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From the earliest days of civilization, group dramatic readings have been a thing. Poets, actors and students have taken to the stage to enthusiastically belt out the lines of a script as audiences visualize each moment. Reader's Theater in schools operates under the same guiding principles, giving students the chance to read and act out dialogue, boosting their reading and presentation skills. Two dynamos of the Elyria Schools Special Education Department have taken this experience even further. Carla Valles, Northwood Elementary, and Kathy Pero, Eastern Heights Middle, have for nearly a decade modified Reader's Theater to tap their students' creative spirits and to strengthen academic goals. Carla, a playwright herself, began creatively adapting beloved stories and books which her students eagerly consumed--even dressing in costumes and presenting their lines on stage with gusto. The newest chronicle in the Valles and Pero Reader's Theater: "The Day the Crayons Went on Strike!" Take a listen to how Reader's Theater has grown in our chat with Carla on Petey Podcast!

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