Tu Quoque & Whataboutism Free Readers Theater Script for Grades 8–12 Fallacy Series

This Free You Too Fallacy (Tu Quoque) & Whataboutism Readers’ Theater script for grades 9–12 is part of a Logical Fallacy series meant to create mastery of each of the 15 fallacies in the series. In this script, a school council election turns messy as Jordan deflects fudged volunteer hours with “you too” jabs and Elena sidetracks budget critiques with cafeteria complaints. Through sharp dialogue and reenactments, like the 1588 Spanish Armada’s blame game, students uncover tu quoque—deflecting by pointing to others’ flaws—and whataboutism—raising unrelated issues to dodge criticism—while exploring themes of accountability, focus, and critical thinking.

Perfect for

• English Class focused on Argumentative Writing
• Reading fluency and comprehension
• Literary analysis (fallacies, themes, dialogue)
• Collaborative performance and critical discussion

(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)

What’s Included:

The Script (Google Doc, editable, ~14 pages)

• ~2,200 Words, 12 Scenes
• Casting breakdown with short description of character and number of lines read
• Student intro to fallacy

Teacher Guide (Google Doc, editable, ~16 pages)

• Lesson Planning Tips
• Main Ideas & Themes Discussion Prompts
• Answer Keys for Vocabulary, Short-Answer, Analysis & Application Questions
• Standards Alignment (CCRA)
• Casting Breakdown with Lexical Levels

Student Worksheet (Google Slides, editable, ~25 slides)

• Vocabulary: 10 terms (e.g., “deflect,” “sidetrack”) with script quotes.
• Short-Answer Questions (10): like “What accusation does Voter 1 make against Jordan?”
• Analysis Questions (5): Analysis like “How do fallacies escalate conflict?”
• Application Activities (5): Scenarios like “Create a campaign poster for Jordan.”
• Exit Quiz (Google Forms Self-Graded)

Script Summary

• Scene 1: Election Clash: Jordan deflects hour fudging with tu quoque.
• Scene 2: Hypocrisy Dodge: Jordan blames Noah, continuing tu quoque.
• Scene 3: Classroom Texting Spat: Mia uses tu quoque to dodge texting rules.
• Scene 4: Political Scandal Deflection: A 1980s Senator deflects with tu quoque.
• Scene 5: Whataboutism Sparks: Elena sidetracks budget talk with whataboutism.
• Scene 6: Historical Tu Quoque Lesson: The Armada shows tu quoque’s damage.
• Scene 7: Whataboutism in School Rules: Sophia deflects dress code with whataboutism.
• Scene 8: Social Media Sidetracks: X posts fuel whataboutism chaos.
• Scene 9: Policy Debate Derail: A 2010s healthcare debate faces whataboutism.
• Scene 10: Armada’s Whataboutism Woes: The Armada’s repairs are sidetracked.
• Scene 11: Campaign Reflection: The team vows to avoid both fallacies.
• Scene 12: Election Victory: The campaign wins praise for focus and honesty.