Hey You Down There Script

Included in the Hey You Down There Reader’s Theatre Unit:

11 page script.

3 characters + the narrator.

9 multiple choice questions.

4 short answer questions about the themes of Hey You Down There.

14 short answer questions (these questions can also be incorporated into class discussions about the story).

1 page about the three different types of irony in literature.

3 evaluation pages containing a marking/grading page for the students and student success criteria to consider before and after reading.

Hey You Down There synopsis:

Published in 1972, Hey You Down There, is about a cruel farmer, named Calvin, and his long suffering wife, Dora, who discover some mysterious creatures living at the bottom of their well. The creatures give them gold for a flashlight and this gives Calvin a greedy idea. Meanwhile, the hole inhabitants have been sending notes up to the couple that Calvin refuses to read. Dora reads the notes and responds to them. She quickly finds out that the inhabitants of the hole are hungry. Will Dora be able to send food down the well without Calvin knowing? Will Calvin be able to find enough flashlights to become a very rich man? A mysterious short story with a twist ending.

Reader Discretion:

-Calvin is a cruel husband and human being. He tells Dora to “shut her mouth” while she is speaking to him and he threatens to beat her up if she ruins his get rich quick scheme with the inhabitants of the hole.

-Some chickens are run over by a car but it is not graphic.

-Calvin kicks their pet cat as he exits their home.

Calvin’s cruelty does not go unpunished and I have never encountered a student (young or mature) who has felt empathy for Calvin. He is written to be made an example of in the structure of this story.

-The leader of the hole inhabitants calls the couple “stupid” in one of its notes.

Do not fear the reader’s theatre format. Students love these adapted stories because they are listening to the story and they are a part of the story by playing a character within the story. Reader’s theatre inspires reluctant readers to join in the fun. The strongest and most advanced readers in your class will encourage other students to raise their hand and participate in the story. I also use reader’s theatre to add to my drama marks.

If the reader’s theatre format did not work for my students and I, then I would have stopped creating and adapting them years ago.

Reluctant readers sometimes feel anxious looking at pages of text, whereas a reader’s theater script is broken up into narration and different characters speaking, thus making the story more accessible to those students who have not discovered the incredibly fun activity of reading.

I hope you and your students have fun reading Hey You Down There.

Excelsior!
Mr. Marvel: The King of Reader’s Theatre