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Ancient China Guided Reading Play Scripts

Ancient China Guided Reading Play Scripts. 5 Ancient China Guided Reading Play Scripts (Readers Theater)  plus 5 quizzes. This is a set of 5 ‘mini plays’, covering five different aspects of Ancient China.  Each has 6 speakers, and at the end of each is a quiz. These mini plays can be used for guided reading or as mini performance pieces – the quizzes acting as a useful tool for retaining the attention of the ‘non speakers’ i.e. rest of the class. Either way, these group readers offer a comprehensive coverage of the subject – via role play – in a fun but effective way.

The five scripts are:

1. 3000-200 B.C. The beginnings of a great civilization
2. Confucius
3. First Emperor – hero or tyrant?
4. Life in Ancient China
5. Chinese Myth – The Monkey who would be king.

Ancient China Guided Reading Play Scripts. sample texts

•1.     3000-200B.C. The beginnings of a great civilization

Speakers:

Narrator (Rat)   Cai Lun

Ox                   Warrior

Farmer             Silk worker

Ox:              And just think if that princess, Xi Liu Shi, hadn’t been sitting under that mulberry tree that day in 2640 BC!

Warrior:        Another legend! You really shouldn’t take such things too seriously

Farmer:         But it does make a good story!

Warrior:        To have a silk cocoon fall into her cup of tea!

Silk worker:    But then to see it open, showing a beautiful thread of silk!

Rat:              I bet she couldn’t believe her eyes!

Warrior:        (Muttering) Any more than we are to believe the story!

Silk worker:    But that’s just how silk happens!

Ox:               What? From cups of tea?

•2.     Confucius

Speakers:

Narrator (Rat)                               Rabbit

Confucius                                     Parent

Tiger                                           Child

Confucian Chant

Child:

I love my parents

I do what is right

I respect and obey

And don’t put up a fight.

Parent:

I love and I care

As a good parent should

There’s only one condition …

That they always be good!

Confucius:

Family comes first

On that we agree

But I’ve loads more advice …

You’ll learn loads, you’ll see!

Child:

Oh joy! Well, let’s have it

I can’t wait to hear …

If that means total obedience

The answer’s “No fear!”

Parent:

You mind that you listen

And respect this great man

If it makes my life easier

Then I’m his Number One Fan!

•3.     First Emperor – hero or tyrant?

Speakers:

Narrator (Rat)                                 Snake

Qin Shi Huang (Qin for short)           Horse

Peasant                                         Sheep

Sheep:           (Sarcastically) A real charmer! No wonder he made himself so unpopular.

Qin:                Again, a small price to pay!

Horse:            Especially as you’d convinced yourself you’d be ‘divine’ ruler!

Peasant:        Thank goodness that didn’t happen! One lifetime was bad enough – more than long enough for the rest of us, suffering at   his hands.

Rat:               Yeah, and not quite the fairy tale ending for him either! Alone, insane, and hated!

Horse:            Now there‘s a surprise!

Snake:           How on earth did you get such a reputation?

Qin:                (Muttering) Hmm. Sadly it was only on earth! Those incompetent alchemists – all promising me eternal life. So much for the life-giving qualities of mercury!

Horse:            I’m guessing – popping those ‘super pills’ wasn’t such a great idea then?

4. Life in Ancient China

Speakers:

Narrator (Rat)   Dragon                      Monkey

Rooster           Dog                            Pig

Monkey:       And what an exciting time and place it was! All those inventions!

Rat:             So, come on! Tell us about them!

Monkey:       Wow! So much choice! Where do I start?

Pig:             Allow me! Now, they say the heart is the seat of intelligence, but the stomach is where it’s at as far as power goes. So, let’s talk about ice cream and noodles! Both invented in Ancient China!

Rooster:        Ice cream? Are you serious?

Pig:               Indeed! Never more so! Around 200 BC a nice little bundle of milk and rice, surrounded by snow, was discovered to be …. Mmmm …. Rather tasty!

Rat:                 (Tutting) And I suppose there was a McDonalds just round the corner which said, “Here! We’ll sell it for you!”

Dog:               No less unlikely than the way in which tea was supposedly discovered!

Rat:                And how was that? Oh, don’t tell me, it just appeared out of thin air?

Dog:               Well, something like that! According to legend ..

5   The Monkey Who Would Be King – Chinese Myth

Speakers:

Sun Hou-tzu (monkey)           Goddess (heaven)

Magician                               Laozi (wizard)

Devil (hell)                            Buddha

Sun Hou-tzu:           Immortality! Ah yes, that sure presented you lot with problems – when you were trying to do away with me, that is!

Magician:                Hmm! That and your magical powers! If I’d ever thought you’d put them to such bad use, I’d never have been so generous in giving them out!

Sun Hou-tzu:           Your mistake, old man!

Goddess:                What insolence! If I’d been his mum, I’d have scrambled him at birth!

Sun Hou-tzu:           But you weren’t! Though it did feel a little as if I’d been hard-boiled, when I first emerged from that stone egg!

Devil:                      A real egg-head!

Laozi:                     So that’s where he got his eg_o from!