20
Terrific Mini-Plays
Terrific Mini-Plays
That Build
Reading Skills
20 Engaging, Read-Aloud Plays to Kick Off and Enrich the Key Social Studies,
Science, and Language Arts Topics You Teach—and Build Reading Fluency
EDITED
BY
TRACEY WEST
New York • Toronto • London • Auckland • Sydney • Mexico City
New Delhi • Hong K ong • Buenos Aires
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
What’s So Great
About the 50 States?
A Rhyming Play
Characters
The 50 States
The Pilg
rim
First Year s’
ers
Charact
r1
Sacagawea
24
Narrato
2
e) girl
Narrator
HOW-kne
ne (She-S
a Shosho
-way-a),
brother
(sa-KAG-a
ait), her
(KOM-e-a-w
t
r
wai
Cameah
an explore
r Lewis,
the
riwe
r
Me
explore
Clark, an
William
Skills
ld Reading
That Bui
Mini-Plays
20 Terrific
nal Books
Professio
Scholastic
ing
on-Hard
dra Hans
by Alexan
Scholastic Professional Books
by Tracey
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build
Reading Skills
54
West
41
20 Terrific
Mini-Plays
That Bui
ld Reading
Skills
Scholastic
Professio
nal Books
by Sheila Sweeny
and Jane Manners
Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to copy the plays from this book for classroom use. No other part of this
publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., 555 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
The activities in this book have been reviewed for safety and are meant to be done by children with adult supervision.
The author does not assume responsibility for any injuries or accidents that might result
from performing the activities without proper supervision.
Edited by Tracey West
Cover design by Josué Castilleja
Interior design by Holly Grundon
Cover and Interior illustrations by Michelle Dorenkamp
ISBN: 0-439-20104-7
Copyright © 2001 by Tracey West
All rights reserved.
Printed in the U.S.A.
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Science and Health
THE HEALTHY HUMAN HELPER CONTEST
(Human Body) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Great Americans
THE RAILROAD TO FREEDOM
(Harriet Tubman, The Civil War) . . . . . . 6
SPLASHDOWN WITH DOT AND TOD
(Water Cycle, Weather) . . . . . . . . . . . 79
NELLIE BLY: READ ALL ABOUT IT!
(Women’s History Month) . . . . . . . . . 12
THE SPIDER SHOWDOWN
(Spiders, Insects) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
THE WORLD’S FIRST PHONE CALL
(Alexander Graham Bell, Inventions) . . 18
TORNADO CHASERS!
(Weather) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
SACAGAWEA
(Native Americans,
Women’s History Month) . . . . . . . . . . 24
THE GREAT DESERT SCAVENGER HUNT
(Animals, Ecosystems) . . . . . . . . . . . 98
SPEAKING OUT FOR JUSTICE:
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING
(African-American History Month) . . . . 30
A WORLD-FAMOUS TOMBOY: THE STORY
OF BABE ZAHARIAS
(Sports, Women’s History Month) . . . . 35
Social Studies
WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT
THE 50 STATES?
(The 50 States) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
MISSION TO THE MOON
(Space) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
THE GREAT QUAKE
(Earthquakes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Language Arts
THE CASE OF THE
DISAPPEARING DIAMONDS
(Mystery) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
JOHN HENRY: AN AMERICAN TALL TALE
(Folktale) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
VINCE VOTES FOR MAYOR
(Government, Election Day) . . . . . . . . 48
The Great Desert
Scavenger Hunt
THE PILGRIMS’ FIRST YEAR
(Thanksgiving) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
by Katherine Noll
John
An America Henry:
n Tall Tale
by Rebe
cca Góme
z
CHRISTOPHER’S DREAM
(Columbus Day, Explorers) . . . . . . . . . 60
Characters
Announcer
Referee
Lucy, Blue Team Leader
Kevin, Green Team Leader
SCRIBE SCHOOL
(Ancient Egypt) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Dana
Scholastic Professional Books
Bob
Pilar
Raji
Jack
Alexa
98
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build
Reading Skills
Characters
Narrator
John Hen
ry
John Hen
ry’s Mothe
r
John Hen
ry’s Father
Worker 1
Worker 2
20 Terrific
Mini-Plays
That Bui
ld Readin
g
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Skills
Scholasti
c Professio
Railroad
Foreman
Introduction
ooking to boost your favorite curriculum materials? Eager to
breathe some life into the tried-and-true topics you’ ve been
teaching for years? The fast and fun read-aloud plays in this book
offer the perfect solution for adding ne w information and excitement to
the topics you teach again and again.
L
By including read-aloud plays in your classroom, you can
● build oral literacy.
● foster reading skills.
● encourage listening skills.
● freshen familiar and popular themes.
● draw out quiet or at-risk students.
ABOUT THIS BOOK
This collection of 20 plays w as designed to support themes popular with
schoolteachers in grades 2–4. We have divided these plays into categories:
Great Americans, Social Studies, Science and Health, and Language Arts.
However, you will find that most plays lend themselv es to a variety of
themes. For example, the play “The Railroad to Freedom” could be used
with a theme about inspiring people, a unit on the Ci vil War or slavery, or
to celebrate Women’s History Month. Look for theme connections for
each play in the table of contents.
D
Following each play is one page of material designed to help
you share the play with your class. In each guide you’ ll find:
GUIDE
ary sources—
prim
ROUN
ie Bly using
BACKGtells
from newsthe story of Nell
lines, quotes
by Jane Manners
spaper head
This play
, you may
Nellie Bly, new s. Before reading the play
ry from
a letter from
ing vocabula
and song lyric
paper articles, some of the more challeng , and Paree (Paris).
wish to go over rds such as procure, mire story of the
-wo
the
these sources- tell only a small part of
g the use of
These sources Nellie Bly. After pioneerin married a
of
rm, Bly
remarkable life way to create social refo
and died
a
When her husb es and
journalism as
an, in 1895.
pani
, Robert Seam his manufacturing com
pracbusinessman
, she took over
nesses. Nellie
ten years later multimillion-dollar busi workers in the plants were
the
into
so employees
e made sure
turned them
preached--sh
set up libraries
ticed what she with respect. She even
and
y
fairl
ed
treat
to read.
how
learn
d
coul
world.
The World
trip around the
TY: Around
things on her trip around the world
ACTIVIsaw
a
some amazing
they could plan
Nellie Bly
they see?
to imagine that visit? What things would
ents
stud
Ask
the World.”
es would they
Trip Around
see, using
and
too. What plac write a story titled “My
do
gs they
Have students add details about the thin if they choose. Students
to
ces
Encourage them , and other research sour r illustrated or cut from
rnet
books, the Inte covers with pictures--eithe
trip.
rt
their
can create repo things they may see on
f the
magazines--o
12
Narrator
Nellie Bly (Elizabeth
Cochran)
Newsboy
Editor of The Dispatch
Newsman 1
Newsman 2
Editor of The World
Reader 1
Reader 2
Reader 3
Reader 4
Reader 5
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills
Words
y in His Own
INKS
arkable Stor
BOOK sLMon
key: His Rem
1996).
row,
Nellie Bly’
(William Mor
by Joan W. Blos
World
orter for the
1994).
Nellie Bly: Rep dall (Millbrook Press,
Ken
E.
tha
Mar
by
NET L
INTERKids
BACKGROUND: a collection of facts to introduce or follow
up the play experience
Characters
Scholastic Professional Books
TEACHER’S
INKS
to.
Amazing
g-kids.org/
read or listen
ww.amazin Nellie Bly story you can
http://w
to find a
s
Search this site
ld in 72 Day
und the Wor
Aro
ce-Experien
world
trip.
The American .org/w
gbh/amex/
nd-the-world
ww.pbs
of Nellie’s arouof her trip, and
http://w
documentary
journal, a map
A site for the
rpts from her
Contains exce
e.
guid
teacher’s
WRITING
T
PROMP
that you are
WRITING PROMPT: a quick, fun suggestion to spur
students to write something based on what the y’ve read
Imagine
you
Nellie Bly and
a
want a job at the
newspaper, but k
thin
editor doesn’t
ld be
women shou a
te
reporters. Wri
conletter that will that
r
vince the edito
job
the
do
can
you
a
just as well as
man.
DISCUSSION
ION
QUESThad
to
Nellie Bly
job as
fight to get a
a news reporter a
was
because she
editor
woman. Her k a
didn’t even thin a
take
woman could
trip around the .
75
world in days
rised
surp
you
e
Wer
women
to learn that
ed to
weren’t allow same
do some of the How
?
things as men
rent
are things diffe
today?
ls
Reading Skil
That Build
Mini-Plays
20 Terrific
17
DISCUSSION QUESTION: a simple question to get a
classroom discussion going when the play is o ver
BOOK LINKSAND INTERNETLINKS: a bibliography
of books and Web sites to enhance the excitement generated
by the play
ACTIVITY: a fun, cross-curricular idea to help broaden
the play experience
4
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
USING THE PLAYS
A list of characters is pro vided at the beginning of each play to mak e it
easy for you to assign speaking parts. While we have made sure that there
are plenty of parts for both bo ys and girls, feel free to cast girls in bo ys’
parts and vice versa. You can also increase the number of speaking parts
available by assigning new students to read the parts for each dif ferent act
of the play.
After assigning parts, you may wish to ha ve a brief discussion with
students about the topic you are about to introduce. Consider creating
a K-W-L chart with students for each play. Before the play
starts, ask:
●
●
What do we know about the topic?
What do we want to know about the topic?
The Case of
Disappearing Diathe
monds
After the play, ask:
● What did we learn?
by Jane Mann
ers
Provide students with the books or Web site addresses
listed after each play so the y can explore topics that
interest them.
HAVE FUN!
116
Scholastic Profes
sional
Books
Read-aloud plays will provide your class
with many learning opportunities, but
don’t forget that they are also something
students look forward to and enjoy.
However you decide to use these plays,
remember to have fun!
20 Terrific Mini
-Plays That Build
Reading Skill
s
en
by LauraAll
by Tracey We
st
Charac
ters
sional Books
Scholastic Profes
In the present:
Ms. Clark, a
Cassie
Jason
teacher
Sam
In 1906:
Mini-Plays
20 Terrific
s 85
Reading SkillPatric
That Build
k
Bridget
110
20 Terrific MiniPlays That Build
Reading Skills
Scholastic Profess
ional Books
Mrs. Sullivan
Neighbor
5
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
The Railroad
to Freedom
by Tonya Leslie
Characters
Narrator 1
Narrator 2
Harriet Tubman
Brother 1
Brother 2
Mother
Father
Friend
Man
6
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Act I
SETTING: A slave cabin on a plantation in Maryland
Narrator 1 . . . . . Have you heard about the Under ground Railroad?
Narrator 2 . . . . . It wasn’t a real railroad at all. It w as a safe network
that led slaves to freedom.
Narrator 1 . . . . . Harriet Tubman was a slave. She ran away in 1849.
She used the Underground Railroad to get herself
and other slaves to freedom.
Harriet Tubman . . Brothers! I just heard some bad ne ws. They are
going to sell me down South!
Brother 1 . . . . . . Oh, Harriet! What are we going to do?
Harriet . . . . . . . . Let’s run away! We can leave tonight.
Brother 2 . . . . . . But, Harriet, they will kill us if the y find us.
Harriet . . . . . . . . I’d rather die fighting for freedom than live in
slavery forever. I will leave tonight, but I will come
back for you.
Brother 1 . . . . . . Just make it safely. Don’t worry about us. We will
be fine. Now leave quickly, before it is too late.
Harriet . . . . . . . . Good-bye. I will see you again. I promise.
Narrator 1 . . . . . Harriet ran for many days. When she finally made
it to the North, she w as tired and hungry. She settled
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There she made
some friends called abolitionists. They believed
slavery was wrong.
Narrator 2 . . . . . The abolitionists helped Harriet get settled in her
new life. But Harriet couldn’t rest knowing her
family and friends were still sla ves.
7
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Narrator 1 . . . . . . Harriet Tubman became a conductor for the
Underground Railroad. The “railroad” was not a train
at all but a system of boats, wagons, trains, and safe
houses that took slaves from the South to the North.
Narrator 2 . . . . . . Harriet risked her life to return home and help her
family and many others escape from slavery.
Act 2
SCENE 1
SETTING: The cabin of Harriet’s mother and father
Mother . . . . . . . . I do miss Harriet. I miss my sons too. It seems that
every time I turn around another child is missing.
They just seem to disappear.
Father . . . . . . . . They are all with Harriet. They are safe in the North.
Mother . . . . . . . . But we don’t know that for sure.
Father . . . . . . . . It is safer that way, for them and for us. Shhhh.
What’s that sound?
Harriet . . . . . . . . I’m bound for the Promised Land! Who will go
with me?
Mother . . . . . . . . Oh, Harriet. It’s you! You really came back for us.
Harriet . . . . . . . . I came to get you. Now my family will be together at
last—together and free! Quickly, gather some food
and your belongings. We have no time to waste.
Mother . . . . . . . . But where will we go? It will be morning soon.
Harriet . . . . . . . . Don’t worry, Mother. We will travel on the
railroad—the Underground Railroad.
8
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Narrator 1 . . . . . Stories of Harriet Tubman
spread. She helped many
slaves escape. Soon slave
hunters began to look for her.
SCENE 2
SETTING: A town in the South
Friend . . . . . . . . Harriet, I really don’t think
it is safe for you to w alk
around. There are posters all
over with your picture on
them.
Harriet . . . . . . . . I am not worried. I am
dressed as a man. No one
will recognize me in this
disguise.
Friend . . . . . . . . Please be careful. Hey,
Harriet, watch out for that
man!
Harriet . . . . . . . . (Harriet bumps into a man.)
Excuse me sir. I didn’t mean
to bump into you.
Man . . . . . . . . . . You’d better watch where
you are going, young
man. What did your friend
call you?
Harriet . . . . . . . . (whispers to herself) Oh no! It’s my old owner!
(to the man) Oh, she called me Harry, sir. That is
my name.
Man . . . . . . . . . . Harry, huh? You look very familiar to me.
9
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Harriet . . . . . . . . I don’t think I have ever met you before, sir.
Man . . . . . . . . . . Well, maybe you can help me. Here, put up
these signs.
Harriet . . . . . . . . What do they say?
Man . . . . . . . . . . They say that we are looking for Harriet Tubman.
Harriet . . . . . . . . Who is that?
Man . . . . . . . . . . She is an escaped slave who has been taking other
slaves away from their homes.
Harriet . . . . . . . . What does she look like?
Man . . . . . . . . . . (He pauses and looks right at Harriet.) She looks
like . . . this picture. Look closely. We will reward
well any person who brings her in.
Narrator 1 . . . . . Harriet didn’t get caught that time, or an y other
time! She made 19 trips to the South and brought
more than 300 people out of sla very.
Narrator 2 . . . . . Harriet didn’t work alone. Many people helped on
the Underground Railroad.
Narrator 1 . . . . . They took a lot of chances. Some people got
caught, but Harriet never lost a passenger.
Narrator 2 . . . . . People still remember the words she would sing to
alert slaves that she was nearby: “I’m bound for the
Promised Land!”
The End
10
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
TEACHER’S GUIDE
The R ailroad
to Freedom
BACKGROUND
ACTIVITY The Road North
by Tonya Leslie
Characters
Narrator 1
Narrator 2
Harriet Tubm
an
Brother 1
Brother 2
Mother
Father
Friend
Man
6
20 Terrific Min
i-Plays That
Build Reading
Skills
Make copies of a map of the United States, with the states and
their boundaries clearly defined. Break up the class into teams of four
children. Give each team a different starting point from the South
(south of the northern borders of Maryland, Virginia, and West
Virginia), and a different destination in the North. Have them plot
their course on the map, imagining that the y have to travel on foot or
on horseback. Ask them to use the scale of miles to try to f ind the
shortest, most direct routes. How would they get across rivers or over
mountains? Ask them to write out a step-by-step description of their
journeys and report their findings to the class.
BOOK LINKS
Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky
by Faith Ringgold (Crown, 1995)
Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman
by Alan Schroeder (Penguin Putnam, 1996)
INTERNET LINK
Harriet Tubman
http://www
.incwell.com/Bio
graphies/T
ubman.html
A short biography and picture of Harriet Tubman
Scholastic Profe
ssional Books
Harriet Tubman was born in Maryland in 1820. Her sla ve
master hired her out as a w orker when she was only 5 years old.
In 1844, Harriet married a free black man named John Tubman.
Still, Harriet was a slave. In 1849, when Harriet heard rumors
that her master was going to sell her f arther south, she engineered her escape.
Harriet’s journeys back to the South to free others, and her
close calls in avoiding capture, are legendary. When Harriet
rescued her parents, they were in their 70s. The tale of Harriet
encountering her old master has been recounted in se veral
different ways; the incident here is one v ersion of that story.
During the Civil War, Harriet worked for the Union army as
a cook, a nurse, and a sp y. She died in 1913.
WRITING
PROMPT
Harriet Tubman is
considered a hero
by many for her
bravery and her
dedication to
helping others.
What qualities do
you think a hero
should have?
Write a paragraph
describing them.
DISCUSSION
QUESTION
After Harriet
escaped to the
North, she could
have stayed there
and lived out the
rest of her life in
safety. Why do you
think she chose to
risk her life instead
and return to the
South? What would
you have done if
you were in her
place?
11
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
by Jane Manners
Characters
Narrator
Nellie Bly (Elizabeth
Cochran)
Newsboy
Editor of The Dispatch
Newsman 1
Newsman 2
Editor of The World
Reader 1
Reader 2
Reader 3
Reader 4
Reader 5
12
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Act 1
Narrator . . . . . . . Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1885. Twenty-year-old
Elizabeth Cochran wanted to be a writer more than
anything else. But she couldn’t find any work. Her
only job offer was doing laundry. To make matters
worse, she read a column in the Pittsburg Dispatch.
The article made fun of w omen who looked for
meaningful work. The article made Elizabeth angry.
Elizabeth . . . . . . The author says women are unfit for men’s work.
He is wrong, and I will write to the editor and tell
him so!
Narrator . . . . . . . The editor read Elizabeth’s letter.
Editor of
The Dispatch . . . . (reading letter) “What shall we do with our girls?
Take some girls that have the ability, procure for
them situations. Pull them out of the mire and gi ve
them a shove up the ladder of life.” This girl has
spirit! We must find out who she is!
Newsboy . . . . . . Paper! Get your paper here! Dispatch hires Elizabeth
Cochran and changes her name to Nellie Bly.
Act 2
Narrator
. . . . . . New York, 1887. At 23, Nellie Bly left her job as
reporter for the Pittsburg Dispatch and headed for
the big city, with an eye on getting a job at the
city’s popular daily, The New York World.
13
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Newsman 1 . . . . Excuse me, Mr. Editor. There’s a woman here to
see you.
Newsman 2 . . . . She insists on seeing you, sir.
Editor of
The World . . . . . . I’m running a busy newspaper here. I have no time
to see anyone.
Newsman 1 . . . . She said she would wait until you had time.
Editor . . . . . . . . . How did she get past the guards at the door? Who is
this woman?
Newsman 1 . . . . Her name is Nellie Bly, sir. She’s a reporter looking
for work.
Editor . . . . . . . . . A lady reporter? Well, we don’t need any more
articles for the society page. This is a paper with
a social conscience.
Newsman 2 . . . . Actually, sir, she’s written about factories in
Pittsburgh where women work in dangerous
conditions for long hours and little pay.
Newsman 1 . . . . She’s fought for better marriage la ws.
Newsman 2 . . . . She spent six months in Me xico and wrote that the
poor were “worse off by thousands of times than
the slaves of the United States.”
Editor . . . . . . . . . Impressive, but tell her we have enough reporters
working here.
Newsman 2 . . . . I told her that, sir, and she said . . .
Nellie Bly . . . . . . I have an important subject to propose, and if the
editor-in-chief will not see me, I will go to some
other paper.
Editor . . . . . . . . . Wait! Where are you going? Come in. Let’s talk.
14
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Act 3
Narrator . . . . . . . Nellie landed a trial assignment at The World. It was
no ordinary assignment. She would have to
pretend to be mentally ill in order to f ind out how
patients were treated at Blackwell’s Island, a
women’s asylum. Nellie Bly got her story. She
exposed the cruel treatment of inmates and
encouraged the city to enact important reforms.
It was by all accounts an amazing achie vement!
But her most celebrated feat w as yet to come.
Editor . . . . . . . . . A world tour?
Nellie Bly . . . . . . I could travel around the world, just like the
character in Jules Verne’s novel, Around the World
in Eighty Days, except I would do it in 75 days.
Editor . . . . . . . . . Seventy-five days?
Nellie Bly . . . . . . Or less!
Editor . . . . . . . . . Traveling by ship, train, and stagecoach tak es a
long, long time!
Nellie Bly . . . . . . It’s never been done before. It’s a great idea.
