Garfield's Scary Tales Volume 1 Reader's Theatre Scripts -Rubric & Questions

You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension: a dimension of words, a dimension of reading, a dimension of lasagna. You're moving into a realm of both laughs and spookiness, of monsters and pizza. You have just crossed over into... Garfield's Scary Tales.

Included in the Garfield's Scary Tales Volume 1 Reader's Theatre Unit:

4 spooky and funny reader's theatre stories

9 analytical questions

Student Reader's Theatre Evaluations based on 4 levels and 5 criteria.

Student Success Criteria

Student Friendly Goals

Reader's Theatre Checklist

Tale 1: Garfield and the Psycho Pizza Delivery Guy

4 characters + the narrator

7 pages

Jon invites cute kitten, Nermal, over for dinner. He orders a pizza and then has a bath upstairs. Garfield is not happy with his guest or having to share the incoming pizza with them, so he tries to scare Nermal and Odie away by telling them the tale of the Psycho Pizza Delivery Man. DING-DONG! It's the doorbell. Is it the...Psycho Pizza Delivery Man? Will Garfield's story come true? Will he have to share the pizza with Nermal and Odie?

Tale 2: Garfield and the Sewer Monster

2 characters + the narrator

6 pages

Jon buys a bag of doughnuts for his pets. Unfortunately, Garfield grabs the bag, and Odie chases after him. While running in the street, the bag of doughnuts falls into the sewer. Garfield looks down into the sewer grate and is sprayed with black goo. Next, Odie is grabbed by a large tentacle and pulled into the sewer. Will Garfield be able to rescue Odie from the strange creature lurking in the sewers?

Tale 3: Garfield and the Snow Monster

4 characters + the narrator

7 pages

Jon brings Odie and Garfield to a snowy resort high up in the mountains. Garfield is disappointed when he doesn't see a television in his room. For entertainment, Jon turns on the radio, and hears a breaking news report about a snow monster that was seen in the area. Garfield does not believe it. Jon asks Odie and Garfield to go out and get some firewood for the fireplace. Garfield and Odie go out and encounter a Yeti. To save themselves, from being eaten, Garfield tells the Yeti that if he wears a hat, then all of the female snow monsters will ask him out on dates. The Yeti agrees, but he wants Odie to stay behind as collateral while Garfield searches for a hat. Will Garfield be able to find a hat for the Yeti, before Odie becomes lunch?

Tale 4: Garfield's Haunted House

4 characters + the narrator

5 pages

Jon wants to win a prize from a publication for taking a picture of a real monster or ghost, so he brings Garfield and Odie into a haunted house. Garfield is skeptical of finding a real monster or ghost, while Odie and Jon are scared of every sound and shadow they encounter. Garfield decides to play a trick on Jon and Odie, but will the trick backfire on him?

Mr. Marvel's Musings:

-Possible idea: divide your class up into groups and have them practice one script. Then, have them come together and present their script to the class.

-These stories are mostly funny. The Psycho Pizza Delivery Guy story is more of a mild thriller since Garfield raises the tension by adding more back story to the myth of the Psycho Pizza Delivery Guy when he sees it affecting Nermal and Odie's nerves.

-If this unit is successful, then I will add more spooky tales from America's favorite cat.

Do not fear the reader's theater 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 for entertainment.

I use shorter stories with minimal characters in literature circles.

When can one make time for a reader's theatre story in class?

When I am not reading a reader's theatre unit with my class, I usually reserve Friday's for the reading of a one-off story. It is an event that the class looks forward to, since they do not know which story I will choose. Great for Librarians. I project the stories on the screen and assign characters in class. Some characters only have 1 line. A character like that is perfect for a reluctant reader.

I have read these stories remotely/online and in class/in-person.

I encourage teachers and instructors to allow students to practice their parts at home before they read in front of the class. They can try different voices and tones when they practice.

I hope you, and your students have a fun time reading Garfield's Scary Tales.

Happy Halloween and Excelsior!

Mr. Marvel: The King of Reader's Theatre