The Creative Classroom

Using Costumes to Improve Student Reading Skills

By Karen Fleming

Home

How To Use Costumes

How to Organize Your Costumes

Where To Get Costumes

Lesson Plans

Links

Site Review

On this site you will learn about a creative teaching tool that can be used in any classroom. Costumes are fun and get kids involved in learning. I have been using costumes with at-risk secondary students for the past two years.

At-Risk Teens

Getting many teens interested in Literature, reading, and writing can be a challenge. At-risk teens face even more problems daily. Low reading abilities, low self-esteem, and anger with school are all things that at-risk teens face. It is hard to concentrate on reading when you are worried about being homeless, substance abuse, physical abuse, and other social problems these kids deal with. Costumes are a teaching tool that can motivate students to read while helping them with life skills.

What Students Can Learn Through Costumes

Students gain many skills using costumes. Costumes can help them improve reading and writing. Life skills can also be learned. Some of these skills are:

Confidence - students gain confidence in themselves as they read out loud to their classmates. Costumes help them to do this.

Self-awareness - students learn about their own world by trying on personalities of those in the costumes

Empathy and compassion - students learn what it is like to be 'someone else' by trying on new personalities.

History - dressing in historical times, students learn hands-on history.

A love of books and Literature - reading novels in costume, students enjoy Literature more.

Awareness of the performing arts - students can explore and learn about the performing arts.