Description

Our Planet Guided Reading Play Scripts

Our Planet Guided Reading Play Scripts is a set of 6 guided reading play scripts plus quizzes  looks at man’s impact on the environment – in the context of five different habitats: a pond, the rainforest, the Poles, the Desert and the Ocean – and what we as the human race can do to undo the harm done.

Poison in the pond, fire in the forest, no anti-freeze in the Arctic, oil pollution in the oceans and deserts – is there no end to man’s destruction of his environment? Can the human race be trained to look after the planet Earth? And what do all the animals in these diverse habitats have to say about it all? Read on and find out!

Also available:  Our Planet School Assembly for Key Stage I (KS1) and the Planets

Sample Texts from Our Planet Guided Reading Play Scripts

Our Planet Guided Reading Play Scripts, Play 1. Life in a Pond
Speakers:

• Frog
• Great Diving Beetle
• Newt
• Snail
• Stickleback
• Dragonfly

Frog:                  Nasty vicious beasts of the pond!

Dragonfly:       But not as nasty as that toxic substance I see making its way, right now, towards our pond! It’s pure poison to the likes of us. Best run whilst you can!

Snail:                  What is he talking about? Poison indeed! Where on earth from?

Dragonfly:       From the fields, around us. Those fertilizers and insecticides might help the farmer’s crop, but they’ll be the end of us!

Newt:                 But why would he want to harm us? Doesn’t he care?

Stickleback:     Not enough, it would seem. All he cares about is doubling his crop and doubling his money.

Beetle:               What? Even if that means poisoning our home and us in it?

Dragonfly:       ‘Fraid so. Sometimes these humans just can’t see what harm they’re doing.

Our Planet Guided Reading Play Scripts, Play 2.  Life in a Rainforest

Speakers

• Narrator
• Jaguar
• Red-bellied Piranha
• Howler monkey
• Vampire Bat
• Macaw
• 3-Toed Sloth

(Enter 3-Toed Sloth)

Narrator:          Well, here’s someone definitely not in a hurry!

Monkey:          Would you two care to hang around for a bit?

Bat:                 Sounds good to me!

Macaw:           Certainly looks like he (pointing to sloth) could do with some beauty sleep!

Sloth:               (Speaking very slowly). We can’t all dash around in dazzling bright colours. I’m quite happy with my 18 hours sleep a day.

Jaguar:             (Yawning). He’s making me feel sleepy, just listening to him!

(Enter Red-Bellied Piranha, snapping at others’ heels)

Piranha:           Just as well I’m here, to keep you on your toes! No dozing off around me – not unless you want to see what your skeleton looks like!

Our Planet Guided Reading Play Scripts, Play 3. Life at the Poles

Speakers

• Narrator
• Walrus
• Polar Bear
• Blue Whale
• Penguin
• Albatross
• Seal

Polar Bear:      Like, who is the largest bear in the world?… Why, me of course!

Albatross:        And who has the largest wingspan of any bird in the world?…. Why, me of course!

Whale:             And who is the largest animal that has ever lived?… That’s me! Longer than a jumbo jet! And heavier than 30 elephants!

Albatross:        Well, I can glide for days at a time!

Whale:             And I can talk to other whales up to 50 miles away!

Albatross:        Well, I can live for over 80 years!

Whale:             And I …

Narrator:          (Interrupting). OK. OK. I think this has gone on long enough. I don’t mean to spoil your fun ..

Penguin:          No, that would be mean. After all, if he’s a blue whale, he needs all the cheering up he can get!

Our Planet Guided Reading Play Scripts, Play 4. Life in the Ocean

Speakers

• Manta Ray
• Dugong
• Box Jellyfish
• Great White Shark
• Giant Squid
• Turtle

Ray:                 I’m huge – up to 23 feet across.

Turtle   :           Hmm. Not much ‘depth’ to that one.

Jellyfish:          Some might say ‘as flat as a pancake’!

Squid:              Or cow pat!

Dugong:          Well, don’t look at me! Us dugongs might be called sea cows but that’s just because we graze on sea grass, growing on the ocean floor!

Jellyfish:          Ooh! (Shark glides past). Watch out! That great white shark is looking a bit hungry!

Shark:              What’s that? Afraid of me? You spineless creature!

Jellyfish:          I may not have any backbone, but watch out for my long tentacles. With their deadly sting, you really wouldn’t want to tangle with me!

Our Planet Guided Reading Play Scripts, Play 5. Life in the Desert

Speakers

• Scorpion
• Camel
• Kingsnake
• Meerkat
• Locust
• Tarantula

Camel:             King-showoff, if you ask me!

Kingsnake:      Pardon!

Camel:             Oops! Sorry! Slip of the tongue!

Kingsnake:      Careful! Otherwise you’ll be hissssssstory!

Camel:             And then how would those poor humans get around the desert?

Meerkat:          Yes, a useless lot! They wouldn’t survive any time in the desert! Not like us lot!

Scorpion:         Me with my wax coating!

Camel:             Me with my fat-filled hump or humps! To say nothing of my long eyelashes and closing nostrils – against the sand.

Meerkat:          And how long is it you can survive without water?

Camel:             Up to 8 weeks!

Our Planet Guided Reading Play Scripts, Play 6. Humans!

Speakers

• Narrator
• Worldwide Fund for Nature Campaigner
• Greenpeace Campaigner
• National Trust Campaigner
• Woodlands Trust Campaigner
• Adult
• Child

Narrator:          OK. So I’m not going to argue with you lot! But what can us humans do to save the planet? We’ve heard all about how we’re wrecking it! Surely it’s too late!

Child:              So! You’re just going to sit back and do nothing? What about future generations?

Adult:              He’s got a point. We all now know what’s going on. Shouldn’t we do something about it now?

Narrator:          Like what?

Greenpeace:    Well, we’re really good at putting pressure on governments to change their ways.

Child:              So should I just leave it to you guys? Nobody is going to listen to me!

Adult:              That’s where you’re wrong! Do you remember you telling me to turn off the lights?

Child:              And replace our light bulbs with long-life ones!

Adult:              And to turn off the taps!

Child:              And to take a shower instead of a bath!

WWF:             Sounds like you’re making a difference already!