POPEJOY SCHOOLTIME SERIES TEACHING GUIDE GRADES: K - 5

D C EE TM H SR A RA C

Dreamcatchers Teaching Guides align with the Common Core Standards.

Diary of a Worm,

a Spider & a Fly

Diary of a Worm, a Spider & a Fly TUE | JAN 29 | 2019 TEACHING GUIDE DREAMCATCHERS 2

Get ready for the coolest ever rock

‘n’ roll romp in a bug’s world,

capturing all the droll humor

and whimsy of the wildly popular

books by Doreen Cronin. Insects

rule in the diaries of unlikely best

friends: Worm, Spider, and Fly. Worm

lives with his parents, plays with his

friends, and even goes to school. But

unlike you or me, he never has to take

a bath, he gets to eat his homework,

and because he doesn’t have

legs, he just can’t do the hokey

pokey—no matter how hard he

tries. Even though she’s little—just

like her best friends, Worm and

Spider, Fly believes she’s a superhero.

And why not? She walks on walls, sees in all directions at once, and

can already fly! This girl dreams BIG! Spider can’t wait to grow up and

molt. Actually, he’s a lot like you. He goes to gym class and celebrates

Grandparents Day at school. But he also spins sticky webs, scales walls,

and takes wind-catching lessons.

Promoting eco-consciousness, earth science, and tolerance of others,

Diary of a Worm, a Spider & a Fly is a joyful, hip musical exploration of the

world outside. You might just find that a bug’s life is not all that different

from your own!

Synopsis‘‘

Standards Addressed By Attending the Performance

NMCCSSELA-Literacy.SL.2

NCCASTH:Re9.1

In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.”

-JOHN MUIR

Produced by Dallas Children’s Theater

Book Music and Lyrics by JOAN CUSHING

Adapted from the books by DOREEN CRONIN

with Illustrations by HARRY BLISS

Diary of a Worm, a Spider & a Fly TUE | JAN 29 | 2019 TEACHING GUIDE DREAMCATCHERS 3

Vocabularyinsect - very small animals with a hard

covering over their bodies; most have

three pairs of legs and one or two pairs of

wings

molt - shed old feathers, hair, or skin to

make way for new growth

larva - the active, immature form of an

insect, especially one that differs greatly

from the adult

antenna - pair of sensory organs on the

head of insects

decompose - to rot through the action of

bacteria

house fly - common fly occurring in and

around human habitation

fruit fly - small fly that feeds on fruit;

commonly found in homes, restaurants

and other facilities where food is

processed

topsoil - the fertile, upper part of the soil

compost - decayed organic material

(leaves and grass) used to improve soil

especially for growing crops

exoskeleton - the hard, external shell that

protects the body of spiders

Fun Facts for StudentsAuthors sometimes use a convention called personification whereby they give non-human creatures characteristics that are human in order to help tell their stories.

Students often think storytellers make up all of the characters, events, and information presented in their stories. However, this show includes factual information about bugs.

WORMS

• Can dig down over six feet underneath the surface of the soil;

• Have no ears, legs, or eyes;

• Are on every continent except Antarctica;

• Even live in some oceans.

There are well over 6,000 different types of earthworms around the world. The largest earthworm ever found measured 22 feet long. Worms don›t have just one heart; they have FIVE! Each heart is responsible for pumping blood to a different part of the worm’s body.

SPIDERS

• Have no bones, but do have an exoskeleton;

• Have blue blood, not red;

• Can lay as many as 3,000 eggs at one time.

There are approximately 38,000 known species of spiders. The world’s smallest spider is the Patu marplesi. It is so small that 10 of them could fit on the end of a pencil.

Spiders have hair all over their body. Most of the spiders’ hair have nerve endings inside them, making them very, very sensitive. That helps spiders know what’s going on around them.

FLIES

Do not have teeth or a stinger;

Have mouths that absorb food like a sponge;

Eat away damaged flesh which helps wounds and burns heal; doctors use a special species of flies to help patients with wounds.

Fruit flies only live for 8 - 10 days. In that time, females lay around 500 eggs. There are fruit flies in space.

House flies taste with their feet, which are 10 million times more sensitive to sugar than the human tongue. Adult house flies can grow to one-quarter of an inch long and usually live between 15 and 25 days.

Diary of a Worm, a Spider & a Fly TUE | JAN 29 | 2019 TEACHING GUIDE DREAMCATCHERS 4

About Doreen CroninDoreen Cronin grew up on Long Island, NY with her parents, one sister, and two brothers. It was her first-grade teacher,

Mrs. Cooper, who first told Cronin that she was a writer, and gave extra writing assignments to encourage her. She went

to college and law school. She was a practicing attorney when her first book, Click, Clack Moo: Cows That Type became

a success. The busy life of a writer left no room for the courtroom, so she gave up her legal practice. To date she has

written 49 books and is a best-selling author.

