HISTORY
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PLOT DESCRIPTIONS, AND SAMPLE PAGES
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I-38 JASON AND THE GOLDEN FLEECE (Legend)
This story script about Jason and his pursuit of the golden fleece covers only a small part of Jason's adventures. The script is meant to introduce readers to Jason, Medea, Pelias, and the basic plot elements which make up Jason's quest for the legendary golden fleece. Young Jason kindly carries an old woman across a river and looses one of his sandals. King Pelias has been warned to beware a man wearing one sandal, so he wants Jason out of his sight. He agrees to give up his crown if Jason can recapture the golden fleece. Jason sails off in the Argo and with Medea's magical help, finally outsmarts Pelias, the king of Colchis, and a field of fire-breathing dragons to retrieve the fleece. (Grades 6 and Up) (7 Readers).
Script length: 7 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-39 THE TROJAN HORSE (Legend)
"Beware of Greeks bearing gifts," warns a Trojan wise man. No one is listening! The Trojans want to keep the giant wooden horse found on their beach. They want to believe the horse is a gift offering to the goddess Athena. They want to believe ten years of war with the Greeks is over. The Greeks have left the gift horse and sailed away. It is time for celebration! But beautiful Helen of Troy knows the horse is filled with 30 Greek warriors who have come to rescue her. She places a guiding light in her chamber window. The gods interfere in the plans of men, bringing death to the Trojans and disaster to the Greeks. (Grades 6 and Up) (8 Readers).
Script length: 6 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-40 ODYSSEUS RETURNS HOME (Legend)
The Trojan War ended ten years ago. Helen has returned to her Greek husband, Menelaus. But the fate of brave Odysseus, designer of the Trojan Horse, is unknown. Odysseus's faithful wife, Penelope, awaits his return and plays a clever waiting game with the many men who have moved into her castle and demand her hand in marriage. Just in time, a dirty beggar appears at the castle door with news that Odysseus is alive. The castle dog and an old nurse sense the beggar is not who he pretends to be. In an archery contest between Penelope's suitors, the beggar outshoots everyone and proves to be Odysseus himself. (Grades 6 and Up) (5 Readers).
Script length: 5 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-41 THE SWORD AND THE STONE (Legend)
No other round table legend is as well known as this one! Based on Sir Thomas Malory's fifteenth century tale, Merlin prophesises King Uther Pendragon's death. Arthur, the king's infant son, is taken from the palace, hidden from crown enemies, and raised by trusted knight, Sir Ector. Arthur grows up believing he is the knight's son and Sir Kay's brother. He learns the truth on a visit to London for a great tournament. Arthur is sent off to find a sword for his brother, sees one encased in a large stone, and easily removes it. The stone's inscription reads: Whoever pulls this sword from this stone is king of all England by right of birth. (Grades 6 and Up) (8 Readers).
Script length: 7 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-42 BEOWULF (Legend)
The character of Beowulf is found in one of the oldest poems in the English language, yet many modern superheroes share such common Beowulf characteristics as unlimited bravery, goodness, and unusual strength. In this scripted legend, Hrothgar's Denmark castle is being terrorized by the savage creature Grendel and Grendel's beastly mother. But help is on the way! A ship carrying Prince Beowulf of the Geats sails into the harbor. As readers chant "Beowulf, Beowulf, Beowulf," the brave prince rips Grendel's arm from its socket and follows Grendel's mother into the watery swamp. Blood soon colors the water. The lives of many are saved and Beowulf becomes a hero. (Grades 6 and Up) (6 Readers).
Script length: 5 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-43 ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL, INVENTOR OF THE TELEPHONE
Canadian-born Alexander Graham Bell, his wife, father-in-law, lawyer, and partner (Thomas Watson) appear in court before a judge. They take part in a preliminary hearing to determine ownership of patent rights to the telephone. Through dramatic testimony the story of Bell's extraordinary invention unfolds. Readers and listeners alike will remember the facts of this case long after the reading ends. (Grades 6 and Up) (6 Readers ).
