Reader’s theater from the nation’s preeminent children’s playwright! When not available on TpT, find them on the ReadAloudPlays store at Etsy. Many were originally published in Scholastic’s Storyworks magazine. All of them include comprehension activities, teacher notes, and answer keys. For more detailed descriptions, visit ReadAloudPlays.com.
Civil Rights Plays
Claudette Colvin: The Girl Who Got Arrested — Pair with Philip Hoose’s book, Twice Toward Justice
Gonna Let it Shine: Selma to Montgomery March — Dr. King’s “littlest crusader” during the Selma March.
How Jackie Robinson Changed America — Jackie’s impact was greater than baseball
Martin’s Big Dream: The Childhood of MLK
In the Jailhouse with Dr. King–Poignant historical fiction from the Montgomery Bus Boycott
MLK’s Freedom March—A family overcomes their struggles to attend the 1963 March on Washington
The Library Card — from Richard Wright’s book, Black Boy. Pair with The Library Card by William Miller
Ruby Bridges: A Simple Act of Courage — Ruby’s touching story of school integration
Sitting Down for Dr. King: Historical fiction from the Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-ins
We Shall Overcome: The Birmingham Children’s Crusade
American History
President Lincoln’s Spies & Rebels — How Pinkerton agents saved President Lincoln
Box Brown’s Freedom Crate — The true story of Henry Brown’s escape from slavery
Fly Me to the Moon: The Apollo Moon Landing
Juneteenth: Freedom for the First Time
Girl. Fighter. Hero: the true story of Sybil Ludington, the “female Paul Revere”
Lewis & Clark and Bird Girl: Remembering Sacagawea
Ponce de Leon: The Fountain of Youth and the Founding of Florida
Stolen Childhoods: Lewis Hine’s Crusade to End Child Labor
The Legend of Betsy Ross: Fact or Fiction
The Secret Soldier: America’s First Female Soldier
Two Plays from the American Revolution: The history of the Liberty Bell and how the eagle became a national symbol
Newsies: The Newsboy Strike of 1898
The Newsies Musical — Not your Disney version, this “musified” version of our Newsies play is unique and a ton of fun
Two Plays from the War of 1812: The history of the White House and the writing of the Star Spangled Banner
As American as Apple Pie: The spirit of Independence Day
War Stories: The meaning of Veterans’ Day
Argument at Mount Rushmore: Presidential fun covering the history of Rushmore and great facts about its presidents
President’s Day Dream: The meaning of President’s Day and the challenges of the job
Classic Short Stories
A Piece of String — Maupassant’s cautionary tale about building a positive reputation by being truthful
Barbed Wire — Maupassant’s String reimagined in the Wild West with animal characters such as Pecos Pinguino, Sylvester Longhorn, and Festus Grunge
A Retrieved Reformation – The surprise ending to O.Henry’s story about a reformed 1930’s bank robber is classic
A Christmas Carol — Two kid-friendly versions of Dickens’ megahit, including one with a female lead
The Shoemaker & the Christmas Elves –– the classic fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm
Cyclops: The Monster in the Cave — The most recognizable ordeal from Homer’s Odyssey
Gabriel Grub – Another Christmas tale from Dickens, but this one’s full of Gothic goblins
Rikki Tikki Tavi – Kipling’s story about the heroic mongoose who saves a family from snakes
Sleepy Hollow — Irving’s Headless Horseman tale
The Birthmark –Hawthorne’s horror story about a scientist who kills his beloved in an attempt to make her perfect
The Gift of the Magi – O.Henry’s Christmas story about a poverty-stricken couple who sacrifice their most valued treasures to give gifts at Christmas
The Monkey’s Paw – Ooh…Jacobs’ masterpiece twists three wishes into a fiendish conclusion
The Necklace — Another cautionary tale from Maupassant, this one about contentment and beauty
The Open Window – Saki’s trickster tale about a teenager who spooks a visitor
The Tell-Tale Heart — Poe’s classic, artfully re-created for the classroom
The Nose – Gogol’s absurd story from Russia about a nose that goes missing and gads about town
How the Elephant Got its Trunk – Kipling’s “Elephant’s Child” tale updated and adapted for modern classrooms
A Ghost Story – Twain’s odd take on the Cardiff Giant hoax of the early 1900’s. A hoot!
The Mad Scientist’s Daughter—Our take on Hawthorne’s masterpiece, Rappaccini’s Daughter
Still Others!
Pip & the Prisoner—the first ten chapters from Great Expectations, adapted into a uniquely delightful play for grades 5 and up.
Peter Rabbit–Personal character is emphasized in Potter’s fun little classic. For grades 3-6.
Escape from the Blacking House—How Charles Dickens escapes poverty and despair to become one of the world’s great writers. For grades 5-8.
Penelope Ann Poe’s Amazing Cell Phone: A clever modernization of Tell-Tale Heart in which the old man is a phone, his heart a ringtone, and the floorboards the inside of our crazed narrator’s desk. For grades 4-8.
Nature Talks Back – Trees, Bees, and Centipedes are on display in this play about the environment. Perfect for Earth Day or Outdoor Ed! For grades 4-7.
The Cardiff Giant – the legendary hoax about a human giant found in a farmer’s field in upstate New York. For grades 4-8.
The Pied Piper of Hamelin—a slightly twisted adaptation of the Piper tale. Get your rat masks ready! For grades 4-8.
Winnie-the-Pooh—Five short adaptations of the first Pooh stories, designed to be presented by small groups to younger students. For grades 3-5.
King Edward & the Siege of Calais – a true story from the Middle Ages in which the nobelmen of Calais, France surrender themselves to save the city. For grades 5-8.
Goldi Locks and the Threebears — Two plays in one: Goldi locks as a home renovation designer, plus the traditional tale. For grades 4-7
Hans in Luck–A lesser known but equally engaging Brothers Grimm story. For grades 3-6
The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage — Mouse Drowns in Soup, Is Saved by Bird! A cringe-worthy yet hysterical romp through another Brothers Grimm tale for grades 4-8.
Toad’s WIld Ride — We’ve narrowed Wind in the WIllows down to its best, most humorous elements–a play full of pratfalls, subtle humor, and grand entrances! For grades 4-8.
The Princess & the Pea — A prince seeks a princess, but to make sure she’s legit, he and his overly-mothering mother, devise a test in which a single pea is hidden beneath a stack of mattresses. “Hogwash!” says our “modern” princess. Two versions! One for 4th – 6th graders, another for 2nd – 3rd (see below).
The Emperor’s New Clothes — A not so traditional telling of the Hans Christian Andersen cautionary tale about a fashionista emperor. Two versions! One for 4th – 6th graders, another for 2nd – 3rd (see below).
2-for-1 Folklore Readers Theater — Crafted and formatted specifically for young readers in 2nd and 3rd grade: The Princess and the Pea and The Emperor’s New Clothes. Designed to be enacted together.
Christmas in Many Lands — Adapted from the 1906 book “Little Folks’ Christmas Stories and Plays” by Ada M. Skinner, this innocent little story depicts children from various countries explaining how their Christmas traditions differ from one to another. For grades 3 – 6.
Mackowiecki Lewis 