Lesson Plan Title : The Whipping Boy

Age Range: Grade 3 through Grade 5 (Elementary Level)

Overview and Purpose : The Whipping Boy is a story of Jemmy, a boy who must take the place of Prince Brat every time the Prince should be whipped. This is a high action book that has scenes that are easy to act out. In this activity, students create a short play by acting out various scenes from the book.

Objective: The student will be able to work with other students to create a short play about the book, The Whipping Boy.

Resources:

One copy of The Whipping Boy per student

Various props needed to act out the scenes

Activities:

Work with the students to make a list of the main scenes of the story, The Whipping Boy. Divide the scenes up into as many groups of students as you have. Assign each group a set of scenes and have them work together to practice and act out those scenes. Students in different groups can be the same characters. After the students have had a chance to prepare and practice, have them act out the scenes in the correct order to tell the story.

Closure:

This activity should provide a lot of laughs and some interesting conversation. Students will interpret characters and events differently. Help them talk about their different interpretations and come to a compromise about the scene.