Editor . . . . . . . . . It’s a terrific idea. We’ll send a man!
Nellie Bly . . . . . . What?!
Editor . . . . . . . . . A man does not need a chaperone or a lot of luggage.
Nellie Bly . . . . . . Very well. Start the man and I’ ll start the same day
for some other newspaper and beat him.
Editor . . . . . . . . . Wait! Let’s talk. When can you be ready?
Nellie Bly . . . . . . I’m ready right now.
Newsboy . . . . . . “Nellie Bly to Go Around the World!” Read all
about it!
15
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Reader 1 . . . . . . I’ll take a paper. Look, it says, “Nellie Bly sets out
alone to go around the w orld in record time.”
Reader 2 . . . . . . Look here. The World is sponsoring a guessing match.
Reader 3 . . . . . . Let me see. (reading) The person who first makes
the nearest guess as to the e xact time of Nellie Bly’s
tour wins a free trip to Europe!
Reader 4 . . . . . . I’ll take a guess.
“Nellie Bly is flying high
On the China Sea;
With her goes the hope of one
Who wants to see Paree;
She’ll get here in 74,
Sure as she’s alive,
Hours 12, minutes 10, and seconds 25.”
Newsboy . . . . . . Get your paper here! Nellie Bly has gone around the
world—read all about it!
1 reader . . . . . . . I’ll buy a paper.
Newsboy . . . . . . “Father Time Outdone!”
3 readers . . . . . . (speaking together) I’ll buy a paper.
Newsboy . . . . . . “She’s Broken Every Record!”
5 readers . . . . . . (speaking together) I’ll buy a paper.
Reader 5 . . . . . . Listen to this! Nellie Bly’s time was 72 days,
6 hours, 11 minutes, and 14 seconds.
Everyone . . . . . . Hooray! Hooray for Nellie Bly!
Narrator . . . . . . . Nellie Bly’s trip around the world showed girls could
be smart and independent. She w as a pioneer in
investigative journalism. She was not afraid to write
the truth and blow the whistle on social injustice.
What would Nellie Bly write about today?
The End
16
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
TEACHER’S GUIDE
BACKGROUND
12
ACTIVITY Around the World
Nellie Bly saw some amazing things on her trip around the w orld.
Ask students to imagine that they could plan a trip around the w orld
too. What places would they visit? What things would they see?
Have students write a story titled “My Trip Around the World.”
Encourage them to add details about the things the y do and see, using
books, the Internet, and other research sources if the y choose. Students
can create report covers with pictures—either illustrated or cut from
magazines—of the things they may see on their trip.
BOOK LINKS
Nellie Bly’s Monkey: His Remarkable Story in His Own Words
by Joan W. Blos (William Morrow, 1996)
Nellie Bly: Reporter for the World
by Martha E. Kendall (Millbrook Press, 1994)
INTERNET LINKS
The Write Site
http://www
.writesite.org
Kids can learn about the history of journalism and get pointers on
writing their own news stories.
The American Experience—Around the World in 72 Days
http://www
.pbs.org/wgbh/ame
x/world
A site for the documentary of Nellie’s around-the-world trip.
Contains excerpts from her journal, a map of her trip, and
teacher’s guide.
by Jane Mann
ers
Characters
Narrator
Nellie Bly (Eliza
beth
Cochran)
Newsboy
Editor of The
Dispatch
Newsman 1
Newsman 2
Editor of The
World
Reader 1
20 Terrific Mini
-Plays That Build
Reading Skill
s
Books
Reader 2
Reader 3
Reader 4
Reader 5
Scholastic Profes
sional
This play tells the story of Nellie Bly using primary sources—
a letter from Nellie Bly, newspaper headlines, quotes from newspaper articles, and song lyrics. Before reading the play , you may
wish to go over some of the more challenging v ocabulary from
these sources—words such as procure, mire, and Paree (Paris).
These sources tell only a small part of the story of the
remarkable life of Nellie Bly. After pioneering the use of
journalism as a way to create social reform, Bly married a
businessman, Robert Seaman, in 1895. When her husband died
ten years later, she took over his manufacturing companies and
turned them into multimillion-dollar businesses. Nellie practiced what
she preached—she made sure the w orkers in the plants were treated
fairly and with respect. She even set up libraries so emplo yees could
learn how to read.
WRITING
PROMPT
Imagine that you are
Nellie Bly and you
want a job at a
newspaper, but the
editor doesn’t think
women should be
reporters. Write a
letter that will convince the editor that
you can do the job
just as well as a
man.
DISCUSSION
QUESTION
Nellie Bly had to
fight to get a job as
a news reporter
because she was a
woman. Her editor
didn’t even think a
woman could take a
trip around the
world in 75 days.
Were you surprised
to learn that women
weren’t allowed to
do some of the same
things as men? How
are things different
today?
17
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
The World’s
First Phone Call
by Jennifer Johnson
Characters
Narrator 1
Narrator 2
TV announcer
Mr. Anderson
Mrs. Anderson
Jake Anderson
Emily Anderson
Alexander Graham Bell
Thomas Watson
Rutherford B. Hayes
Operator
18
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Act 1
SETTING: The early twenty-first century.
A mother and father watch television in their living room.
Narrator 1 . . . . . It was a dark and stormy night in Chippe wa County.
Luckily, the Anderson family was safe at home.
TV announcer . . . We interrupt your regular programming to bring
you this emergency weather broadcast. Tonight’s
severe thunderstorm has knocked down telephone
lines, causing a phone service outage in parts of
Chippewa and Barron counties. Service should
resume within two hours.
Mr. Anderson . . . Hey, that might be us!
Mrs. Anderson . . Better check the phone and see whether it’ s
working.
Jake . . . . . . . . . (enters the room) Hey, something’s wrong. I was
trying to call Max and there’s no dial tone. Nothing
happens when I dial, either.
Emily . . . . . . . . . (enters the room) Does anyone know what’s going
on? I was doing some research online on my
computer. All of a sudden, my modem disconnected
and now it won’t reconnect.
Mrs. Anderson . . Calm down, kids. We just heard on TV that the
storm knocked down some phone lines. That’s why
our phone is dead—and why you can’ t connect to
the Internet, Emily.
Mr. Anderson . . . But don’t worry. The TV announcer said phones
will be working again within two hours.
Emily . . . . . . . . . Two hours? But I need to f inish my research now!
Jake . . . . . . . . . And I really wanted to talk to Max!
19
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Act 2
SETTING: The late nineteenth century.
Alexander Graham Bell’s laboratory in Boston
Narrator 1 . . . . . Today, it’s hard to imagine doing without telephone
service—even for two hours. But until 1876, people
lived without phone service for thousands of years.
Then, on March 10, 1876, a major historical e vent
took place. That was the day that Alexander
Graham Bell made the first phone call.
Narrator 2 . . . . . Alexander Graham Bell was a teacher. At first, he
taught music and public speaking. Later, he taught
deaf students to speak. Bell’s teaching experiences
got him interested in the sounds of human speech.
Narrator 1 . . . . . One day, Bell read a paper that w as written in
German. Bell’s German was not very good. He
thought the paper said that human speech could be
sent over a wire. That’s not what the paper really
said. But it was a lucky mistake for Bell—and for
humankind.
Narrator 2 . . . . . Alexander Graham Bell began working on a
machine that could transmit the sounds of human
voices over a wire. After awhile, he hired a
machine-shop worker named Thomas Watson to
work with him.
Narrator 1 . . . . . Watson and Bell worked on their invention for a long
time. On June 2, 1875, something e xciting happened.
Watson . . . . . . . (to himself) Hmmm . . . this wire’s wrapped too
tightly. Think I’d better unwrap it and start o ver.
(Fiddles with wire some more. Wire suddenly makes
a loud twang.)
Bell . . . . . . . . . . (hears twang through the receiver) Watson! (runs
into other room) Watson! Did you just make that
wire twang?
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Watson . . . . . . . Why, yes, Bell. How did you know?
Bell . . . . . . . . . . I heard it, Watson! I heard it through the recei ver.
The sound was carried over the wire!
Watson . . . . . . . It really works, then. It really is possible to send
sound over a wire.
Narrator 1 . . . . . Bell and Watson had successfully sent sound
over a wire. But it w ould be several more months
before they figured out how to send human speech.
Eventually, they figured out that liquid might help
conduct sound.
Narrator 2 . . . . . They began to experiment by partly covering
the wire with various liquids. Then one day, on
March 10, 1876, an accident happened.
Narrator 1 . . . . . Watson was working in another room. Bell
poured battery acid over the wire that connected
the transmitter and receiver. A strange sound came
from the transmitter. Bell jumped back.
Bell . . . . . . . . . . Mr. Watson! Come here! I want you!
Watson . . . . . . . Bell! You’ve done it!
Bell . . . . . . . . . . Watson, I just heard a funn y sound come from the
wire. Do you know what’s going on?
Watson . . . . . . . Yes, Bell. Just now, when you called me for help—
I heard your voice loud and clear over the wire!
Act 3
Narrator 1 . . . . . And that’s the story of the f irst phone call. Within
one year, Bell and Watson had achieved the first
two-way call. They began presenting the telephone
at exhibits. People were amazed. Soon, Bell’s
invention was the talk of the w orld.
21
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Narrator 2 . . . . . Of course, calling someone on the other side of the
world wasn’t possible quite yet. In f act, it would
be several years before long-distance calls were
possible and longer than that before calls could be
made overseas. But that didn’t mean that people
didn’t want phones—they definitely did.
Narrator 1 . . . . . In 1878, Rutherford B. Hayes became the f irst
president to have a phone installed in the White
House.
Narrator 2 . . . . . Guess who was the first person he called?
Hayes . . . . . . . . (lifts receiver) Operator, get me Alexander Graham
Bell, please.
Operator . . . . . . . (She punches some buttons. Bell’s phone rings. He
picks it up.) Mr. Bell, the President of the United
States is on the line for you.
Bell . . . . . . . . . . (speaking quickly, with excitement) Hello, Mr.
President, it’s an honor to talk to you. I’m so pleased
that my invention has been installed in the White
House, and I’m glad to hear that your telephone is
working . . .
Hayes . . . . . . . . Please speak more slowly, Mr. Bell.
Narrator 1 . . . . . I’m not too sure what Bell really said to President
Hayes. But as legend has it, “Please speak more
slowly” really were the President’s first words to Bell.
Narrator 2 . . . . . As you can imagine, it took people a while to get
used to speaking and listening o ver a telephone. But
once they got the hang of it, the y never wanted to
give it up. Today, telephones allow us to reach out
and touch people in every corner of the planet!
The End
22
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
TEACHER’S GUIDE
The World
First Phone C’sa
ll
BACKGROUND
18
ACTIVITY Imagine an Invention
by Jennifer Joh
nson
Characters
Narrator 1
Narrator 2
TV announce
r
Mr. Anderson
Mrs. Anderson
Jake Anderson
Emily Anderson
Books
Alexander Grah
am Bell
Thomas Wats
on
Rutherford B.
Hayes
Operator
20 Terrific Mini
-Plays That Build
Reading Skill
s
Telephones make life easier in so many ways. Ask students to think
about a typical day in their li ves. What could they use that would make
life easier—a machine that makes the bed? a robot that w alks and
feeds the dog?
Challenge students to come up with an in vention that would make
daily life easier. It can be as simple or f antastic as they want. Students
can draw a picture of the invention and write a paragraph describing
what it does. Students can then present their in ventions to the class and
vote on which invention would be most useful in daily life. You can
also sort and group their invention ideas by category—Inventions That
Clean Things, Inventions That Make Things Happen Faster, etc.
BOOK LINKS
Alexander Graham Bell: An Inventive Life
by Elizabeth McLeod (General Distribution Services, 1999)
Always Inventing: A Photobiography of Alexander Graham Bell
by Tom L. Mathews (National Geographic Society, 1999)
INTERNET LINKS
Brain Spin—Alexander Graham Bell
http://www
.att.com/technolo
gy/forstudents/brainspin/ale
xbell
A fun site from AT&T Labs that includes interactive games
Alexander Graham Bell—The Inventor
http://www
.fitzgeraldstudio
.com/html/bell/in
ventor.html
A detailed site devoted to Bell’s many inventions
Scholastic Profes
sional
Born in 1847 in Scotland, Alexander Graham Bell made his
first invention at age 11—a machine for cleaning wheat (some
sources say corn). His interest in human speech be gan in
childhood as well. His father, Alexander Melville Bell, was a
speech teacher who researched the problems of the deaf. His
mother, Eliza, was deaf. Bell became a teacher of speech and
in 1873 was appointed Professor of Vocal Physiology at
Boston University. When Bell first came up with the idea of
a telephone, he discussed it at length with his f ather.
Bell did not stop working after he invented the telephone.
He went on to earn 18 patents in his name, and 12 others with
collaborators. He invented techniques for teaching speech to
the deaf. And in 1888, he founded the National Geographic Society .
He died in 1922, but his contributions to the world of communications
will never be forgotten.
WRITING
PROMPT
Imagine that you
could pick up a
phone right now
and call anyone in
the world—your
best friend, favorite
singer or actor, or
even the president.
What questions
would you ask?
Write down your
questions and the
answers you think
you might get, until
your imaginary
phone conversation
is complete.
DISCUSSION
QUESTION
It’s difficult to
imagine life without
telephones. Can
you think of any
other inventions you
can’t live without?
How would life be
different if those
things hadn’t been
invented?
23
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
by AlexandraHanson-Har
ding
Characters
Narrator 1
Narrator 2
Sacagawea (sa-KAG-a-way-a), a Shoshone (She-SHOW-nee) girl
Cameahwait (KOM-e-a-wait), her brother
Meriwether Lewis, an explorer
William Clark, an explorer
24
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
ACT 1
Scene 1
Narrator 1 . . . . . It is 1800. A Shoshone Indian tribe camps near the
Rocky Mountains, in what is now Idaho.
Cameahwait . . . . Look, sister. The scouts are returning.
Sacagawea . . . . . But I don’t recognize them. Uh-oh. They must be—
Cameahwait . . . . It’s our enemies, the Hidatsa! Run, sister! But if the y
catch you, just stay alive until we find each other again.
Narrator 2 . . . . . She runs, but the Hidatsa drag her a way. She is
marched east to Fort Mandan, in what is now
North Dakota.
Scene 2
Narrator 1 . . . . . Sacagawea is a slave to the Hidatsa for four years.
Then, she is married off to a fur trapper. Soon after,
she learns she is expecting a child.
Sacagawea . . . . . Someday, somehow, my baby and I will get back
home to my people.
Narrator 2 . . . . . One day, two white men appear. They are the explorers
Lewis and Clark. President Thomas Jefferson has sent
them to find a way to reach the Pacific Ocean by water.
Clark . . . . . . . . . Hello, Sacagawea. We have traveled far on the
Missouri River. We will have to cross mountains as
we travel west. We believe the Shoshone people live
in those mountains.
Lewis . . . . . . . . . We do not speak Shoshone. We want you and your
husband to come with us and translate for us. Would
you help us buy horses from your people, so we can
cross the mountains?
25
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Sacagawea . . . . . I don’t know if my people are still ali ve. But I will
help you.
Narrator 1 . . . . . On February 11, 1805, Sacagawea gives birth to a
boy the explorers nickname “Pompey.”
ACT 2
Narrator 2 . . . . . Several months later, the explorers start traveling
up the Missouri River with Sacagawea and her
husband. Sacagawea helps paddle one of the team’s
boats upstream. Her baby is on her back.
Narrator 1 . . . . . As they travel west, sometimes they find no game to
hunt.
Lewis . . . . . . . . . If things go on like this, we’ll run out of food.
Clark . . . . . . . . . What’s Sacagawea doing?
Narrator 2 . . . . . Sacagawea digs under a tree and pulls out a wild
artichoke. She cooks it in the ashes of the f ire and
hands it to Lewis. He takes a bite.
Lewis . . . . . . . . . Mmm! That’s good! What would we do without
you, Sacagawea?
ACT 3
Narrator 1 . . . . . The group continues west.
Sacagawea . . . . . Look at the mountains, Pomp. We’re getting close
to home.
Clark . . . . . . . . . Are you sure we’re going the right way?
26
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Sacagawea . . . . . Yes. I was kidnapped here when I w as young.
Narrator 2 . . . . . Soon, a group of Shoshone w omen appear. They
lead Lewis and Clark to their chief.
Lewis . . . . . . . . . I want to bargain for horses. Let’s get Sacagawea to
translate.
Narrator 1 . . . . . Later, Sacagawea walks into the tent and sits do wn.
Sacagawea . . . . . These white men want to know if they can buy
some horses from—
Narrator 2 . . . . . The chief stares at her. She stares back at him. At
the same moment . . .
Sacagawea . . . . . Brother, is that—
Cameahwait . . . . Sister!
Narrator 1 . . . . . She throws her blanket over his head and they hug,
crying.
Cameahwait . . . . I thought I would never see you again.
Narrator 2 . . . . . They let go of each other.
Cameahwait . . . . Are these your friends?
Sacagawea . . . . . Yes. Can you help them?
Cameahwait . . . . For you, I will.
Narrator 1 . . . . . The Shoshone sell horses to Lewis and Clark.
They promise to guide the e xplorers through the
mountains to the west.
Narrator 2 . . . . . But the next day, Sacagawea overhears that
Cameahwait has changed his mind. She goes
to find her brother.
Sacagawea . . . . . Didn’t the white man speak to you about guiding
him over the mountains?
27
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Cameahwait . . . . Yes, but if we help them, we will miss part of
buffalo season.
Sacagawea . . . . . But you promised. And if you don’t help us, we’ll
be stuck.
Cameahwait . . . . We? You mean you aren’t staying? I thought you
wanted to be with your people.
Sacagawea . . . . . I wish I had never been kidnapped. But now that
I’m here . . .
Cameahwait . . . . What?
Sacagawea . . . . . I’m not a little girl an ymore. Now I want to see the
great waters to the west. I feel restless. I’m an
explorer too. Besides, you promised.
Cameahwait . . . . You drive a hard bargain, little sister. But I will do
it for you. Even though it will break my heart to
let you go.
Sacagawea . . . . . And how I will miss you!
Narrator 1 . . . . . The Shoshone guide them west, then lea ve them
while the explorers travel all the way to the Pacific
Ocean.
Narrator 2 . . . . . Sacagawea kept on helping Lewis and Clark right
up to the end. She w as a symbol of peace to Nati ve
American groups they met along the way. And she
even helped find a mountain pass that shortened the
trip back.
Narrator 1 . . . . . Lewis and Clark lost track of Sacaga wea after the
trip. But her courage is still remembered today . In
the year 2000, she was chosen to appear on the ne w
golden dollar coin.
The End
28
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
TEACHER’S GUIDE
BACKGROUND
24
ACTIVITY Tribes on the Trail
The Lewis and Clark expedition encountered almost 50 different
Native American tribes on their travels. These include the Arikara,
Assiniboin, Blackfoot, Clatsup, Mandan, Teton Sioux, Oto, Missouri,
Nez Perce, Shoshone, Tillamook, Walla Walla, Wishram, and Yankton
Sioux.
Have students choose one tribe from the list and try to f ind the
answers to these questions: Where did they live? What kinds of food
did they eat? What kinds of shelter did they live in? Which tribes were
they friendy with? Does the tribe still e xist today?
Students can use the information they gather to create simple
mini-books or posters about the tribe the y’ve chosen. The finished
products can be displayed in the classroom for others to e xplore.
BOOK LINKS
How We Crossed the West: The Adventures of Lewis and Clark
by Rosalyn Schanzer (National Geographic Society, 1997)
A Picture Book of Sacagawea
by David A. Adler, illustrated by Dan Brown (Holiday House, 2000)
INTERNET LINKS
Lewis and Clark
http://www
.pbs.org/le
wisandclark/
Based on Ken Burns’s PBS film. Students can read a biography of
Sacagawea, and teachers can find classroom resources.
by Alexandra
Hanson-Hard
ing
20 Terrific Mini
-Plays That Build
Reading Skill
s
Books
Characters
Narrator 1
Narrator 2
Sacagawea (sa-K
AG-a-way-a),
a Shoshone (She
-SHOW-knee)
Cameahwait
girl
(KOM-e-a-wait),
her brother
Meriwether Lewi
s, an explorer
William Clark,
an explorer
Scholastic Profes
sional
Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809) and William Clark (1770–1838)
met on the American frontier. President Thomas Jefferson asked
Lewis to take charge of the “Corps of Discovery,” an expedition to
explore the Western Territories. Lewis quickly asked Clark to join
him as co-leader, and he accepted.
The journey began in 1803. By October of 1804, the y had
reached the Mandan villages in present-day North Dak ota, where
they decided to spend the winter. It was there that they met
Touissant Charbonneau, Sacagawea’s husband.
