Star Wars in the Classroom
"Shakespeare and Star Wars": Lesson Plan Days 13 and 14
How important are sound effects in films? In stage plays? In radio programs? To gain an understanding of the impact of these special effects, class members watch a short video spoof of the sound in a scene from Star...
Curated OER
The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Class
Students read the reader's theater play, 'The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash.' They practice reading for fluency and present the story through acting and oral reading. Some students read the script and others act it out. They switch...
Starfall
Cookies
In this language arts activity, learners participate in a reader's theater about cookies and five subtraction problems and examine words in a word bank that fit into word shape grids. Students then trace a sentence using those words.
Curated OER
The American Revolution: A Play
No lesson accompanies this drama about the American Revolution. With 13 speaking roles, the short script could be used for a class production, a lesson on the parts of a play, or to supplement your social studies curriculum.
Curated OER
Reader's Theater, Rehearsal
Students rehearse a play. In this Reader's Theater lesson, students practice reading a play, Master Man: A Tall Tale of Nigeria by Aaron Shepard. Students discuss fluency, intonation, and volume when presenting.
Curated OER
It's About Us
Students understand ideas about civic life and government. In this census instructional activity, students participate in a First We Count Reader's Theater and answer reading questions about the script in order to gain a better...
Curated OER
Kazan, Miller, and the McCarthy Era
Students read The Crucible in order to investigate the McCarthy era and the Hollywood Blacklist. Students watch video clips of the McCarthy witch hunts and investigate the time period through online research. Students recreate sections...
Curated OER
Six Trait Writing with Jonathan Swift and Washington Irving
Fourth graders demonstrate and evaluate the six traits of writing. They read and identify good writing and bad writing, utilize a rubric to self-evaluate their own writing, participate in a Reader's Theater, and publish a class book.
Curated OER
We Tell Stories
Young readers bring characters to life by working in small groups to script and perform stories that contain a community concept. Detailed questions and activities are outlined for the class. Consider having your groups create...
Harper Collins
The World of Ramona
Bring the fun and whimsy of Beverly Cleary into your classroom with a teaching guide created to accompany the Ramona series. The guide offers several ideas for classroom use, including independent reading, reading aloud, and literature...
Harper Collins
Ramona Activity Booklet reading comprehension
Add a some variety to a reading of Beverly Cleary's Ramona series with this collection of fun worksheets and activities. From a basic reading comprehension crossword puzzle to a quiz that determines which character...
Curated OER
Analyzing Atmosphere: Macbeth Murder Scene and Dagger Speech
Shakespeare's Macbeth (Act II, Scenes I and II) lacks explicit details of the murder of King Duncan, yet the author creates an atmosphere that allows us to visualize the event. Readers interpret the "Dagger Speech" by writing stage...
University of Pennsylvania
The Reading Road
Practice r-controlled vowel sounds and words with a series of phonics activities. Ranging from straightforward instruction sheets to a fun rhyming story about video games, the exercises will interest all of your learners, regardless of...
Reed Novel Studies
The Shakespeare Stealer: Novel Study
Have you ever been stuck between a rock and a hard place? That is where Widge, a character of The Shakespeare Stealer, finds himself. Readers find out how Widge handles his situation by answering comprehension questions, completing...
Literacy Design Collaborative
Irony in Short Stories
Scholars read three texts and analyze the dialogue of the characters to find examples of humor and irony that contribute to their characterization. They then walk through the writing process to create a final essay.
Curated OER
Clues to a Character through Text
Readers will read a text and fill out a character map based on the characters in that text. They will explore different qualities of each character for their map. this can be modified to support younger learners. They will learn about...
Curated OER
Fables
Third graders identify the characteristics of fables, and read and compare/contrast various Aesop's fables. Using handheld computers, they read two fables with a partner, complete a Venn Diagram, develop a traits diagram using PiCo Map,...
Curated OER
Its All In The Delivery
Students investigate the concept of different words and how they are used in specific texts. They develop scripts based upon readings and then design props and costumes to act out the new text. Students read to one another using the...
Curated OER
Lon Chaney: Three Faces of Lon Chaney
Students watch the Lon Chaney episode of American Masters, read chapters from three original books on which Chaney's films were based, and use a reading strategy called Reader's Theater to adapt each chapter into a script. After...
Curated OER
The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet quiz
Review The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet with this quick quiz. Operating as an overview of the play, use this quiz to prepare readers for a test perhaps. The questions cover various elements from character foils to the plot sequence.
Curated OER
Who Says What in Shakespeare?
Use quotes from characters in a multitude of Shakespeare plays to identify the speaker. Some of the questions have hints about the play they come from. Ten multiple-choice questions challenge the Shakesperean reader.
Curated OER
Character Development Through Reader's Theater
Ninth graders study a piece of literature, adapt it into a script and perform the piece to the class. Students practice reading their scripts. They use Inspiration software to create a multimedia presentation.
Curated OER
A Christmas Carol
Second graders examine the life and times of mid-1800s England in Dicken's time. They compare/contrast Christmas today and during Dicken's day, discuss the book's characters, play a game from the 1800s, and read a Reader's Theater...
Curated OER
Folktale Improvisation
Sixth graders present reader's theatre by improvising folktales from different countries. In groups, they produce an improvisation of a folktale story from an assigned reading of a folktale.