Script length: 6 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-44 LEONARDO DA VINCI, IMAGINATIVE INVENTOR
Leonardo da Vinci fears he is dying and asks his companion to summon a notary and a priest. Through their bedside conversation we learn about Leonardo's life and incredible accomplishments as a "visionary inventor." Many of today's modern machines can be traced to da Vinci's notebooks and sketches. But in 1519 these ideas lived mainly in the inventor's imagination, and Leonardo felt he would die a "failure!" (Grades 6 and Up) (4 Readers ).
Script length: 5 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-45 THE WRIGHT BROTHERS, INVENTORS OF THE AIRPLANE
Three students visit a flight museum and are amazed when statues of Orville and Wilber Wright come alive and speak to them. The students question these famous brothers and learn important facts about the invention of the airplane. Did you know the Wrights owned and worked out of a bicycle shop in Ohio? That Wilber tired of bicycles and longed to invent something new? Who was actually in the plane that day at Kitty Hawk and what he was wearing? The facts are intriguing and this script is fun to read. (Grades 6 and Up) (5 Readers ).
Script length: 7 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-46 JAMES NAISMITH, INVENTOR OF BASKETBALL
An ace newspaper reporter and his photographer plan to interview Canadian James Naismith about a new game played with peach baskets! They visit the Springfield, Massachusette YMCA where Naismith works. It seems the cold winter weather made it difficult to play games outside, so Naismith devised an inside game involving a large ball (small balls required too much extra equipment), passing rather than running (too many injuries occurred when players ran inside), and the ultimate goals -- two peach baskets found in the corner of the gym. (Grades 6 and Up) (5 Readers ).
Script length: 5 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-47 JOHANN GUTENBERG, INVENTOR OF MOVEABLE TYPE
The TV series "This is Your Story" features stories of the influential and famous. Today's show asks Johann Gutenberg to identify some mystery voices from the past! A monastery monk, Gutenberg's father, and the world's first printer tell a fascinating tale about the invention of moveable type. Using a piece of machinery which looked very much like a wine press, Gutenberg's first print project was to run 300 copies of the Bible. He became famous, but died penniless. A clever but unsympathetic lawyer stole his press, ink, paper, and staff. (Grades 6 and Up) (5 Readers).
Script length: 5 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-48 BANTING AND BEST, INVENTORS OF INSULIN
Three reporters host the show "Meet the Reporters" and welcome their guest, Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Frederick Grant Banting. Banting surprises everyone by introducing Charles Best and announcing plans to share his portion of the Nobel Prize with Mr. Best. The reporters question both gentlemen and are told the story of the invention of insulin. Banting and Best's first job as inventors was to scrub the walls and floor of a small dirty room at the University of Toronto. The room became their research lab, and a year later they had developed the insulin for diabetes. (Grades 6 and Up) (5 Readers).
Script length: 6 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-49 ARCHIMEDES, THIRD CENTURY B.C. INVENTOR
A Roman general has announced plans to capture the city of Syracuse. As the script begins, an ancient king and his royal advisor discuss the forthcoming battle and wonder how to defend their city. They send for Archimedes who had performed miraculous tasks for the previous king. Archimedes appears in court and tells how he once used science to catch a dishonest goldsmith. He then suggests the use of mirrors, levers, and catapults to defend Syracuse from the Romans. The plan is a good one, and Archimedes is rewarded for his service to the crown. (Grades 6 and Up) (3 Readers).
Script length: 5 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-50 FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, INVENTOR OF MODERN NURSING
Welcome to the 1861 Florence Nightingale School of Nursing graduation ceremony! Although Florence is an invalid and confined to bed, family and friends gather to celebrate and share memories of Florence's unique career. They remember Florence's wealthy family did not approve of nursing and urged Florence to perfect her singing voice. But Florence studied mathematics and became "the lady with the lamp" to wounded soldiers of the Crimean War. Her book, "Notes on Nursing," helped establish the world's first training school for nurses. (Grades 6 and Up) (6 Readers).
Script length: 6 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-51 REGINALD FESSENDEN, PROLIFIC INVENTOR
Three students need help with a joint science report which is due in just two weeks! They meet a helpful research librarian who is compiling a file on Canadian inventor Reginald Aubrey Fessenden. The librarian encourages them to look into Fessenden's work. The students find Fessenden holds over 500 patents, developed over 100 inventions related to sea transportation, and pioneered our modern radio and radio equipment industries. In connection with the Fessenden story, they also come across the names of Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, and Marconi! Needless to say, their science report is a great success. (Grades 6 and Up) (4 Readers ).
