Zimmermann Telegram & Espionage Plot – Readers Theater Script (Grades 11-12)

Students decode Germany’s secret offer to Mexico and debate the end of U.S. neutrality.

Focus: Students decode Germany’s secret offer to Mexico and debate the end of U.S. neutrality.

Summary:
British cryptographers, leaking newspapers and Zimmermann’s admission drive this 9‑page script that dramatizes espionage and public outrage.

Script Summary:

• Zimmermann drafts Mexico alliance proposal.
• British Room 40 cracks the code.
• Wilson weighs submarine warfare & severing ties.
• Telegram hits U.S. front pages; outrage grows.
• Zimmermann confirms plot, pushing America toward war.

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, 14‑15 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 telegram facsimile
• Expressive reading of diplomatic cables
• Debating neutrality versus intervention
• SAT vocab: espionage, sovereignty

The worksheet deepens learning with:

• 10 text‑based comprehension questions
• 5 higher‑order analysis prompts
• 5 optional research extension questions (use of primary‑source links)