Diary of a Worm, a Spider & a Fly TUE | JAN 29 | 2019 TEACHING GUIDE DREAMCATCHERS 5

Objectives

• Colored and black construction paper

• Scissors

• Stapler, tape

• Glue sticks or liquid glue

• A mix of 4 large and 4 small stick-on “google” eyes per student (or can be drawn on)

Procedure 1. Help the students research and make a list of true facts about spiders. Include physical attributes

such as colors, number of legs and eyes, etc.

2. (If the children are too young to do their own cutting, do this in advance of the lesson.) Cut long

strips of paper to fit around each child’s head. (You may have to glue, tape, or staple two pieces

together. This actually makes it stronger).

3. Cut enough long, thin strips for each child to have eight (8).

4. Based on the facts they gathered, have the students pick the color of their spider.

5. Have each student pick eight legs from their color.

6. Instruct them to stack two pieces of the long strips, one on top of the other. Have the students count

four piles.

7. Demonstrate how to fold the slips of paper by folding then flipping, folding and flipping — like a

continuous line of Zs — until the end of the strip. These will be the spider’s legs.

8. Lay out the head band piece and add four dots of glue on both sides of the middle. Or use tape.

Attach the legs here.

9. Have the students each count out four big eyes and four small eyes.

10. Flip over the headband so that the legs are coming out of the top and glue/stick all eight eyes in the

middle between the legs (where the forehead is). If you choose, have the students use paint, crayon or

markers for the eyes.

11. Attach the two ends of the paper to make a headband.

12. Take a picture of your class wearing their spider headbands and post it on our Schooltime Facebook page.

Students will:

• research facts about spiders;

• use at least two true facts;

• practice counting to eight;

• make a spider head band.

Spider Web Headband Lesson 1 Adapted from Fantastic Fun and Learning

Grades: K - 2NCCSS

ELA-Literacy.RI.7

MATH.CONTENT.CC.2

NGSSLS1.A

Extensions/Modifications

Assessment

• Read Diary of a Spider wearing the headbands. Then, sing “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” and/or read “Little

Miss Muffet” or enjoy other fun songs or books having to do with spiders.

• Quality of participation

Materials

Diary of a Worm, a Spider & a Fly TUE | JAN 29 | 2019 TEACHING GUIDE DREAMCATCHERS 6

Objectives

• Diary of a Fly, Diary of a Worm, and Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin

• White unlined paper

• Pens, pencils, colored pencils, magic markers, etc.

Procedure 1. This activity can be done prior to attending the show or after by including what they experienced at

Popejoy in the comparisons.

2. Have the students read the three books listed above.

3. Brainstorm as a class and chart the characteristics that each book shares. Examples are: each story is

written by one character; the two other characters from the other books are included; it is written in first

person point of view; has events that happen at home and at school; etc.

4. Invite each student to choose any character they want to be (centipede, mosquito, caterpillar, ant,

ladybug, snail, etc.)

5. Students will create a storyboard to plan out their “Diary.” Take the time to really plan out each entry. This

often works better with partners to help the students stay on track and practice cooperation on a project.

6. Have each team check off the following:

• A date on each page;

• There are at least 10 diary entries;

• Speech or thought bubbles are included with the pictures;

• At least two characters from the books are present;

• The dialog is in first person point of view.

7. Have the teams edit and revise their storyboards for spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and sentence

structure.

8. On a new piece of white paper, the teams will create their final storyboard. Make sure to have them add

color to the drawings for more character personality.

9. Share the diaries. There are many ways to do this:

• Present to their own class, then with buddies in the same or a lower grade. Two classes that

attended the show may want to present to each other.

• Have a “Read In” where students bring snacks from home and rotate to each others’ desks to read

each story at their own pace. They then leave a complimentary comment on a comment paper.

• Video each student reading their story. Watch 2 or 3 per day.

Students will:

• read three books by Doreen Cronin;

• chart the characteristics each book shares;

• create a team storyboard of a new “Diary” character;

• present their story.

Diary of a…Lesson 2 Adapted from 3 Teacher Chicks Blogspot

Grades: 3 - 5NCCSS

ELA-Literacy.RL.9

ELA-Literacy.W.4

ELA-Literacy.SL.4

Extensions/Modifications

Assessment

• As a class vote on one character. Decide on the story to be told. Each student creates one panel for the

storyboard. Each student reads their own panel to the class as if it is one page of the consecutive book.

Make this a fun and easy introduction to Readers Theatre.

• Quality of participation

Materials

Diary of a Worm, a Spider & a Fly TUE | JAN 29 | 2019 TEACHING GUIDE DREAMCATCHERS 7

Bonus Explorations FINGERPRINT INSECTS

Materials: Finger paints or stamp pads, plain or manila drawing paper, crayons, markers or colored pencils.

