*Stage Directors 1-4 (SD1, SD2, SD3, SD4)
*Henry, a young man
*Clara, Henry’s wife
Ogilvy, an astronomer
Villagers 1 and 2
Crowd, read by a group
Characters
Choose the character you will play.
*Characters with a large speaking part
Allan Davey
War of the Worlds
Aliens are coming to Earth . . . for us. Can they be stopped?
By Spencer Kayden, based on the novel by H.G. Wells | Illustrations by Allan Davey
From the April 2025 Issue
Learning Objective: to write a news story about the events of the play that summarizes key ideas and details of the story
Complexity Factors
Lexile (captions only): 940L
Featured Skill:
Key Ideas and Details,
Other Key Skills: character, figurative language, critical thinking, theme
Common Core Standards
TEKS Standards
Primose Lane, a road on the outskirts of London, 1894
SD1: Henry and Clara sit in a horse-drawn cart as it rattles down a dirt road.
SD2: Behind them, plumes of dark gray smoke stretch into the air.
Clara (looking back): The entire world is on fire.
Henry: If we can get you to Leatherhead, you’ll be safe. We must hold on to hope.
Clara: Must you return to Woking? We barely got out alive.
Henry: I must go back to help with the fight.
Clara: But it’s so dangerous, Henry, and—I couldn’t bear to lose you.
Henry: I will return, Clara. I promise.
Scene 2
A field in Woking, the day before
SD3: Henry and Clara walk up to a massive, smoldering pit in the middle of a field.
SD4: Ogilvy stands at the edge of the pit, staring down.
Henry: So this is where the meteor landed!
Clara: We saw it streak across the sky just a little while ago.
Henry: How lucky we are to have our local astronomer here to tell us all about it!
Ogilvy: I don’t think it’s a meteorite. See the cylindrical shape?
Clara: How odd. It must be 90 feet around.
Ogilvy: I believe it is from another planet. A few nights ago, I was looking through my telescope, and I saw a red flash moving from Mars toward Earth—at great speed.
Henry: Really? That’s incredible!
SD1: More people arrive.
Villager 1: What is that thing?
Henry: It may be from Mars.
Crowd (laughing): Ha ha ha!
Villager 2: What nonsense!
SD2: A scratching sound comes from the cylinder. The crowd freezes.
Ogilvy: I’m telling you, this is no meteorite.
SD3: The end of the cylinder unscrews from the inside and falls to the ground with a clang.
SD4: What appear to be long, thin, writhing creatures begin to emerge from the cylinder.
Villager 1: What on Earth? Are those snakes?
Clara: No—they’re tentacles!
SD1: A gray mass about the size of a bear rises from the cylinder. It has two dark eyes, and its skin glistens like wet leather.
Crowd: Gasp!
Clara: Look how its body heaves as it tries to breathe.
Ogilvy: It must not be accustomed to our atmosphere.
SD2: The alien topples over and falls into the pit.
Ogilvy: Or our gravity.
SD3: Another creature appears at the cylinder’s opening. Saliva drips from its lipless mouth.
Villager 2: They’re monsters! Run!
SD4: Everyone begins to flee.
Ogilvy: Don’t be afraid! How can they harm us when they can barely move?
Allan Davey
The Aliens
There are countless books, films, and TV shows about aliens. Sometimes these aliens are friendly explorers, curious about humans and eager to make contact. Other times the aliens are murderous maniacs, bent on destroying all life and seizing our planet’s resources. What all the stories have in common is that they are as much about humans as they are about aliens. What does War of the Worlds say about human nature?
Scene 3
The top of a nearby hill, a short while later
SD1: Henry and Clara look down at the pit.
Clara: Did you see its horrible eyes?
Henry: I did, and yet—creatures from Mars? I am a battleground of fear and curiosity.
SD2: Below, more tentacles whip up from the pit.
SD3: A clanging sound fills the air.
Clara: That sounds like hammering. The creatures seem to be . . . building something.
SD4: Henry and Clara watch Ogilvy and a group of other scientists approach the pit. They wave a white flag.
SD1: The humped shape of one of the creatures rises slowly from the pit.
SD2: Three puffs of green smoke shoot up. They are followed by a deep, loud, humming noise and then several flashes of flame.
SD3: The scientists fall to the ground.
Henry: No!
SD4: A ghostly beam of light begins to sweep across the surrounding area, igniting bushes, trees, and the houses in the distance.
