Mother Goose Readers Theatre for Beginning Readers

Book excerpt: Written for children reading at first and second grade levels, this readers theatre book uses Mother Goose rhymes as its basis, making it especially valuable to teachers and librarians working on building fluency skills in their beginning readers. The book offers plays based on well-known rhymes, complete with presentation and instructional follow up suggestions. The author also offers staging diagrams that enable teachers to use each script with entire classrooms of students, and he includes lists of further teaching resources for each play as well. Reading levels are based on accepted readability formulas. Several of the scripts feature simultaneous Spanish translations—a real plus for ELL programs. An introductory chapter discusses the educational value of using readers theatre with young readers and ELL students. Grades 1 and 2.