The University of Iowa

Oral Language

Speaking and listening skills are the foundation of literacy development in children. Oral language serves as the basis for written language.

Reader's Theatre Scripts

These scripts can be used for reader's theatre, which is an interpretive performance of a dramatic piece. The scripts include roles for 6–8 readers and lists of potentially unfamiliar vocabulary words. Some scripts also feature a list of idiomatic or colloquial expressions used within the piece, which teachers and caregivers can pre-teach, especially for bilingual students.

Reader's theatre can be used to teach and practice reading fluency. Read our blog post on reader's theatre for more information.

PDF iconGrades K-2 Reader's Theatre Scripts

PDF iconGrades 3-5 Reader's Theatre Scripts

Paraphrase Game

Players describe nouns so that other players can guess them. This game provides practice using paraphrasing strategies, which are helpful when a speaker is struggling to use an unknown word.

PDF iconParaphrase Game