Calamity Jane Readers Theater Script | American Tall Tales

This Calamity Jane 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.

Script Summary:

Calamity Jane was a brave woman from the American West. Born as Mary Cannary in Missouri, she grew up with a love for adventure. She joined the military as a scout and became famous for helping soldiers and saving lives in battles. Over time, her many daring deeds grew into a legend full of both true events and exciting tall tales. Historians still wonder who the real Calamity Jane was. Her story teaches us about courage and adventure.

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

• ~10 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