Campus-Wide Reader’s Theater & Fluency Initiative

Impact: All students at MMS

Middle school students often enter with varying levels of fluency and confidence in reading aloud. Struggling readers may avoid participation, while fluent readers lack opportunities to build expressive, performance-level skills. Fluency—reading with accuracy, pacing, and expression—is directly linked to comprehension, vocabulary growth, and confidence across content areas. Currently, our campus has limited structured opportunities for students to practice fluency in an engaging, low-stakes way. Reader’s Theater provides a research-based, interactive approach where students rehearse and perform scripts adapted from literature, nonfiction, and historical events. This practice improves fluency, comprehension, and public speaking skills while also building collaboration and enthusiasm for reading.