Script length: 5 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-52 THOMAS ALVA EDISON, THE PRACTICAL INVENTOR
One narrator and six characters tell the Thomas Alva Edison story which led to the invention of the electric light, the phonograph, and the moving picture. Young Thomas hates school, so his teacher-trained mother decides to teach him at home. Although nearly deaf, he goes to work at 12 and, by the age of 22, sells his first invention for $40,000! The money enables him to set up a workshop with tools, chemicals, equipment, and a good staff. The rest is history! (Grades 6 and Up) (6 Readers).
Script length: 5 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-53 MAGELLAN (1480-1521), CIRCUMNAVIGATOR OF THE WORLD
After a perilous and disastrous journey, the dregs of Magellan's fleet sail into Spain. The King of Spain welcomes three of the survivors: Del Cano (second in command), Antonio Pigafetta (a writer who went along to record the journey), and one of Magellan's sailors. As they talk, the dramatic details of an ill-fated journey become clear. A fleet of five ships and over 250 men has dwindled to one ship and 18 men! Lack of wind, ice, starvation, native attacks, murder, and mutiny colour the tale. Magellan has not survived the journey, but has named the Pacific ocean and his fleet has circumnavigated the world. (Grades 6 and Up) (5 Readers).
Script length: 9 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-54 LEWIS AND CLARK (1480-1521), EXPLORERS OF THE AMERICAN WEST
Inspired by Voyages from Montreal by Canadian Alexander Mackenzie, Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States, sends a team of explorers into America's wild west. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark have returned to Washington with their guest, Chief Big White of the Mandans. All meet at the White House as the president requests a brief summary of the trip. He quickly learns of the careful studies and preparations needed to prepare for the trip, of 180 new types of plants identified in the field, of animals like coyote, and of jackrabbits seen for the first time by eastern explorers. He hears the story of Sacagawea and her role in helping the explorers survive! Lewis and Clark are rewarded, and this voyage ends happily. (Grades 6-10) (4 Readers).
Script length: 6 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-55 ALEXANDER MACKENZIE (1764-1820), CROSSING CANADA BY LAND
Loyalist Alexander Mackenzie mounts two long and difficult explorations in his search for a water route to the West. "Why?" asks his cousin Roderick. "Furs, man, furs!" replies Mackenzie. In this scene Mackenzie, fellow explorer McKay, two voyageurs, and Roderick remember the excitement, hardships, and challenges of two famous Canadian explorations. By 20 he had become a partner in the fur trading business and was sent to Fort Chipewyan on Lake Athabasca, where he met McKay. Both men dreamed of finding a water route to the West. Their first attempt took them down "the River of Disappointment" ending at the Arctic Ocean. Their second journey, however, took them to "the Stinking Lake," better known as the Pacific Ocean. (Grades 6 and Up) (5 Readers).
Script length: 7 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-56 JACQUES CARTIER (1491-1557), SEARCHING FOR A WATER ROUTE TO CHINA
Back in France, Jacques Cartier meets a friend on the street who asks Jacques where he has been for the last three years. "I've been in Canada, in the new world, exploring for the king!" he answers. A fisherman joins the pair and talk turns to fishing, marriage, and then to exploration. Suddenly a messenger interrupts him and he is led away to meet with the king. The king is not happy. Cartier's stash of gold, diamonds, and rubies from the new world is worthless. "Your gold is fools gold!" shouts the king. "The diamonds and rubies are just quartz crystals and mica!" There will be no more money spent on Cartier expeditions. Cartier sadly rejoins his friends on the street. "Maybe," he says, "I'll return to my boyhood home and Go fishing!" (Grades 6 and Up) (5 Readers).
Script length: 6 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-57 LEIF ERICSSON (Approx. 960-1020), VIKING DISCOVERER OF NORTH AMERICA
Two Scandinavian children, Lars and Anna, have waited patiently for the skalds (storytellers) to begin. They tell how, long ago, Eric the Red had a fiery temper to go with the fiery color of his hair. In fact, Eric's temper caused him to be banished from both Norway and Iceland, so he and his wife settled in Greenland to raise their children. Leif, Eric's son, (Leif Ericsson) grew to manhood, visited Norway, and became a favorite of the Norwegian king. On the return trip to Greenland, Leif rescued the survivors of a shipwreck and gained the nickname, Leif the Lucky! And he WAS lucky. Later he sailed off to discover three lands: Helluland, Markland, and Vinland. Many believe the new land was North America. (Grades 6 and Up) (6 Readers).