SD1: The earth smokes and crackles.
Scene 4
Clara and Henry’s house, the next morning
Shutterstock.com
SD2: Clara and Henry stand in front of their house, dazed.
SD3: A neighbor walks up to them.
Neighbor: What’s the trouble? You two look like you’ve seen a ghost.
Clara: Not a ghost—Martians.
Neighbor (laughing): Oh yes, I heard. It all seems so silly.
Henry: They have some sort of heat ray that burns everything it touches.
Neighbor: Psh. Ridiculous!
Clara: It’s the most horrifying weapon I’ve ever seen.
Neighbor: How much damage can the creatures do if they are stuck in a hole?
SD4: The milkman comes by.
Henry: What’s the latest news?
Milkman: Another cylinder fell near the woods.
SD1: Clara shudders.
Milkman: No need to worry. Our troops have ’em surrounded. Those brainless blobs are no match for us.
SD2: The pop of gunfire echoes in the distance.
Milkman: See? That’s our boys firing their guns.
Henry: The battle has begun.
Milkman: Thousands of armed men against a couple of helpless creatures?
Neighbor: It hardly seems like a fair fight.
SD3: They hear an explosion nearby. The ground shudders violently.
Henry: We shouldn’t stay here.
Clara: Where can we go?
Henry: To my cousin’s house in Leatherhead. Go pack our valuables. I will borrow a horse and cart.
Clara: We must warn the neighbors.
SD4: The tops of nearby trees burst into flames.
Henry: There’s no time! We need to go. NOW!
Illustration by Allan Davey/© Historical Picture Archive/Corbis via Getty Images (H.G. Wells)
The Visionary
The War of the Worlds was first published in 1897. Its author, H.G. Wells (inset) (1866-1946), was a science fiction writer and a trained scientist. Much of the technology he imagined later came to be, including laser beams, audio books, TVs, and airplanes.
Scene 5
Primrose Lane, that evening
SD1: Henry is alone in the horse-drawn cart, heading back toward Woking.
SD2: The sky in the distance glows orange.
Henry (to himself): Maybe I should have stayed with Clara in Leatherhead.
SD3: Just then, a towering machine with three long metal legs strides onto the road like some sort of nightmarish insect.
SD4: The top of the machine twists back and forth, aiming a heat ray at anything that moves.
SD1: Henry dives into the bushes. The horse gallops off down the road, dragging the cart behind.
SD2: A ray of light shoots from the tripod. The cart explodes.
SD3: Henry remains hidden as the horrible machine passes by.
SD4: Moments later, a soldier stumbles up the road. Henry steps forward.
Henry: Sir, what happened?
Soldier: We were about to fire upon a cylinder. My horse stumbled and threw me into a hole. I heard an explosion. Everything around me was burnt to a crisp.
Henry: What horror! But how did you survive?
Soldier: I stayed hidden as other troops rushed toward the pit. I watched as they were all swept out of existence.
Henry: I am sorry for you.
Soldier: Be sorry for us all! We’ve got reports that the Martians invaded London, that the city will soon fall.
Henry: What was that tripod I saw?
Soldier: An indestructible fighting machine. The Martians climb inside and roam anywhere they want.
Henry: And Woking? What of Woking?
Soldier: Woking burns—as does, I fear, the world. We are no longer masters of our planet.
Scene 6
Primrose Lane, a few hours later
Shutterstock.com
SD1: Henry is walking back toward Leatherhead. He passes troops digging trenches and getting into position to fire their guns.
Henry (to himself): Those guns won’t stop the Martians. It’s like shooting arrows at lightning.
SD2: Henry arrives in a town, where he finds people casually loading their belongings into carts and carriages.
SD3: Men and women look sharp in their pressed suits and dresses. Children run and laugh.
Henry (shouting): Don’t you know what’s over there?
SD4: Henry points in the direction of Woking.
Henry: Death! Death is coming!
SD1: A woman looks at him with pity.
Woman: Poor man. He’s gone mad.
Man: The army’s got things under control. We just need to get out of their way so they can do their job.
Henry: You aren’t listening. You all need to go—now! Leave your belongings and run for your lives!
SD2: The people ignore Henry, so he continues on.
SD3: Henry sees a man sitting in the dirt weeping.
Joe: This is the end of us.
Henry: Keep your head, good man. There is still hope.
Joe: Hope? The Martians are invulnerable.
