From Issue #7, Winter 2005

Readers Theatre and Civil Rights
by Lucy Rioux

Like many schools in Maine, we have a Civil Rights Team. This began about three years ago and involved students from sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. During the first year, the students spent a lot of time brainstorming ideas and activities that they felt would be appropriate for a middle level audience. This list offered many possibilities including skits and improvisational plays.

They experimented with these informational techniques, and although their hearts and brains were in the
right place, only some of the participants felt comfortable in that medium. This is when readers theatre came into play!

Since not all of the Civil Rights Team (CRT) members were interested in “acting”, and certainly not interested in “memorizing” lines, the concept of readers theatre was introduced to them. Once they realized that they could hold onto their scripts, much of their anxiety was alleviated. The CRT decided on the theme of “bullying” and to focus on our younger student population, those in kindergarten through second grade.

Performing for these youngsters was less intimidating, and they were of the mind that it was important to start educating children early about the inappropriateness of bullying, and to provide them with more acceptable and effective methods of dealing with conflict and disagreements.

They chose a book that was being used by the school’s guidance counselor, Dealing With Bullying, and we adapted that material to a readers theatre
format. It was scripted for nine readers (we had nine team members at the time), and the final product was true to the book…every word was included without exception.

Once the script was complete, the CRT members “practiced” their parts during their regularly scheduled meetings (about three times), then arranged with the assistant principal to perform their piece during a routine, Monday morning meeting.

The material was age appropriate and the vocabulary simple and meaningful. The team members conducted a brief discussion period following the presentation, and it was obvious from their responses that the young students got the message. Using readers theatre had captured their imaginations and attention, and the performers felt like they had truly accomplished what they had set out to do.

Here is a sampling of the script they developed:

ALL: Why Is A Bully?

R1: Do you know someone who seems to enjoy hurting or scaring others?

R2: Maybe there is someone like that at your school.

R3: Maybe you have an older brother who acts that way.

R4: Maybe you’ve acted that way toward a younger sister.

R5: Someone who

ALL: intimidates

R5: and hurts others is

ALL: a bully!

R6: Even though a bully may seem happy when he hurts someone,

R7: he really isn’t.

R6: It may seem strange,

R7: but bullies are usually unhappy.

ALL: Words Hurt Too!

R8: Some bullies scare people with their fists.

R9: Others scare people with their words.

R1: Has anyone ever told you,

ALL: “I’ll hurt you if you don’t do what I want”?

R2: When a bully does this,

ALL: she is threatening you.

R3: Many bullies use threats to scare people.

R4: Some bullies say mean things and insult people

R5: just to make them feel bad.

R6: A bully who uses words can be just as mean and scary

R7: as one who uses fists.

R8: Sometimes a threat or an insult can hurt more

R9: than a punch.

ALL: Why Do People Bully Others?…..

The script continues while addressing Self-Esteem, How To Deal With A Bully, How to Stop Being A Bully, Helping Someone Else, and then describes a scenario with “Jason The Bully”. This is just another example of how readers theatre can be used as an effective teaching tool, not only for academic subjects but also for community and social support services.

Next article will be subject specific: readers theatre and Native American shelters…lr

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