Description

Ugly Duckling Guided Reading Script or Readers Theater for Group of six speakers

This is one of a collection of Hans Christian Andersen stories (also available: The Emperor’s New Clothes) and includes Teaching Input, Discussion and Suggestions for Further Activities – i.e. ample content for a lesson. It can equally be used as a literary or PSHE resource.

It could also be used as a small play, for performance, with a few ‘tweaks’ and the addition of the music suggestions below.

Music

• ‘There once was an ugly duckling’ song
• Swan Lake – Tchaikovsky
• You’re so Vain – Carly Simon

Cast of 6:

1. Narrator
2. The Ugly Duckling
3. Farmyard Turkey
4. Swan 1, 2 & 3

Duration:        Around 10 minutes reading time

Sample Text 1:

Ugly Duckling:             ‘Oh dear!’

Narrator:                     (Puzzled) Pardon?

Ugly Duckling:             ‘Oh dear!’ I mean, that was the first thing I heard when I emerged into this world.

Swan 1:                        Oh, you poor, dear sweetheart!

Farmyard Turkey:        (Mimicking Swan 1) Ah bless! You little darling!

Swan 2:                        (To Turkey) What is your problem? Did nobody ever show you any love?

Farmyard Turkey:        Well, now you come to mention it, no!

Swan 3:                        Oh dear! That would explain a lot!

Farmyard Turkey:        (Angrily) I beg your pardon? Heh, I’ve survived, haven’t I? And not, may I add, done so very badly for myself! Think farmyard status again!

Narrator:                     Oh, you and your farmyard status! I wonder how you’d have fared outside that yard, in the bigger world?

Farmyard Turkey:        (Anxiously) Ooh, you wouldn’t get me going beyond the farmyard gate!

Ugly Duckling:             And that’s exactly to and beyond where I was chased!

Narrator:                     But, hold on a minute. What about those other ducklings?

Swan 1:                        Yeah. Those first brothers and sisters of yours?

Swan 2:                        Didn’t they stand by you?

Swan 3:                        Didn’t they stick up for you?

Ugly Duckling:             You are joking? From the minute they saw me they made fun of me!

Sample Text 2 (Demonstrating PHSE link)

Narrator:                     That what is ugly and unattractive to one person, is totally beautiful to another!

Ugly Duckling:             A shame my brothers and sisters didn’t see that!

Narrator:                     Because you were different from them. And sometimes being different is quite scary to others. They feel threatened.

Ugly Duckling:             They feel threatened? They want to feel what it’s like to be on the receiving end!

Narrator:                     Which is why we should always treat others as we’d like to be treated ourselves.