Suggesting that reading plays aloud is an effective way to promote literacy and history in the grade 4-8 classroom, this book presents 22 short, readers' theater plays about extraordinary American men and women. The plays in the book are designed to enrich classroom learning by building oral literacy, fostering a knowledge of American heritage,…

Readers Theater is a presentation by two or more participants who read from scripts and interpret a literary work in such a way that the audience imaginatively sense characterization, setting, and action. Traditionally, the primary focus of readers theater is on an effective reading of the script, not on a dramatic presentation. The scripts in…

Intended for preadolescents, this novel can serve as an antidote to the well-documented sexism girls encounter as they struggle with questions of self-esteem. It tells the story of 11-year-old Lily, harassed by a boy at school, but with a distinct advantage in that her flute teacher is a time traveler. In the novel, Lily travels back 3,500 years…

This play, intended for middle school and high school students, uses the historical events of the Macartney mission to China from 1792-94 to illustrate the problems that can occur when different cultures interact. The play describes the first major encounter in which government officials representative of the European Enlightenment come face to…

This novel is one of only a very few available that deals with Indian-American children--a rapidly growing population, especially in urban areas like New York, Los Angeles (California), San Francisco (California), Chicago (Illinois), and Toronto (Canada). The novel tells the story of an opinionated 11-year-old girl who lives in Ohio, likes to…

Intended for adolescent readers, this award-winning book is the first in a time travel trilogy that blends ancient Sinagua and present-day Hopi Indian life with archaeology, social awareness, and adventure. The books relate the story of Walker Talayesva, a contemporary Hopi teenager who travels back in time 800 years to take his place as the…

Centering on women born before the Civil War, this book presents 10 short plays (for grades 4-8) about American women who contributed in significant ways to the United States. The plays in the book are designed to enrich existing curricula and may be used in conjunction with the social studies curriculum. Each short play is followed by a teaching…

Drama and role playing are effective ways for teachers, school counselors, and other individuals who work with young people to teach and discuss sensitive issues. The eight plays in this publication are designed to help middle school students develop critical-thinking, problem-solving, and logical decision-making skills. The eight scripts use a…