Describes what happened during the last days of the Civil War, as experienced by Willie Kettles, War Department telegraph operator, and includes a script and instructions for staging a theatrical performance of this adventure.

In March 1865, the Civil War between the North and South and had been going on for four years. The armies of the North were fighting their way to Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederate states. Many people thought that if the northern troops captured Richmond, the war would be over. Fifteen-year-old Willie Kettles worked as a telegraph operator in the War Department building in Washington. President Abraham Lincoln stopped by the telegraph office daily to get the latest reports from the battlefields. Would good news from Richmond ever arrive? Will Willie be ready to take the message? In the back of this book, you’ll find a script and instructions for putting on a reader’s theater performance of this adventure. Download additional copies of the script plus sound effects, background images, and more ideas that will help make your reader’s theater performance a success through Lerner eSource.

The story of the Wright brothers' first historic flight at Kitty Hawk, told through the eyes of a local boy, includes a script for readers' theater.

Building on the author's work in The Big Book of Teen Reading Lists, this book provides 101 new and revised reading lists created in consultation with teachers and public librarians—an invaluable resource for any educator who plans activities for children that involve using literature. Nancy J. Keane is the author of the award-winning website Booktalks—Quick and Simple (nancykeane.com/booktalks), as well as the creator of the open collaboration wiki ATN Book Lists. With her latest book, 101 Great, Ready-to-Use Book Lists for Teens, she provides another indispensable resource for librarians and teachers. The lists in this book are the result of careful consultation with teachers and public librarians, and from discussions on professional email lists. These indispensable lists can be utilized in many ways—for example, as handouts to teachers as suggested reading, to create book displays, or as display posters in the library. This collection will facilitate the creation of valuable reading lists to support the extended reading demands of today's teens.

Tells the story of the escape of Ellen Craft and her husband William from slavery in Macon Georgia to Philadelphia by rail and steamship while posing as a white man and his slave.

Gunfire rang out across the countryside as fifteen-year-old John Cook watched his unit struggle during the Battle of Antietam. Union troops were falling fast as they tried to push Confederate forces out of Maryland. With only a few soldiers left standing, John knew he had to do something. Follow John as he joins in, fighting against all odds to defend his unit during the bloodiest day of the Civil War.

Bullets whizzed overhead, narrowly missing twelve-year-old Johnny Clem. Although he had joined the Union army as a drummer boy, Johnny was prepared to protect himself and his fellow soldiers. Join Johnny on the battlefield as he fights to stay alive.

Late in the spring of 1787, fifty-five men gathered at the Pennsylvania State House. They came to write a new constitution for the United States. The leader of this Constitutional Convention was George Washington. The other men were delegates. The men knew it would be hard for them all to agree on what the constitution should say. But they also knew that a new constitution was important. The young country was in trouble. It had no main leader. Instead, a lawmaking body—the U.S. Congress—ran the country. But Congress didn’t have enough power. Some delegates thought the national government needed to be stronger. Others did not. Would they be able to cooperate and write a constitution together? In the back of the book, you’ll find a script and instructions for putting on a Reader’s Theater performance of this event. At our companion website—www.lerneresource.com—you can download additional copies of the script plus sound effects, background images, and more ideas that will help make your Reader’s Theater performance a success.

The story of the Salem witch trials includes a script for readers' theater.

In the summer of 1870, Thomas Leathers was captain of the Natchez. Captain Leathers believed it was the fastest steamboat on the Mississippi River. Captain Cannon of the Robert E. Lee offered to race the Natchez from New Orleans, Louisiana, to St. Louis, Missouri. Twelve-year-old Benjamin Brown, a passenger on the Natchez, wants very much to win the race. But from the moment the Robert E. Lee leaves New Orleans early, it’s clear that Captain Cannon is willing to do whatever it takes for his boat to finish first. Which boat will win? And will the outcome be fair? In the back of the book, you’ll find a script and instructions for putting on a Reader’s Theater performance of this adventure. At our companion website—www.lerneresource.com—you can download additional copies of the script plus sound effects, background images, and more ideas that will help make your Reader’s Theater performance a success.