As the play states, Sacagawea did reach the Pacific Ocean
with the explorers. What happened to Sacagawea after that is
uncertain. Sacagawea did have a daughter, Lisette, six years after
the expedition ended. The most accepted story is that Sacaga wea died in
1812, and that William Clark adopted her two children. Others believe
that she returned to the Shoshone and li ved with them until 1884.
WRITING
PROMPT
Sacagawea helped
Lewis and Clark
in several ways.
Write a short story
imagining what
the trip may have
been like if
Sacagawea had
not accompanied
Lewis and Clark.
DISCUSSION
QUESTION
When Sacagawea
met her brother
again, she could
have rejoined her
people. Instead, she
chose to continue
with the expedition.
What would you
have done if you
had to make that
choice?
Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation
http://www
.lewisandclark.org/
Learn more about the 3,700-mile Lewis and Clark historic trail.
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
29
Speaking Out for Justice
Dr. Martin
Dr. Martin
Luther
King
by Sheila Sweeny
Characters
Narrator
Mom 1
Rose
Dad 1
Jack
Mom 2
May
Reverend
Martin Luther
King, Jr.
Billy
30
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Act 1
Narrator . . . It is the summer of 1963. In some places in the country ,
African-Americans do not have equal rights. They cannot
drink from the same water fountains, go to the same
schools, or eat in the same restaurants as white Americans.
In some places, they are not allowed to vote. Many people
feel this is not fair. Many people are working to make a
change.
Dad 1 . . . . . Come on, Rose. Come on, Jack. It’s time to go.
Rose
. . . . . Where are we going again?
Mom 1 . . . . We’re going to Washington, D.C.
Jack . . . . . . Do we have to go? It’s so far!
Dad . . . . . . . Yes, Jack, we have to go. We have to let everyone know
that we think what is happening in this country is not right.
Rose . . . . . . Do you think there will be a lot of people there?
Mom 1 . . . . I think so, Rose. There are many people who feel the w ay
we do. There will be some very important people there,
too. Reverend King will be there.
Jack . . . . . . If Reverend King will be there, then I am def initely
going to Washington, D.C.!
Dad 1 . . . . . All right, then. Let’s go!
Act 2
Narrator . . . . On August 28, 1963, more than 250,000 people marched
in Washington, D.C.
Mom 2 . . . . May, Billy, stay close. We have to stay together.
31
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
May & Billy . . (shouting) Equal rights! Equal rights!
Mom 2 . . . . Do you see that man up ahead?
May . . . . . . Yes, Mama.
Mom 2 . . . . That’s Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. He has been
speaking out for equal rights for a long time.
May . . . . . . He’s the one who talked about how important it is for all
of us to vote.
Mom 2 . . . . Yes, May. And he’s traveled all over, all the way to India, to
find ways that we can get our rights without using violence.
Billy . . . . . . I heard that he even met with President Kennedy to ask
him to support equal rights.
Mom 2 . . . . That’s right, Billy. Now let’s listen to what Reverend
King has to say.
Act 3
Narrator . . . At the Lincoln Memorial, the crowd stopped to listen to
the words of Reverend King.
Jack . . . . . . Look! It’s Reverend King.
Rose
. . . . . And all these people are listening to him.
Reverend
King . . . . . . I have a dream that my four children will one day li ve in
a nation where they will not be judged by the color of
their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama . . .
will be transformed into a situation where little black
boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little
white boys and white girls and w alk together as sisters
and brothers.
32
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Mom 1 . . . . (to Rose and Jack) Your dad and I have that
dream too.
Reverend
King . . . . . . When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from e very
village and every hamlet, from every state and every city,
we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’ s
children, black men and white men, Je ws and Gentiles,
Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and
sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last!
Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
Jack . . . . . . Dad, when I listen to Reverend King, I just know that
he’s right. I know that things are going to change.
Dad 1 . . . . . I think you’re right, Jack.
Act 4
Narrator . . . It is now the spring of 1968. Since the speech, Re verend
King has continued to lead people and speak out. He has
been arrested and put in jail. He has met with another
president, Lyndon B. Johnson. And he has seen changes
sweep across the country.
Mom 2 . . . . May, Billy, please come here. I ha ve some news.
May . . . . . . What is it, Mom?
Mom 2 . . . . Reverend King is dead. He w as shot in Memphis,
Tennessee.
Billy . . . . . . No, Mom! That’s not fair! He was helping all of us.
Mom 2 . . . . I agree, Billy. It isn’t fair. But remember, Reverend King
lives on in us. Every time we remember his w ords, every
time we speak out against things that are unf air, we are
keeping the memory of Reverend King alive.
The End
33
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
TEACHER’S GUIDE
Speaking Ou
t for Justice
Dr. Martin
Luther King
BACKGROUND
30
by Sheila Sw
eeny
Characters
Narrator
Rose
Jack
May
Books
Billy
20 Terrific Mini
-Plays That Build
Reading Skill
s
ACTIVITY Dr. Martin Luther King Time Line
Divide the class into 13 groups. Gi ve each group a card with one of the
dates below. Have each group research the event that took place in that
year and create a poster that tells about the e vent. Display the finished
posters, in order, around the classroom or in a hall way.
1929
1948
1953
1954
1956
1957
1959
1962
1963
1964
1965
1968
1986
Dr. King is born.
Dr. King graduates from Morehouse College.
Dr. King marries Coretta Scott.
Dr. King begins to preach at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.
Dr. King’s house is bombed.
Dr. King becomes president of the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference.
Dr. King visits Mohandas Gandhi in India.
Dr. King meets with President Kennedy.
Dr. King leads the March on Washington.
Dr. King wins the Nobel Peace Prize.
Dr. King leads a march from Selma to Montgomery.
Dr. King is assassinated by James Earl Ray.
Dr. King’s birthday, January 20, is first celebrated as a national holida y.
BOOK LINKS
Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King
by Jean Marzollo (Scholastic, 1993)
Martin Luther King
by Rosemary L. Bray
(William Morrow & Co., 1996)
Mom 1
Dad 1
Mom 2
Reverend
Martin Luther
King, Jr.
Scholastic Profes
sional
Many years of struggle preceded Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream
Speech” at the March on Washington.
King’s life as an activist began in 1955, when he w as pastor at
Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. In that
year, King led a boycott to protest bus segregation. King developed his leadership abilities during the long bo ycott and went on
to form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with other
African-American ministers. He traveled to India to study nonviolent protest with Mohandas Gandhi. In 1962, he met with
President John F. Kennedy to discuss civil rights. By the day of
the march on August 28, 1963, King’s efforts had resulted in an
outpouring of support from people of all races.
The quotes from Dr. King’s speech are exactly as he said them.
Please note that he uses the w ord Negro, an acceptable term for black
Americans in the 1960s, but is no longer used today. You may wish to
discuss this with students before reading the play.
WRITING
PROMPT
Dr. King dreamed
of a better world
in which all people
are treated equally.
What is your dream
for the people of the
world?
DISCUSSION
QUESTION
How has life
changed for African
Americans and
other minorities
since Dr. King’s
famous speech?
INTERNET LINK
Martin Luther King Jr. Directory
http://www
.stanford.edu/gr
oup/King
This continually updated site has a v ariety of
resources about Dr. King’s life, including two
letters written by him when he w as eleven.
34
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
A World-Famous Tomboy:
The Story of
Babe Zaharias
by Eric James Charles
worth
Characters
Mildred “Babe” Didrikson
Narrator 1
Narrator 2
Boy 1
Boy 2
Kackler 1
Kackler 2
Reporter
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Act 1
SETTING: 1918 in Beaumont, Texas. Mildred Didrikson
approaches a group of young bo ys playing baseball in a sandlot.
Narrator 1 . . . . . Mildred Ella Didrikson was born and raised
in Texas during the early part of the twentieth
century. During this era, few girls and women
played sports. There weren’t many opportunities
for women to compete. But almost from the day
she was born, Mildred set out to o vercome these
obstacles. From a very early age, she dedicated her
life to becoming a fantastic athlete at any sport she
chose, even if it meant competing against bo ys.
Mildred . . . . . . . Hey, guys. Mind if I join your game? I lo ve
playing ball.
Boy 1
. . . . . . . . You can’t play with us, missy. Go on home and
play with your dollies.
Mildred . . . . . . . But I don’t like playing with dolls.
Boy 2
. . . . . . . . Well, too bad. This is no game for girls. You might
get a boo-boo or something and start crying. You’re
nothing but a tomboy!
Mildred . . . . . . . You don’t know what you’re talking about. Girls
can play sports, too. I’ll bet I’m better than you are,
anyway. Come on! Just give me one chance to
swing the bat, and I’ll show you what I’m made of.
Boy 1
. . . . . . . . Okay. But don’t break a nail.
Narrator 2 . . . . . The boys laugh at the joke. One of the boys gives
Mildred a bat, and she steps up to the plate. The
pitcher motions for the outfielders to move in,
because he does not expect Mildred to hit the ball
out of the infield. But she surprises him by blasting
his first pitch over everyone’s heads.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Boy 2
. . . . . . . . Wow! That’s the farthest anyone has hit all day.
We’ll take her on our team!
Boy 1
. . . . . . . . I don’t believe my eyes! She may be a girl, b ut she
swings the bat just like Babe Ruth. I’m going to
call her “Babe”!
Narrator 1 . . . . . From then on, Mildred was usually referred to by
her nickname, “Babe.” But although she gained
some respect that day, her challenges were just
beginning.
Act 2
SETTING: In the hallway of Beaumont High School.
Mildred is talking with some of her classmates.
Narrator 1 . . . . . In the year 1920, women received the right to vote.
For the very first time, the United States sent
female athletes to compete in the Olympic Games.
However, Babe was still finding that most people
didn’t agree with her decision to become an athlete.
Narrator 2 . . . . . At Babe’s school, there was a group of popular
girls called the Kacklers Club. They prided
themselves on supporting the boys’ athletic teams,
but did not think it w as proper for girls to compete
in sports.
Kackler 1
. . . . . Hey, Babe. Don’t you want to join our club? We
think you would make an excellent member.
Kackler 2
. . . . . Except first you have to let your hair grow longer
and give up playing all those sports. Sports are for
boys to play and for girls to w atch!
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Kackler 1
. . . . . Yes. And maybe you should think about wearing
pretty clothes. That’s what boys like. You want boys
to like you, don’t you?
Babe . . . . . . . . . Some boys will like me. And some boys won’t.
That’s okay by me. The important thing is for me
to be the best person that I kno w I can be.
Kackler 2
. . . . . All right, Babe. Then tell us. What is it you want
to be?
Babe . . . . . . . . . I want to be the greatest athlete who e ver lived.
Kackler 1
. . . . . (laughing hysterically) You must be dreaming,
honey! That’s funny. Feel free to let us kno w if you
ever come to your senses.
Act 3
SETTING: Many years later.
A news reporter is interviewing Babe.
Narrator 1 . . . . . Babe never stopped dreaming. After leaving school,
while working as a secretary, she began playing
women’s basketball. Soon after that, she chose to
concentrate on track-and-field events. She won two
gold medals and a silver medal in the 1932
Olympics at Los Angeles. During the mid-1930s,
she turned her attention to golf. She w ould often get
up at 5 a.m. and practice for 16 hours a day in
hopes of mastering the sport. Her hard w ork would
pay off.
Narrator 2 . . . . . In the 1940s, after Babe married professional
wrestler George Zaharias, she began to emerge
as one of the greatest female golfers of all time.
During one stretch, Babe won 17 straight
38
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
tournaments, and took home six Woman Athlete of
the Year honors in a row. Her achievements helped
pave the way for some of today’s great athletes like
Martina Hingis, Cynthia Cooper, and Mia Hamm.
Reporter . . . . . . Babe, many say you are the best female athlete
of the first half of the twentieth century. It seems
as though you’ve done everything—baseball,
basketball, track, diving, and of course, golf. Is
there anything you haven’t played?
Babe . . . . . . . . . Yes, there is one thing I ne ver was good at.
Reporter . . . . . . I find that hard to believe. What is it?
Babe . . . . . . . . . Dolls. I was never all that great at playing dolls.
Reporter . . . . . . (laughing) Well, Babe, you certainly found a fe w
things you were good at. Congratulations on all
your accomplishments. You are an inspiration to
all of us.
The End
39
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
TEACHER’S GUIDE
A World-Famo
us Tomboy
The Story o:
Babe Zahar f
ias
BACKGROUND
by Eric James
Characters
Students will enjoy creating these sports-themed posters using
11- by 17-inch sheets of paper. Ask each student to choose an athlete
they admire from the past or present (you may wish to encourage or
require them to choose a female athlete). Each poster should include
the following:
● a drawing or pasted-on picture of the athlete
● the athlete’s name
● the athlete’s birthdate and hometown
● any teams the athlete played on
● any major achievements or awards won by the athlete
Display the finished posters on a “Sports Hall of F ame” wall or
bulletin board.
BOOK LINKS
Babe Didrikson Zaharias
by Russell Freedman (Clarion Books, 1999)
Babe Didrikson Zaharias All-Around Athlete (On My Own Biography)
by Jane Sutcliffe (Carolrhoda Books, 2000)
Sports Illustrated for Kids
http://www
.sikids.com/
A fun site for fans of all sports, and info on top female athletes.
Narrator 2
Books
ACTIVITY Great Athletes Posters
INTERNET LINKS
Charlesworth
Mildred “Bab
e” Didrikson
Narrator 1
Boy 1
Boy 2
Kackler 1
Kackler 2
Reporter
Scholastic Profes
sional
Mildred Ella Didrikson was born on June 26, 1911, in Port
Arthur, Texas. Her parents, Hannah and Ole, were Norwe gian
immigrants. A tomboy from the start, Mildred k ept her hair short
and often wore boys’ clothing. She may not have been popular
with other students, but she earned respect by leading her highschool basketball team to victory again and again.
“Babe,” as she came to be called, earned w orldwide respect
with her 1932 gold medals in track and f ield. Today she is still
remembered as a world-class athlete and an inspiration to
female athletes everywhere. Each year, the Babe Zaharias
Female Athlete of the Year Award is bestowed on an athlete in
recognition of “her zest for life, for sport, for competition, and
for the pure, glorious joy of simply being the best.”
20 Terrific Mini
-Plays That Build
Reading Skill
s
35
WRITING
PROMPT
Babe Zaharias
loved sports and
worked all her life
to achieve her
dream of being an
athlete. Write about
something that you
care deeply about.
DISCUSSION
QUESTION
Years ago, it wasn’t
considered proper
for girls to compete
in sports. How have
attitudes about
women in sports
changed since then?
Women compete in
professional
leagues, but male
athletes are paid
much more. How
do you feel about
that?
The Women of the Hall
http://www
.greatwomen.org/zhrias.htm
Read a short bio of Zaharias (with pictures).
40
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
What’s So Great
About the 50 States?
A Rhyming Play
by Sheila Sweeny
and Jane Manners
Characters
The 50 States
41
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
50 States . . . . . . The fifty states are great, we say!
We’ll tell you about the U.S.A.
Alabama . . . . . . . Alabama is a southern state, ha ven’t you heard?
The little yellowhammer is our state bird.
Alaska . . . . . . . . Alaska’s the most northern state, a cold and sno wy
place.
We’re home to the Iditarod, a f amous dogsled race.
Arizona . . . . . . . In the Arizona desert, coyotes come out at night.
Our spectacular Grand Canyon is an awe-inspiring
sight.
Arkansas . . . . . . In Arkansas’s Ozark Mountains you may hear an
echo ring.
And in the national park you can f ind a real hot
spring.
California . . . . . . California has mountains and beaches by the sea.
We have the largest population—it’s where people
want to be.
Colorado . . . . . . In the winter Colorado can get a lot of sno w.
The Rocky Mountains are a place where skiers lo ve
to go.
Connecticut . . . . Hartford is Connecticut’s capital city.
Autumn in this state is really v ery pretty.
Delaware . . . . . . Delaware is often called the First State of the Union,
because we were the first to sign the U.S.
Constitution.
Florida . . . . . . . . Florida has the Everglades, where animals love
to roam.
Alligators, manatees, and flamingos call it
home.
Georgia . . . . . . . Farmers in Georgia grow peanuts, peppers, and
peaches.
Along the Atlantic Coast, you’ll find some nice
beaches.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Hawaii . . . . . . . . Hawaii is a string of islands out in the P acific
Ocean,
where vacationers line the beaches wearing lots
of suntan lotion.
Idaho . . . . . . . . . Idaho is known for potatoes, but it’s the Gem of the
Mountains too.
We have rivers, forests, canyons, and waterfalls
sparkling blue.
Illinois . . . . . . . . The prairies of Illinois are really v ery pretty.
This state also has Chicago, the country’s thirdlargest city.
Indiana . . . . . . . . Thousands who love fast cars know Indiana is the
place.
Its capital, Indianapolis, is where speedw ay
drivers race.
Iowa . . . . . . . . . Iowa is mostly farms as far as the eye can see.
That is why this state is kno wn for feeding you
and me.
Kansas . . . . . . . . Kansas is right in the middle of our great land.
In this prairie state, sunflowers and wheat stalks
stand.
Kentucky . . . . . . Dusty blue-tinted pastures give Kentucky the
Bluegrass State name.
But beautiful racing horses are this state’s real
claim to fame.
Louisiana . . . . . . Take a tour of Louisiana’s swamps if you have
the means,
or listen to great jazz music in the city of Ne w
Orleans.
Maine . . . . . . . . Maine is the first state to see the light of day ,
with its many lighthouses showing ships the way.
Maryland . . . . . . Maryland is a state on the Chesapeak e Bay.
Come see a Baltimore oriole fly—or the baseball
team play.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Massachusetts . . Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts, at a place named
Plymouth Rock.
Today Boston has a seaport where man y ships can
dock.
Michigan . . . . . . On four of Michigan’s borders you will find a
Great Lake.
Cars and trucks are the biggest product that the
people here make.
Minnesota . . . . . Minnesota is a midwest state where we gro w lots of
wheat.
With our thousands of lakes, there are always fish
to eat.
Mississippi . . . . . Do you know where to find one of the longest
rivers anywhere?
Go to Mississippi, the Mississippi River runs there.
Missouri . . . . . . . In St. Louis, the Gateway Arch stands taller than
the rest.
It shows that Missouri is the gateway to the West.
Montana . . . . . . Silver and gold mines make this state the Treasure
State.
The Great Plains and Rocky Mountains really make
Montana great.
Nebraska . . . . . . Here in Nebraska, herds of beef cattle graze.
And endless rows of corn are grown through long
summer days.
Nevada . . . . . . . In the Silver State, Nevada, water is hard to
come by.
With the least rainfall in the country, Nevada
is very dry.
New Hampshire . . If you’re ever in New Hampshire, it won’t be hard
to find a tree.
The state is covered with forests as far as the eye
can see.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
New Jersey . . . . . New Jersey has miles of beaches by the sea.
It also has a state b ug: the yellow honeybee.
New Mexico . . . . New Mexico has Native American reservations
across the land.
Its state bird is the roadrunner, which zips across
the sand.
New York . . . . . . In New York state, apples grow and waterfalls fall.
And then there’s New York City, the biggest apple
of them all.
North Carolina . . North Carolina was the site of the Wright Brothers’
flight.
This state’s flag is blue, red, and white.
North Dakota . . . There’s a place in North Dak ota called Badlands—
do you know why?
Pioneers found them hard to get by.
Ohio . . . . . . . . . . The White House must think that Ohio’s first-rate.
Seven of our presidents were born in this state.
Oklahoma . . . . . . Dinosaurs once stomped on Oklahoma’s ground.
Now across the prairies, oil wells can be found.
Oregon . . . . . . . . In Oregon’s many forests, the spotted owl flies.
To the west of Oregon, the Pacific Ocean lies.
Pennsylvania . . . Pennsylvania has a history that’s dear.
The Declaration of Independence and Constitution
were written here.
Rhode Island . . . Rhode Island may be tiny—it’s the smallest state,
you know.
But it’s one of the first states that helped this
country grow.
South Carolina . . South Carolina has beaches all along the coast.
But beautiful gardens are what it’s known for most.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
South Dakota . . . In South Dakota you can find elk and deer in man y
places.
And you’ll see Mount Rushmore—a sculpture of
four presidents’ faces.
Tennessee . . . . . Nashville is the capital of the state of Tennessee.
If you like country music, this is the place to be.
Texas . . . . . . . . . Things are big in Texas; even the river is grand.
And in the Lone Star State, cattle roam the land.
Utah . . . . . . . . . Look in Utah’s Goblin Valley, and you’ll see some
strange shapes there.
The water in Great Salt Lake is the saltiest
anywhere.
Vermont . . . . . . . Vermont is a state that gives us a tasty treat.
Maple syrup is made there—isn’t that sweet?
Virginia . . . . . . . We had the first English settlement that the country
ever knew.
Washington and Jefferson came from Virginia too.
Washington . . . . Washington’s leafy forests make this state so green.