Script length: 8 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-58 CAPTAIN JAMES COOK (1728-1779), EXPLORING FROM CANADA TO THE SOUTH PACIFIC
Three sailors, a clerk, and a mate watch from the ship as Captain James Cook is killed by natives in the Hawaiian Islands. As a funeral pyre flares, the men recall their voyages with Captain Cook. As a young man, Cook helped chart the St. Lawrence River in North America. Later he returned to search for the elusive Northwest Passage. But the men especially remember the voyages to the South Pacific, first to watch Venus pass between the earth and sun from a particular location, then to explore Easter Island where they discovered the giant stone heads! "Our captain is gone," says the clerk, "but his achievements will last forever!" (Grades 6 and Up) (Readers).
Script length: 6 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-59 LA SALLE (1634-1687), TAMING THE MISSISSIPPI
This scene opens as a French hunter, settler, and carpenter complain about the miserable time they are having as would-be settlers in La Salle's expedition. LaSalle and a trapper friend enter and try to make the men feel better by comparing present hardships to those suffered on other journeys. They talk about earlier Mississippi river explorations: the hunger, the alligators, the Indians, the discouragement, and travelling back to New France against the river's current. But they also remember, with pride, the placing of a cross on the riverbank as they claimed the land in the name of Louis XIV, King of France and of Navarree. The three settlers are not impressed; they make plans to kill LaSalle, take his supplies, and continue on their own. (Grades 6 and Up) (5 Readers).
Script length: 6 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-60 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, (1451-1506) DISCOVERER OF A NEW WORLD
Christopher Columbus, back in Spain after his long and famous voyage, visits a monastery to thank the monk for his prayers. Two brothers, Bartholomew and Diego, join them and are eager to discuss the voyage from beginning to end. Each of Christopher's three ships had a surgeon and supplies to last a year. Cooking was done in a cook-box set on a bed of sand. Christopher's mission had always been to discover a new route to India and to spread Christianity, "the true religion!" On this voyage he believed he had found the islands off India, and felt the natives there would be easily converted to Christianity. And, even though the sailors were close to mutiny just before land was sighted the voyage had been a success. (Grades 6 and Up) (4 Readers).
Script length: 6 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-61 MARCO POLO (1254-1324), CHINA ADVENTURER AND AUTHOR EXTRAORDINAIRE
Venice and Genoa are at war. Marco Polo has been captured and thrown into jail. He sits in his cell with writer, Rustichello, telling of his incredible experiences in China. Rustichello writes the stories down. Polo tells of a desert crossing which took thirty days, of visions of water and trees where there was only sand, and of lost lives. When Khan sends an escort, the Polos are finally welcomed to his world. It has taken three and a half years to get there. Polo describes Khan's systems for money (paper!), messages (these could be received 300 miles away within 24 hours!), and bathing (daily!). Soon Rustichello's book on Polo's adventures will be ready. All the world wants to know about the wealth and wonder of the East. (Grades 6 and Up) (4 Readers).
Script length: 9 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
I-62 CHAMPLAIN (1567-1635), THE FATHER OF NEW FRANCE
Champlain is on his way to prison. Accompanied by a Frenchman, an Englishman, an Indian, and a guard. Champlain has crossed the ocean over twenty times, and his travelling companions are eager to hear his stories. In the early days of Champlain's explorations, he spent cold winters in Nova Scotia on the Bay of Fundy setting up a trading post for furs. Later, he named "Kebec" (Quebec) from an Indian word and built a fort there. Eventually, he explored the Ottawa River, Lake Nipissing, the Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, and Lake Superior. He charted the land, hoping settlers would flock to Canada. But the war between England and France is landing him in jail. All agree they have been honoured to share his company. (Grades 6 and Up) (5 Readers).
Script length: 5 pages of reading text. View Sample Pages HERE.
