Reader`s theatre using picturebook as a resource

Abstract

Entering a silent classroom every day can be disheartening for a teacher. This master`s thesis explores this scenario, focusing on a class of 24 young learners who typically show little interest in participating in English lessons. This research was done in the school where I work. The grade is 7th, and I am their regular teacher in English subject. Their academic performances vary by having three young learners being high achievers of the class, while the rest are low or middle achievers. To encourage participation, the thesis is about the use of reader`s theatre, a teaching method where young learners perform a script based on a picturebook. The research aims to see if reader`s theatre as an approach with picturebooks as a resource can make the English class more participatory. The methodological approach in this master`s thesis involved a qualitative study utilising action research, observation and thematic coding. Reader`s theatre and picturebooks ensure that the goals and ideas are realistic and suit the young learner’s needs after 7th grade as written in the Norwegian curriculum (The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training, 2020a). This master’s thesis was done in eight English lessons. The young learners were given homework after each class. During these lessons, my observations focused on aspects related to the young learners’ participation and reaction to a selected picturebook. The picturebook they performed was The Suitcase (2019) by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros. The Suitcase is about a strange turquoise animal who arrives one day pulling a large suitcase. This animal has been travelling for a long time, and the other animals are curious about what this animal has in The Suitcase. The other animals in the story are a red bird, an orange fox, and a yellow rabbit. In addition, there is a narrator in the story. Since the story has four animals and one narrator, I divided the young learners into six groups. Each group consisted of four young learners. They performed in front of the principal, assistant principal, special education teacher, class teacher (the main teacher), gymnastics teacher, and art and crafts teacher. Keywords: Reader`s theatre, Picturebook, Participation, The Suitcase by Chris Naylor– Ballesteros, Quiet young learners, 7th grade, Script