🦉“Poppy” + Drama + Owl Pellets = Peak Third Grade Energy

BySurviving Third

Every single year — right around that “we’re halfway through the school year but also somehow crawling” third quarter slump — I pull out Poppy by Avi. And every single year, my third graders give me a weird look like “Do we really have to read this entire thing?”

But, two chapters into it and they do get weirdly invested. Like, ready-to-fight-Mr.-Ocax levels of invested!

Why Poppy?

Because it’s perfect. We hit all the standards in the ELA universe:

  • Theme
  • Character development/Plot
  • Figurative language
  • Context clues
  • Why did the author include that simile in paragraph 3, Madison?
  • And more!

It’s the anchor text that keeps on giving — and it’s the one novel study I refuse to let go of, no matter how many times I’ve read it.

But then… I added drama. Literal drama.

No, not the kind where someone’s crying under the reading table because they didn’t get to be narrator. I mean Reader’s Theater.

After reading each chapter, we act it out using drama scripts I wrote based on the novel. The kids get to be Poppy. They get to hiss like Mr. Ocax. They get to yell things like “Mouse muck!” as Ereth, which feels scandalous but isn’t, and therefore, chef’s kiss.

It’s high engagement. It’s standards-based. It’s kind of chaotic. And it’s one of my favorite ways to sneak in fluency, comprehension, and expression practice without breaking out the dry erase boards (again).

Bonus Level: OWL PELLETS. 🦉

Yes, I go there. Every year, I pick a day, line up some brave parent volunteers, and we dissect actual real owl pellets. The kids are grossed out and fascinated, which is basically third grade in a nutshell. There is always one who tries to pretend they’re going to pass out (Dylan, I’m looking at you), but by the end, they’re all digging for rodent bones like mini paleontologists with latex gloves.

Here’s photos of some skulls my students found a couple years ago! 🐭

So… what’s the point of this post?

This year, I finally compiled all those scripts into one complete set, cleaned them up (mostly), and listed them on my TPT store!

👉 Check out my Poppy Drama Scripts here!

Poppy Drama Scripts Cover

It’s 80 pages of chapter-by-chapter Reader’s Theater goodness — perfect if you already use Poppy, want to start using Poppy, or just need a fresh way to get your kids reading with joy again.

Because let’s be honest:
Third quarter needs all the help it can get.