The Unsigned Valentine Reader's Theatre Mystery -with Rubric

Included in the Unsigned Valentine Reader's Theatre Unit:

13 page script

9 characters + the narrator

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

Student Success Criteria

Student Friendly Goals

Teacher's Reader's Theatre Checklist

The Unsigned Valentine synopsis:

Susan has just received an envelope on Valentine's day from a secret admirer. Feeling curious about the sender, Susan and her brother, Mike, look around for clues, and suspects who will lead them to her secret admirer.

Will Susan be able to solve the mystery before Valentine's Day is over?

Find out in The Unsigned Valentine!

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.

Saving Paper

My administration team does not allow many paper copies from the photocopier, and we are subjected to a quota every month. I usually project the story onto a screen so everyone can see it. Paper is saved that way.

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 and small groups. I project the stories on the screen and assign characters in class. Some characters only have 1 line. A supporting 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. It is also good for family bonding time. The student's parent/guardian can play another role and they can read together.

I hope you, and your students have a fun time reading The Unsigned Valentine!

Happy Valentine's Day and Excelsior!

Mr. Marvel: The King of Reader's Theatre