Lusitania Neutrality Debate – Readers Theater Script (Grades 11-12)

Can a nation stay neutral when its citizens are torpedoed at sea? This World War I Readers Theater script thrusts your high-schoolers into 1914-15 as they voice President Woodrow Wilson, survivor Charles Lauriat and German U-boat commanders, exploring isolationism, maritime rights and the road to war—all while boosting reading fluency and primary-source analysis.

Focus: Students confront America’s 1914–1915 neutrality dilemma through dramatic dialogue and primary-source evidence.

Summary:
From Wilson’s Neutrality Proclamation to the Lusitania’s final minutes, this 9-page script lets learners debate isolationism, U-boat warfare and public outrage. Vivid roles and survivor accounts turn a textbook footnote into an edge-of-seat narrative.

Script Summary:

• Wilson urges neutrality amid U-boat fears.
• Passengers weigh German warnings and board the Lusitania.
• Berlin orders unrestricted attacks; a torpedo strikes.
• Chaos at sea and heroic rescues near Queenstown.
• Diplomatic notes, press propaganda and Bryan’s resignation signal neutrality’s collapse.

What’s Included:

(a single PDF with links to Google Docs/Slides, if print format is preferred you can download from your Google Drive to word/pdf/ppt/etc)

• Readers Theater script (9 pages, 10 scenes, 15 characters, editable Google Doc/PDF)
• Teacher Guide (10 pages) with scene summaries, primary-source context, CCSS alignment, discussion questions
• Student Worksheet deck (25 Google Slides) covering vocabulary, short-answer, analysis & extension tasks
• 20-question self-grading Google Forms quiz

Skills Addressed:

• Close reading of Wilson’s Proclamation & Lauriat’s account
• Fluency through expressive role-play
• Evaluating neutrality vs. intervention arguments
• SAT-level vocabulary: contraband, sovereignty, belligerent

The worksheet deepens learning with:

• 10 text-based comprehension questions
• 5 higher-order analysis prompts on neutrality & maritime law
• 5 optional research extensions questions (use of primary source links)