Mod 17 Discussion: Culturally Responsive Teaching

Resource Selected: Reader’s Theater Scripts from Aaron Shepard’s Website
(http://www.aaronshep.com/rt/RTE.html)

One culturally responsive resource I found especially impactful is the Reader’s Theater collection by Aaron Shepard. These scripts include stories and folktales from a wide range of cultures, including Asian, Middle Eastern, African, and Latin American traditions. I love how these scripts are short, engaging, and written with a variety of reading levels in mind—making them accessible to ELLs and struggling readers.

Cultural-Friendliness:
These stories reflect diverse cultures, values, and traditions, allowing students to see themselves and their backgrounds in the classroom content. For example, one script tells a Chinese folktale about wisdom and honesty, while another features an Indian legend with themes of bravery and family honor. By incorporating these stories, we create opportunities for students to make personal and cultural connections while honoring the diversity in the room.

Potential to Meet All 7 Criteria:

1. Positive perspectives on families: Students can bring in stories or folktales from home and share their cultural significance.

2. High expectations: Every student participates in performance and interpretation, showing off fluency, comprehension, and speaking skills.

3. Learning in the context of culture: The script content reflects authentic global traditions.

4. Student-centered instruction: Students select their roles, lead discussions, and engage with content in meaningful ways.

5. Culturally mediated instruction: Scripts invite exploration of multiple perspectives and values.

6. Reshaping the curriculum: These scripts supplement traditional texts, offering windows and mirrors for all learners.

7. Teacher as facilitator: I guide students through rehearsal, comprehension, and performance—but the work and creativity is truly student-driven.

Classroom Use:
I plan to use Reader’s Theater during my literacy block. We’ll study one script per week, integrating vocabulary work, fluency practice, and discussion. I’ll pair students strategically to support oral language development and comprehension, and offer sentence stems for responses. I’ll also encourage students to bring in stories from their own cultures for future script writing projects—connecting literacy skills with identity, voice, and family traditions.