<p>Included in the Hey You Down There Reader’s Theatre Unit:</p> <p>11 page script.</p> <p>3 characters + the narrator.</p> <p>9 multiple choice questions.</p> <p>4 short answer questions about the themes of Hey You Down There.</p> <p>14 short answer questions (these questions can also be incorporated into class discussions about the story).</p> <p>1 page about the three different types of irony in literature.</p> <p>3 evaluation pages containing a marking/grading page for the students and student success criteria to consider before and after reading.</p> <p>Hey You Down There synopsis:</p> <p>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.</p> <p>Reader Discretion:</p> <p>-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.</p> <p>-Some chickens are run over by a car but it is not graphic.</p> <p>-Calvin kicks their pet cat as he exits their home.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>-The leader of the hole inhabitants calls the couple “stupid” in one of its notes.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>I hope you and your students have fun reading Hey You Down There.</p> <p>Excelsior!<br /> Mr. Marvel: The King of Reader’s Theatre</p>

<p>Included in the A Christmas Carol Reader’s Theater Unit:</p> <p>42 page script of a Christmas classic.</p> <p>5 chapters / staves, just like the original story.</p> <p>28 characters + the Narrator.</p> <p>1 page biography of Charles Dickens.</p> <p>14 multiple choice questions with answers.</p> <p>31 short answer / discussion questions.</p> <p>A Christmas Carol Synopsis:</p> <p>One cold Christmas Eve, old miser Ebenezer Scrooge is unkind to the people who work for him, then refuses to give to charity, and then is rude to his nephew when he invites him to spend Christmas with him. When Scrooge gets home, he is visited by the ghost of his old business partner Jacob Marley – and then by three spirits. They are the spirits of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Future.</p> <p>The spirit of Christmas Past takes Scrooge on a journey through Christmases from his past, taking Scrooge to see himself as an unhappy child and a young man more in love with money than his fiancée. The spirit of Christmas Present shows Scrooge his clerk, Bob Cratchit’s family. At Bob Cratchit’s house Scrooge sees Tiny Tim, who is very ill, but full of spirit. The spirit then takes him to see his nephew Fred’s Christmas celebrations - which he had been invited to, but rebuffed. Finally, The spirit of Christmas Future terrifies Scrooge by showing him visions of his own death…</p> <p>The spirits’ journey through time teaches Scrooge the error of his ways. When he wakes up on Christmas Day he is full of excitement, and buys the biggest turkey in the shop for the Cratchit family before spending the day with his nephew, full of the joys of Christmas for years to come.</p> <p>I hope your class has fun reading this classic Christmas tale of redemption.</p> <p>It is never too late to change one’s attitude or habits.</p> <p>Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Heri za Kwanzaa!</p> <p>Exelsior!</p> <p>Mr. Marvel: The King of Reader’s Theater</p>

<p><strong>Included in the Nutcracker and the Mouse King Reader’s Theater Unit:</strong></p> <p>65 page script of E. T. A. Hoffmann’s Christmas story.</p> <p>Divided among 14 chapters</p> <p>Chapter One: Christmas Eve = 4 characters + The Narrator</p> <p>Chapter Two: The Presents = 4 characters + The Narrator</p> <p>Chapter Three: The Favorite = 4 characters + The Narrator</p> <p>Chapter Four: Marvels = 8 characters + The Narrator</p> <p>Chapter Five: The Battle = 4 characters + The Narrator</p> <p>Chapter Six: Laid Up = 6 characters + The Narrator</p> <p>Chapter Seven: The Story of the Hard Nut = 7 characters + The Narrator</p> <p>Chapter Eight: = 3 characters + The Narrator</p> <p>Chapter Nine = 9 characters + The Narrator</p> <p>Chapter Ten: Uncle and Nephew = 6 characters + The Narrator</p> <p>Chapter Eleven: The Victory = 7 characters + The Narrator</p> <p>Chapter Twelve: The Puppet Kingdom = 2 characters + The Narrator</p> <p>Chapter Thirteen: The Capital of Toyland = 3 characters + The Narrator</p> <p>Chapter Fourteen: The Conclusion = 4 characters + The Narrator</p> <p>75 speaking roles for your class that feature such characters as: Lady Mouseykins, Princess Pirlipat, the Mouse King, Mr. Burgermaster, Godfather Drosselmeier, Mary, Fred, and the Nutcracker.</p> <p>The Nutcracker and the Mouse King synopsis:</p> <p>Written by E. T. A. Hoffmann in 1816, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King is about a young girl named Marie Stahlbaum. One evening, she finds that her favorite Christmas toy, the Nutcracker, has come to life to battle an army of rats, that live under her family’s floorboards. After defeating the evil Mouse King in battle, the Nutcracker whisks Mary away to a magical kingdom populated by dolls.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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 for entertainment.</p> <p>I hope your class has fun reading The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.</p> <p>Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Heri za Kwanzaa!</p> <p>Excelsior!</p> <p>Mr. Marvel: The King of Reader’s Theater</p>

