Readers Theatre in ELT

Luv and Kush and the White Horse

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After Sita was sent away from Ayodhya by Rama, she lived in Sage Valmiki's ashram with her sons, Luv and Kush. The two boys grew up to be strong like their father, Rama. One day, Rama held a big Ashvamedha Yajna. After the yajna, a sacred white horse was adorned with jewels and garments and it was declared that this horse would be taken around to many kingdoms across the region. A declaration was hung around the horse's neck, which stated that if anyone caught the horse, they would have to fight with the soldiers accompanying the horse. Shatrughna was entrusted with the task of taking the horse. One day, the horse was passing by Sage Valmiki's ashram. Seeing the horse, Luv and Kush decided to take it to the ashram. While catching the horse, they noticed the declaration around its neck but were not in the least bit frightened. Soon, Shatrughna arrived with some soldiers and was furious to see that two young boys had caught the horse. He tried to persuade Luv and Kush to let the horse go but the boys were adamant and wanted to fight Satrughna's army. Luv and Kush were very good at archery, and soon Shatrughana's soldiers fled and he had to accept defeat. Shatrughana went back and told Rama about the young boys and how they had defeated the army. Rama asked Laxmana to go to Valmiki's ashram and get the horse back from the boys. He told Laxmana to bring the boys to Ayodhya.

RT Practice Exercise

    

Ashwamedha Yajna

(The white horse when released by the most powerful emperor on the earth and its march to different lands symbolized territorial extension, expansion and possession)

Characters – Luv and Kush (brothers)

    Laxman (Ram’s Brother)

    White-Horse – (non-human character)

Luv:  See, Look brother, do you see the thing approaching?

Kush:  Yes. I hear the sounds too.

Chorus:  Sound of trumpet. Victory! Victory! Victory! This victory is ours Jai Jai Ram!

Luv:  Yes, it seems to be a resplendent horse – and there is an army following the white horse.

Kush:  Right I see the infantry heading towards us! It is followed by chariots and men in shining armours.

Luv:  Kush Bhaiya, I think we should reach for our arms and reach for our weapons and should take strategic positions.

Chorus: Capture! Capture! He is ours! Now let us be the victors of the captive white horse!

Laxman:  What are you lovely boys doing in this dense forest? How come such lovely and innocent boys are here with the arms? Have you seen the white horse? It is our Ashwamedha horse.

Luv and Kush (together):  Yes –

And we are not in woods, but in the hermitage of the sage Valmiki and this abode belongs to him.

Laxman:  I request you children to return our white horse.

Luv:   How can we do that? It is our possession now. We won’t return the horse without a decisive battle!

Chorus:  Jai Shri Ram! Jai Shree Ram!

Laxman:  What has made you so rude? Such words from such small children! Show some courtesy to an elder person!

Luv and Kush (together): It is not about confrontation. Go and inform your master Lord Ram to come and meet us and take back the horse. Only we want him to be here! Otherwise decide to fight!

Chorus:  Jai Shree Ram! Jai Shree Ram! Be ready with your arms!

(Sounds the trumpet)

Readers Theater Presentation Rubric

Name _________________ Date ___________

	Excellent	Good	Needs works
Oral Delivery Volume	Consistently speaks loudly enough for audience to hear 8-10 pts.	Usually speaks loudly enough for audience to hear 4-7 pts.	Speaks too soft or loud to hear. 0-3 pts.
Oral Deliver Clarity	Words are pronounced correctly and easily understood 8-10 pts.	Most words are pronounced correctly and easily understood 4-7 pts.	Many words pronounced incorrectly, to fast or slow, mumbles 0-3 pts.
Oral Delivery Reads with expression	Consistently reads with appropriate expression 8-10 pts.	Usually reads with appropriate expression. 4-7 pts.	Reads with little or no expression. 0-3 pts.
Oral Delivery Reads in turn	Takes turns accurately on a consistent basis. 8-10 pts.	Takes turns accurately on a somewhat consistent basis 4-7 pts.	Takes turns rarely on a consistent basis 0-3 pts.
Cooperation with group	Consistently works well with others 8-10 pts.	Sometimes work well with others. 4-7 pts.	Difficulty in working with others. 0-3 pts.

Total points possible 40

Points earned ________ Percentage _______%

Readers Theater Performance Rubric Derived from rubric: Readers Theater Performance Rubric		built by unccgrad17 Rubric Code: C6524W
Readers Theater Performance Rubric		*Ready to use Public Rubric
Keywords:	Readers Theater Performance Rubric
Categories:	Subjects: English Types: Presentation
Grade Levels:

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*Readers Theater Performance Rubric Readers Theater Performance Rubric
	Poor 1 pts	Good 2 pts	Excellent 3 pts
Action/Movement The readers are following stage directions or acting-out dialogue.	Poor Through most of the story the readers are not following stage directions and acting out the dialouge.	Good Through most of the story the readers are following stage directions and acting out the dialouge.	Excellent Through all of the story the readers are following stage directions and acting out the dialouge.
Fluency A smooth and correct reading of the dialogue.	Poor Thorugh most of the story the readers are making frequent, more than ten, mistakes when reading the dialogue.	Good Through most of the story the readers are smooth and correct when reading the dialogue, making between five and nine mistakes.	Excellent Through all of the story the readers are smooth and correct when reading the dialogue, making less than five mistakes.
Expression The reading shows emotion and changes with punctuation. (Question Marks, Exclamation Points)	Poor Through most of the story the readers are not showing emotions and changing their tone with the puncuation.	Good Through most of the story the readers are showing emotions and changing their tone with the puncuation.	Excellent Through all of the story the readers are showing emotions and changing their tone with the puncuation.
Volume The readers can be heard clearly by the audience, but are not shouting inappropriately.	Poor Through most of the story the readers are not speaking at the correct volume. (Loud enough to be heard but not shouting inappropriately.)	Good Through most of the story the readers are speaking at the correct volume. (Loud enough to be heard but not shouting inappropriately.)	Excellent Through all of the story the readers are speaking at the correct volume. (Loud enough to be heard but not shouting inappropriately.)

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