Provide students with the art materials. Help younger students press their fingerprints onto the paint or pad and press firmly on the drawing paper. When the fingerprints have dried, encourage students to use the markers, crayons or pencils to add “features” and create imaginary fingerprint bugs: spiders, worms, and flies. If there is time, add a background to the pictures to create a story illustration. Option: have each student create a verbal story around the characters they created in their art. It must have a beginning, middle, and end.

ResourcesBOOKS

Cole, Joanna. The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds: A Book About How Living Things Grow. New York: Scholastic Inc., 1995.

French, Vivian. Yucky Worms: Read and Wonder. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2012.

Taback, Simms. There Was an Old Old Lady That Swallowed a Fly. Penguin Random House: New York, 1997.

White, E.B. Charlotte’s Web. New York City: HarperCollins Publishers, 2012.

WEBSITES

Doreen Cronin Home page for the author.

Best of Doreen Cronin Provides a list of 49 books written by Doreen Cronin.

30 Bug Crafts and Activities for Kids Bug crafts and learning activities to try with the kids.

12 Children’s Books About Insects and

Other Wee Critters Twelve books about butterflies, ants, crickets, bees, ladybugs, spiders and worms.

MEDIA/VIDEOS Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin (11:04)Read along as the book’s illustrator, Harry Bliss, reads the book aloud.

National Geographic Kids - Insects Information on all the different insects, including both articles and videos.

Silly Symphony - The Spider and the Fly (7:14) A Walt Disney production that tells an animated story about a spider and a fly.

Inspect an Insect (3:45) This episode of SciShow Kids shows you how to identify an insect in three easy steps.

Bugs and Insects (7:22) In this animated video, kids can learn about different type of bugs, anatomy of insects, and differences between spiders and insects.

Bill Nye the Science Guy - Insects (25:33) Bill Nye gives a fun science lesson on insects.

About the CompanyDallas Children’s Theatre was named by Time Magazine as one of the top five children’s theater companies in the US, and the only one of that group to tour nationally. DCT is a critically acclaimed company that travels coast to coast with professional, large-scale productions designed to stir the heart, stretch the mind, and promote education. Each touring production is selected and designed with youth and family audiences in mind from titles and materials that reflect familiar stories, literary works, histories, and biographies. Each season is thoughtfully chosen to produce plays that are engaging, enriching, and educational. These productions promote social values, moral integrity, and reflect the cultural diversity of our community through casting and theme.

Questions to Engage & ConnectWere there any characters or events that were in the book but not in the play?

If you could be any of these three characters, which would you choose? Why?

Were there any characters or events that were in the play but not the book? Why do you think these choices were made?

Did the changes make the story stronger or was it weaker because of them?

What things helped to tell the story on stage?

What do you think was fact and what was fiction in the musical?

About the Schooltime SeriesThe Popejoy Schooltime Series brings national and international touring companies and performers to Albuquerque. Each company is selected with youth and family audiences in mind, and our repertoire reflects the cultural diversity of our global community. The Schooltime Series includes new plays, familiar stories, literary works, biographies, mythologies, folktales, science shows, music, dance, and puppetry. These professional performing artists create entertaining educational experiences designed to encourage literacy, creativity, communication, and imagination.

The Dreamcatchers Teaching GuidesBy their nature, the arts engage students in learning through observing, listening, and moving, offering learners various ways to acquire information and act on it to build understanding. They also offer a natural way to differentiate instruction as the arts offer multiple modes of representation, expression, and engagement. Additionally, the arts provide an authentic context in which students solve problems. By engaging in learning in one subject, learning in another subject is reinforced and extended, and vice versa. These guides introduce students to what they will see, a basic vocabulary associated with the show, fun facts, vetted resources, and activities providing a connection between the arts and classroom curriculum.

Popejoy HallPopejoy Hall is New Mexico’s premiere nonprofit venue for the performing arts and entertainment. Our mission is to provide access to the performing arts for all New Mexicans.

House Policies & EtiquetteThe inside of a theatre where the audience sits is called a “house” and to get along, have fun, and enjoy the shows, there are rules to follow. Schooltime is a wonderful opportunity to learn how good behavior in a live theater is different from watching television. For guidelines to practice with your class and chaperones, including safety, special needs, food and drink, backpacks, cell phones, photography, recordings, and more, go to schooltimeseries.com/house-policies.

Dreamcatcher CreditsSelected Dreamcatchers teaching Guide materials provided by Dallas Children’s Theater, 38 Earthworm Facts for Kids, 84 Amazing Facts about Spiders, Pest World for Kids, Scholastic Inc., Doreen Cronin, Interesting Fly Facts You Should Know, scholastic.com, Fantastic Fun and Learning, 3Teacher Chicks Blogspot, and other resources noted in this guide.

The Schooltime Series is a proud member of

The Popejoy Schooltime

Series is supported in part by awards from:

P O P E J OY H A L L : U N I V E R S I T Y F O U N D E D ~ C O M M U N I T Y F U N D E D

The Eugene & Marion Castiglia Popejoy

Children’s Schooltime Endowment

The Popejoy Schooltime Education Endowment