The Guardians of Tybee Light
(Setting: The lantern room at the top of the Tybee Island Light Station, high above the Georgia coast. The year is 1878. A massive storm rages outside.)
Narrator: The wind howls against the thick glass of the Tybee Island Lighthouse. Outside, the Atlantic Ocean is a swirling monster of black waves and white foam. Inside the warm lantern room, three lightkeepers struggle against the storm to keep the great beacon shining.
Keeper Caleb: (Shouting over the wind) Thomas! Check the oil levels in the lamp! This storm is drawing more fuel than we expected, and we cannot let the flame flicker for even a second!
Assistant Thomas: (Wiping sweat from his forehead) I am on it, Caleb! The lard oil is cold and thick, but I am warming it up to keep the flow steady. The reservoir is nearly full!
Assistant Mary: (Peering through a brass telescope) Caleb! Look out toward the sandbar! Through the rain, I can see the silhouette of a large, three-masted sailing ship. She is being tossed like a toy by these giant waves!
Narrator: The lightkeepers know the dangers of the Savannah River channel. Without the lighthouse to guide them, the ship will crash against the hidden sandbars and sink.
- Beacon:
- A strong light or signal located in a high place, used to guide ships or warn them of danger.
- Fresnel lens:
- A special type of compact lens made of many glass prisms, designed to focus light into a highly intense, long-distance beam.
- Reservoir:
- A container or tank used to store and hold liquids, such as the oil used to power a lighthouse lamp.
- Tempest:
- A violent, extremely windy storm.
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- 1Where and when does this Readers' Theater play take place?
- 2Why is Keeper Caleb worried about the oil levels in the lamp at the start of the play?
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About this reader's theater passage for Upper Elementary
“The Guardians of Tybee Light” is a reader's theater reading passage about Historical Teamwork and Lighthouses, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 4 minutes to read (560 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.