Black History Month Skits and Readers Theater Plays for Elementary Students

These Black History Month skits and reader's theater plays for upper elementary connect with students using pop culture, have a variety of roles for all students, and teach history with high levels of engagement.

Readers theater = better reading comprehension!

There is no better way to teach students critical reading skills than with reader's theater. As they perform and learn about the various historical heroes, students will improve their skills by:

- connecting with the text

- learning new vocabulary words

- practicing phonics and phonological awareness

- and comprehending what the text is saying and its deeper meanings.

When the theater stops, the learning doesn't!

This resource includes multiple-choice and short-response comprehension questionswith the answer key. As students rehearse and read through the play, check their comprehension with the questions provided!

What satisfied teachers had to say: 

"By far one of the best things I've purchased! My struggling readers really worked on their fluency and expression with this resource. They even performed for other grade levels." – Kelsey J.

You've Got Options!

This bundle includes five Black history plays with bonus rap musical versions that can be performed as poems that explore the accomplishments of Black heroes in history while teaching important themes to students. Use one script for a school assembly, the other for an outreach event, another for parental engagement, a youth program, a summer camp, or just be ready all year long because Black history is bigger than February!

Include Your Students' Talents!

Got actors/actresses, rappers, singers, dancers, artists, or students with other talents in your class? Have them join in by performing their passions while contributing in a meaningful way to the performance! With the bonus musical versions, all students can be included!

"I used this in combination with the rap version. It was perfect!" – Rosemary E.

Teach Important Themes with Theater

These plays explore the lives of influential Black Americans such as George Washington Carver, Rosa Parks, and DJ Kool Herc who started Hip Hop. These heroes of the past teach important lessons to the children such as the value of teamwork and community as well as the importance of studying history.

"My students absolutely loved this script. They had fun acting out the parts and really got into what it was saying." – Andrea C.

Kid-friendly, Entertaining Dialogue with Pop-culture References!

These plays mix pop-culture topics such as YouTube, superheroes, and other engaging themes into the characters' dialogue to keep the performances fresh and engaging. (Imagine a comicbook writer giving a 10 year old a lesson on superhero history.) These scripts work well as Black History Month plays for an assembly or a classroom readers theater scripts. With fun and easy-to-use scripts, you, your cast, and your audience are in for an awesome time!

"It was the highlight of the event with kiddos' showcasing their talents. We followed the instruction provided on how to put the resource together." – Evelyn E.

All of these plays include:

- a table of contents

- tips and ideas on how to use the script

- a complete script with character dialogue and stage directions

- a simple map of stage directions for understanding the characters' blocking

- a full character list with brief descriptions of each Black hero's notable successes

"I have nothing but great things to say! This resource aligned perfectly with the (state) standards. This was a great way for students to become comfortable with public speaking and reading with expression. The students LOVED it and STILL talk about it." – Rosemary E.

The run time for each play is ten to fifteen minutes and each play is one act.

*AND Another Bonus: Virtual-Theater Option Included!*

A virtual-theater, how to guide is also included to allow your students to record a virtual performance and share it with your audience in a digital format if needed. 

Theater is never canceled!

"My administrator was observing my virtual instruction and noted how excited my learners were with this activity." – Alexis M.

Get this bundle now to engage your students and audience during Black History Month and beyond! 

*Note: You may record a performance of these plays to display or share digitally. When doing so, you must include "script by Rap Opera for Kids" in the title or description of your uploaded video. Thank you!

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