the story 3 the production 6 - carousel theatre · 2019-07-02 · gruffalo.” the gruffalo, mouse...

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EDUCATION RESOURCE GUIDE

The StoryThe Production

Lessons & ActivitiesGoing to the Theatre

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6

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The Story

A clever mouse outsmarts a fox, snake and owl by spinning them a tale about a big and scary creature whom he’s meeting called a Gruffalo. All goes well until the Gruffalo actually appears!

OVERVIEW

SYNOPSIS

Mouse is taking a stroll in the deep, dark wood. Mouse is not afraid of anything. While following a map to where the good, juicy nuts grow, Mouse is spotted by Fox, who wants to eat Mouse. To escape the Fox, Mouse says “No, I’m going to have lunch with a Gruffalo.” A Gruffalo, Mouse explains, has terrible tusks, terrible claws, terrible teeth in his terrible jaws and his favourite food is roasted Fox. Fox is frightened and runs away. Mouse laughs. “Silly old Fox, doesn’t he know there’s no such thing as a Gruffalo?”

Mouse is tired and takes a rest. Owl sees the sleeping Mouse and wants to eat Mouse for tea. Owl teaches Mouse to fly in his Air Force but Mouse says “No, I’m going to have tea with a Gruffalo.” The Gruffalo, Mouse says, has “knobbly knees, turned-out toes, a poisonous wart at the end of his nose” and his favourite food is Owl ice cream. Owl is frightened and flies away.

Snake sees Mouse and turns on his hypnotic charm. But Mouse says “No, I’m having a feast with a Gruffalo.” Mouse describes the Gruffalo – whose eyes are orange and tongue is black and “purple prickles all over his back.” The Gruffalo’s favourite food is scrambled Snake, says the Mouse, and Snake is frightened and slides away.

Mouse teaches the audience how to make a scary Gruffalo growl to keep the other animals away, but then who appears but a Gruffalo, exactly as Mouse described him! The Gruffalo wants to eat Mouse, but Mouse says “I’m the scariest creature in this wood.” Mouse invites the Gruffalo to follow behind, and indeed, Snake, Owl, and Fox run away when they see the Gruffalo right behind Mouse. The Gruffalo thinks Mouse is the scariest creature in the woods, and he runs off.

Mouse, again alone in the deep, dark wood, finds a nut, and the nut is good


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Julia Donaldson was born on September 16 in 1948 and grew up in London. When Julia was 5 years old her father gave her The Book of a Thousand Poems and her grandmother introduced her to Edward Lear’s nonsense rhymes. As a child, Julia enjoyed making up imaginary characters and stories with her younger sister, Mary.

Julia studied Drama and French at Bristol University where she met her husband, Malcolm. Julia and Malcolm travelled Europe as buskers which started her career in singing and songwriting. They both performed at and wrote songs to Folk clubs and festivals. Julia began to write plays and run workshops specifically for children in the late 1970s. She obtained a Postgraduate Certificate in Education and worked as an English teacher in England until 1978 when her son was born.

In 1989 she moved to Glasgow for Malcolm to take up a position in the department of Medicine at Glasgow University. In 1991 Julia was asked to turn her song “A Squash and a Squeeze” into a children’s picture book. This launched Julia’s career as a children’s writer and she started visiting Scottish schools and libraries.

Julia Donaldson

Her best-selling book The Gruffalo, published in 1999, won several awards, has been translated into more than 40 languages and has sold over 10 million copies.

She continues to write books for children as well as plays, songs and poems. Julia has done much charitable work to promote children’s education through reading, writing and the creative arts. She was awarded an MBE medal for services to literature and given the prestigious honor of being Children’s laureate in 2011 until 2013.

“The book was going to be about a tiger but I couldn’t get anything to rhyme with “tiger”.

For more information about Julia Donaldson visit her website:

http.//www.juliadonaldson.co.uk


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Q When did you decide to be a writer?

A For my fifth birthday, my father gave me a very fat book called “The Book of a Thousand Poems”. I loved it. I read the poems, recited them, learnt them, and then started making up some of my own. Although I wanted to be a poet all those years ago, I later decided I would rather go on the stage. That didn’t quite work out, so I did other jobs – teaching and publishing. But somehow I’ve ended up doing what I wanted to do when I was five years old. I have a theory that this happens to quite a lot of people.

Q When did you start to write books?

A In 1993, when one of my songs, “A Squash and a Squeeze” was made into a book. Before that I just wrote songs for children’s television.

Q Where do you get your ideas?

A Anywhere and everywhere: things that happen to my children; memories of my own childhood; things people say; places I go to; old folk tales and fairy stories. The hard part for me is not getting the idea, it is turning it into a story with a beginning, a middle and an end.

Q How long does it take to write a book?

A It can take months or years for the idea to grow in my head and for me to plan the book. This is a very important part. Then, when I am ready it could take anything between a week (for a picture book) and six months (for a chapter book) to write it. For THE GRUFFALO the ideas and planning stage lasted a year (obviously I was doing other things too!) and the actual writing took about two weeks.

An Interview with Julia Donaldson

Q Do you like being an author?

A I find the actual writing quite hard work. I often get stuck, or feel that I’m plodding along in an uninspired way. But when I realise that a story is working after all it’s a very exciting feeling – and I love doing all the polishing touches at the end (or “tweaking” as publishers call it). It’s lovely when the first rough illustrations arrive and I see how my characters are going to look.

Q How many books have you written?

A I have written 204 books. (83 of them can be bought in shops, and the other 121 are for schools.)

