Old Norse Words in English | Reader’s Theater Script | Word Origins

This Word Origins Readers Theater Script explores Old Norse words that are used in English and where they came from. Students read an interactive narrative instead of reading a dry textbook or passively listen to a video or lecture. This activity will help develop listening and speaking skills as students practice expressive voice acting.

Script Summary:

This script explores how Old Norse has influenced modern English. It covers the Viking Age, discusses the origins of common words such as “window,” “anger,” “husband,” and examines whole-word borrowings like “berserk,” “ski,” “fjord,” and “saga.” The script explains how these words evolved from their original Old Norse forms and how they are used today in various contexts.

The resources consists of an editable DOCX file (12 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

• ~6 Characters, 1650 words

3) Script Worksheet

• 10 Vocabulary Words
• 10 Short-Answer Comprehension Questions: Comprehension and recall questions based solely on the script

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 ~20 minutes and depending on your classroom's level it may be suitable for other grade levels.
• An extra ~25 minutes for prep, discussion, vocabulary or short answer comprehension questions should also be planned.