97 TPRS Story Scripts

First 15 Pages

 

With These Story Scripts There’s No Need to Be a Performer. Just Set the Stage and Guide the Action!

 

Collaborative storytelling can feel like a high wire act. Stories often fall flat from a lack of sufficient drama or they get too wild to make any sense, either way failing to hit the goal of providing optimally compelling input to students. How do you strike a perfect balance? A solid story script makes a great safety net!

 

Anne Matava’s story scripts consist of engaging plots that appeal to the teenage brain, with windows left wide open to invite in kids’ creative contributions.  The scripts are in English, intended to be custom-translated by the teacher to suit the particular needs and level of the class they will be used with. Parts of the story that students are to supply are underlined, and questions used to elicit those details from students accompany each story. Includes Anne’s advice on how to prepare students for stories, how to use the scripts, and how to script your own stories.

 

Sample Story  Script #1 – Lazy

 

works
the boss yells
lazy

 

Gabi works in Disney World. She drives the Monorail, but she sleeps all the time. The boss yells because Gabi is lazy. He says, “Gabi! You are lazy!” “So what?” says Gabi. The boss says, “You are fired!”

 

Now Gabi works at a recycling center. She sleeps in the trash can. The boss yells because Gabi is lazy. He says, “Gabi! You are lazy!” “So what?” says Gabi. The boss says, “You are fired!”

 

Now Gabi works in a zoo as an elbow surgeon. She plays Frisbee with the hippo. The boss yells because Gabi is lazy. He says, “Gabi! You are lazy!” “So what?” says Gabi. The boss says, “You are fired!” The hippo licks the boss’s ear.

 

Note: The idea above is to establish what the person is supposed to be doing for work, and what they are doing instead to make the boss mad. Notice that “So what?” is a variable. Let the students determine the protagonist’s saucy retort. Repetitive exclamations add life to a story.

 

Ask students:

 

Sample Story  Script #2 – He Talks Too Much

 

talks
stop it!
the whole time, all the time

 

Troy talks too much. He talks all the time. (At this point you can find out what he talks about, in what language, etc.) He goes to the movies and talks the whole time to John McCain. John McCain says, “Shhh! Stop it!” but Troy does not stop talking. The manager comes and says, “Leave the cinema!”

 

Troy goes to the library. There he talks the whole time to Lexi, who is trying to do homework.. Lexi says, “Shhh! Stop it!” but Troy does not stop talking. The librarian comes and says, “Leave the library!”

 

He goes to the dentist. The dentist has her hands in his mouth. She can not help him, because he talks the whole time. She says, “Shhhh! Stop it!” but Troy does not stop talking. His teeth rot and fall out. He can’t talk anymore, because he has no teeth.

 

Ask students:

 

1) Who talks too much? (Choose a volunteer.)
2) What does the person talk about?
3) In what language?
4) Whom does he/she sit next to in the cinema?
5) Where does he/she go next?
6) Whom does he/she sit next to in the second location?
7) What does that person want to do (instead of talking)?
8) Who comes and kicks him/her out?
9) Where does he/she go in the third location?
10) Whom does he/she sit next to there?
11) What is that person’s reaction?/How does the story end?