Henry: It might seem like that, but I know we’ll find a way. There are millions of us. We can beat them.
SD4: The sound of shooting, accompanied by yelling and screaming, grows louder in the distance.
SD1: Then suddenly, everything goes eerily quiet.
Henry: What is happening?
SD2: Inky-black smoke begins to fill the air.
Henry: Poison gas! Run!
SD3: The men scramble to get away.
Scene 7
A house in the next village, a short time later
SD4: Henry and Joe break into an empty house.
Henry: Stay away from the windows! We don’t want the Martians to see us.
Joe (panting ): It’s no use. We’re doomed.
SD1: Outside there is a blinding flash of green light, followed by a massive thud.
SD2: Glass shatters. Pieces of the ceiling rain down.
Henry: Are you all right?
Joe: Yes. I think so.
SD3: Joe begins to move. Glass crackles under his feet.
Henry: Shhh! The Martians may be near.
SD4: The men remain still, in the dark, until morning light filters in through a hole in the wall.
SD1: Henry puts his eye up to it.
Henry (whispering): Another cylinder has struck, right next to this house. A Martian is standing guard. And what’s that? A metal cage full of . . .
Joe: What? Full of what?
Henry: People. They are collecting people and—
SD2: Henry gasps.
Henry: God save us all. The Martians are taking blood from the humans and injecting it into their veins. They’re . . . feeding on us.
SD3: Joe drops his head into his hands.
Scene 8
The same house, one week later
Shutterstock.com
SD4: Joe and Henry, now haggard and dirty, are still hiding. A small pile of food sits between them.
SD1: Henry peers through the hole.
Henry: The ground is covered in a strange red weed. It’s like they are trying to turn Earth into Mars.
Joe: Who cares? We’re going to starve here.
Henry: Don’t give up. We have a chance of surviving if we stay in this house until the Martians move on.
Joe: What is the point of surviving? What kind of world will be left?
Henry: I must survive—to get back to my Clara.
SD2: Suddenly, Joe pounces on the food. He shoves a fistful of bread into his mouth.
Henry: We agreed to ration that food!
Joe: I’m hungry!
Henry: We have to be smart so we can win this war.
Joe (voice rising): This isn’t a war, any more than there’s war between man and ants!
Henry: Keep your voice down!
SD3: Joe throws the bread on the floor.
Joe (shouting): Enough! I’ve had enough!
Henry: Hush! They’ll hear us!
Joe (screaming): ENOUGH!
SD4: Joe runs toward the door.
Joe: Aaargh!
SD1: Henry tries—but fails—to stop Joe from leaving.
SD2: Henry watches as Joe is swept into one of the cages.
Allan Davey
The Victory
In this story, the aliens die from a disease that is not lethal to humans. This scenario is quite plausible. The human body develops resistance to common illnesses over time. If humans visit other planets, we will have to be careful to protect ourselves from extraterrestrial diseases (and to protect any life there from the germs we bring with us).
Scene 9
The same house, two days later
SD3: Henry awakens from a deep sleep. All is silent.
SD4: He crawls to the hole in the wall.
Henry (to himself): I see the tripods—but why aren’t they moving?
SD1: Henry stumbles outside, squinting in the light of day.
SD2: Everything is overgrown with red weeds.
SD3: And scattered among the weeds are Martians—dead.
Henry: Can it be that the torment is over?
SD4: Dazed, Henry makes his way to Leatherhead.
SD1: He arrives to find the village obliterated.
Henry (crying): Am I the last man on Earth?
SD2: Henry slowly walks back to Woking, passing blackened skeletons of buildings.
SD3: But when he arrives at his house, he finds it still standing. He staggers inside, passing from room to room, touching furniture, pictures, curtains.
SD4: Suddenly, he hears voices outside.
Neighbor: No one is here. I am so sorry, Clara.
SD1: Henry runs out the door. And there stands Clara, alive and well.
Clara: Oh, Henry! Everyone said you were dead, but I knew . . . I just knew . . .
SD2: They collapse into each other’s arms.
Henry: The Martians are all dead? How can it be?
Clara: Some kind of human disease killed them.
Neighbor: They had no defense against our germs.
SD3: The three humans stand in stunned silence as the sky glows orange from the setting sun.
Writing Prompt
Write a news story about the Martian invasion described in War of the Worlds. Be sure to include quotes from interviews with people who were involved or affected. Your story can be in the form of a newspaper article, a podcast, or a news video.
