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The Ghost with One Black Eye, Rewrite and Readers Theatre
Deb Marshall
One of my all time favorite stories to tell is actually based on a joke I knew as a child. I remember telling it on the playgrounds in small town Saskatchewan where I grew up, a long, long, LONG time ago. These days I tell it with my storytelling partner, Cynthia. It is great fun to tell, and I’d love for you to read it here and then go out and find someone to tell it to! Check out the additional activities for teachers at the end of the story.
A Telling Tip:
To prevent our audience from getting carried away with crying like the baby, we do a couple of things. One, we start to cry very, very quietly. The audience will follow along and cry quietly, as well. We also do silent crying for the baby, all facial expressions no sound.
Once upon a time there a family of five. There was a mother, a father, a brother, a sister and a baby.
The baby was drinking from her cup when all of a sudden she started to cry. “WAAAA.”
“Baby what is the matter?” asked the sister.
“No apple juice.” The baby shook her cup to show it was empty.
The sister jumped up from the table and looked in the fridge. No apple juice! She checked in the cupboard. No apple juice.
The baby cried. “WAAAAA.”
“Check in the basement,” said the mother.
So, the sister walked down, down, down into the basement. She started to walk over to where the apple juice was when she heard a voice that said, “I am the ghost with the one black eye!”
“YIKES,” said the sister and she ran back upstairs. “There’s a ghost in the basement, I can’t get the apple juice!”
The baby cried. “WAAAAA.”
“Oh brother,” the brother said. ‘Ghosts? I don’t think so.”
So, the brother walked down, down, down into the basement. He started to walk over to where the apple juice was when he heard a voice that said, “I am the ghost with the one black eye!”
“YIKES,” said the brother and he ran back upstairs. “There’s a ghost in the basement, I can’t get the apple juice!”
The baby cried. “WAAAAA.”
“Oh for goodness sakes. I’ll go,” the mother said.
So, the mother walked down, down, down into the basement. She started to walk over to where the apple juice was when she heard a voice that said, “I am the ghost with the one black eye!”
“YIKES,” said the mother and she ran back upstairs. “There’s a ghost in the basement, I can’t get the apple juice!”
The baby cried. “WAAAAA. WAAAAA. WAAAA”
“Enough,” hollered the father. “I’ll get the juice.”
So, the father walked down, down, down into the basement. He started to walk over to where the apple juice was when he heard a voice that said, “I am the ghost with the one black eye!”
“YIKES,” said the father and she ran back upstairs. “There’s a ghost in the basement, I can’t get the apple juice!”
The baby cried. “WAAAAA.”
‘We’ll get some from the store later,” the father said.
“NO, said the baby. “I’ll get it myself.”
So, the baby crawled down, down, down into the basement. She started to crawl over to where the apple juice was when she heard a voice that said, “I am the ghost with the one black eye!”
“You’ll be the ghost of TWO black eyes if you don’t be quiet,” the baby shouted.
“YIKES,” said the ghost, and he ran away!
Rewrite:
As a class, brainstorm character names, places in the house they could go to get the apple juice (or it could be something other than apple juice) They could even change the setting. Maybe the family is outside having a picnic. What’s the weather like? What time of year? Invite them to include descriptions of how afraid the family looks when they return from hearing the ghost. Brainstorm some great scary words that would show just that. What is the basement like? Cold and dark? Completely finished? Once the brainstorming is done, students can settle in to rewrite the story.
Creative Dramatics:
One student reads the story while classmates act out the story. The most challenging part is acting it out without making a sound, great fun to do, and great practice on control!
Readers Theatre:
Use the following script for a readers theatre performance. I’ve created a Narrator One and Two as a means of adding in more voices to the script. This can easily be changed by having one student reading both parts. We have also done what we like to call, Readers Theatre in Chorus. We have two or three students read one part together. Have fun!
NARRATOR ONE: Once upon a time there a family of five. There was a mother, a father, a brother, a sister and a baby.
NARRATOR TWO: The baby was drinking from her cup when all of a sudden she started to cry.
BABY: WAAAA
SISTER: What is the matter?
BABY: No apple juice.
NARRATOR ONE: The sister jumped up from the table and looked in the fridge. No apple juice! She checked in the cupboard. No apple juice.
BABY: WAAAA
MOTHER: Check the basement. I put some down there last week.
NARRATOR TWO: The sister walked down, down, down into the basement. She started to walk over to where the apple juice was when she heard a voice.
GHOST: I am the ghost with the one black eye!”
SISTER: Yikes!
NARRATOR ONE: The sister ran back upstairs.
SISTER: There’s a ghost in the basement, I can’t get the apple juice!”
BABY:WAAAAA.
BROTHER: Oh brother. Ghosts? I don’t think so.
NARRATOR TWO: The brother walked down, down, down into the basement.
NARRATOR ONE: He started to walk over to where the apple juice was when he heard a voice.
GHOST: I am the ghost with the one black eye!
BROTHER: Yikes!
NARRATOR TWO: The brother ran back upstairs.
BROTHER: There’s a ghost in the basement, I can’t get the apple juice!”
BABY: WAAAAA
MOTHER: This is just silly. I’ll go.
NARRATOR ONE: The mother walked down, down, down into the basement.
NARRATOR TWO: She started to walk over to where the apple juice was when she heard a voice.
GHOST: I am the ghost with the one black eye!
MOTHER: Yikes!
NARRATOR ONE: The mother ran back upstairs. “There’s a ghost in the basement, I can’t get the apple juice!
BABY: WAAAAA WAAAAA WAAAA
FATHER: Enough! I’ll get the juice.
NARRATOR TWO: The father walked down, down, down into the basement.
NARRATOR ONE: He started to walk over to where the apple juice was when he heard a voice.
GHOST: I am the ghost with the one black eye!
FATHER: Yikes!
NARRATOR TWO: He ran back upstairs.
FATHER: There’s a ghost in the basement. I can’t get the apple juice!
BABY: WAAAAA
FATHER: We’ll get some from the store later.
BABY: NO! I’ll get it myself.
NARRATOR ONE: The baby crawled down, down, down into the basement.
NARRATOR TWO: She started to crawl over to where the apple juice was when she heard a voice.
GHOST: I am the ghost with the one black eye!
BABY: You’ll be the ghost of TWO black eyes if you don’t be quiet.
GHOST: Yikes!
NARRATOR ONE, NARRATOR TWO: The ghost ran away! The End.
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