Readers’ Theater is a reading format that is being used and has been successfully implemented in classrooms across the country to improve African American children’s reading skills. It is unique in that it is a strategy that combines reading practice and performing arts. It blends student’s desire to perform with their need for oral reading practice.

Readers’ Theater offers African American students an entertaining and engaging means of improving fluency and enhancing their comprehension skills. It enhances student’s reading skills and confidence by having them practice close reading with a purpose. It also gives them the opportunity to practice communication/speaking skills, such as pronunciation, inflection, expression, and tone.