One of the best ways to get kids to improve their fluency with text is by rereading and “polishing” a text to present to others. Some great types of reading to use to get kids excited about rereading and polishing text are Reader’s Theater pieces, radio plays and poetry. Students see the worth in practicing and polishing when they know that they will perform for others.

There are outstanding materials available for readers of all ages in these three genres. Some fun ways to “perform” these materials are to do a “road show” where your students visit other classes with their productions. For those with video announcements, consider asking the principal to allow the students to do poetry readings on the morning TV production. If you want to involve parents, arrange an evening performance where the students provide their interpretive poetry or reader’s theater presentations to an audience. The students will love it and will spend countless hours perfecting just the right presentation!