The Paper Bag Princess Reader's Theatre

Students will read dialogue aloud with expression appropriate to their assigned character.

Students will identify the sequence of events in each story through the narrator lines.

Students will practice fluent, performance-ready oral reading through repeated script rehearsal.

Preview each role’s actual lines before assigning parts. Distribute or share longer passages and offer rehearsal support; character roles are not consistently shorter than narrator roles.

Run the two scripts on separate days rather than back-to-back, since each is a complete standalone performance with its own cast and pacing.

Let students rehearse in small groups before a whole-class read-through, since expressive delivery (Elizabeth's sarcasm, Tina's stubbornness) improves with practice rather than a cold read.

Oral reading fluency — students read scripted dialogue aloud with expression tied to character.

Sequencing and comprehension — narrator lines require students to track and voice the story's events in order.

Performance and collaboration — students coordinate with castmates to deliver a shared script as a group.