The Big Cheese: Saving Chicago from the Rat King
NARRATOR: Deep beneath the streets of Chicago, a massive, furry shadow is growing. A radioactive rat monster, the size of a city bus, is terrorizing the Loop! The government has called in three unlikely heroes to lead the mission.
JAKE: (Looking at a map) Okay, team, listen up. The General says the creature is heading straight for the Willis Tower. We are the only ones with the tactical knowledge to stop him. Are we ready?
LUCY: (Checking her tablet) Ready? Jake, Iāve been ready since breakfast. Iāve cross-referenced the creature's migratory patterns with local wind speeds. My data shows heās hungry for something more than just trash. Heās looking for a lair.
BOBBY: (Flexing his muscles) I donāt need data. I just need to know which way to point my muscles. Can I throw a car at it? The General said I could help with the heavy lifting!
JAKE: Not yet, Bobby. We need to be smart. We know the monsterās one weakness: Swiss cheese. But not just any cheeseāit has to be the government-grade Swiss laced with the special rat-stopping formula.
NARRATOR: The kids stand on the deck of a high-tech government helicopter hovering over the Chicago River. Below them, the giant rat monster lets out a deafening squeak that shakes the skyscrapers.
- Migratory:
- Relating to the movement of animals from one region or habitat to another.
- Lair:
- A wild animal's resting place or a secret hideout.
- Coordinates:
- A group of numbers used to indicate the exact position of a point or place.
- Stabilizing:
- To become unlikely to change, fail, or decline; returning to a steady state.
- Tactical:
- Relating to actions carefully planned to gain a specific end or advantage.
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About this reader's theater passage for 5th Grade
āThe Big Cheese: Saving Chicago from the Rat Kingā is a reader's theater reading passage about Heroism, written for 5th Grade. It takes about 4 minutes to read (552 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.