51ºÚÁÏ

Included in The Signal Man Readers’ Theatre unit:
14 page script
4 characters + the narrator
22 Comprehension questions with answers
20 Multiple Choice questions with answers
27 Metacognitive Questions
25 Book Report questions with Rubric
Drawing Conclusions about Characters activity
Student Success Criteria
Student Friendly Goals
Teacher’s Reader’s Theatre Checklist

The Signal Man synopsis:
Charles Dickens’ gothic horror story about a railway signalman haunted by a spectral figure who appears before tragic accidents.The signalman works in a deep cutting near a tunnel entrance, and experiences ghostly warnings signaled by his bell and the apparition, which he believes foreshadows danger. Despite the narrator’s attempts to rationalize the phenomena, the signalman’s fear and the subsequent tragedies, including a fatal train accident, suggest a supernatural element. The narrator/Charlie thinks that the signaman is experiencing stress or burnout and recommends he consult with a doctor, but the signalman does not agree. Is the ghost a figment of the signalman’s mind, or is it a grim harbinger of doom? Find out in The Signalman Readers’ Theatre Unit!

Mr. Marvel’s Musings:
When I read this story with my class, the students wanted a name for the narrator, so we agreed on Charlie, in tribute to the author. The narrator/Charlie has the most dialogue. He narrates and also has dialogue with the signal man. Examples of this can be seen in the preview. The student who voiced the narrator/Charlie did an exemplary performance. He changed the tone of his voice depending on what he was reading. In conversation, he sounded casual, and while narrating, he sounded concerned showing the duality of the character and how he tried to remain logical and not alarm the signal man and his distress.

I hope you, and your students enjoy reading The Signal Man and continue to do so for many years.
Excelsior!
Mr. Marvel: The King of Reader’s Theatre