“I Can't Stop Singing”

There is a long history of research on theater and performance supporting literacy skills, especially fluency and comprehension. Most of this work is based on drama and plays and has been adapted to the classroom level in the form of Reader's Theater. Musicals, however, with their combination of acting, dancing, and singing, offer unique benefits to struggling literacy learners. This chapter will make the argument that modern musicals, particularly those rooted in popular culture and oriented toward children, allow for growth possibilities in all components of literacy.