Pandora's Box - Small Group Reader's Theater

This is a small group reader's theater for 4 students. It is a Greek legend about how trouble came into the world via Pandora's Box. In the script, Zeus is angry with Prometheus and Epimetheus because they gave man fire. He chains Prometheus to a rock and then makes a plan to punish Epimetheus as well. First he has Hephaestus make him a new daughter and names her Pandora. Then he introduces them to each other and suggests they marry. Epimetheus knows there must be a trap but falls in love. They marry and Zeus gives them a box and a key for a wedding present with strict instructions not to open it. Pandora’s curiosity grows and grows until she takes the key and opens the box. All the troubles in the world spring free but so does hope. Hope is what makes all the troubles more bearable. The writing prompt at the end asks students to identify the moral or lesson of the story.

I use reader's theaters to encourage my students to practice fluency. It is a fun way to do something that they need. My scripts are written in black and white with only the occasional color picture on the front so that they are easier and cheaper to photocopy. The problem with many other reader's theaters is that students spend a lot of time waiting for their part. When you have a small group they get more practice and you get less off task behaviors.

My name is Melanie Whitesides but my store name is Wonbyone and I hope that your students enjoy this script as much as mine did. If you like this script look for other Greek tales. I have a lot of ones by Aesop! Let me know how things go!

Pandora's Box - Small Group Reader's Theater by Melanie Whitesides is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.