Mount Rainier adds a snowy peak to the scene.
West Virginia . . . West Virginia is a small state b ut it has a big role.
It’s the country’s leading producer of a fuel called
soft coal.
Wisconsin . . . . . Dairy farmers in Wisconsin know just what to do.
With two million cows in the state, that’s a lot
of moo!
Wyoming . . . . . . At Wyoming’s Devil’s Tower, lava is piled up high.
And in Yellowstone National Park, you may see a
moose walk by.
50 states . . . . . . Now you know about the states in the U.S.A.
What else can you say about these states today?
The End
46
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
TEACHER’S GUIDE
What’s So
at
About the 50 GSre
tates?
BACKGROUND
ACTIVITY Geography Graph
A Rhyming Pl
ay
by Sheila Sw
een
and Jane Mann y
ers
Characters
Books
The 50 States
Scholastic Profes
sional
The fifty “characters” in this play guarantee that your students
will all have a chance to participate. Assign students one or more
states before you begin reading the play, and explain that the
states are listed alphabetically.
The rhymes in this play are a fun w ay to introduce students
to some of the major features of each of the 50 states. Major
geographical formations, principal products, famous people,
important dates in history, and state birds, flowers, and bugs
are all found in the rhymes.
Use the last rhyming couplet as an in vitation to find out what
your students know about the states. What else can you say
about these states today? Find out if students ha ve visited other
states, or if they have family or friends in other states. What do they
know about these states that’s not mentioned in the rhyming play?
Divide a large piece of posterboard into four horizontal ro ws. At the
beginning of each row, write one of the following: Forests, Deserts,
Mountains, and Beaches.
Give a large self-stick note to each student, and ha ve students write
their names on the note. Then ask students this question: If you could
visit a forest, desert, mountain, or beach on v acation, where would you
go? Invite students to place the note with their name on it in the ro w
next to the place they’d most like to go.
Take a minute to study your f inished graph. Which place is most
popular? Then revisit the play. Have students find at least two states
that they might visit based on their choice.
BOOK LINKS
Celebrate the 50 States!
by Loreen Leedy (Holiday House, 1999)
Wish You Were Here: Emily Emerson’s Guide to the 50 States
by Kathleen Krull (Doubleday & Company, 1997)
20 Terrific Mini
-Plays That Build
Reading Skill
s
41
WRITING
PROMPT
Read the rhyme for
your state. What
other things about
your state do you
think people should
know? See if you
can write a rhyme
about them.
DISCUSSION
QUESTION
Based on the information in the poem,
which of the states
sounds like an interesting place to go?
What state would
you visit if you had
the chance?
INTERNET LINKS
Explore the States
http://www
.americaslibrar
y.gov/cgi-bin/pa
ge.cgi/es
Facts, trivia, and a clickable map from the Library of Congress
Postcards From America 50 State Travel Adventure
http://www
.postcardsfrom.com
Take a trip across the U.S. and learn about the states.
A top-rated geography site.
47
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
by Tracey West
48
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Characters
Vince, an 18-year-old
Maria, Vince’s younger sister
Mom, Vince’s mother
Dad, Vince’s father
Martin Green, a candidate for mayor
Jane Washington, a candidate for mayor
Act 1
Mom . . . . . . . . . Happy Birthday, Vince! I can’t believe my little boy
has turned 18.
Dad . . . . . . . . . . You know what that means, son.
Vince . . . . . . . . . I can stay up past midnight?
Mom . . . . . . . . . What Dad means is now that you’re 18, you can
vote! There’s a big election for mayor coming up
in November.
Vince . . . . . . . . . What’s the big deal about v oting?
Maria
. . . . . . . . Are you kidding? You’re lucky. You get to help
decide who runs the town. I won’t be able to do
that for years.
Vince
. . . . . . . . I don’t care much about what goes on in this to wn.
Maria
. . . . . . . . That’s not true. Just the other day you said you
wished the skateboard park could be open for
longer hours.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Vince
. . . . . . . . You’re right about that. But what can my v ote do
to change that?
Mom . . . . . . . . . Well, you can find out how the candidates for
mayor feel about the skateboard park.
Vince
Dad
. . . . . . . . Okay, you’ve all convinced me. Where do I start?
. . . . . . . . . First, you need to register to vote. Let’s go down
to the county clerk’s office.
Act 2
A few weeks later
Maria
. . . . . . . . Your voter registration card looks pretty cool,
Vince. Now you can vote for mayor.
Vince
. . . . . . . . I don’t even know who to vote for.
Maria
. . . . . . . . We learned about the candidates in school. Martin
Green is running against Jane Washington.
Vince
. . . . . . . . That’s nice, but how do I find out how they feel
about the skateboard park?
Maria
. . . . . . . . Maybe we could check the newspaper.
Vince
. . . . . . . . There’s an article here. It says the candidates
are going to debate at the ci vic center tomorrow
afternoon.
Maria
. . . . . . . . Let’s go and see what the y have to say!
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Act 3
The mayoral debate at the civic center
Vince
. . . . . . . . This debate is more interesting than I thought it
would be. But they still haven’t talked about the
skateboard park.
Maria
. . . . . . . . You can ask them yourself. They’re accepting
questions from the audience.
Vince
. . . . . . . . Maybe I will. (He walks up to the microphone.)
I was wondering how you both felt about k eeping
the skateboard park open for longer hours during
the summer.
Martin Green . . . I’m not sure if that’s such a good idea. We’ve been
getting some complaints from the neighbors there
that the skaters are too loud. In my opinion, the
park should be closed down.
Jane Washington
I disagree. I like the skateboard park because it
gives the kids in this town someplace to go and
have fun. In my budget plan, I’ve included funds
to build a noise barrier so skaters can stay longer
without bothering the neighbors.
Vince
. . . . . . . . Thank you both. (He returns to his seat.)
Maria
. . . . . . . . I bet I know who you’re going to vote for.
Vince
. . . . . . . . We’ll see.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Act 4
Scene 1
The morning of election day
Maria
. . . . . . . . Vince, wake up! It’s election day.
Vince
. . . . . . . . All right, all right. What are you so excited about?
Maria
. . . . . . . . Just because I can’t vote doesn’t mean I don’t care
who becomes mayor. I have a voice, too. Yesterday
I helped pass out flyers for Jane Washington.
Vince
. . . . . . . . I don’t even know where to go.
Dad
. . . . . . . . . (enters room) There’s a different polling place for
each neighborhood in town. I’ll take you on my
way to work.
Scene 2
Later that night
Maria
. . . . . . . . The polls are all closed. Do we ha ve a mayor yet?
Mom . . . . . . . . . It may take a few hours before we know. Each
neighborhood has to report the v oting results to a
central location. Sometimes news reporters will
predict a winner before all the v otes are turned in.
But if it’s a close vote, they will wait.
Dad
. . . . . . . . . I’ll tell you what. In honor of Vince’s first election,
I’ll let you both stay up until the results are in.
Maria
. . . . . . . . It looks like you get to stay up past midnight after
all, big brother.
Vince
. . . . . . . . Who cares about that. I can’ t wait to find out who
wins the election!
The End
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
TEACHER’S GUIDE
BACKGROUND
ACTIVITY Class Mayor for a Day
by Tracey We
st
48
Hold a class election to elect a class “Mayor for a Day”:
1. The Nominations: Allow students to nominate classmates to run for
mayor. Set an election day approximately one week from this date.
2. The Campaign: Encourage other students to rally behind a candidate
they believe in. Give each group classroom time to plan their
campaign strategy. Will they make posters? hand out flyers?
3. The Debate: The day before the elections, require candidates to
give a one-minute speech stating what the y plan to do as class
mayor. Then give students time to question the candidates.
4. The Election: On election day, have students vote using a secret
ballot. (If you start out with four or f ive candidates and end up in a
tie between two, have a run-off election to end up with one winner .)
Then choose a day for the winner to serv e as “mayor” for the class.
BOOK LINKS
Pee Wee Scouts #39: Molly for Mayor
by Judy Delton (Bantam Books, 1991)
The Vote: Making Your Voice Heard
by Linda Scher (Raintree-Steck-Vaughn, 1996)
INTERNET LINKS
Brain Pop Presents: U.S. Presidential Elections
www.brainpop.com/specials/election
See a fun short film that explains how a president is elected,
including the electoral college.
20 Terrific Mini
-Plays That Build
Reading Skill
s
Scholastic Profes
sional Books
There are three requirements for voting in the United States:
you must be 18 years of age, you must be a U.S. citizen, and
you must be a resident of the city or to wn in which you apply
to register to vote.
It wasn’t always this way. African-Americans and women
had to fight for their right to vote for many years. Today, it is
sometimes easy to forget how precious our voting rights are.
In the play, Vince’s younger sister Maria is excited about her
participation in democracy. Even though she is not old enough
to vote, she gets involved in the election process. This character
was created to show your students that their voices count too.
WRITING
PROMPT
Imagine that you
are running for
mayor of your town
or city. What would
you do to make
your town a better
place? Write a short
campaign speech
outlining what you
would do if you
were elected mayor.
DISCUSSION
QUESTION
What is the last
election that you
remember? Did you
watch to see what
happened on television? Did you have
an opinion about
the candidates?
Copernicus Election: Watch How and Why People Vote
www.edgate.com/elections/inactiv
e/histor
y-of-the-v
ote
Clear explanations and definitions for your students, and
lesson plans for you.
53
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
The Pilgrims’
First Year
by Tracey West
54
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Characters
Narrator
Francis, a Pilgrim boy
Elizabeth, a Pilgrim girl
Mother
John Carver, a leader in the colony
Samoset, a Wampanoag Indian
Squanto, a member of the Pautuxet tribe
Act 1
Narrator . . . . . . . After a long, hard winter, the Pilgrims continue to
build their new colony in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Francis . . . . . . . . It feels so good to be on land again. I don’ t think I
could stand another day on the Mayflower.
Elizabeth . . . . . . It’s true, brother. The Mayflower was cramped and
filthy. But I am still v ery cold and very hungry. I
hope father finishes our house soon. I miss our old
home in England.
Francis . . . . . . . . Staying in the Common House with the other
families isn’t so bad. I think it’s fun.
Elizabeth . . . . . . You call it fun, but I call it trouble. You must learn
to behave, brother.
Francis . . . . . . . . I can’t help it. I’m bored. Nothing e xciting happens
around here.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Mother . . . . . . . . I couldn’t help overhearing you, Francis. If it’s
excitement you’re looking for, then you can go help
your father with our house.
Francis . . . . . . . . Yes, Mother.
John Carver . . . . (shouts) Men, come quickly! An Indian approaches
our village.
Mother . . . . . . . . Francis, Elizabeth, you stay with me.
Francis . . . . . . . . I can see him, Mother! He’s carrying a bow and
arrows.
Narrator . . . . . . . The Pilgrims gather together as Samoset w alks into
their settlement.
Samoset . . . . . . Welcome, Englishmen!
Mother . . . . . . . . My goodness. He can speak English!
Act 2
Francis . . . . . . . . What is he saying?
Narrator . . . . . . . Francis sneaks closer to Samoset.
Samoset . . . . . . I learned English from the men who came to f ish in
these waters.
John Carver . . . . Are we trespassing on your land?
Samoset . . . . . . The Pautuxet people used to live here. The English
men brought a sickness. They all died. This land
belongs to no one.
John Carver . . . . Then we will stay. We will plant crops in the spring.
Samoset . . . . . . My friend Squanto can help you.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Act 3
Narrator . . . . . . . A few days later, Samoset brought Squanto, the last
living member of the Pautuxet tribe. Squanto had
spent time on an English ship, and then li ved for
years in England as a sla ve. Now he was free. He
offered to help the Pilgrims.
Squanto . . . . . . . I can show you how to build temporary houses.
They will keep you safe from snow and rain until
you can build strong homes.
John Carver . . . . We will accept your help. Man y of our company
died over the winter. We are sick and hungry.
Squanto . . . . . . . I can teach you how to plant crops for a good
harvest. I can show you how to find food in the
waters and the forest.
Narrator . . . . . . . Squanto stayed on at Plymouth colon y. He
impressed the Pilgrims right away by catching
several fat, sweet eels with his bare hands.
Francis . . . . . . . . Something exciting is finally happening around
here!
Elizabeth . . . . . . With Squanto’s help, we may be able to turn this
place into a home.
Act 4
Narrator . . . . . . . Over the next few months, Squanto showed the
Pilgrims how to plant corn. He took the men
into the forest and showed them
how to hunt wild turkeys and
deer. Even the children
learned from Squanto.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Squanto . . . . . . . The crops in the fields are still growing, but we can
find good food in the meadows.
Elizabeth . . . . . . Strawberries are delicious. Will we really find fruit?
Squanto . . . . . . . The last time we checked the plants, they bore
white flowers. By now the plants should have fruit.
Francis . . . . . . . . I found some!
Squanto . . . . . . . Pick the fruit
carefully.
Francis . . . . . . . . Mmm, they’re
good.
Elizabeth . . . . . . Francis! Those
are for our
families.
Francis . . . . . . . . Sorry, Elizabeth.
I couldn’t help it.
This is much
more fun than
anything we’ve
done so far.
Elizabeth . . . . . . I know what you mean. I don’ t miss our home so
much anymore.
Squanto . . . . . . . This is your home now. You must always remember
to take good care of it.
Francis
and Elizabeth . . . We will!
The End
58
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
TEACHER’S GUIDE
The Pilgrims’
First Year
BACKGROUND
54
Books
by Tracey We
st
20 Terrific Mini
-Plays That Build
Reading Skill
s
ACTIVITY Living With the Land
Squanto showed the Pilgrims how to find food in the land and w ater
around them. Ask students to think about the community that you li ve
in, and what food and resources the Pilgrims might ha ve found if they
had settled there. Is there a source for freshw ater? materials to build
homes? a place to shelter from harsh weather? animals or f ish to be
caught for food? edible wild plants?
If possible, take a nature walk with students somewhere in your
community. A volunteer from your parks commission or local
Audubon Society may be willing to guide you. As a class, make a
list of all the natural resources your community has to of fer. You may
be surprised with the results!
BOOK LINKS
The First Thanksgiving
by Jean Craighead George (Philomel Books, 1993)
Pilgrim Voices: Our First Year in the New World
by Connie and Peter Roop (Walker and Company, 1995)
INTERNET LINKS
The First Thanksgiving
http://teacher
.scholastic.com/thanksgiving/inde
x.htm
Features a picture time line, trivia challenge, and teaching guide.
Scholastic Profes
sional
In 1621, the Pilgrims and their Nati ve American neighbors
celebrated the first harvest in the colony with a great feast.
Together we celebrate this event as Thanksgiving. But the year
leading up to this celebration w as a long and difficult one. If not
for the help of Squanto and the Wampanoag Indians, it is doubtful
that the Pilgrim colony would have survived.
It was December 1620, and already very cold, when the
Pilgrims decided to anchor in Plymouth Harbor. The men began
building the colony right away, but it was a slow process. Many
of the Pilgrims stayed aboard the cramped, unheated Mayflower
that winter, which at least provided some shelter from the elements. More than half of the ship’s crew and passengers died
during that period. On March 22, 1621, Squanto entered the pilgrims’
lives, and with his help, they learned how to survive—and eventually
thrive—in their new home.
WRITING
PROMPT
Imagine that you
are Francis or
Elizabeth. Write a
diary entry about
your first spring in
the new colony.
What do you miss
about your home?
What do you like
about your new
home?
DISCUSSION
QUESTION
What do you think
would have happened if Samoset,
Squanto, and the
other Wampanoag
had not helped the
Pilgrims? Would
they have died,
returned to England,
or figured out how
to survive on their
own?
Thanksgiving on the Net
http://www
.holidays.net/thanksgiving
A fun Web site with history, music, movies, e-greeting cards, and more.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Christopher’s
Dream
by Tracey West
60
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Characters
Narrator
Sailor 1
Christopher Columbus
Sailor 2
Bartholomew Columbus (brother)
Lookout
Domenico Columbus (father)
Queen Isabella
Susanna Columbus (mother)
Messenger
Act 1
Scene 1
Setting: 1463. The boyhood home of 12-year-old
Christopher Columbus in Genoa, Italy
Narrator . . . . . . . Christopher Columbus grew up in Genoa, Italy. Genoa
was a port city. Many ships passed through the port on
their way to far-off lands.
Susanna . . . . . . . Christopher, are you reading that book again?
Christopher . . . . Yes, Mother. It’s a wonderful book. It’s about the
adventures of Marco Polo. He tra veled to the Indies.
He saw diamonds there and fields of spices . . .
Bartholomew . . . We know, Christopher. You’ve told us again and again.
Domenico . . . . . . Well, there will be no time for reading tomorro w.
Christopher . . . . (sadly) Yes, Father.
Domenico . . . . . . (smiling) There will be no time for reading, because
I need you to bring our cloth to Naples to sell.
Christopher . . . . Oh, Father, thank you! I get to sail on a ship
tomorrow. Hurrah!
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Scene 2
Setting: The next day. A small ship sailing across the Ligurian Sea
Sailor 1 . . . . . . . You seem at home on a ship, bo y.
Christopher . . . . I love the sea. One day I hope to sail on the great
Western Ocean.
Sailor 1 . . . . . . . (shudders) They call it the Sea of Darkness. I’ ve
heard tales of terrible monsters in those w aters.
They say the waters there bubble and boil. I’d rather
stay here, where the sea is calm and blue.
Christopher . . . . (to himself) I don’t believe those stories. I will sail
the Western Ocean one day. I will become a great
explorer like Marco Polo.
Act 2
Setting: 1476. On board the Bechalla, a trading ship
Narrator . . . . . . . When Christopher was 25 years old, he f inally got
a chance to see the Western Ocean. He signed on
board a fleet of trade ships bound for England and
Portugal.
Christopher . . . . I can’t believe this is the Western Ocean. It looks
green and beautiful, not scary at all.
Sailor 2 . . . . . . . Have you been listening to the tales of the old
timers, then? There are no monsters in these w aters.
The only thing to be afraid of out here is pirates.
Christopher . . . . Pirates?
Sailor 2 . . . . . . . They’re heartless, they are. They’ll kill everyone
on board a trade ship just to steal the goods it is
carrying.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Lookout . . . . . . . Pirates ahead! They have a fleet of seven ships.
Christopher . . . . What do we do now?
Sailor 2 . . . . . . . We fight! Let’s man the cannons.
Narrator . . . . . . . Many of Christopher’s shipmates were killed in the
battle. The Bechalla sank. Christopher was injured,
but he escaped by hanging on to an oar . He landed
in Portugal and decided to stay there. His brother
Bartholomew later joined him.
Act 3
Scene 1
Setting: 1484. Christopher and Bartholomew’s map shop in Lisbon, Portugal
Bartholomew . . . Are you still reading that Marco Polo book?
Christopher . . . . I can’t help it. Marco Polo had such e xciting
adventures in the Indies.
Bartholomew . . . But you’ve traveled, too. You’ve been north to Iceland,
and south to the shores of Africa.
Christopher . . . . I want to go to the Indies, too. If I could f ind a
route by ship to the Indies, then we could b uy spices
directly. It would be much cheaper than b uying them
from the Arabs who sell them to us.
Bartholomew . . . How will you do that? The Arabs will not let you
cross their territory. The only other route is co vered
by mountains and deserts.
Christopher . . . . I think there is another way. I could cross the Western
Ocean on a ship.
Bartholomew . . . You’ll need a lot of men and mone y to do that.
Christopher . . . . I know. But I’ll find a way.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Scene 2
Setting: 1492. Outside the royal court of Spain
Narrator . . . . . . . Christopher spent the next eight years asking kings
and queens of different countries to sponsor his trip.
Queen Isabella of Spain seemed interested, b ut she
would never give him an answer.
Christopher . . . . Thank you for considering my plan. If I can f ind
this ocean route to the Indies, I could bring back
many riches for Spain.
Queen Isabella . . King Ferdinand and I have given it much thought.
Your plan seems too risky, Christopher. I’m sorry.
Christopher . . . . I understand, your majesty.
Narrator . . . . . . . But Christopher did not really understand the
decision. He felt confident that he would find a
world of riches across the ocean.
Christopher . . . . I will not give up on my dream. I will f ind someone
else to sponsor my journey.
Messenger . . . . . Christopher Columbus! Halt in the name of Queen
Isabella.
Christopher . . . . What is it?
Messenger . . . . . The Queen has changed her mind. She will gi ve you
ships and men for your journe y. You must return to
the court right away.
Christopher . . . . Thank you! (to himself) Soon the world will see. I
will become as famous as Marco Polo!
