I told these kiddos that we're going to write a Simple Saturday Reader's Theatre Script today and just look at them. They've gone bonkers with excitement! And, that, my dear teacher friend, is just what your students will do when you present this lesson to them. (Well, we can hope, can't we?)
Let's get started, shall we?
Okay, my latest best read has been Barbara O'Connor's The Incredible Secret of Owen Jester. I read this book as a feature for ReaderKidZ, a new website featuring the best books ever for K-5 kids, and I have been stuck on it ever since!
Anyhow, I chose to adapt a short scene for you to demonstrate just how easy it is to write one of these puppies. Click here for the .pdf print out and follow along.
As you can see all you need to do is pick a short scene and:
- Create a list of characters
- Describe the setting
- Designate speech cues - or who is going to talk when
- Figure out what internal monologue the narrator will describe
- Give some direction for the character's dramatic action
But heck, you and I know that where there are kids...there is plenty of drama!!!
The main purpose for having the kids write one of these is to get their cute little noses back into the text - doing that literary analysis, comprehending, and just plain old having reading and writing fun!