What is Curriculum-Based Readers Theatre?
| Return To Top Curriculum-Based Readers Theatre (abbreviated CBRT) is a classroom learning activity that directly addresses standards of learning and increases reading fluency—and therefore comprehension—as students participate in an authentic purpose for reading and writing across the content areas. CBRT merges writing, reading, speaking, drama, theater, and content learning. An entire class can participate simultaneously. Students use their voices and facial expressions to communicate the content information in a script that they hold in full view of the audience. They do not memorize the lines that they speak. Physical movement is minimal because Readers Theatre emphasizes spoken words, not staged scenes. There are no elaborate props, scenery, or costumes. Students read, recite, and repeat the lines of a script multiple times as they rehearse. The repetition of content information required by CBRT rehearsals enhances students’ retention of facts and their reading fluency. CBRT is a
