Frankenstein 1931 Reader's Theatre Script/Story -With Rubric & Questions
- PDF
Description
Doctor Frankenstein flung open the door and stepped into the cellar, then stopped immediately, stunned by the sight that greeted him.
Across the cellar hung the lifeless form of Fritz as he dangled from a chain. His limp body was swinging back and forth.
Doctor Henry Frankenstein
Fritz!
Doctor Frankenstein nearly fainted from shock.
Doctor Henry Frankenstein
The monster has killed Fritz!
A low, growling sound cut through the dark cellar. The monster stepped from the the shadows, free of its chains, one of which had formed Fritz’s makeshift noose.
Doctor Waldman
Look out!
Included in the Frankenstein 1931 Reader's Theatre Unit:
84 page script divided among 12 chapters.
Chapter 1: Night of the Grave Robbers
7 pages with 3 characters + the narrator
Chapter 2: Doctor Frankenstein's Dreadful Experiment
9 pages with 4 characters + the narrator
Chapter 3: Terror in the Tower
10 pages with 5 characters + the narrator
Chapter 4: It's Alive!
9 pages with 7 characters + the narrator
Chapter 5: The Monster Strikes!
10 pages with 5 characters + the narrator
Chapter 6: Within the Tower
4 pages with 3 characters + the narrator
Chapter 7: Elizabeth and Henry's Wedding
3 pages with 2 characters + the narrator
Chapter 8: Maria and the Monster
6 pages with 2 characters + the narrator
Chapter 9: The Wedding in the Villa
9 pages with 3 characters + the narrator
Chapter 10: The Angry Mob Hunts the Monster
4 pages with 5 characters + the narrator
Chapter 11: A Fatal Fire
10 pages with 4 characters + the narrator
Chapter 12: After the Monster
2 pages with 3 characters + the narrator
50 Analytical Questions
Student Evaluations based on 4 levels and 5 criteria.
Student Success Criteria
Student Friendly Goals
Reader's Theatre Checklist
Don't forget to download the Frankenstein 1931 Visual aid, to be displayed as the story is read.
Frankenstein 1931 synopsis:
Obsessed scientist Doctor Henry Frankenstein attempts to create life by assembling a creature from body parts of deceased bodies. Along with his loyal assistant, Fritz, Doctor Frankenstein succeeds in animating his monster, but it escapes into the countryside and begins to wreak havoc. Frankenstein searches for his experiment and later confronts his tormented creation in a windmill.
An adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel can be found in this link:
Do not fear the reader's theater format. Students love these adapted stories because they are listening to the story and they are a part of the story by playing a character within the story.
Reader's theatre inspires reluctant readers to join in the fun. The strongest and most advanced readers in your class will encourage other students to raise their hand and participate in the story. I also use reader's theatre to add to my drama marks.
If the reader's theatre format did not work for my students and I, then I would have stopped creating and adapting them years ago.
Reluctant readers sometimes feel anxious looking at pages of text, whereas a reader's theater script is broken up into narration and different characters speaking, thus making the story more accessible to those students who have not discovered the incredibly fun activity of reading for entertainment.
I use shorter stories and stories with minimal characters in literature circles.
When can one make time for a reader's theatre story in class?
When I am not reading a reader's theatre unit with my class, I usually reserve Friday's for the reading of a one-off story. It is an event that the class looks forward to, since they do not know which story I will choose. Great for Librarians. I project the stories on the screen and assign characters in class. Some characters only have 1 line. A character like that is perfect for a reluctant reader.
I have read these stories remotely/online and in class/in-person.
I hope you, and your students have a spooky good time reading Frankenstein 1931.
Happy Halloween and Excelsior!
Mr. Marvel: The King of Reader's Theatre