This play was originally published in the April 2025 issue.
Audio
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Activities
(6)
Preparing to Read
Reading and Discussing
Skill-Building Activities
Quizzes
(1)
Answer Key
(1)
Audio
()
Activities
(6)
Preparing to Read
Reading and Discussing
Skill-Building Activities
Quizzes
(1)
Answer Key
(1)
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building
Essential Questions: Is there life on other planets? How do people respond in a crisis? What is the value of hope?
1. Prepare to Read
(15 minutes)
Do Now: Journal About Aliens (5 minutes)
Post the following prompt for students to respond to in their writing journals or on a sheet of paper: If aliens visited Earth, what do you think would happen? Would the aliens be friendly or unfriendly? How would humans treat the aliens?
Invite volunteers to share their thoughts with the class.
Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)
Project the Google Slides version of Vocabulary: Definitions and Practice on your whiteboard. Review the definitions and complete the activity as a class. Highlighted words: cylindrical, igniting, invulnerable, obliterated, ration, tripod, writhing. Audio pronunciations of the words and a read-aloud of the definitions are embedded on the slides. Optionally, print the PDF version or share the slideshow link to your LMS and have students preview the words and complete the activity independently before class.
2. Read and Discuss
(55 minutes)
Invite a volunteer to read aloud the As You Read box on page 20 or at the top of the digital story page.
Assign parts and read the play aloud as a class.
Divide students into groups to discuss the following Discussion Questions, which are also located in the Resources tab.
Discussion Questions (30 minutes)
1. What kind of person is Henry? Support your answer with details from the play. (character) Henry is brave, resourceful, determined, and optimistic. He cares about other people and is willing to sacrifice his own safety to help others. His bravery, sense of responsibility, and willingness to put himself in danger to help others are revealed through the fact that he takes Clara to safety in Leatherhead and then heads back to Woking to help with the fight against the aliens. His optimism and determination are revealed in Scene 1 when he says, “We must hold on to hope” and through the fact that he does not, like Joe, decide that they are doomed and give up and hide from the aliens. Henry’s resourcefulness is revealed by the way he manages to survive in the abandoned house.
2. In Scene 2, Henry says, “I am a battleground of fear and curiosity.” What does he mean? (figurative language) Henry means that he’s torn between powerful feelings of fear and curiosity about the Martians. He can’t decide whether to back away from the potential danger or to move toward an amazing opportunity to see something fascinating.
3. In Scene 8, Joe says, “This isn’t a war, any more than there’s war between man and ants!” What does he mean? (figurative language) Joe means that there cannot be a real war between humans and Martians because humans pose no threat to Martians. He is saying that Martians can destroy humans as easily as humans can destroy ants.
4. Some of the characters, such as the milkman and the people casually packing their belongings in Scene 6, don’t seem very worried about the Martians. Other characters, such as Henry, Clara, and Joe, are terrified and see the situation as very serious. Why might different people have such different reactions? (critical thinking) Answers will vary. Students might offer that people who haven’t seen the aliens’ violent attacks with their own eyes just can’t imagine the situation to be as serious as it is, or that some people are naturally more prone to worry than others.
5. What message does the play send about the importance of hope? (theme) The play sends the message that hope is important for survival. Henry and Clara both remain hopeful, and both are among the seemingly small number of humans who survive. Henry’s faith in humans’ ability to beat the aliens and his conviction that he can make it back to find Clara give him the strength he needs to survive the ordeal. When Clara is reunited with Henry, she says, “Everyone said you were dead, but I knew . . . I just knew . . .” This shows that Clara too held on to hope that she and Henry would survive. Joe, who lacks this kind of optimism, does not survive.
3. Write About It: Key Ideas and Details
(30 minutes)
Have students complete the Featured Skill Activity: Key Ideas and Details. This activity will prepare them to respond to the writing prompt on page 24 in the printed magazine and at the bottom of the digital story page:
Write a news story about the Martian invasion described in War of the Worlds. Be sure to include quotes from interviews with people who were involved or affected. Your story can be in the form of a newspaper article, a podcast, or a news video.
Alternatively, have students choose a task from the Choice Board, a menu of culminating tasks. Our Choice Board options include the writing prompt from the magazine, differentiated versions of the writing prompt, and additional creative ways for students to demonstrate their understanding of a story or article.
Connected readings from the Scope archives about contact with alien life
Text-to-Speech