The End
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
TEACHER’S GUIDE
Christopher’s
Dream
BACKGROUND
Books
by Tracey We
st
60
20 Terrific Mini
-Plays That Build
Reading Skill
s
ACTIVITY Rules for Explorers
While we might admire Columbus for his dedication to his dream, this
play only tells part of the story. Discuss with students what happened
after Columbus reached the Americas. He claimed the lands he found
in the name of Spain. He pa ved the way for other Europeans, who
brought diseases that were deadly to nati ve people. They captured
many native people and kept them as slaves. They took away their land
and their rights.
Ask: How do you feel about what the e xplorers did? How might
Columbus have explored the Americas without harming the people he
met there? Divide the class into groups. Ask them to imagine that they
work for Queen Isabella’s court. Challenge each group to come up
with a list of rules that Columb us and other explorers must follow
when finding new lands and new people. Have each group read its list
aloud and explain its choices.
BOOK LINKS
Christopher Columbus: Great Explorer
by David A. Adler (Holiday House, 1991)
Follow the Dream
by Peter Sis (Random House, 1996)
INTERNET LINK
Columbus Day
http://www
.geocities.com/Athens/Acr
opolis/1465/columbus.html
This site, from “There’s No Page Like Home for the Holidays,” is very
kid-friendly, with a biography, time line, pictures, maps, and more.
Scholastic Profes
sional
Many people are familiar with the story of Christopher Columb us
and his three ships, the Nin~a, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.
This play describes the factors that motivated Columbus to make
his historic journey.
Columbus was born into a family of weavers in Genoa, Italy,
but the ships in the port city—as well as the story of Marco
Polo—captured his imagination and his heart. His lo ve of the
sea and desire to reach the Indies led him to de velop a plan to
sail west across the Atlantic Ocean (the Western Ocean). He
was not the first to come up with this plan, b ut he was the first
to petition the King of Portugal to sponsor the journe y. When
King John II refused, Columbus tried Queen Isabella, and his brother
Bartholomew petitioned the rulers of England and France. It w as
Queen Isabella who finally agreed, making their journey possible.
WRITING
PROMPT
Christopher
Columbus was
inspired by Marco
Polo. Have you ever
been inspired by
another person?
Write a paragraph
describing a person
who inspires you.
DISCUSSION
QUESTION
Columbus grew up
in Genoa, Italy.
Ask students:
What ocean do you
think he was talking
about when he
referred to the
“Western Ocean”?
Explain that he was
trying to get to the
Indies, islands near
the country of India.
Look at a map or
globe. Could he
have reached the
Indies by sailing
west? What did he
bump into instead?
65
20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
by Katherine Noll
Characters
Narrator 1
Narrator 2
Teacher
Horemheb
Fisherman
Farmer
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Act 1
Narrator 1 . . . . . Let’s take a trip back in time, about 3,000 years
ago, to ancient Egypt.
Narrator 2 . . . . . You may know about the ancient Egyptians from
the famous pyramids that are still standing in Egypt
today.
Narrator 1 . . . . . Or you may have heard about King Tut, a famous
pharaoh, or king, whose tomb w as found to contain
amazing treasures.
Narrator 2 . . . . . But what was it like to live in ancient Egypt? Did
children go to school? What kind of jobs did people
have back then?
Narrator 1 . . . . . Today we are going to learn about Horemheb, a
young boy who goes to scribe school.
Narrator 2 . . . . . Scribe school was a school that taught the reading
and writing of hieroglyphs, the picture-writing
alphabet the ancient Egyptians used. We have 26
letters in our alphabet, but the Egyptians had more
than 700 different signs that stood for w ords. The
scribe had to learn all these, and he had to learn
how to draw them all too.
Narrator 1 . . . . . It was very difficult to learn how to become a
scribe. Only boys could go to scribe school, and
not all boys could go.
Narrator 2 . . . . . Let’s listen to what happens as Horemheb starts
another day of scribe school. Uh-oh, it looks lik e
he’s late today. The teacher won’t be too happy
about that.
Teacher . . . . . . . Horemheb, why aren’t you on time?
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Horemheb . . . . . . Teacher, it’s such a nice day out. Some of my
friends from the village were playing in the f ields,
and I stopped for a quick game of ball.
Teacher . . . . . . . Idle boy! You will never learn anything playing in
the fields. You are very lucky to be here at scribe
school. If you do well at school, you can be a doctor
or a priest. If you try your best, you can become a
state official and work for the pharaoh himself.
Horemheb . . . . . . Sometimes I don’t know if I want to be a scribe.
Teacher . . . . . . . Don’t want to be a scribe! What would you want
to do then? Your friends playing in the f ields will
probably grow up to be workmen, doing hard labor
in the hot sun as the y build tombs and temples for
the pharaoh. You can live a life of ease, designing
those temples, or collecting taxes, or even becoming
a teacher. Now get your writing equipment and sit
on the floor with the other bo ys.
Horemheb . . . . . . Yes, teacher.
Teacher . . . . . . . Take your potsherd and begin. You are not ready to
have a wooden writing board yet. You still make too
many mistakes.
Horemheb . . . . . . Yes, teacher.
Narrator 1 . . . . . Horemheb picks up his reed brush and dips it into
his ink. He then begins to try and write what the
teacher is dictating to the class.
Narrator 2 . . . . . Horemheb is making a lot of mistak es. He starts
to get discouraged, and he k eeps looking out the
window at the children playing in the f ields.
Teacher . . . . . . . Class is over. Please hand me your potsherds and
boards so I can correct them. Horemheb, you must
stay after school today.
Horemheb . . . . . . Yes, teacher.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Teacher . . . . . . . I can tell you are a smart bo y who should be doing
very well at school. But you are al ways daydreaming.
Tomorrow I want you to stay home from school.
Horemheb . . . . . . Thanks!
Teacher . . . . . . . Don’t thank me yet. I want you to visit the people who
work hard every day, and then I want you to write all
about it. Here is a papyrus scroll for you to use.
Horemheb . . . . . . A papyrus scroll? I don’t think I’m ready for it.
Teacher . . . . . . . I think you might be, Horemheb. Now I’ll see you
the day after tomorrow. Good-bye.
Act 2
Narrator 1 . . . . . The next morning Horemheb was so excited when
he woke up. He wasn’t sure where he wanted to
go first.
Narrator 2 . . . . . He decided to leave his village and walk to the Nile
River, where all the fishing boats came and went.
Horemheb . . . . . . Hey, fishermen! Can I come aboard?
Fisherman . . . . . Sure, kid. We could always use an extra pair of
hands.
Horemheb . . . . . . These two boats are tied together!
Fisherman . . . . . What’s holding the boats together is our f ishing
net. As we row down the Nile, the fish get caught
in our net.
Narrator 1 . . . . . Horemheb loved being on the fishing boat. It was a
beautiful day, and the fishermen told lots of jokes.
He even liked rowing the boat with the lar ge oars.
When all of a sudden . . .
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Horemheb . . . . . . Hey! What was that? Something knocked into
our fishing boat.
Fisherman . . . . . Better hold on, kid. That was a hippo!
Narrator 2 . . . . . The boat was tossed around as the angry
hippopotamus slammed into it. The hippo
thrashed angrily as the fishermen tried to row
the boat away as fast as they could.
Horemheb . . . . . . We did it! We got away.
Fisherman . . . . . Yes, that was close. But look at our f ishing net.
Horemheb . . . . . . Oh, no! It’s torn and all the f ish are gone.
Fisherman . . . . . Yes, we are going to ha ve to repair that net. We had
better hurry, because if we don’t catch more fish
today, our families will have nothing to eat tonight.
We’ll let you off here, kid.
Horemheb . . . . . . Thank you and good luck!
Narrator 1 . . . . . Horemheb began walking back toward his village.
He passed a large farm with a farmer working in
the field.
Horemheb . . . . . . Hello, farmer! Need some help?
Farmer . . . . . . . . Sure, boy. I can always use help.
Narrator 2 . . . . . The farmer had two large oxen that were pulling a
large wooden plow. The plow was making the dirt
ready for the seeds.
Farmer . . . . . . . . Here, boy, walk behind me with these wheat seeds.
I need to get this entire f ield planted by tomorrow.
Horemheb . . . . . . The entire field? Why, that’s twice as big as our
village!
Farmer . . . . . . . . It is, but luckily I have most of it done.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Narrator 1 . . . . . Horemheb helped the farmer for many hours. His
feet hurt and he was very dirty and tired.
Farmer . . . . . . . . Okay, we can take a break now.
Horemheb . . . . . . I’m so tired. It must be hard to do this e very day.
But look how big this field is! You must be rich!
Farmer . . . . . . . . Not really. This field belongs to the pharaoh.
Everything I grow here belongs to him.
Horemheb . . . . . . That’s not fair! You do all the work.
Farmer . . . . . . . . It’s fair enough. I get to k eep some of it for myself
and my family.
Horemheb . . . . . I have to go now! I almost forgot I have homework
to do.
Farmer . . . . . . . . Thanks for your help.
Narrator 2 . . . . . As Horemheb hurried home, he thought about his
busy day. He was tired, and he smelled lik e fish!
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Act 3
Narrator 1 . . . . . When Horemheb got home, he w orked on his
papyrus scroll for a long time, trying not to mak e
any mistakes.
Narrator 2 . . . . . The next day, Horemheb made sure he w as early for
school.
Teacher . . . . . . . So, Horemheb, how was your day off from school?
Horemheb . . . . . . I learned a lot, teacher. I’ve thought about it, and I
want to be the best student at scribe school.
Teacher . . . . . . . What made you change your mind?
Horemheb . . . . . . Although I like to be outside and play, I found out
yesterday that the people who w ork outside do
everything but play. They work very hard, and they
don’t get a lot in return.
Teacher . . . . . . . Let me see your papyrus scroll. Hmmm, very good
work, Horemheb. I think you’ll make a good scribe yet.
Horemheb . . . . . . Thank you, teacher.
Narrator 1 . . . . . Horemheb learned a lot from his day of f from school.
He kept his promise to his teacher and became the
best pupil at scribe school.
Narrator 2 . . . . . Horemheb eventually worked as a scribe in the
pharaoh’s royal palace.
Narrator 1 . . . . . He married the pharaoh’s daughter, and he became
pharaoh himself.
Narrator 2 . . . . . His teacher must have been very proud of him!
The End
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TEACHER’S GUIDE
BACKGROUND
ACTIVITY The Egyptian Alphabet
Characters
Narrator 1
Narrator 2
Teacher
Books
Horemheb
Fisherman
Farmer
66
While hieroglyphic symbols were used to represent whole w ords, they
were also used to represent alphabet letters. Enlar ge this hieroglyphic
chart on a photocopier to mak e a poster or handout. Have students
write out their first and last names using hieroglyphs. You may also
challenge students to find examples of ancient Egyptian costumes and
draw a picture of themselves in this garb. Then they can write their
hieroglyphic name underneath.
a b c d e f g h i j k l m
a b c d e f g h i j k l m
n o p q r s t u v w x y z
n o p q r s t u v w x y z
BOOK LINK
Growing up in Ancient Egypt
by Rosalie David (Troll Communications, 1993)
INTERNET LINK
20 Terrific Mini
-Plays That Build
Reading Skill
s
Scholastic Profes
sional
Ancient Egypt was the birthplace of one of the w orld’s first and
longest-lasting civilizations. In addition to the p yramids, another
major achievement of the Egyptians was a form of picture
writing called hieroglyphics. Hieroglyphics were usually taught
only to upper-class boys at schools for scribes.
Scribe school was essential to any child who wanted to learn
a profession. Before a boy could study for the priesthood or
medicine, he needed to learn how to read and write. The work
was very hard and the teachers were strict, often beating
children who misbehaved. Many boys, like Horemheb, found it
difficult to concentrate. But a scribe did enjo y privileges that a
fisherman and farmer did not.
As mentioned in the play, the character Horemheb was based on
a real pharaoh.
Note: Before reading the play, you may want to review the words
potsherd and papyrus with students. A potsherd is a fragment of
pottery; papyrus is a tall plant that gro ws in the Nile valley which
was cut and pressed to mak e a writing material.
by Katherin
eN
oll
WRITING
PROMPT
Have you ever tried
to learn something
that was very difficult? Did you ever
feel like giving up?
If so, what made
you keep going?
Write about it.
DISCUSSION
QUESTION
Do you think the
ancient Egyptian
society was fair to
all of the people?
Why weren’t girls
allowed in scribe
school? Why did
the pharaoh take
most of the farmer’s
crop? If you
became pharaoh,
like Horemheb, how
would you change
things?
Tour Egypt
http://tour
egypt.net
This site is packed with information about Egypt, past and present.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
by Nicole Dyer
Characters
Host Bob Body
Herman Heart
Lester Liver
Stacy Stomach
Skippy Skin
Kidney Twins (2)
Buster Brain
Judges (the class)
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Act 1
Host Bob Body
. . . . Welcome to the annual Healthy Human Helper
Contest! I’m your host, Bob Body. Joining us
today are six very talented parts of the human
body. They’re competing to see which one does
the best job of helping to k eep the human body
healthy. Which one will it be? Let’s find out!
Okay, let’s start with Herman Heart. Herman,
tell us about yourself.
Herman Heart
. . . . Hi, Bob! I’m the hardest-working muscle in the
body! I never rest, not even for one second. It’s
work, work, work. Did you know that in a lifetime, I beat more than tw o billion times?
Bob Body . . . . . . . . I didn’t know that, Herman! Thank you. Now
let’s hear from Lester Liver.
Lester Liver . . . . . . Well, Bob, I’m the largest gland in the body.
What’s so special about that? As a gland, one of
my jobs is to make chemicals that the body
needs to survive. I also help clean poisons from
the blood. In total, I hold do wn more than 500
different jobs!
Bob Body . . . . . . . . That certainly sounds important! Okay, let’s talk
to Stacy Stomach.
Stacy Stomach . . . . For starters, I’m a very stretchy organ. I’m made
of three layers of strong muscles that stretch
when I get full. I also mak e a powerful acid that
helps break down food. Without it, food would
never get digested! It w ould just sit there and
rot. Gross!
Bob Body . . . . . . . . Hmm. After that description, I think we need to
take a break. We’ll be right back!
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Act 2
Bob Body . . . . . . . . Welcome back to the Healthy Human Helper
Contest! Are you ready to hear from our ne xt
three contestants?
Judges . . . . . . . . . . (applause and cheers)
Bob Body . . . . . . . . Tell us why you think you’re the best body part,
Skippy Skin.
Skippy Skin . . . . . . I’m the largest and heaviest organ in the body.
When I’m covering the average adult, I weigh
almost six pounds! I also shield the body from
gross invaders that cause infections.
Bob Body . . . . . . . . Six pounds!? That’s heavier than most book
bags! Okay, up next are the Kidney Twins.
Kidney Twins
. . . . . (together) Hi, Bob. There are two of us, so
already we’re better than the other body parts.
Our job is to get rid of w aste in the blood. We
flush out the bad stuff and send the good stuff
back to the blood. In just one hour , we can
remove up to 1.5 gallons of liquid from the
blood.
Bob Body . . . . . . . . Thank you.
Kidney Twins
. . . . . Oh, and we’re also shaped like kidney beans.
Bob Body . . . . . . . . And for our last competitor we ha ve
Buster Brain.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Buster Brain
. . . . . Clearly, I’m the best because I’m the control
center of the body! I tell e veryone what to do!
And I have billions of cells to help me. My job
is so hard I have to use about twenty percent of
the body’s oxygen to get it done. I’m also one of
the largest organs in the body. I weigh in at a f it
and trim three pounds.
Bob Body . . . . . . . . How about that! What a talented bunch we have
here today! Now it’s time to let our judges
choose a winner! So judges, which body part is
the best?
(Acting as judges, the class discusses the strengths of eac h body part.
Then they vote on whom they think should be v oted Best Body Part.)
The End
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
TEACHER’S GUIDE
74
Assign each student a different body part to research. Have each student
write a paragraph summarizing that body part’s function. Students can
also draw or paste a picture of the body part onto a piece of paper or
card stock, punch two holes in the top, and attach a long piece of yarn
to the picture so it can be w orn around the neck. Then hold a contest in
class. Introduce students one at a time and ha ve them come to the front
of the room and read their paragraphs aloud. You may want to create an
award for each student, such as “Best P art for Seeing Things” (eyes).
BOOK LINK
Eyewitness Explorers: Human Body
by Steve Parker and Deni Brown (Dorling Kindersley, 1998)
INTERNET LINK
Your Gross and Cool Body
http://www
.yucky.com/body/
A great way to lure reluctant learners to the subject. This
award-winning site includes a teacher center.
Characters
Host Bob Body
Herman Hear
t
Lester Liver
Stacy Stomach
Skippy Skin
Kidney Twins
(2)
Buster Brain
Judges (the clas
s)
20 Terrific Mini
-Plays That Build
Reading Skill
s
ACTIVITY
Hold Your Own “Healthy Human Helper Contest”
by Nicole Dy
er
Books
This play is a fun w ay for students to learn about dif ferent parts
of the human body. Here are some more f acts:
brain:
The brain is made up of se veral parts that control
different activities, such as thinking (cerebrum),
memory (hippocampus), and controlling muscles
(cerebellum, brain stem).
heart:
The heart is like a pump. The left side of the heart
sends fresh blood to your body. The right side
takes stale blood and sends it to the lungs for a
good cleaning. Then it’s back to the left side for
redistribution!
liver:
Nutrients we eat are taken in first by the liver, which
cleans them and then decides how many nutrients to send
out and how many to store for future use.
stomach: The stomach’s strong muscles mash up the food we send
down; gastric juices help to break down the food.
skin:
Skin is made up of layers, including epidermis, the top
protective layer, and the dermis, which contains nerve
endings, blood vessels, oil glands, and sweat glands.
kidneys: The kidneys are part of the urinary system. They work
together with the bladder and tubes called the ureters and
urethra to clean waste from the blood and expel it in urine.
Scholastic Profes
sional
BACKGROUND
WRITING
PROMPT
What are some
ways you know to
keep all of your
body parts healthy?
Make a list.
DISCUSSION
QUESTION
Which of the body
parts should win the
contest? Explore the
question posed to
the “judges” at the
end of the play.
Review the different
body parts in the
play and ask students to describe
what their function
is. Then point out
that the different
body parts need to
work together to
keep the human
body running. What
might happen to the
rest of the parts if
one part isn’t working properly?
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
by Tracey West
Characters
Narrator
Lindsay
Pete
Dot, a water droplet
Tod, another water droplet
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Act 1
Scene 1:
Evaporation
Narrator
. . . . . . After a night of rain, Lindsay and Pete went out
to play.
Lindsay . . . . . . . Look, Pete! It’s a rain puddle. Are you thinking
what I’m thinking?
Pete . . . . . . . . . You bet. Let’s splash!
Dot . . . . . . . . . . Hey, be careful up there!
Tod . . . . . . . . . . Yeah, quit it!
Lindsay . . . . . . . Who said that?
Pete . . . . . . . . . I don’t know. It sounds like it’s coming from the
puddle.
Dot . . . . . . . . . . I think you kids need to learn a lesson about w ater.
Narrator
. . . . . . Suddenly, Lindsay and Pete felt strange. Their
bodies began to change. Somehow, they had
become very, very small. Lindsay and Pete look ed
at each other. They had turned into drops of w ater!
Dot . . . . . . . . . . That’s more like it.
Tod . . . . . . . . . . Maybe now you’ll have some respect for water.
Lindsay . . . . . . . What did you water drops do to us?
Pete . . . . . . . . . All we did was splash around in a puddle.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Dot . . . . . . . . . . That’s our puddle, kid. Tod and I are waiting for
the next phase of the water cycle. We don’t want
anyone to interrupt us.
Pete . . . . . . . . . Can you change us back now? I’m starting to feel
warm.
Tod . . . . . . . . . . That’s because we’re about to enter the ne xt phase
of the water cycle—evaporation. As the sun warms
us up, we’ll turn from droplets of w ater into a gas
called water vapor.
Lindsay . . . . . . . A gas? I thought water was always wet.
Dot . . . . . . . . . . The water that you drink is in liquid form, b ut when
water is heated, it becomes w ater vapor.
Tod . . . . . . . . . . Did you ever see water boil in a teakettle? That
steam that comes out of the spout is w ater vapor.
Pete . . . . . . . . . Hey, guys, I feel light. I’m rising into the air!
Tod . . . . . . . . . . Looks like it’s time to evaporate.
Scene 2:
Condensation
Narrator
. . . . . . Lindsay and Pete became water vapor along with
the other water drops. They rose up into the sk y.
Lindsay . . . . . . . This is fun!
Pete
. . . . . . . . I don’t know, Lindsay. I feel a little light-headed,
and it’s making me woozy.
Dot . . . . . . . . . . Don’t worry, kid. We’ll be back to our liquid form
soon. We’re about to enter the ne xt phase of the
process—condensation.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Tod . . . . . . . . . . That’s right. Now that we’re in Earth’s atmosphere,
we’ll start to cool down again. When water vapor
cools, it turns back into liquid.
