Acting Up in Class

by Jennifer Jordan, 8th Grade History Teacher

Eighth graders study U.S. History mostly through reading. Strong reading skills are necessary for high school and college, due to the volume of reading in those classes. We utilize an excellent text called We the People, which presents American history in a flowing narrative context with primary source artwork and invites students to analyze, interpret, and evaluate the events that shaped the growth of America. However, sometimes, it benefits us to try a format other than the textbook. This week, 8th grade studied the 19th century women’s rights movement and the Seneca Falls Convention through reader’s theater. Reader’s theater is a wonderful vehicle to present lessons in any subject. Students take on roles and act in character, all the while learning the same material in a textbook. The 8th grade class enjoyed this new spin on their typical History class, and they really engaged with the reading, as the photos will show you. It helped that our script contained several puns, which added to the atmosphere. I also felt that the principles behind the Seneca Falls Convention cemented in students’ minds. It’s always nice to mix things up a bit and get our students moving and thinking in a different way!