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IV. Poetry and Plays - ACTIVITIES FOR ANY NOVEL
© 2006 Nancy Polette
Stretching Minds With Improvisation and Readers Theatre
© 2005 Nancy Polette 636-272-4242
1. Warm Up: Coming To the Party
Each person introduces herself as an inventor and tells what he/she is bringing to the party.
Example: My name is Eli Whitney and
I am bringing eggs and watermelon.
Same
idea can be used to introduce famous
women, scientists, American leaders etc.
2. Who Am I?
Players use a large trash bag as a prop and pantomime a famous person and an object
associated with that person. .
3. Rhythm Reading
Use Mother Goose rhymes or any other
four beat poems. Elaborate on the poem.
Primary
Herman found a big dead bug
Sister put it in the trash
But before the trash is burned
Herman wants his bug returned.
Upper Grades
See Jump Back Honey by Paul Lawrence Dunbar. Jump At the Sun, 2000.
4. Group Reading:
Share: You Read to Me and I'll Read to You by Mary Ann
Hoberman or Johnson, Paul.
Little Bunny Foo Foo Scholastic,2004
5. The Start and the Finish
Each team receives a strip of paper with a beginning, middle and
ending sentence.The teams have one minute to think of scene that will fit the
sentences. Each team tells its scene.
From: Goose by Molly Bang. Blue Sky, 1996
A. On a dark and stormy night an egg rolled out out its nest.
B. His new mama and papa taught him everything a youngster should know.
C. He flew and flew and flew all the way home.
6. Concert Reading:
Read aloud the actual scene from the
book with appropriate background music.
7. Moods: happy, sad, scary, quiet.
Good source: Movie sound tracks.
8. Two Word Story
Players tell tale two words at a time.
Begin with: There was once a princess called Princess Pruneface because
she never smiled.
9. Readers Theatre: Solve A Mystery
A good critical listening activity. Adapt any of the Flat Foot Fox series.
Example: Flat Foot Fox and the Case of the Missing Eye by Eth Clifford.
10. Tell It In A Circle
(Make 2 circles of 8)
A. Math facts: Count by 4s to 60. If an error happens, begin again. Use
any other facts Name 24 states, 18 countries, 18 presidents. If a name is
repeated the circle must begin again.
11. Excuses: Science Vocabulary
Choose 6-8 words and use in an excuse. Why did you miss school today?
| antibiotic | artery | blood type |
| biceps | nerves | disinfectant |
| cardiac | epidermis | metabolism |
| dendrites | lungs | cholesterol |
12. Debate:
Audience members write 3-5 word phrases on small
slips of paper.
Share Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss to the point where
lazy Mayzie returns and wants the egg. Two players take the parts of Horton and
Mayzie and debate about who is to get the egg. In turn, each player must use
three of the phrases submitted by the audience in the dialogue.
13.Trials
Primary:
See The Trial of Cardigan Jones by Tim Egan. Houghton Mifflin, 2004.
Adapt as a readers theatre script. Children become the jurors and decide if
Cardigan is guilty of stealing a pie and defend their verdict with evidence.
Intermediate:
Use the Goldilocks or Jack In the Beanstalk trials found in Walk
in Their Shoes by Nancy Polette. Pieces of Learning 2000.
14. ABC Event
Retell the life of a famous person, a historical event or a familiar tale in 26
sentences beginning with A and ending with C.
15.The Strippers!
A historical event or biography is summarized in story strips which are cut apart. A team of
eight puts the strips back in the correct order to tell the event or person's
life.
16. THE PIED PIPER
A Play to Write and Read adapted by Nancy Polette
Narrator:Long, long ago the town of Hamelin was overrun by rats. There were rats
in chairs and beds and closets.
Writer One: Tell all the places the rats might
be
Mayor: Before I could eat my breakfast, the rats had eaten every bite. Enough
is enough! We must get ridof these pesky rats.
Writer Two: Suggest to the mayor
ways of getting rid of the rats.
Narrator: The townsfolk discussed and debated
each idea but still could not decide what to do. Then a very strange fellow came
strolling right into the the town square, and into the middle of the debate.
Writer Three: Describe how this strange fellow was dressed. What was he
carrying? What was on his head?
Pied Piper: Worry no more! For one hundred gold
pieces I will get rid of the rats for you. Every single one. Guaranteed.
Mayor: One hundred gold pieces? Good sir we will give you twice that amount if you can
solve our rat problem. Why just today the schoolmaster told me.....
Writer Four: Tell what the schoolmaster said about how the rats interrupted the children's
studies.
Pied Piper: No sooner said than done. Stand back, everyone, get ready
for a river of rats.
Narrator: The Pied Piper played his pipes and the notes
were so swept that rats came from everywhere to follow him down the street as he
played. There were white rats and gray rats and....
Writer Five: Describe all the different rats.
Narrator: Right to the river the Piper led the rats. Following
his music, the rats jumped in and were swept away in the water. The Piper then
turned to the Mayor and the Town Council and said....
Pied Piper: My hundred gold pieces please.
Mayor: One hundred gold pieces for that few minutes of
piping? The Council agrees that ten gold pieces is more than enough.
Narrator: The Piper said nothing but turned and walked down the street playing his pipe
once more. This time the children of the town began to follow him. Straight toward
the mountains he led them while their parents called to them in vain.
Writer Six: Tell what the parents called out to get the children.
Mayor: Look! Look at the mountain!
Writer Seven: Tell what the mountain does to welcome the Piper and
the children.
Narrator: The parents tried to follow but....
Writer Eight: Tell what the mountain does to prevent the parents from following.
Narrator: Mothers and fathers cried. The Mayor and the Town Council cried. There were so many
tears that a new river formed. But the tears did not bring the children back.
Entire Cast: And that, dear childen is why you should always keep a promise.
17. Storyboard
| 1. Two boys on a mountain | 6. |
| 2. | 7. |
| 3. One boy wants to do something, the other does not | 8. It is stuck! |
| 4. | 9. |
| 5. | 10. It is open |
A bottle is found
There's a knock at the door
There are strange noises
Footsteps are heard
A bargain is made
The earth trembles
Someone carries something
The order is given
An invitation arrives
A bird appears
It is caught
The search begins
An animal escapes
18. Turning Jacket Blurbs Into Plays
The Righteous Revenge of Artemis Bonner by Walter Dean Myers.
HarperCollins, 1992
N1 = Narrator One; N2 = Narrator Two; A = Artemis; C =Catfish
(N1) In 1880 two important events took place. (N2)Catfish Grimes (C) shot dead Ugly Ned Bonner,
(N1)Uncle to Artemis Bonner and (A) Artemis headed west to avenge Uncle Ugly's death and find the gold mine
(N1) left to him in his UncleÕs will. (N2) Catfish Grimes (C) is determined not to be caught.
(N2) He would also like (C) to find the gold mine before Artemis does. (N1) But Artemis has the strength
(A) of TRUE DETERMINATION! (N1) He tracks Catfish (A) from Mexico to Alaska and back again.
(N1) Finally they meet in a shootout in front of the Bird Cage Saloon. (N2) Catfish yelled,
(C) "When I count three, go for your gun." (N2)No sooner had he shouted (C)ÒOneÓ,(N1)
than both Catfish and Artemis drew. (N1 & N2)
Read The Righteous Revenge of Artemis Bonner to discover the
exciting finish to this romp through the Old West.