Pete . . . . . . . . . Hey, you’re right. I’m a water droplet again!
Dot . . . . . . . . . . Now that we’re back in our liquid form, we’ ll group
together with other water droplets around super tiny
particles of dust or smoke.
Lindsay . . . . . . . Hey, quit shoving. There sure are a lot of w ater
droplets up here.
Tod . . . . . . . . . . It takes millions of water droplets in a cloud to
make one raindrop.
Pete . . . . . . . . . Raindrops? But that means we’re going to . . .
Lindsay . . . . . . . We’re falling!
Act 2
Scene 1:
Precipitation
Pete . . . . . . . . . Why are we falling as rain? Why didn’t we just stay
up in the cloud?
Dot . . . . . . . . . . When we were in the cloud, air currents were
holding us up. But as more and more droplets
grouped together . . .
Lindsay . . . . . . . I think I know. When the droplets grouped together,
we became too heavy for the air currents to hold
up, right? So we fell to the ground as rain.
Tod . . . . . . . . . . That’s right. When water falls from clouds it’s
called precipitation.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Pete . . . . . . . . . Oh, no! We’re going to hit the ground!
Scene 2:
Collection
Pete . . . . . . . . . (dazed) Where are we?
Lindsay . . . . . . . It looks like we’re back where we started—in a
puddle.
Dot . . . . . . . . . . We sure are. But we don’ t always land in puddles.
Sometimes we end up in a lak e or a stream or a
reservoir . . .
Tod . . . . . . . . . . And if it’s really cold, we can f all as snow, sleet,
or hail.
Lindsay . . . . . . . It sounds like being a water droplet is always
interesting, but do you think you could change us
back now?
Pete . . . . . . . . . I don’t think I could evaporate again.
Dot . . . . . . . . . . Sure thing, kid. You know, when we first met you,
we thought you were a couple of drips. But you’ re
all right.
Tod
. . . . . . . . . Just don’t forget what you learned about w ater
today.
Narrator
. . . . . . So Dot and Tod turned Lindsay and Pete back into
humans.
Pete . . . . . . . . . Don’t worry. I’ll never forget this!
Lindsay . . . . . . . Take care, guys. See you ne xt time there’s
precipitation!
The End
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
TEACHER’S GUIDE
BACKGROUND
ACTIVITY Evaporation Race
by Tracey We
st
Books
Divide the class into four or f ive groups. Give each group a small,
clear cup and an eyedropper. Challenge each group to pick a spot in the
classroom where they think a water drop is most likely to evaporate the
fastest.
When each group has picked a spot, ask them to estimate ho w long
it will take for the drop to evaporate and record their answers. At a
designated time, instruct students to place one drop of w ater in the cup.
Students can time the evaporation process to see which drop v aporizes
first. When the race is over, discuss the location of the winning drop.
What factors may have caused it to evaporate the quickest?
BOOK LINKS
The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks
by Joanna Cole (Scholastic, 1986)
Water Dance
by Thomas Locker (Harcourt Brace, 1997)
INTERNET LINKS
Brain Pop Presents . . . The Water Cycle
www.brainpop.com/science/ecolo
gy/water
cycle
Watch a fun movie about the water cycle and take a pop quiz while
the movie’s loading.
Characters
Narr
Scholastic Profes
sional
This play introduces students to the four stages of the w ater cycle:
1. Evaporation:Water on Earth’s surface is heated and turns into a
gas called water vapor.
2. Condensation:As water rises, it cools, and the w ater molecules form liquid droplets. If it’s cold enough, the gas becomes
solid, and the water turns into ice crystals. Millions of droplets
group together around a nuclei—a small particle of dust,
smoke, or another substance. This creates clouds.
3. Precipitation:The water droplets or ice crystals in clouds are
held up by air currents. When the droplets become too heavy,
they fall to the ground as precipitation rain, sno w, sleet, or hail.
4. Collection:Back on Earth’s surface, the water collects in
puddles, lakes, oceans, rivers, etc., and the water cycle begins
once more.
ator
Lindsay
Pete
Dot, a water
droplet
Tod, another
water droplet
20 Terrific Mini
-Plays That Build
Reading Skill
s
79
WRITING
PROMPT
Imagine that you
are a water droplet.
Think about where
you might “live”—
an ocean? a roaring
river? a reservoir?
Write an adventure
describing one day
in your life as a
water droplet.
DISCUSSION
QUESTION
Based on what you
read or heard in the
play, what are the
four stages of the
water cycle? What
happens in each
stage? (Write the
stages on the board
as students name
and describe them.)
EPA Office of Water Kids’ Stuff
www.epa.gov/saf
ewater/kids
Water facts, a water-cycle diagram, and classroom activity ideas
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by LauraAllen
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Characters
Narrator
Brown Recluse Spider
House Spider
Harvestman Bug
Wolf Spider
Human
Jumping Spider
Various spiders as
meeting members
Black Widow Spider
Act 1
Narrator . . . . . . . . . Our story begins in a grassy field. There are
spiders everywhere! Some cling to blades of
grass. Others have spun webs and hang there.
Still others rest on the ground, w aiting.
House Spider . . . . . Welcome, everyone! As you know, all kinds
of spiders from across the United States are
gathered here today. We are holding this meeting
to discuss a very important problem.
Wolf Spider . . . . . . . Yes. Many humans think that spiders are
dangerous and harmful. Then they get scared
and harm us!
Jumping Spider . . . . You poisonous spiders are ruining our li ves!
Narrator . . . . . . . . . All eyes turn to the two poisonous spiders in the
room—the black widow and the brown recluse.
Black Widow . . . . . . But . . .
Brown Recluse . . . . We don’t mean any trouble. We are just trying
to survive.
Black Widow . . . . . . Yes. I actually try to stay a way from humans.
I’m mostly awake at night, guarding my web
and eggs. If a human frightens me, I may bite.
But 99 percent of the people I bite survi ve.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Brown Recluse . . . . It’s true. I also have a nasty bite. But nearly all
spiders use poison to kill their pre y.
Wolf Spider . . . . . . . He has a point, everyone. We prey on insects.
When we bite them, poison flows through our
tiny fangs and kills them.
Jumping Spider . . . . But most of our fangs are too small to pierce
human skin.
House Spider . . . . . And the poison isn’t strong enough to hurt
a human.
Harvestman . . . . . . (clears his throat) Ahem.
Meeting Members . . Hey! Who invited him?!
Harvestman . . . . . . Just the other day, I was nearly squashed by
a shoe!
Jumping Spider . . . . But you’re not even a spider!
Brown Recluse . . . . You’re a bug that just looks like a spider. Like a
daddy longlegs with extra-long legs.
Harvestman . . . . . . I know, and that just makes it worse! I don’t
have any poison in me. I eat plant juice and
dead bugs.
House Spider . . . . . Okay, everyone. Should the harvestman stay at
this meeting? He does have the same problem
we do.
Meeting Members . . Sure. Why not?
House Spider . . . . . It’s settled then. Now, back to the issue.
Narrator . . . . . . . . . Just then, a scream is heard! It’s a human.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Act 2
Narrator . . . . . . . . . The human is scared stiff!
Human . . . . . . . . . . I am scared stiff! (starts to panic) I have never
seen so many spiders gathered together. I’m being
ambushed!
Black Widow . . . . . . (gulps and bravely steps forward) Now, look here.
Human . . . . . . . . . . AHH! A black widow! I can tell by the tw o red
triangles on her underside!
Narrator . . . . . . . . . The human raises his shoe, ready to squash
everyone.
Black Widow . . . . . . Wait! Don’t you know that most of the spiders
here can’t hurt you at all?
Human . . . . . . . . . . Really?
Brown Recluse . . . . We actually help humans by eating insects and
other pests in your house and yard.
Black Widow . . . . . . Please don’t step on us or try to brush us a way
with a broom. We are fragile, and could die.
Human . . . . . . . . . . So I should just walk away, and everything will
be fine.
Meeting Members . . Just walk away.
Wolf Spider . . . . . . . But if you want to learn more about us, we don’ t
mind if you observe us.
House Spider . . . . . You could draw us, or take notes. Just don’t touch
us or get too close.
Jumping Spider . . . . I mean, we are the coolest things on eight le gs.
Human . . . . . . . . . . Wow. You are pretty interesting. Okay, I guess I’ll
sit here on this rock and observ e you for awhile.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Meeting Members . . Welcome!
Act 3
Narrator . . . . . . . . . As the spiders recover from their close call, the
nonpoisonous spiders realize something.
Wolf Spider . . . . . . . Black widow, brown recluse spider—you just saved
us from a brush with death!
Harvestman . . . . . . You set the record straight. You were brave. And
you protected everyone, even me.
Brown Recluse . . . . It was nothing.
Black Widow . . . . . . Thanks.
Jumping Spider . . . . It seems that we can learn from each other—and
teach humans how to respect nature.
Wolf Spider . . . . . . . Yes, and we will respect humans back.
House Spider . . . . . I declare this meeting a success! Please join us for the
next meeting. We will be comparing web designs.
Jumping Spider
and Wolf Spider . . . . But not all spiders spin webs. We don’t.
Jumping Spider . . . . We wait on the ground, hiding.
Wolf Spider . . . . . . . Then we pounce on our pre y when it least
expects it!
House Spider . . . . . That’s pretty sneaky. Well, jump on over to the
meeting anyway. We will all have a lot to learn.
Meeting Members . . Good-bye, everyone!
The End
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TEACHER’S GUIDE
BACKGROUND
by LauraAllen
Scholastic Profes
sional
Books
All spiders belong to the arachnid group. They have eight legs,
while insects have six. All spiders have spinnerets, organs that
dispense silk created in the spider’s silk glands. While all spiders
use their spinnerets to spin cocoons for their young, not all
spiders use them to spin webs.
And while most spiders poison the insects the y eat as prey,
not all spiders are poisonous to humans. The belief that all
spiders are poisonous or dangerous has caused man y harmless
spiders to be killed out of fear, when these creatures play an
important role in the environment.
(The Harvestman bug in the play is an arachnid, b ut not a
spider. It has eight legs, but no spinnerets or venom.)
While this play gives some tips for safely observing spiders, please
note that you or your students should ne ver get too close to a spider, or
touch one.
ACTIVITY Spider Fact Webs
Ask students to choose one of the spiders from the play that the y
would be interested in researching. Then have students make spider
“fact webs” to organize their research:
1. Write the spider’s name in the center of a piece of paper .
2. Draw lines extending from the spider’s name.
3. Write a short fact about the spider at the end of each line.
For example, facts about a wolf spider could include: nocturnal;
usually lives outdoors; about 1/2 inch long; doesn’ t spin webs;
not poisonous to humans.
BOOK LINKS
Charlotte’s Web
by E.B. White (HarperTrophy, 1999)
Do All Spiders Spin Webs? Questions and Answers about Spiders
by Melvin Berger and Gilda Berger (Scholastic, 2000)
20 Terrific Mini
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Reading Skill
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WRITING
PROMPT
Have you ever seen
a spider in your
house or outdoors?
Describe where you
were and what it
looked like.
DISCUSSION
QUESTION
How did you feel
about spiders before
reading the play?
Did your opinion
change after you
read it?
INTERNET LINKS
Spiders In and Around the House
http://www
.ag.ohio-state
.edu/~ohioline/h
yg-fact/2000/2060.html
It’s a long URL, but worth it for all the great f acts here. Click the
search button to look for more spider info.
Spider Webs
http://www
.beakman.com/spider/spider
.html
Find out why spiders don’t stick to their own webs.
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by Rebecca Gómez
Characters
Narrator
John (Storm chaser)
Karen (Storm chaser)
Noriko (Storm chaser)
Spokesperson for the National
Severe Storms Forecast Center
(NSSFC)
Homeowner 1
Pablo (Storm chaser)
Child
Homeowner 2
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Act I
John . . . . . . . . . Hi guys. Nice to meet you. I’m John, the ne w
photographer.
Karen . . . . . . . . You’re just in time. It sounds lik e we may be busy
this afternoon.
John . . . . . . . . . Why? What’s happening?
Noriko . . . . . . . . It looks like conditions are right for a tornado in
our area.
John . . . . . . . . . Already? I thought I’d have a chance to learn
something about storm chasing before my f irst
tornado.
Pablo . . . . . . . . . Don’t worry. We’ll take you through it.
Karen . . . . . . . . It’s a pretty thrilling job. I always get excited when
the weather conditions are just right to form a
tornado.
Noriko . . . . . . . . Of course, we never want anyone to get hurt. But
that’s partly why we chase storms.
Pablo . . . . . . . . . Right. Each storm that we chase gi ves us information
that can help the scientists at the National Se vere
Storms Forecast Center.
Noriko . . . . . . . . With our help, the scientists can be better prepared
for each tornado. The information we give them can
help them to predict the tornado’s force and path
better, and warn people earlier.
John . . . . . . . . . So how do you know a tornado is expected today?
Karen . . . . . . . . We get reports from the National Se vere Storms
Forecast Center and from local meteorologists. Those
are scientists who study the weather. Pablo here is
our meteorology expert.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Pablo . . . . . . . . . Weather conditions are perfect today for a tornado.
There is cold, dry air high in the sk y. There is warm,
wet air sitting low to the ground. The warm air can’t
rise the way it normally does, and the cold air can’ t
drop the way it normally does. The two masses of air
will push up against each other and swirl around and
make lots of clouds and strong winds. Finally, the
warm air pushes through and mak es a hole in the
cold air blanket. That cloud of warm air spins around
and makes a funnel.
Noriko . . . . . . . . And, when that funnel cloud touches the ground . . .
Karen . . . . . . . . We’ve got ourselves a tornado!
Noriko . . . . . . . . And we’ve also got a job to do. We’ll take pictures of
the tornado—that’s where you come in, John. I get
the action on film.
Pablo . . . . . . . . . Let’s turn on the radio and hear what the forecasters
are saying.
NSSFC . . . . . . . Careful folks. There’s a tornado warning in effect for
most of the day. We’ll keep you updated, but please
plan accordingly. Try to stay indoors. Make sure
you have emergency supplies such as bottled w ater,
batteries, flashlights, radios, and food.
Pablo . . . . . . . . . A tornado warning means that conditions are perfect
for a tornado to occur. If an actual tornado is spotted,
that warning will be upgraded to a tornado w atch.
Noriko . . . . . . . . Let’s get in our van and drive around looking for
funnel clouds. It sounds as though things may get
interesting very soon.
Act 2
Karen . . . . . . . . I’ll drive the van; you guys keep a lookout for funnel
clouds.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Noriko . . . . . . . . Let’s see if there’s another radio update.
NSSFC . . . . . . . Warning! Funnel clouds have been spotted. Nothing
has touched down yet, but please get inside and move
to the bottom floor of your house—a basement is
best, if you have one. If not, stay in the bathroom or a
closet that is in the middle of your house. K eep
listening for more updates.
John . . . . . . . . . Wow! Funnel clouds have been spotted. Let’s try to
find one.
Pablo . . . . . . . . . Look! Over to our right! I think I see something.
Noriko . . . . . . . . Yes, I see something, too. It’s definitely a funnel
cloud. I’m going to roll down the window and start
filming. We don’t want to miss the tornado when and
if it forms.
Karen . . . . . . . . It’s starting to rain really hard. I’ ll have to be careful
driving. Is that hail falling?
Pablo . . . . . . . . . I think I just saw the funnel cloud touch ground and
a tornado form! Do you see it?
Noriko . . . . . . . . Yes! I see it. I’ve got the video camera on it.
John . . . . . . . . . That’s a big tornado! I’m going to tak e some still
shots.
Karen . . . . . . . . I’ll try to get closer. Someone get on the phone and
let the weather center know that we’ve spotted this
one.
Pablo . . . . . . . . . I’m calling right now.
Narrator . . . . . . Pablo reports their position and lets the weather
center know the tornado’s approximate size and the
direction it appears to be taking.
Noriko . . . . . . . . Wait! I see a house over there. It looks like someone
is home. There are no other buildings around here. If
the tornado keeps going on its current path, it may
smash right into that house!
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Karen . . . . . . . . Oh, no! We have to try to help! I’ ll drive as fast as I
can; maybe we can warn the people in that house—
before the tornado reaches it.
John . . . . . . . . . Good idea! Go as fast as you can. We don’t have
much time!
(They arrive at the house.)
Pablo . . . . . . . . . All right, Karen. We made it. But the tornado is
heading right toward us and this house. I’ ll run in
and warn the people inside.
Noriko . . . . . . . . Make it quick, Pablo. We’re in real danger here!
Pablo . . . . . . . . . (pushes open the front door and sees Homeowner 1
and 2 inside, with child) Hey, folks, there’s a tornado
bearing down on your house! Do you w ant to jump
in our van or weather the storm here?
Homeowner 1 . . I think we’ll stay here.
Homeowner 2 . . Yes, we’ve had some scares in the past, b ut I think
we’ll be okay. We know what to do.
Child . . . . . . . . . We’ll head right to the basement!
Pablo . . . . . . . . . If you’re going to stay, I’m going to go back to my
van and get out of here! I just w anted to warn you.
Homeowner 1 . . Thanks for the warning. We’ll get downstairs right
away.
Pablo . . . . . . . . . (back in van) They decided to stay. Let’s get out
of here!
Karen . . . . . . . . Here we go!
Noriko . . . . . . . . I’m watching that tornado. It’s moving very quickly.
Pablo . . . . . . . . . Do you notice that it’s mostly red, just like the color
of the soil around here?
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John . . . . . . . . . Yes. If it wasn’t so destructive, I’d think it was really
beautiful.
Noriko . . . . . . . . Now it looks as if it’s heading right for us!
John . . . . . . . . . You’re right, Noriko. We’re directly in the path of the
tornado! It’s moving very quickly!
Karen . . . . . . . . There’s a highway overpass just in front of us.
There’s no way that we can outrun this tornado.
But if I pull over under the overpass, it will give
us some protection.
Noriko . . . . . . . . Hurry, Karen!
John . . . . . . . . . You did it, Karen! But the v an is rocking and
shaking.
Karen . . . . . . . . It’s okay. We’ll be safe here. See? The tornado’s
passed us. It’s much calmer.
Pablo . . . . . . . . That was a little too close for comfort!
Noriko . . . . . . . . Phew! Good driving, Karen. Let’s head home and
unload our cameras. I think we got some great
footage of the tornado for the Weather Center.
Karen . . . . . . . . I’m just glad we were able to help that f amily.
Noriko . . . . . . . . So, John, what do you think of your f irst day as a
storm chaser? Do you want to stay on the team?
John . . . . . . . . . Hmmm, let’s see. Storm chasers get to help
meteorologists predict the weather. We get to warn
people when dangerous storms are coming their w ay.
We get to film and photograph tornadoes . . .
Noriko, Karen,
and Pablo . . . . . . Well?
John . . . . . . . . . When’s the next tornado due? I’m ready to go!
The End
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
TEACHER’S GUIDE
BACKGROUND
Scholastic Profes
sional Books
The job of a tornado chaser is one of e xtremes—it’s exciting,
dangerous, and important. That’s because a tornado is the most
violent kind of storm on earth. Its winds can reach speeds of 300
miles an hour. Winds that fast can uproot trees, destroy houses,
and send cars flying through the air. The work of tornado chasers
helps scientists better understand these destructive storms.
Tornadoes begin with thunderstorms. Unstable air and winds
swirl around giant thunderhead clouds, causing the clouds to
spin horizontally. This is called a vortex. Strong updrafts inside
the clouds turn the funnel-shaped vortex on its end, causing it
to spin vertically. Then the funnel speeds up and drops out of
the cloud, becoming a tornado.
Most tornadoes in the United States occur in “Tornado Alley,” which
runs from Iowa to Texas. About 700 tornadoes hit the United States each
year—which means that tornado chasers have no problem keeping busy!
ACTIVITY Tornado in the Classroom
Students can understand how an air vortex is formed by performing a
simple activity that shows how a spinning vortex can be created in water.
YOU’LL NEED: two empty 1- or 2-liter bottles,
duct tape, water, and food coloring
First, fill one of the bottles tw o-thirds of the way with water and add a
few drops of food coloring. Turn over the empty bottle and place it on
top of the first bottle so that the openings meet. Then duct tape the
bottles securely together.
Carefully invert the bottles so that the bottle containing w ater is on
top. Hold the bottom bottle firmly in one hand. With the other hand,
gently turn the top bottle in a circle. As the water spins, you should be
able to see a vortex form.
