Readers Theater Fast and Funny Fluency

Over the past 20+ years, I've taught everything from 1st-grade remedial readers through graduate-level education courses, but my true teaching love is the middle grades. Plus, my sense of humor never really advanced beyond that of a 12-year-old boy. I guess that explains why my readers' theater scripts are tailored for grades 3-6.

I believe it's a good thing for learning to be difficult (i.e., challenging), but it also should be fun. That's why my teaching style relies on plenty of hands-on mixed with humor, seeking to push students while simultaneously helping them find pleasure in that challenge.

Greene Intermediate Center Teacher of the Year, South Bend Community School Corporation, Fall 2003; Reading Renaissance Model Classroom, 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 school years; Lafayette Elementary School Teacher of the Year, South Bend Community School Corporation, Fall 1999

Ph.D. in Education, Walden University, May 2008; M.Ed. in Secondary Education, University of Idaho (Moscow, Idaho), August 1997; B.S. in Elementary Education, Taylor University (Upland, Indiana), June 1994

I'm the author of the middle-grade HIDE AND GEEK series (Random House Children's Books), and I offer a variety of FREE teacher resources at www.tpjagger.com, including "The 3-Minute Writing Teacher" video series that can be used as a springboard for writers' workshop mini-lessons. I also have a more in-depth creative writing course at Curious.com/tpjagger.