Annie Oakley Readers Theater Script | American Tall Tales

This Annie Oakley Readers Theater Script engages students in an interactive narrative instead of reading a dry history textbook and helps develop listening and speaking skills as students practice expressive voice acting. Students will explore the exaggerated aspects of a tall tale and learn about the heroic legend of the main character.

NOTE: Reader's Theater improves students' fluency, speed, accuracy, and expression. It is evidence-based, check it out a huge meta-analysis overview here.

Script Summary:

Annie Oakley, born Phoebe Ann Moses, grew up in humble beginnings in Ohio. Despite a difficult childhood, she taught herself to shoot and became a famous markswoman. She won a big shooting contest, married Frank Butler, and rose to fame with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Her life is a mix of true events and exciting tall tales that make her a legend in the American West.

The resources consists of an editable DOCX file (15 pages) which contains:

1) Teacher Tips & Answer Key

• CCSS Alignment
• Teacher Tips for use as both RT and Play/Skit
• Answer Keys for Worksheet
• Themes & Discussion Question Prompts

2) Readers Theater Script

• ~8 Characters, 1850 words

3) Script Worksheet

• 10 Vocabulary Words
• 10 Short-Answer Comprehension Questions: Comprehension and recall questions based solely on the script
• Character Traits: Covers the main characters, students provide direct quotes from the script that demonstrate each character's traits
• Story Plot Elements: Students identify which scenes demonstrate the Setting, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action and Conclusion

Teaching Tips for Using the Script:

• For digital classrooms, upload the DOCX Script and convert to Google docs
• For More Students: Main character can be read by multiple students.
• For Less Students: Minor characters can be read by just one student.
• This script should take about ~25 minutes and an extra ~25 minutes for prep, discussion, and the worksheet.
• Grade Level Note: This script targets grades 3 to 5 but depending on your classroom's reading level it may be suitable for grade levels 6~8 as well.