Overview

Improvising Literacy graphic
On a background of black handwritten words, a graphic of a group of children who are various shades of turquoise play in a circle above the unit title.
The Importance of Oral Communication in Skilled Reading

Oral communication is at the heart of language comprehension. As students’ knowledge of print increases, their decoding and reading comprehension skills rely on their background knowledge and vocabulary for language comprehension, both of which are built through listening and speaking. Improvisation and drama exercises provide a fun, accessible and student-centered way to develop oral communication skills. Dr. Hollis Scarborough’s Reading Rope provides a model for the complex and interconnected process of learning to read.

Notes about improv
  • Improv helps to establish a culturally responsive environment: student ideas are valued – students’ ideas get to come to life
  • Students can naturally integrate what they are learning about and apply vocabulary in context 
Conditions for safe improv
  • Acceptance of ideas – valuing of students’ experiences
  • As long as a student’s response is respectful to the classroom community, it is acceptable
  • We can prompt students with questions if needed to help them generate ideas
  • The teacher must be willing to accept student ideas. Reflect: how can you put the storytelling in the students’ hands? If you catch yourself evaluating and editing student ideas (that are “appropriate for school”), consider why.
Reinforcing Structured Literacy

The following lessons are meant to start off a 90 to 100-minute structured literacy block. Alternatively, they can be used by a Drama teacher in the context of a 40-minute period, or adapted as needed. Each lesson can be completed in about 30 minutes. They can be adapted to teacher and student needs. 
Here is a sample of how to structure a 90-minute literacy block that would incorporate improvisation exercises for oral communication*:

Sample structured literacy block