Liberty Bell – ReadAloudPlays.com

Here are five classroom plays about the American Revolution. Each is politically-neutral, based on well-researched historical accounts, and vetted by professional editors at Scholastic. The first three (four if you count the Liberty Bell) feature strong females, making them perfect for Women’s History Month.

The Secret Soldier tells the story of Deborah Samson, the perseverant young woman who disguised herself as a man in order to enlist in the Continental Army. History remembers her as America’s “first woman soldier.”

Betsy Ross has a lot of doubters these days. This play exploring the creation of America’s first flag, encourages readers to approach history scientifically: to research the facts themselves before drawing conclusions.

Girl, Fighter, Hero tells the story of Sybil Ludington, the young woman often called “the female Paul Revere.” Sybil rode 40 miles on a stormy night to muster the militia during the American Revolution battle near Danbury.

Eagles Over the Battlefield introduces students to our national emblem, the American bald eagle. This work of historical fiction imagines how the Founding Fathers might have debated the symbol’s selection, especially given Ben Franklin’s tongue-in-cheek disdain for the eagle.

Finally, A Bell for the Statehouse , which comes as a 2 for 1 with Eagles, reveals how the Liberty Bell came to be a national symbol after being sheltered away with other “patriot leaders” in the basement of a church.

All five plays are dramatic, compelling, and fun for kids to present on stage or perform as reader’s theater.

Thank you, Rachel Scott, M. M., Aram Alexander Barboa-Reidy, Alejandra Alejandra Peña, Laura Franklin, Michelle Gribble, Daniel B. Bennett, William Samples, and Jennifer Theis for your recent 5-star reviews!

Happy directing!

How do you grade a play?

I read an article recently about the merits of “gradelessness” in the classroom. It suggested that the assigning of letter grades to children is neither healthy nor effective. The premise works like this: if “Rafael” works hard on a writing task and shows progress compared to previous work, yet still lacks certain skills, will giving him a C-minus motivate him to improve? Or, is it better if we applaud Rafael for his effort and growth, show him where he did well, and give him specific things to work on? In other words, can a teacher forsake grades while still raising standards and providing effective evaluation?

Yes, and Read Aloud Plays provides an exceptional medium to do exactly that.

Plays provide an avenue to teach your students how to give and receive constructive feedback. Here’s how: Lead your students to define appropriate standards before you begin a play, post those standards, and consistently revisit them as you rehearse.

During practices, ask your students, “What are we doing well?” and “What do we need to work on?” “Maureen spoke with character and personality,” might be a comment you’ll hear. “Paulie lost her spot; she needs to follow along better,” is another.

Early in the year, teach your students to say, “Some of us…” as in “Some of us need to practice more at home so we’re better prepared.” As the year progresses, graduate to more specific statements such as “Charles, you have a really pleasant voice, but you need to speak up more so we can all hear it.” By using this approach, students will be not only be able to provide valuable feedback to their peers, they’ll also synthesize evaluative factors which they will naturally apply to their own performance, all without the negative emotional charge of a grade. As students become proficient at providing constructive criticism, consider applying it to other subject matter as well, such as writing, art, and presentations.

There may be perfectly good reasons to assign grades under some circumstances. You may also be faced with mandates requiring grades, but even in those cases, by teaching students to give and receive feedback, you can de-emphasize the grade and focus instead on developing the given skill through constructive criticism.

These days when trolls roam the internet slamming people and businesses with nasty and often unjustified reviews, it’s especially important for students to learn the ethics of giving constructive criticism.

Whatever the case, as you kick-off a new school year, spend some time contemplating your approach to grading and consider using Read Aloud Plays to teach your students to develop their constructive feedback skills. If you’re already using Read Aloud Plays, leave a comment to let us know how you’re assessing play performances.

Speaking of plays, I’ve just released two new ones packaged together for the price of one. Revolutionary War Plays comes with two exclusive plays, comprehension activities, and additional supplementary material. Originally published in my book Read Aloud Plays: Symbols of America (Scholastic), “Eagles Over the Battlefield” tells the story of the bald eagle becoming the emblem of the United States, and “A Bell for the Statehouse,” reveals the history of the The Liberty Bell. Both are fun, easy, and ideal for trying out some ungraded constructive feedback.

Happy directing!