World War I & Aftermath – 10-Script Readers Theater Bundle (Grades 11-12)

Can your students navigate the fragile balance between war, peace and social change? This comprehensive Readers Theater bundle plunges grades 11-12 into every phase of World War I—from Sarajevo’s spark to Weimar’s hyperinflation—through ten scripted role-plays packed with primary-source quotations, CCSS alignment and ready-made assessments.

Focus: Students analyze nationalism, diplomacy, civil liberties and economic turmoil by embodying key figures and debating turning-point decisions.

Summary:
Each 9-page script features emotionally tagged dialogue, vivid settings and authentic sources (e.g., Wilson’s Fourteen Points, Hitler’s trial speech). Teacher guides, slide decks and self-grading quizzes make rigorous AP-level lessons truly plug-and-play.

Script Titles & Summaries:

• The Road to World War I – Alliances and Franz Ferdinand’s assassination ignite global conflict.
• Neutrality Debate & Lusitania – U-boats test Wilson’s resolve after the 1915 sinking. [FREE SNEAK PEEK DOWNLOAD]
• The Zimmermann Telegram – A decoded plot with Mexico pushes America toward war.
• U.S. Declares War (1917) – Wilson’s war message and Congress’s vote mobilize the nation.
• Cantigny & Meuse-Argonne Offensive – AEF victories secure the 1918 Allied breakthrough.
• The Harlem Hellfighters – The 369th Infantry’s valor challenges segregation at home.
• Women’s War Work & Suffrage – Factory floors to field hospitals drive the 19th Amendment.
• Treaty of Versailles & League Debate – Wilson’s idealism clashes with Senate isolationism.
• Red Scare & Palmer Raids – Fear-driven deportations test civil liberties, 1919-1920.
• Versailles Penalties to German Resentment – Reparations, hyperinflation and the Beer Hall Putsch shake Weimar democracy.

What’s Included:

• 10 Readers Theater scripts (editable Google Doc / PDF / DOCX)
• 10 Teacher Guides with scene summaries, primary-source context, CCSS alignments & discussion questions
• 10 Student Worksheet decks (Google Slides) – 10 vocab, 10 short-answer, 5 analysis, 5 research-extension tasks each
• 10 Self-grading Google Forms quizzes (20 multiple-choice questions each)

Skills Addressed:

• Analyzing primary sources from Wilson’s Fourteen Points to Hitler’s trial speech
• Reading fluency through expressive, AP-level dialogue
• Collaborative learning via role-plays and debates
• SAT-level vocabulary: reparations, neutrality, extremism
• Critical thinking on diplomacy, civil rights, military strategy & economics

The worksheet deepens learning with:

• 10 text-based comprehension questions
• 5 higher-order analysis prompts
• 5 optional research extension questions (primary-source links provided)

Standards Alignment

CCSS W.11-12.2 | SL.11-12.1 | SL.11-12.4 | L.11-12.4
CCRA.R.2 | CCRA.W.2 | CCRA.SL.1 | CCRA.L.4
RH.11-12.1 | RH.11-12.2 | RH.11-12.6 | RH.11-12.9