The Boys Are Back and They're Looking for Drama

In this article, the authors describe some recent research on Readers Theater in the elementary classroom that examined gender differences and achievement. In one particular study, boys who participated in Readers Theater significantly outperformed their peers in reading comprehension. Elementary school boys reported enjoying Readers Theater because it is different from the norm, and it is a collaborative and social activity. In order to look beyond numbers and survey responses, the authors observed second graders in action. Indeed, the boys were actively engaged, smiling, laughing, reading, and appeared to enjoy participating in Readers Theater. The following narrative was constructed to help illustrate the potential for Readers Theater to engage young boys in reading.