2 Reader's Theaters for T is For Turkey: A True Thanksgiving Story (w/ posters)
- PDF
Description
This packet contains 2 reader's theater scripts adapted from the picture book, T is for Turkey: A True Thanksgiving Story written by Tanya Lee Stone and illustrated by Gerald Kelley. I find it to be educational and culturally sensitive, explaining true facts and debunking some myths.
The first script is the text (poem) from the book, which I edited only slightly. It is designed for grades Pre-K to 2nd. It features a small 4-line stanza for all 26 letters of the alphabet (A-Z) and a poster for each letter. Assign each student a letter (or 2 if needed) and have them hold up that letter poster and read the stanza for that letter. 4 letters include pictures, which they or another student can hold up. These letter posters and pictures are featured in the preview packet above:
- H = Sarah Hale
- L = Abraham Lincoln
- M = Massasoit
- P = Pilgrims
The second script is the text from the back of the book that explains more about the true story of Thanksgiving, giving the first script more context. It is designed for grades 3-6, but feel free to even perform both scripts as one performance for the older students. In case you combine them, I wrote 26 parts for both scripts, but you can add or reduce casting as needed by adding or combining roles. Use the same 4 pictures of Hale, Lincoln, Massasoit, and the Pilgrims for this script.
Both scripts contain a cast list of characters, which can be seen in the preview packet and thumbnails above.
Lastly, I included the following packet as a helpful guide to navigate discussing Thanksgiving with your class: “American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving”
from the Education Office of the National Museum of the American Indian.
