracking Emergent Reading Behaviors through Storybook Re-Enactments
By Beverly Otto
Enhancing Creative Dramatic Play and Story Reenactments in a Primary Grade
Classroom By Carla Schierholt
Books
Herrell, A. L., & Jordan, M. (2008). 50 strategies for teaching English Language
Learners, 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
• The book is an excellent resource for any classroom. It is filled with strategies and
actual lessons. The book comes with a resource DVD that shows the strategies
being modeled in classrooms.
5Es Overview by Nasa
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/nasaeclips/5eteachingmodels/index.htm
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