<p><strong>Included in the Pickman’s Model Reader’s Theatre Unit:</strong></p> <p>3 adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft’s classic story of an artist’s hideous muse.</p> <p><strong>The first adaptation contains:</strong></p> <p>17 pages.</p> <p>3 characters + The Narrator.</p> <p>An art journalist named Thurber finally tracks down the reclusive artist named Richard Pickman. Richard is reluctant to provide Thurber with an interview, but after Thurber begins snooping around, Pickman is obliged to tell Thurber more than he needs to know. Thurber finds it odd that he is not allowed to exit his room during the night. That is when he hears something tapping on the windows and lumbering through the hallway. Thurber begins to doubt his logical reasonings as he tries to debunk Pickman’s explanations. Will Thurber get too close to his subject and live to regret it? Is there really something spooky lurking in the underground chambers of Pickman’s home?</p> <p><strong>The second adaptation closely follows the original text by H.P. Lovecraft and contains:</strong></p> <p>15 pages.</p> <p>3 characters + The Narrator.</p> <p>*Thurber has lots of dialogue and mostly acts as the narrator.</p> <p><strong>The third adaptation contains:</strong></p> <p>11 pages.</p> <p>3 characters + The Narrator.</p> <p>2 post-chapter questions are included.</p> <p>1 brief art assignment is included.</p> <p>A total of 43 pages.</p> <p>A perfect tale for Halloween.</p> <p>A great cross-curricular language and art lesson.</p> <p>I included 3 adaptations since the original text has heavy narration from Thurber.</p> <p>I hope your class has a spooky good time reading Pickman’s Model.</p> <p>Excelsior!</p> <p>Mr. Marvel: The King of Reader’s Theatre.</p>

<p><strong>Included in the Rapunzel Reader’s Theatre Unit:</strong></p> <p>*3 versions of Rapunzel:</p> <p>The first version is based on the original text.</p> <p>13 pages.</p> <p>Features 5 characters in need of voices + the narrator.</p> <p>I included a picture of rampion and rampion salad within the story.</p> <p>The second version is a simplified re-telling for a general audience. It predominantly features has the narrator telling the story with each character only speaking a few lines each.</p> <p>6 pages.</p> <p>Features 5 characters in need of voices + the narrator.</p> <p>The third version is the original Grimm Brothers text which the first version was based on.</p> <p>4 pages.</p> <p>*13 Comprehension Questions such as: “How does Rapunzel get her name?”</p> <p>*9 Discussion Questions such as: “Do you think the husband made the right decision in making a deal with the Enchantress?”</p> <p>*1 Creative Writing task asking students to re-write the ending. I added this task since I have had some classes who were disappointed with the conclusion of Rapunzel. So I ask those classes (and subsequent classes) to re-write the ending of Rapunzel. Some students write endings with minor changes because they do not see a problem with the original ending, while others vastly change the ending.</p> <p>The contention started when a few students said the original text did not bring up Rapunzel’s twins again and they wondered why the prince never addressed them when he found Rapunzel again. It is a valid point, hence why this creative writing task was included.</p> <p>*1 Research Question about investigating a castle.</p> <p>*6 Elements of a Fairy Tale Questions such as: What fantasy or magical elements are featured in Rapunzel?</p> <p>These questions can be answered by the whole class (I have the questions in chart form on the whiteboard and the students discuss each answer as I write it their answers) or the students can answer the questions in groups or individually.</p> <p>These questions are intended for a wide range of grades. If you think some questions are too simple or too difficult for you class, then pick and choose the questions that are most appropriate for your students.</p> <p>Please read the preview dialogue.</p> <p>Rapunzel Synopsis:</p> <p>The story begins with a young man and his wife who desperately wish to be parents. Unfortunately, due to some poor choices, they need to give their first child to a witch/enchantress who will raise the child as her own. She names the child Rapunzel (because the husband was stealing rampion/rapunzel from the witch’s garden) and hides her away in a tower as she grows into a beautiful young woman. A prince hears the voice of Rapunzel and commits to finding her. He finds Rapunzel and then loses her when he discovers the witch has sent her away. Jumping from the tower, and landing in a thicket of thorny buses, the Prince must wander around blindly until he reunites with the woman he loves.</p> <p>I hope your class has fun reading and analyzing Rapunzel.</p> <p>Excelsior!</p> <p>Mr. Marvel: The King of Reader’s Theatre</p>

<p><strong>Included in the Lather and Nothing Else Reader’s Theater Unit:</strong></p> <p>8 pages of suspense.</p> <p>2 characters + The Narrator</p> <p>34 questions asking the reader to examine the context, perspective, foreshadowing, themes and conflict found in the story.</p> <p>1 page outlining the conflicts in the story and the barber’s characteristics (for teacher use)</p> <p>Thank you, Gail F for the story request. :)</p> <p>I hope your class enjoys reading the suspenseful story Lather and Nothing Else.</p> <p>Excelsior!</p> <p>Mr. Marvel: The King of Reader’s Theater.</p>