BOOK LINKS
Storm Chasers
by Gail Herman (Putnam Publishing Group, 1997)
Tornado Alert
by Franklyn Mansfield Branley (HarperCollins, 1990)
INTERNET LINK
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Site for Kids About
Tornado, Hurricane and Winter Storm Safety
http://www
.fema.gov/kids
More fun than it sounds, with lots of fun games and quizzes
by Rebecca
Gómez
Characters
John (Stormch
aser)
Narrator
Karen (Stormch
aser)
Spokesperson
Noriko (Stormch
aser)
Severe Storms for the National
Forecast Cent
(NSSFC)
er Homeowner 1
Hom
Pablo (Stormch
eowner 2
aser)
Child
20 Terrific Mini
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WRITING
PROMPT
Have you ever
experienced a
tornado? What
about a thunderstorm, hurricane,
or blizzard? Think
about what the
storm looked like
and sounded like.
Did you have to
weather the storm
in a safe place? Did
the storm damage
the land around
you? Write about
your experience,
describing the storm
as best as you can.
DISCUSSION
QUESTION
If you had the
chance to ride with
a tornado-chasing
team, would you do
it? Why or why not?
Which job on the
team do you think
you would like?
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
The Great Desert
Scavenger Hunt
by Katherine Noll
Characters
Announcer
Referee
Lucy, Blue Team Leader
Kevin, Green Team Leader
Dana
Bob
Pilar
Raji
Jack
Alexa
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Act 1
Announcer . . . . Good afternoon, teams, and welcome to Death Valley
National Park, one of the hottest places on Earth.
Let’s get down to the rules of our sca venger hunt.
Referee . . . . . . The rules are simple: Each team must tak e a picture
of each of the following desert animals: a kit fox, a
sidewinder, and a roadrunner. Each team will have a
jeep and a driver. The first team to return here with
a picture of each of these animals wins.
Lucy . . . . . . . . I’m the Blue Team Leader. Dana, Bob, and Pilar,
you’re with me. Let’s go!
Kevin . . . . . . . . I’m the Green Team Leader. Raji, Jack, and Alexa,
you’re with me. Let’s win!
Lucy . . . . . . . . Let’s hop in the jeep. Hmmm, a kit fox, a side winder,
and a roadrunner. Which first?
Dana . . . . . . . . Maybe we should look for a kit fox f irst.
Pilar . . . . . . . . But kit foxes come out only at night.
Bob . . . . . . . . . At night! What are we going to do no w?
Lucy . . . . . . . . They must go someplace during the daytime.
Pilar . . . . . . . . They do. A kit fox makes its home during the day in
a burrow dug deep into the cool soil under the desert
floor.
Dana . . . . . . . . Let’s look!
Pilar . . . . . . . . It’s not that easy. Kit foxes have very good hearing.
Their large ears can detect the smallest sound. That’s
what makes the kit fox such a good hunter .
Bob . . . . . . . . . A hunter? I think I’ll wait in the jeep.
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Pilar . . . . . . . . Don’t worry, Bob. The kit fox is about the size of
a cat.
Lucy . . . . . . . . Driver, stop the jeep! See where the sand is slightly
mounded? I think that’s a kit fox burrow.
Pilar . . . . . . . . I think you’re right! Everybody be very quiet.
Bob
. . . . . . . . Look, there’s a hole over here.
Lucy . . . . . . . . I’m going to look in. (pause) I took the picture. We
got the kit fox! It w as fast asleep.
Act 2
Announcer . . . . The Blue Team has taken one picture. Good work, Blue
Team! Let’s see what the Green Team has been up to.
Kevin
. . . . . . . Okay, teammates. I’ve been watching the sky with
these binoculars, and there’s still no sign of a
roadrunner.
Jack . . . . . . . . You’ll never find a roadrunner that way.
Raji
. . . . . . . . Why not?
Jack . . . . . . . . Because roadrunners are not very good at flying. These
birds are fast runners—as fast as 15 miles per hour.
Alexa
. . . . . . . Wow! That is fast. It says here in this guidebook that
roadrunners like to sunbathe in the morning.
Kevin
. . . . . . . Sunbathing! In a desert? I hope the y have sunscreen!
Raji
Alexa
. . . . . . . . Good joke, Kevin. But you know they don’t need it.
Their feathers protect them from the sun’s rays.
. . . . . . . The guidebook says that after the y sunbathe,
roadrunners eat. Their favorite snacks are snakes
and lizards.
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Kevin
Raji
. . . . . . . Yuck! I’ll stick to pizza.
. . . . . . . . Wow! I just saw a blur run into that cactus o ver there.
Jack . . . . . . . . Look, it’s a roadrunner!
Kevin
. . . . . . . Great! I got its picture!
Act 3
Announcer . . . . The score is now tied one-to-one. Let’s see what the
Blue Team is up to.
Lucy . . . . . . . . Okay, team. It’s getting late, and we still ha ve two
pictures to go. The sidewinder and the roadrunner.
Bob
Dana
Bob
. . . . . . . . What exactly is a sidewinder?
. . . . . . . It’s a type of rattlesnake.
. . . . . . . . A rattlesnake? Are you guys crazy? I am def initely
going to wait in the jeep for this one.
Lucy . . . . . . . . You’re right to be afraid. We won’t get too close.
Bob
. . . . . . . . Why do they call it a sidewinder?
Pilar . . . . . . . . Because the sidewinder has found a smart w ay to
move over loose sand. It throws its body in a sideways
motion that leaves J-shaped tracks in the sand.
Dana
. . . . . . . It’s starting to get dark. The sidewinder can’t stand
the daytime heat of the desert. It will come out only
during the much cooler night. Then it hunts for small
animals.
Lucy . . . . . . . . Look! Over there!
Bob
. . . . . . . . What is it? A sidewinder? Help me!
Lucy . . . . . . . . No, it’s a roadrunner. I got it!
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Announcer . . . . The Blue Team has photographed a kit fox and a
roadrunner. Just in—the Green Team has just captured
a kit fox, and with their roadrunner that mak es two.
Now each team needs a picture of a side winder.
Kevin . . . . . . . . Lucky thing we saw that kit fox as it w as leaving its
burrow to hunt.
Raji . . . . . . . . . I’ll look for sidewinder tracks.
Alexa . . . . . . . . Look! I think the Blue Team sees something.
Lucy . . . . . . . . I’ve found sidewinder tracks.
Jack . . . . . . . . Look! There’s the sidewinder! It’s only a few feet
away!
Everybody . . . . AAUUUUUGHHHH!!!!
Lucy . . . . . . . . I got the picture! Quick! In the jeep!
Kevin . . . . . . . . I’ve got it too! Hurry, let’s go!
Announcer . . . . Both of the teams have collected all three pictures.
Referee . . . . . . I’ve just been handed pictures by the Blue Team and the
Green Team at the exact same time. The Blue Team has
given me a picture of a kit fox, a roadrunner , and a
sidewinder. The Green Team has given me a picture of
a roadrunner, a kit fox, and a sneak er. A sneaker?
Kevin . . . . . . . . Ooops! I guess in all the e xcitement I didn’t aim very
well with my camera.
Referee . . . . . . The Blue Team is the winner! And the Green Team, for
doing so well, also gets the grand prize.
Raji . . . . . . . . . What is it? What’s the prize?
Referee . . . . . . A trip to the beach!
Bob . . . . . . . . . Oh, no. More sand!
The End
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TEACHER’S GUIDE
The Great Deser
t
Scavenger Hunt
BACKGROUND
by Katherin
eN
oll
Characters
Announcer
Referee
Lucy, Blue Team
Leader
Kevin, Green
Team Leader
Dana
Raji
Jack
98
Alexa
20 Terrific Mini
-Plays That Build
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s
ACTIVITY
Hold Your Own Desert Scavenger Hunt
Divide the class into teams of tw o or more and assign a dif ferent desert
animal to each team. Challenge students to f ind a picture of and f acts
about their animals using the library and the Internet. (Desert USA is a
wonderful source for this activity. See the URL below.) When each
team is finished, have the teams present the results to the class.
You may wish to create a simple reproducible for this acti vity. Draw
a square on top of the paper for students to dra w or paste their pictures,
and several lines for students to write f acts about each animal. When
the scavenger hunt is done, use the pages to create a “Desert Animals”
book or bulletin board.
BOOK LINKS
America’s Deserts Guide to Plants and Animals
by Marianne D. Wallace (Fulcrum Publishing, 1996)
Death Valley National Park
by David A. Peterson (Children’s Press, 1997)
INTERNET LINKS
Books
Bob
Pilar
Scholastic Profes
sional
Many different animals live in the world’s deserts. This fact may
seem somewhat surprising, considering that boiling heat and lack
of water are harsh conditions desert animals must f ace.
How do desert animals adapt to the hostile en vironment? To
escape the heat, many desert animals are nocturnal—they spend
the hot days underground and come out at night to search for
food. And some desert animals don’t need freshwater to survive.
They get water from the seeds of desert plants.
In this play, your students will read about three animals that
live in Death Valley. This California desert is about 140 miles
long and anywhere from 4 to 16 miles wide. Mountain peaks
enclose the valley on the east and west. The sidewinder, roadrunner, and kit fox all mak e their home in this desert.
WRITING
PROMPT
What would you
do if you were
traveling through
Death Valley and a
sidewinder crossed
your path? Write a
paragraph describing what you would
do and how you
would feel.
DISCUSSION
QUESTION
What are some
ways that desert
animals survive
or are adapted to
living in the desert?
Find examples in
the play.
Desert Animal Printouts
http://www
.allaboutnatur
e.com/biomes/deser
t/deser
t.shtml
On this kid-friendly site you can print out a f act-filled coloring book
page for a variety of desert animals.
Desert USA
http://www
.desertusa.com
Take a virtual tour through North American deserts.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Mission
to the Moon
by Jennifer Eardly
Characters
Mary Meteor
Stacey Spacey
Steve Shuttle
Mission Control
Guy Galaxy
Commander Neil Armstrong
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Act 1
Mary Meteor . . . Good morning, early risers! We are glad you have
joined us on this very exciting day.
Steve Shuttle . . . Yes, it is exciting. Here we are on July 16, 1969,
preparing for what we hope will be a successful
mission for the shuttle and crew of Apollo 11.
Guy Galaxy . . . . . The crew has been up since before da wn, preparing
for their voyage. Reporters are all over Florida,
trying to catch a glimpse of the three astronauts.
Let’s see if our roving reporter, Stacey Spacey, has
spotted them.
Stacey Spacey . . I am standing at the launch site in Cape K ennedy.
There are thousands of people gathered together , all
having the same hopes for a safe mission. I am
reminded of the late President John F. Kennedy’s
words, “Space is open to us no w.”
Mary Meteor . . . Yes, Stacey, President Kennedy must be proud of
Americans today, for meeting his challenge to put a
person on the moon by 1970. Here we are, in 1969,
trying to do just that.
Steve Shuttle . . . We have just received word that the astronauts have
finished putting on their space suits and are on their
way to the spacecraft. Let’s go back to Stacey.
(pause) Stacey, are you there?
Stacey Spacey . . Steve, there is so much noise here, it is hard to
hear. You can feel the excitement among the crowd.
Commander Neil Armstrong and Pilots Edwin
“Buzz” Aldrin, Jr. and Michael Collins have arrived
at the launch site. They are being taken to the
elevator where they will be lifted to the spacecraft.
As they make their way up to the craft, let’s go
back to the studio.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Guy Galaxy . . . . . Thanks, Stacey. Excitement is building here at the
studio and across the nation. Millions of vie wers are
tuned in to this historic event. We can only imagine
what is going on in the minds of these three men
and their families.
Mary Meteor . . . Let’s go back to Cape Kennedy, where the men
have entered Apollo 11 and NASA has signaled for
the countdown to begin.
Mission Control . . Ten . . . nine . . . eight . . . se ven . . . six . . .
five . . . four . . . three . . . tw o . . . one . . . zero!
Neil Armstrong . . Lift off! We have lift off!
Act 2
Steve Shuttle . . . Welcome back to our continued broadcast of Day
Four of the Apollo 11 mission. The Apollo 11 is
made up of two major sections: Columbia, the
command module, and Eagle, the landing module.
Right now, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are in
the Eagle, which has separated from the Columbia
and is headed for the moon’s surface. Let’s go to
Stacey Spacey, who is at NASA headquarters. Stacey,
what’s the feeling there?
Stacey Spacey . . Well, Steve, there is some concern about the Eagle.
It looks like the Eagle is low on fuel. Mission control
is waiting to hear word from the astronauts. We have
just been told that it could be an y second now, so
let’s take a moment to listen.
Neil Armstrong . . (pause) The Eagle has landed!
Mission Control . . (cheers) Hooray! Yea!
Neil Armstrong . . Mission control, this is Eagle. Requesting
permission to skip nap and be gin exploring. (pause)
Thank you. Over and out.
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Guy Galaxy . . . . . As the world sits and watches the door to the craft
open, Neil Armstrong climbs out and steps down on
the ladder, preparing to become the f irst person ever
to walk on the moon.
Neil Armstrong . . That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for
mankind.
Steve Shuttle . . . Neil Armstrong has just become the f irst person
to walk on the moon. His w ords will be a part of
history forever.
Mary Meteor . . . Buzz Aldrin is scheduled to come out and the tw o
will begin to collect rocks and soil to bring back to
Earth for experiments. They will also be taking
pictures so scientists will have a better idea what
the moon is like. Right now, the two astronauts are
putting an American flag on the moon’s surface. That
flag will be a reminder to all that Americans were the
first ever to walk on the moon.
Guy Galaxy . . . . . We also see that Armstrong and Aldrin are bouncing
around, instead of walking. This is because the
moon’s gravity is only about one-sixth that of
Earth’s gravity, which means there is less do wnward
pull on the astronauts as the y walk.
Steve Shuttle . . . Right, Guy. Before this mission, the astronauts had
to practice what it would be like to walk on the
moon, so they would know what to expect. By the
way, Stacey, what is Pilot Michael Collins doing
while Armstrong and Aldrin are on the moon?
Stacey Spacey . . Collins did not land on the moon. His job is to stay
with the command module, the Columbia, and orbit
the moon until the rest of the cre w returns, and he
flies them home.
Mary Meteor . . . The journey home for the astronauts will tak e
four days. Then they will land in the P acific
Ocean, where rescuers will be w aiting for them.
A helicopter will take them to a battleship w aiting
nearby.
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Stacey Spacey . . NASA has received word that Armstrong and Aldrin
have finished their mission and have gone back on the
Eagle. They will rest for the night and tomorro w
morning they will make their way back to Columbia.
Guy Galaxy . . . . . This concludes our broadcast for today. Good night.
Act 3
Mary Meteor . . . We’re back on this 24th day of July , the eighth day
of travel for the crew of Apollo 11.
Steve Shuttle . . . President Nixon is aboard the U.S.S. Hornet,
anxiously awaiting the arrival of the three
brave men. The craft is making its f inal orbit in
preparation for its splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
Guy Galaxy . . . . . We have just received word that the craft has
entered Earth’s atmosphere. It should be an y minute
now. (pause) There it is! They’ve landed! This is a
proud moment for all.
Stacey Spacey . . The rescuers have just opened the door to the
craft. The crew is being helped onto the rafts.
The helicopters will be moving in to take the
heroes of Apollo 11 to the U.S.S. Hornet, where
the President will greet them.
Steve Shuttle . . . As we are watching now, the crew looks weak, but
good, as they are waving to their fellow Americans.
It will be about two weeks before the celebrations
and parades take place. The crew must first go
through a series of tests as all astronauts do when
they return from a mission.
Guy Galaxy . . . . . We will be following the details over the next
several days. Stay tuned!
The End
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TEACHER’S GUIDE
Mission
to the Moon
BACKGROUND
In 1962, the United States began a race into space. Both the United
States and the Soviet Union had sent humans into space, b ut it
looked like the Soviets might beat the U.S. and land a human on
the moon first.
The Apollo 11 was ready to blast off on July 20, 1969. The command module, Columbia, carried with it the lightweight lunar module, Eagle. A Saturn V rocket launched the Apollo 11 to the moon.
During the three-day journey, the Apollo 11 slowed as it reached
the moon’s gravitational field, only to speed up again as the lunar
Characters
atmosphere pulled it toward the moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz
Aldrin boarded the Eagle and took off. Armstrong had to maneuver his way to a safe landing site on the moon’ s rocky surface.
After 21 hours on the moon, Armstrong and Aldrin took the Eagle
back to the Columbia. The Eagle was then set free, so the e xtra weight
WRITING
wouldn’t burden the Columbia on its way home.
PROMPT
By the time the astronauts returned home, the y were heroes, their
Imagine you are
mission having been watched by more than six hundred million people
an astronaut on a
around the world.
mission to a strange
new planet. What
ACTIVITY Missions to the Moon
does the planet
Apollo 11 was only the beginning of U.S. moon exploration. Between
look like? Who—
1969 and 1972, the U.S. sent six more Apollo missions into space, and
or what—lives
five of them landed successfully on the moon.
there? Write a
Divide the class into seven groups—one for each Apollo mission
story about your
from Apollo 11 to Apollo 17. Challenge each group to find out what
space adventure.
happened on the mission. Use questions such as these to guide them:
● Which astronauts were on the mission?
DISCUSSION
● Did the astronauts land on the moon?
● Where did they land on the moon?
QUESTION
● What did they do when they got there?
Some scientists
● What did they bring back to Earth?
predict that before
Ask each group to present its f indings in the form of a ne ws report.
the end of this century, people will be
living on the moon.
BOOK LINKS
What would a moon
Countdown to the Moon
settlement need to
by Susan Dudley Gold (Silver Burdett Press, 1992)
support human life?
First on the Moon: What It Was Like When Man Landed on the Moon
by Barbara Hehner (Hyperion, 1999)
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20 Terrific Mini
-Plays That Build
Reading Skill
s
Stacey Spacey
Mission Cont
rol
Commander Neil
Armstrong
Scholastic Profes
sional
Mary Meteor
Steve Shuttle
Guy Galaxy
Books
by Jennifer Ear
dly
INTERNET LINK
Moonwalk—Earthlings’ Finest Hour
http://www
.discovery.com/news/features/moonwalk/challeng
e.html
This site recalls the first moonwalk with movies and pictures.
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by Tracey West
Characters
In the present:
Ms. Clark, a teacher
Cassie
Jason
Sam
In 1906:
Patrick
Bridget
Mrs. Sullivan
Neighbor
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Act 1
Scene 1
SETTING: San Francisco, the present
Ms. Clark . . . . . . Today is April 18. Who can tell me why this day is
important to San Francisco?
Jason . . . . . . . . . Because it’s my birthday?
Cassie . . . . . . . . I know, Ms. Clark. It’s the anniversary of the 1906
earthquake.
Ms. Clark . . . . . . That’s right. More than a hundred years ago, one of
the most significant earthquakes of our time struck
this city.
Sam . . . . . . . . . . I was in an earthquake before.
Ms. Clark . . . . . . I think most of us who li ve here have experienced
an earthquake. San Francisco lies on the San
Andreas fault line. Can anyone tell me what that
means?
Jason . . . . . . . . . I know this one. A fault is like a crack in the earth’s
surface. When the earth’s crust moves along the
fault line, we get earthquakes.
Cassie . . . . . . . . Ms. Clark, is it safe to li ve along a fault line?
Ms. Clark . . . . . . We’re much safer than we were years ago. Today,
homes and buildings are built to be earthquake-safe.
But back in 1906, it w as a much different story.
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Scene 2
SETTING: San Francisco, 1906. The kitchen of the Sullivan home
Patrick . . . . . . . . Sparky, stop barking! It’s five o’clock in the
morning.
Mrs. Sullivan . . . Patrick Sullivan, what is wrong with that dog
of yours? He’s going to wake up the whole
neighborhood.
Patrick . . . . . . . . I don’t know, ma. It’s not like him.
Mrs. Sullivan . . . Patrick, do you feel that?
Patrick . . . . . . . . The house. It’s
shaking!
Mrs. Sullivan . . . It’s an earthquake!
Get under the table,
quickly now!
Patrick . . . . . . . . (after a few seconds)
Ma, are you all right?
Mrs. Sullivan . . . I’m fine, son. Now
let’s go find your
sister. She’s upstairs
asleep.
Patrick . . . . . . . . Mom, the house is
shaking again. It’s
another tremor!
Act 2
SETTING: San Francisco, 1906. The Sullivan home
Mrs. Sullivan . . . Bridget, Bridget, where are you?
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Bridget . . . . . . . I’m here, ma. The earthquake knocked me into a
wall. I think I hurt my arm.
Patrick . . . . . . . . Don’t worry, sis. We’ll get you somewhere safe.
Mrs. Sullivan . . . Patrick, help your sister down the stairs. I don’t like
the way this house is creaking.
Patrick (outside)
Look at this, ma. Every house on the street has
gone crooked.
Bridget . . . . . . . That’s not the only thing. Is that a f ire down there?
Neighbor . . . . . . There are broken gas lines all over the city. Soon
the whole town will be burning. I’m heading down
to the waterfront.
Mrs. Sullivan . . . Then that’s where we’ll go. The fire won’t harm us
there.
Patrick . . . . . . . . I can’t leave without Sparky.
Mrs. Sullivan . . . Fine, but hurry!
