1 1 Male Actor: Christopher Columbus at age 14 1 Female Actor: Genie played by Classroom Teacher 2 or more Narrators: Guys or Girls Note: The classroom teacher plays the part of the Story Genie and fourteen-year-old Christopher Columbus. However, if you have a really dramatic reader, you might want to choose a student to play the part of fourteen-year-old Christopher Columbus. Photocopy 1 or 2 copies of the introductory role-play for the use of the classroom teacher and possibly one student volunteer. Only the people playing a part will require the use of a script. Genie 14-year-old Christopher Columbus Note to Teacher: (The teacher should now display the genie puppet. The teacher will continue to display the genie puppet for the whole time that the genie is talking. The teacher should not read the words that are underlined inside the parentheses.) STORY GENIE: Hello, boys and girls. I m back, just like I promised. It s time to bring Christopher back again. I sure hope I get the magic trick right this time. Who remembers what the magic trick was? STORY GENIE: I ll go around the room as fast as I can. You tap the magic jewel on my crown and say Christopher Columbus as fast as you can. Don t forget to cross your fingers this time. I don t want to get Christopher upset again.
Note to Teacher: (The teacher should walk around the room as quickly as possible and have each class member perform this act. Afterward, the teacher should walk back to the front of the room.) 2 STORY GENIE: Keep your fingers crossed. Everyone point to the magic jewel in my crown and let s all say Christopher Columbus three times. CLASS: Christopher Columbus! Christopher Columbus! Christopher Columbus! Note to Teacher: (At this point, the teacher should display the 14-year-old Christopher puppet with the hair attachment covering his face. The teacher will hold the genie puppet in one hand and the Christopher puppet in the other hand. Try to use one voice for the genie puppet and another voice for the Christopher puppet.) OR (You could select a dramatic male student reader to play the part of 14-year-old Christopher Columbus.) C.C.: Hey, where am I? Who turned out the lights? Oh no! Not again! Story Genie, help! STORY GENIE: Oh dear! Oh dear! What could have gone wrong? Let me think! All of you touched my magic jewel. Right? STORY GENIE: All of you said Christopher Columbus as fast as you could. Right? STORY GENIE: All of you crossed your fingers. Right?
3 STORY GENIE: All of you pointed to the magic jewel in my crown and said Christopher Columbus three times. Right? STORY GENIE: And all of you crossed your legs. Right? STORY GENIE: Wrong? You mean, I forgot to tell you to cross your legs? Oh, no! Silly me! I m going to need the help of the same person who helped us last time. Would that person come up again and get Christopher out of this terrible fix? Thank you. Tap the magic jewel on my crown three times and say Christopher Columbus. Okay! Fix it so that Christopher can see again. Oh, thank you (child's name). C.C.: Oh, thank you so much (child's name). Story Genie! When will you ever learn? Well, never mind. Hey, I know you people. You are the same group I visited with when I was nine years old. Boy, I surely do want to thank you. Your letters really helped. My father realized, thanks to you, that the sailing life was the life for me. He s going to let me go on some ship voyages several times a year to sell the cloth he weaves. I ll also sell the wine and cheese that he makes. Then, I ll pick up some wool for him to do some more weaving with. By the way, I m currently fourteen years old. Does anybody remember in what city and country I live? C.C.: Right, Genoa, Italy. Can anybody figure out what year it is now? I was born in 1451 and I m 14 years old.
4 C.C.: Right, it s now 1465. Well... STORY GENIE: Christopher! C.C.: What s that, Story Genie? Oh, your visitors are here already? Okay. Hey, kids, Story Genie has some more visitors to come in to talk with you today. But, I ll try to come back to talk to you some more. Good-bye! STORY GENIE: Okay, boys and girls, I have some more visitors to talk to you today. I ll need a father, a mother, 14-year-old Christopher, and 12-year-old Bartholomew. Oh, I ll also need two narrators again. By the way, you will notice that Christopher will age very fast today. So, additionally, I will need a 25-year-old Christopher, a captain of a ship, 2 sailors, a pirate-captain, a pirate-sailor, and a 23-year-old Bartholomew. Note to Teacher: (You ll need 13 copies of the script one per actor and narrator. Teacher should choose thirteen volunteers from the class. Hand them a script and either an accompanying puppet or hat. The narrators each wear one of these hats. Strive to pick different students than when you acted out the first role-play. Reassure the students who did not get chosen to play a part that they will get a chance to play a part the next Columbus session. 2 Narrators Father named Domenico Mother named Susanna 14-year-old Christopher Columbus 12-year-old Bartholomew 25-year-old Christopher Columbus
5 Sailor #1 Sailor #2 Captain of a ship Pirate-Captain Pirate-Sailor 23-year-old Bartholomew Please note: Girls can play the parts of the male characters, if they desire. Note to Teacher: (Class should now act out Role-Play #2:.)