I love, love, love performing readers’ theatre plays with musical accompaniment with my third graders. Two picture books that I often use are One and Zero by Kathryn Otoshi. Not only do these stories have powerful messages, they include abstract characters–colors that become numbers. Thus, my students can wear a black shirt and jeans and hold the two-sided paddles to represent their characters. Each color/number is matched with a musical instrument and rhythm that corresponds to its personality (sunny, regal, calm). These books are mostly narration with a few memorized character lines, so I have three narrators and use Post-It notes on the back of the paddles for characters that may need a reminder. Plus, I train my narrators to “feed” the line to the actor if needed. For example, if the character doesn’t remember it’s his/her turn or just blanks on the script, the narrator will say, “One said, ‘If someone is mean and picks on me, I for one stand up and said NO.'” Then the student playing that role can repeat the line to the audience.

If you haven’t tried a readers’ theatre before, go with a pre-made script. Don’t worry about costumes, props, or adding music. You can add those extra elements when you and the kids feel ready. I’m sure that you will gain confidence as the students reveal their energy and creativity.