Act 3
Scene 1
SETTING: San Francisco, 1906. Three days after the earthquak e
Bridget . . . . . . . Ma, will we ever get to go home?
Mrs. Sullivan . . . We should be grateful for the shelter we ha ve here.
So many people were turned out of their homes
because of the fires.
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Patrick . . . . . . . . I heard some of the men talking. They say they
don’t know how they’ll get the fires under control.
Most of the water pipes are shattered, so the y can’t
use the fire hydrants. They tried dynamiting a
firebreak through some of the neighborhoods, b ut
it didn’t work.
Mrs. Sullivan . . . San Francisco is a grand city. It’s going to take much
more than an earthquake and flames to destroy it.
Bridget . . . . . . . Ma, Patrick, look! It’s raining!
Scene 2
SETTING: Ms. Clark’s classroom in the present
Ms. Clark . . . . . . After 74 hours, the fires finally went out, thanks
to the rain and the tireless w ork of the city’s
firefighters. The people of San Francisco went
back to their homes and be gan rebuilding.
Cassie . . . . . . . . That’s so sad!
Ms. Clark . . . . . . It was, but the people of our city reco vered quickly.
Within three years, almost 20,000 new buildings
were erected. These were made of brick and steel
to withstand any future earthquakes.
Sam . . . . . . . . . . That’s pretty smart.
Ms. Clark
Jason
. . . . . Not only that, but we also study earthquake safety
every year so we know what to do when disaster
strikes. That’s what we’ll do today, in honor of all
the people who experienced the 1906 quake.
. . . . . . . . I didn’t know my birthday was so interesting! I
don’t think I’ll ever forget about that quake now.
Ms. Clark
. . . . . Neither will the rest of the w orld!
The End
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TEACHER’S GUIDE
BACKGROUND
110
ACTIVITY Safety Poster
Have students make a colorful poster that outlines safety tips for surviving an earthquake or another natural disaster. (A great place to
research safety tips for a variety of situations is to visit the American
Red Cross Web site at http://www.redcross.org.) Direct students to
make posters that are bold, direct, and easy to remember . Display the
finished posters in a hallway or your classroom.
BOOK LINKS
Francis, the Earthquake Dog
by Judith A. Enderle (Chronicle Books, 1996)
San Francisco, 1906
by Kathleen Duey (Simon & Schuster, 1998)
by Tracey We
st
Charac
ters
In the present:
Ms. Clark, a
teacher
Cassie
Jason
Sam
In 1906:
Patrick
Books
Bridget
Mrs. Sullivan
Neighbor
Scholastic Profes
sional
Most people were asleep when the great San Francisco
earthquake of 1906 struck at 5:12 a.m. on April 18. The earthquake collapsed buildings, shattered gas and water lines, and
downed power lines, and the resulting four-day fire it caused was
responsible for countless damage. The earthquake is estimated to
have caused 3,000 deaths and $500 million in damage (in 1906
dollars).
Since that time, steps have been taken to minimize the
devastating effects of earthquakes. In 1994, the earthquake that
struck Northridge, California, caused an estimated $20 billion in
damage, but no lives were lost. This may in part be due to ne w
construction practices and an awareness of earthquake safety in
the area.
Most injuries are caused by collapsing w alls, flying glass, and
falling objects. Homes in earthquake-prone areas can be anchored to
their foundations to keep from collapsing; bookcases can be anchored
to the wall to prevent them from falling; and flexible pipe fittings are
used on gas lines to avoid gas leaks and resulting fires. These practices
and others help keep residents of earthquake zones safe.
20 Terrific Mini
-Plays That Build
Reading Skill
s
WRITING
PROMPT
What must it feel
like to experience
an earthquake?
Make a list of five
adjectives that best
describe how you
might feel in that
situation.
DISCUSSION
QUESTION
Have you or someone you know ever
experienced an
earthquake or other
natural disaster?
What was it like?
INTERNET LINKS
Earthquakes for Kids and Grown-Ups
http://ear
thquake.usgs.gov/4kids/
Facts, diagrams, and lots of other basic earthquak e info from the
U.S. government
The Great 1906 Earthquake and Fire
http://www
.sfmuseum.org/1906/06.html
Newspaper reports, photos, personal narratives, and more from the
Museum of the City of San Francisco
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The Case of the
Disappearing Diamonds
by Jane Manners
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20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills © Tracey West, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Characters
Narrator 1
Narrator 2
Carla
Rocky
Ruthie
Joe
Lisa
Act 1
Narrator 1 . . . . . Carla loved to pretend she was a detective. She
liked to look for clues and solv e mysteries.
Narrator 2 . . . . . But today was too hot to do an y detecting. Carla
sat on the front steps, trying to stay cool, when
Rocky Willis walked by. The 5-year-old boy
was dragging his red wagon behind him.
Rocky . . . . . . . . Hi, Carla.
Carla . . . . . . . . . Hi, Rocky. What’s in the wagon?
Rocky . . . . . . . . My most favorite things in the world. Do you want
to see them?
Carla . . . . . . . . . Sure.
Rocky . . . . . . . . This is my sword.
Narrator 1 . . . . . Rocky held up a long stick.
Rocky . . . . . . . . And this is my pet snak e, Otto.
Narrator 2
. . . . Rocky showed Carla a dirty old shoelace.
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Carla
. . . . . . . . Rocky, I think you have a good imagination.
Rocky . . . . . . . . And here’s my most favorite thing of all! Inside this
little black bag is where I k eep my diamonds!
Carla
. . . . . . . . Diamonds!?
Rocky . . . . . . . . Diamonds! Do you want to see them?
Carla
. . . . . . . . I sure do.
Rocky . . . . . . . . (upset) Oh, no! My diamonds!
Carla
. . . . . . . . What’s wrong, Rocky?
Rocky . . . . . . . . They’re gone! I had four diamonds inside this bag
and now they’re gone. Can you help me f ind them?
Carla
. . . . . . . . Rocky, you’ve come to the right place.
Act 2
Narrator 1
. . . . Carla had one clue. Rocky liked to pretend. He
liked to pretend a stick w as a sword and a shoelace
was a snake. If Rocky would tell her what he w as
pretending were diamonds, the case w ould be easy.
Narrator 2
. . . . But Rocky wasn’t talking. So, Carla went to see
Rocky’s sister Ruthie to find out if she had seen
these pretend diamonds. And Ruthie said . . .
Ruthie . . . . . . . . I was playing in the basement when Rock y came
down to show them to me. He said he found them
in the kitchen.
Narrator 1
. . . . Carla suspected that was a clue. She wrote the w ord
“kitchen” in her notebook.
Ruthie . . . . . . . . I do remember he had them inside a leather bag and
he kept saying how big and shiny they were. But I
didn’t look inside the bag. Sorry, Carla.
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Carla . . . . . . . . . Big. Shiny.
Narrator 2 . . . . . Carla wrote the words “big” and “shiny” in her
notebook. She needed more information, so she
headed one house over to see Rocky’s friends, Joe
and Lisa. Carla asked them if they saw the diamonds.
Joe . . . . . . . . . . Oh, yes. I saw the diamonds.
Carla . . . . . . . . . Really, Joe? You SAW the diamonds?
Narrator . . . . . . . Carla grabbed her pencil from her back pock et.
Carla . . . . . . . . . Tell me! What were they?
Joe . . . . . . . . . . Well, I looked inside the leather bag and sa w four
small, shiny things.
Carla . . . . . . . . . The diamonds were small?
Joe . . . . . . . . . . They were tiny.
Carla . . . . . . . . . They were tiny and shiny?
Narrator . . . . . . . Carla wrote the words “tiny” and “shiny” in her
notebook, right next to the words big and shiny.
Carla . . . . . . . . . The diamonds that Rocky found in the kitchen
started out big and ended up tin y. Hmmmm . . .
did you see the diamonds, Lisa?
Lisa . . . . . . . . . . I remember Joe was looking at the diamonds, b ut I
went inside to get some lemonade. I w as hot.
Narrator . . . . . . . Carla was beginning to put the picture together.
When she asked Rocky if she could see the little
bag, Rocky seemed puzzled.
Rocky . . . . . . . . But Carla, the diamonds are not in the bag an ymore.
They’re gone!
Carla . . . . . . . . . I believe you, Rocky. But I’d still like to see the
bag.
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Rocky . . . . . . . . Okay.
Carla . . . . . . . . . Just as I suspected! There is nothing but some water
in this bag. Rocky, I know what happened to your
diamonds!
Act 3
Narrator 1 . . . . . Now, Carla could tell you what happened to
Rocky’s pretend diamonds, but what do YOU
think happened? Let’s listen to Carla’s clues.
Carla . . . . . . . . . Rocky was pretending he had four diamonds. He
found these “diamonds” in the kitchen and k ept
them in a leather bag. These diamonds started out
big, then they were tiny, and now the only thing
left in the bag is w ater. What do you think the
diamonds were?
Narrator 2 . . . . . Can you make a guess now? Give it a try.
Carla . . . . . . . . . If you guessed the diamonds were ice cubes, you
are right! You see, Rocky was pretending he had
diamonds, but they were just ice cubes. He took
four ice cubes from the kitchen and put them in his
little black bag. They may have started out big, but
soon they started to melt. In the end, he w as left
with a bag of water.
Narrator 1 . . . . . And with that, Carla closed her notebook.
Narrator 2 . . . . . She had solved the case of the disappearing
diamonds. She was feeling good. It was time for
a nice tall glass of lemonade—hold the diamonds.
The End
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TEACHER’S GUIDE
The Case of
Disappearing Diathe
monds
BACKGROUND
ACTIVITY Mystery Day
Books
by Jane Manne
rs
116
Take a day to celebrate the mystery genre and your class’ s favorite
mystery books. Here are just some fun things you can do:
● Invite children to come dressed as their f avorite
fictional detective.
● Make a graph of the class’s favorite mystery books.
● Set up a mystery board game, such as Clue Jr .
● Play a mystery game. Cut out a small square of paper for each
student in the class. On each piece, write the name of a f amous
person, literary character, cartoon character—the topic is up to
you. Tape one paper to each student’s back. Challenge students
to find out who they are by asking yes or no questions to the
other students in the class until the y guess correctly.
BOOK LINKS
Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery
by Deborah and James Howe (Aladdin, 1996)
Jigsaw Jones #1: The Case of Hermie the Missing Hamster
by James Preller (Scholastic, 1998)
INTERNET LINK
MysteryNet’s Kids’ Mysteries
http://www
.TheCase.com/kids
Your students can solve mini-mysteries and enter a mysterywriting contest.
Scholastic Profes
sional
In grades 2–4, students are just being introduced to the mystery
genre. Fictional detectives such as Cam Jansen and Enc yclopedia
Brown will capture their imagination. This play can serve as a
fun introduction or supplement to a mystery theme.
Before reading the play, encourage students to follow along
and try to solve the mystery with Carla. When the narrator asks
the students to make a guess, pause and allow students to guess
out loud. When you are finished reading the play, review the
steps that Carla took that allowed her to solve the mystery:
1. She knew that Rocky’s diamonds were pretend.
2. She interviewed people to find out more information.
3. She wrote down her thoughts in a notebook.
4. She put together the clues.
20 Terrific Mini
-Plays That Build
Reading Skill
s
WRITING
PROMPT
Every good mystery
story has a good
detective in it.
Imagine that you
are a mystery
writer. What kind
of detective would
you create? What
qualities would
your character have
to make him or her
a good detective?
Write a paragraph
describing your
detective.
DISCUSSION
QUESTION
A mystery is one
kind of book. What
other kinds of
books can you think
of? Which kinds of
books do you like
to read? Action?
Fantasy? Humor?
Nonfiction? Why?
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John Henry:
An American Tall Tale
by Rebecca Gómez
Characters
Narrator
John Henry
John Henry’s Mother
John Henry’s Father
Worker 1
Worker 2
Railroad Foreman
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Act 1
Narrator . . . . . . . . John Henry was born on a hot summer’s day.
When he’d been cleaned up and wrapped in a
cloth, his father brought him out to the porch.
Father . . . . . . . . . World, I present my newborn son, John Henry.
Narrator . . . . . . . . He was a cute little baby, for a few minutes. Then
he started to grow and grow and grow!
Father . . . . . . . . . Mother, take a look at this. Our baby is becoming
a boy!
Mother . . . . . . . . . Land sakes! He’s busting through the porch roof!
John Henry . . . . . . Hello, Mama. Hello, Daddy!
Mother . . . . . . . . . John Henry! What are you doing?
John Henry . . . . . . Oops! Sorry, mama. I didn’t mean to break the
roof!
Father . . . . . . . . . John Henry, now you come inside and rest a bit.
Tomorrow is another day.
Narrator . . . . . . . . So John Henry went to sleep. But all the while, he
kept growing bigger and stronger. In the morning,
his parents couldn’t believe their eyes.
Mother . . . . . . . . . Father, will you look at our bo y? He’s as big as
two grown men, stacked one on top of the other!
Father . . . . . . . . . That he is, Mother.
John Henry . . . . . . Daddy, I’d like to get a bit of e xercise. Do you
have any land that needs clearing?
Father . . . . . . . . . As a matter of fact, I do, son. I’ve been wanting
to hire a team to clear four acres of f ield. I could
then plant a whole bunch of corn back there.
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John Henry . . . . . . Why, Daddy, you don’t need to hire a team of
men. You’ve got me!
Narrator . . . . . . . . John Henry picked up his father’s ax and headed
out. For the next two hours, his parents heard
nothing but the ringing of his ax and the crash of
falling trees. Then John Henry, wiping his face
with his bandana, came back to the house.
John Henry . . . . . . Okay, Daddy, you’re all set to plant that corn no w.
Mother . . . . . . . . . My goodness, John Henry, you’re too much! You
come on inside and get yourself some lunch no w.
Narrator . . . . . . . . The only problem was, John Henry had grown so
big that he didn’t fit into his parents’ snug little
house anymore. So his Daddy opened up his big
barn doors, and John Henry b unked down in the
hayloft. People from miles around came to see
John Henry, and he performed any feat they asked
of him. His parents were a wfully proud of their
sweet and humble, but very, very strong boy.
Act 2
John Henry . . . . . . Mama and Daddy, I’ve been very happy here with
you, but I think it’s time for me to mak e my own
way in the world.
Mother . . . . . . . . . You’re probably right, John Henry. We don’t want
to see you go, but our town is just too small for
you. It’s a great big world out there, and you
should go explore.
Father . . . . . . . . . Just remember the things we’ve taught you, John
Henry. Always do an honest day’s work, and
remember to treat others the w ay you’d like to be
treated. You may take my two sledgehammers
with you, for whatever work you may find.
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John Henry
Narrator
. . . . . Yes, sir. Yes, ma’am. Thank you. I’ll be back this
way to check in on you v ery soon!
. . . . . . . And so, John Henry set off on his adventure. His
first day, he came across a w ork crew trying to build
a road. They were stopped because there w as a huge
boulder blocking their way.
Worker 1 . . . . . . . We’ve tried to dynamite that boulder, but nothing
makes it budge!
John Henry . . . . . . Well, I think I can help you.
Worker 2 . . . . . . . What are you going to do that we ha ven’t already
tried? Besides, you’re just one man.
John Henry . . . . . . If you give me a chance, I’ll show you.
Worker 1 . . . . . . . Suit yourself, then.
Narrator . . . . . . . . John Henry gave it a try. He swung his sledgehammers so fast that they looked like a blur. He
kicked up so much dust and dirt that soon the
workers couldn’t even see him. When the ringing
of his sledgehammers stopped, it took an hour just
for the dust to settle.
Worker 1 . . . . . . . Look at that! John Henry got rid of that boulder!
Worker 2 . . . . . . . Not only did he get rid of the boulder; he f inished
paving the road for us!
Narrator . . . . . . . . It was true, the boulder was gone. In its place w as
a neatly paved section of road. At the end of the
road, John Henry stood wiping his forehead with
his bandana and waving at the workers.
Both Workers . . . . Good-bye, John Henry! Thank you.
Narrator . . . . . . . . After walking for a few days, John Henry came
across a railroad crew. They’d been laying down
track, but they’d come to a mountain so tall and
so wide that they couldn’t build tracks over it or
around it.
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John Henry
. . . . . What seems to be the problem here?
Railroad Foreman . . We need to drill through this mountain.
John Henry
. . . . . What are you waiting for?
Railroad Foreman . . This rock is too hard for men to cut through
with pickaxes. We have a steam drill, but
the steam-drill operator won’t be here until
tomorrow morning.
Narrator
. . . . . . . Now this sounded like an interesting challenge
to John Henry.
John Henry
. . . . . How about if I were to w ork on the tunnel?
Railroad Foreman . . What do you mean?
John Henry
. . . . . I think I could cut through that rock with my
sledgehammers.
Railroad Foreman . . You’re crazy.
John Henry
. . . . . No, sir. I really think I could help you.
Railroad Foreman . . How about a contest, then? We’ll begin tomorrow
at daybreak. You will start on one side of the
mountain, with your sledgehammers, and the
steam drill will start on the other. Whoever makes
it more than halfway through the mountain will
win. If you win, I’ll pay you a month’s wages.
If you lose, you’ll work for me for one month
for no wages.
John Henry . . . . . . I’ll do it! No steam drill’s going to beat
John Henry.
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Act 3
Narrator
. . . . . . . And so the next day, as the sun was just beginning
to peek over the mountain, the contest be gan. John
Henry tore into the rock with his sledgehammers.
Soon the air was clouded with dust and dirt and
bits of rock. On the other side, the steam-drill
operator started his machine.
John Henry
. . . . . An honest day’s work is what my parents taught
me to do. I’ll work here until the sun sets, and
we’ll see who wins this contest.
Railroad Foreman . . No man can beat the speed of a steam drill. That
John Henry is crazy!
Narrator
. . . . . . . Throughout the day, John Henry dug and the
steam drill drilled. Neither stopped for a break.
Just as the sun was setting, John Henry broke
through the other side of the mountain.
Railroad Foreman . . How can this be? Let’s measure how far each man
has gone.
Narrator
. . . . . . . When the measurements came back, everyone was
astounded. John Henry had tunneled for one and
three-quarter miles, while the steam-drill operator
had only managed to clear one-quarter of a mile!
John Henry
Narrator
. . . . . I guess my work here is done.
. . . . . . . With that, John Henry fell to the ground. He’ d
worked so hard and so long that his mighty heart
had given out. He was given a grand funeral. No
mightier man had ever lived, and no parents were
ever prouder.
The End
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TEACHER’S GUIDE
John Henry:
An American Tall
BACKGROUND
ACTIVITY Tall Tale Skits
by Rebecca
Characters
Narrator
John Henr y
John Henr y’s
Books
Mother
John Henr y’s
Father
Worker 1
Worker 2
Railroad Fore
man
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The story of John Henry is just one e xample of an American tall tale.
Pecos Bill, Slue-Foot Sue, Johnny Appleseed, Mike Fink, and Sal Fink
are all popular tall-tale characters with stories of their o wn.
If you read the John Henry play as part of a tall-tales unit, your
students may already be familiar with these characters. Why not have
them try writing skits about these characters as well?
Suggest these guidelines for skit writing:
● Decide who the characters in your skit will be.
● Decide if you will use a narrator to help the story along.
● Choose one event from the tall-tale character’s life for your skit.
Keep it simple. When skits are finished, make photocopies so that
the skits can be used for read-aloud acti vities. Divide the class into
small groups and have students choose parts and tak e turns reading
each other’s skits aloud.
BOOK LINKS
America’s First Railroads
by Tim McNeese (Macmillan, 1993)
Tale
Gómez
20 Terrific Mini
-Plays That Build
Reading Skill
s
Scholastic Profes
sional
Most scholars agree that the tall tale of John Henry is based on
the life of a real man. Born as a sla ve in the 1840s or 1850s, John
Henry was a strong, tall man (although not the giant that the
legend makes him out to be). He later went to w ork for the
Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, and it is belie ved that his story
may have been based on an actual contest with a steam drill.
Railroad workers made John Henry a legend, and his tale soon
became a popular ballad all over the United States:
When John Henry was a little baby,
Sitting on his papa’s knee,
Well, he picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel, said,
‘Hammer’s gonna be the death of me , Lord, Lord.
Hammer’s gonna be the death of me .’
WRITING
PROMPT
What amazing
things did John
Henry accomplish
in the play?
Write a paragraph
summarizing his
larger-than-life
achievements.
DISCUSSION
QUESTION
Accepting the
challenge against
the steam drill was
risky, and John
Henry ultimately
lost his life. Why
do you think John
Henry agreed to
the contest?
John Henry
by Julius Lester (Dial, 1994)
INTERNET LINK
Writing With Writers: Alma Flor Ada
http://teacher
.scholastic.com/write
wit/f
olk/bio
.htm
Learn how to write a folktale in this online w orkshop.
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