Unit 7 Wants a Birthday
A brand-new classroom robot takes everything literally... until Class Six teaches it what really makes someone special.
A big-hearted comedy for Years 5 and 6 about a robot who learns what it means to be kind, and a class who learn something about themselves along the way. Packed with the kind of wordplay Year 5 and 6 love.
Print-ready PDF (40 pages) · Instant download from The Teacher Vault store on Gumroad
Synopsis
Scene 1 – Delivery Day
Class Six receive a classroom-helper robot that understands every word you say. Literally. Asked to "take a seat", Unit 7 walks off with the chair.
Scenes 2–3 – Literally / Break a Leg
Butterflies in stomachs, raining cats and dogs, giving someone a hand… and when Ms Okafor tells nervous Leo to "break a leg", things go very badly (for the table).
Scene 4 – The Birthday Question
It's Maya's birthday, and Unit 7 discovers it doesn't have one. "I am not a someone. I am a something." It begins an investigation into what makes a human a human.
Scene 5 – The Investigation
The dinner lady, the headteacher and Dev all have answers, and Unit 7 dreams of the older Units 1 to 6. Then it finds Leo alone and frightened, and they discover they are both scared.
Scenes 6–7 – The Show / Happy Build Day
When Leo freezes on stage, Unit 7 stands beside him without being told to. The class give Unit 7 a birthday: the day it did something kind nobody told it to do.
What's Included
- Teacher's introduction and how to use the pack
- Synopsis
- Themes, curriculum links (PSHE, English, Computing), discussion questions and activities
- Character backstories
- Cast list & casting guide with line counts
- The full script (7 scenes)
- Photocopiable song lyric sheets
- Costume ideas, props, staging & sound effects
- Rehearsal planner
The Songs
- Booting Up (robot chant)
- Literally! (tune: Yankee Doodle)
- What Makes a Human? (tune: Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush)
- Little Light (tune: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star)
- For You're a Jolly Good Robot (tune: For He's a Jolly Good Fellow)
7 scenes. All characters, story, dialogue and lyrics are original, written in British English.
Themes & Curriculum Links
PSHE & Relationships Education
Respecting others who are very different; recognising and talking about emotions, including fear and worry; the benefits of kindness; how technology shapes our lives.
English
Spoken language, performance and debate (Years 5–6); figurative language and idioms; preparing play scripts to read aloud and perform.
Computing
Algorithms and precise, unambiguous instructions; debugging; logical reasoning; being discerning about digital content; a balanced look at what AI can and can't do.
Science (optional)
Year 6 Living things: what all living things have in common, compared with machines. Is Unit 7 alive?
Characters
- Unit 7 (lead) – Robot voice and movement; can be shared between two children with a 'system update' swap.
- Leo – Sceptical and nervous; a key duet scene with Unit 7.
- Maya, Amara & Dev – Class Six pupils with medium to large parts.
- Ms Okafor – Class Six's overworked teacher, with lots of reactions.
- Mr Hargreaves & Mrs Briggs – The headteacher and the dinner lady.
- Class one-liners – Ruby, Sam, Zainab, Finley, Oscar and Ella (some double as the Queen and the Dragon).
- Units 1–6 – A dream cameo of older robots, with one short line each.
- Narrators 1–4, Technicians & the Class – Small parts plus a Class group of any size on stage throughout.
There are 26 named roles, from one big lead to lots of one-liners, plus the Class group, which can be any size: from 20 to 32+ children. Extra Class members can take any of the small lines from Class Six.
Script Sample: The Opening Scene
Here's how the play begins, so you can get a feel for the length of the lines and the humour.
Class Six's classroom at Oakfield Primary School, Monday morning. MS OKAFOR stands at the front holding three mugs of coffee and a pile of marking.
NARRATOR 1This is Oakfield Primary School.
NARRATOR 2This is Class Six.
NARRATOR 3And this is their teacher, Ms Okafor.
MS OKAFOR(to the audience, exhausted) Hello.
NARRATOR 4Ms Okafor had thirty children...
NARRATOR 1...one whiteboard pen that worked...
NARRATOR 2...and absolutely no time.
MS OKAFOR(trying the whiteboard pen; it doesn't work) Make that zero whiteboard pens.
NARRATOR 3Which is why, on Monday morning, the headteacher had a surprise.
MR HARGREAVES bursts in, very excited.
MR HARGREAVESMs Okafor! Class Six! It's here! It's arrived! Marvellous!
Sample from Scene 1. The full script, songs and teacher notes are in the pack.
Common Questions
How many children can take part?
There are 26 named roles, from one big lead to lots of one-liners, plus the Class group, which can be any size: from 20 to 32+ children. Extra Class members can take any of the small lines from Class Six.
Do we need sheet music or backing tracks?
No. Every song is set to a well-known traditional tune or a simple chant, so a confident adult voice, a piano or a guitar is all you need. Photocopiable lyric sheets are included.
What format is the pack?
A print-ready PDF (40 pages), delivered instantly by Gumroad after purchase. Print as many copies as your school needs.
Does it work as a Year 6 end-of-year play?
Yes. It is written for Years 5 and 6, with plenty of wordplay, a big comic lead and lots of small parts, so it works well as a Year 6 summer production or leavers' show.
Is there a discount for buying more than one play?
Yes. The bundle of all five original School Plays is £29.99, instead of £49.95 for the five packs bought separately.
All 5 Original Plays Bundle — £29.99
Get all five of our original plays in one download: The Odd Sock, The Moon Who Was Scared of the Dark, Bin Day Rebellion!, Lost Property and Unit 7 Wants a Birthday. That's a play for every year group from Reception to Year 6 for less than the price of three single packs (worth £49.95).
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At night the lost property box comes alive, and everything has five nights to get home. Includes a Year 6 leavers' ending.
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