Q Which one of your books is your favourite?

A It keeps changing. At the moment I have two: “The Highway Rat” for younger children and “The Giants and the Joneses” for older ones.

Q What is your favourite book (not by you)?

A One of my favourites is “Watership Down” by Richard Adams, an exciting story about rabbits.

Q What are your hobbies?

A Walking, cycling, playing the piano, singing. I’m also interested in wild flowers and fungi.

Q Do you have any pets?

A Sadly my black cat Goblin died recently (he was very old). I do have a huge fish called Swimmy and quite a lot of other fish (I can’t count them because they won’t keep still) in a pond in my garden.

Excerpted from: http://www.juliadonaldson.co.uk


• By 19 she was fluent in German, French and Italian as well as her first language of English.

• Julia started her career by busking on city streets in the UK and several other European cities.

• Julia got her idea for The Gruffalo from a Chinese story about a little girl who escapes being eaten by a tiger by claiming to be the Queen of the Jungle.

• She has written one novel for teenagers, Running on the Tracks, which has won the Nasen award for Special Educational Needs.

• Julia is very active in promoting literacy and education and is involved with many charitable organizations. She has written a phonetic reading series comprising of over 60 books (Songbird Phonetics).

DID YOU KNOW?

5 COOL FACTS about Julia Donaldson

•Was first published in 1999 and has sold over 13.5 million copies worldwide.

•Has been translated into over 50 languages.

•IstheUK‘sbestsellingpicturebook.

•April2016marksthe100thUKprintrun,bringing total UK sales to nearly 2.5 million copies.

•VotedtheUK’sfavouritebedtimestorybyBBC Radio 2 listeners, The Gruffalo is a real modern classic.

•TheGruffalohasbeenadaptedintoaBAFTA-and Oscar-nominated film which is shown each year at Christmas on the BBC and has sold over 1.5 millionDVDs.

•HasbeentouringtheUK&aroundtheworld successfully for over 15 years, premiering in the UK in May 2001.

•Hasperformedin16countriesand5 continents – inc. twice at Sydney Opera House, twice on Broadway, 9 West End seasons and once at the National Theatre.

•Hasbeentranslatedinto2differentlanguages (German&Spanish)with3moreplanned.

THE BOOK

THE PLAY

•17differentactorshaveplayedtheGruffalo.

•Insummer2015TheGruffalohostedthefirst ever West End sensory friendly performance of a show for children aged three and up, working with Mousetrap Theatre Projects.


Clever Animal Stories

Turtle’s Race with Beaver by Joseph Bruchac and James Bruchac, illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey

Turtle’s pond home is overtaken by Beaver. When they decide to solve their dispute by having a race, Turtle comes up with a clever way to beat the odds. This traditional Seneca story is delightful.

Mabela the Clever by Margaret Read MacDonald

A community of foolish mice is led towards certain doom by a sneaky cat, until the smallest mouse Mabela remembers what her father taught her. This traditional tale about cleverness is from Sierra Leone.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Jerry Pinkney

This is a reimagining of the classic folktale that is perfect for today’s children. Themes of greed, justice and redemption explode across the pages of Pinkney’s glorious watercolour illustrations.

Marvelous Monster Stories

Monster Trouble by Lane Frederickson, illustrated by Michael Robe rtson

Winifred isn’t afraid of monsters, in fact she thinks they’re quite cute, but since they keep her up at night, she needs an ingenious plan to keep them away. Preschoolers will love this hilarious bedtime story.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Max’s misbehaviour leads to a time-out in his room without his supper. A wondrous world grows there and he travels by boat to conquer the land of the wild things.

Leonardo, the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems

Leonardo is a monster who just can’t seem to scare anyone! When he meets a nervous little boy who seems like the perfect candidate to frighten, Leonardo must decide if there is a better thing to do.

Read Alouds

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

Despereaux, a tiny mouse with giant ears, becomes fascinated with a fairytale about a knight who rescues a princess. Little does he know that he is soon to have a life-changing encounter with a real princess.

Splash by Kallie George

A little sea serpent named Splash loves to splash but sea serpents are supposed to be secret and silent. Will lessons from her Grampy help her when a boat approaches? This very first chapter book is charming.

Appleblossom the Possum by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Meet Appleblossom, a brave and curious possum, as she and her siblings strike out on their own after their mother warns them of all the “monsters” in their neighbourhood.

VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY READING LIST

Did you love the clever mouse in The Gruffalo? Look for some of these other recommended books that feature quick-thinking creatures and strange but wonderful monsters at your local public library.


BEHIND THE SCENES

When you go to see a play you notice the actors on stage and perhaps the staff in the theatre that take your tickets and show you to your seat; but there are a lot more people that work behind the scenes to make a play possible.

Here are some of the departments that all need to work together to create a play:

Costumes, Scenery, Lighting, Audio, Staging, Music, Props, Special Effects, Production, Administration.

Keep in mind that within each of the departments there are a team of people also working together to play their own special part in producing the play.

The Director is responsible for guiding the actors, designers, and crew according to his or her artistic vision and understanding of the play. The director works with the actors, dramaturg, design crew, and playwright to create the world of the play.

The Costume Department designs and makes all the costumes for the play. The Costume Designer talks with the Director to learn about the time and place that the play is set in and any special elements and ideas that the Director wants to include in their telling of the story. The Costume Designer then does lots of research into the background of the play, the setting and time period and creates their own special look for each character. The costume designer decides what the costumes should look like, from hats down to shoes. The Head of Wardrobe creates the costumes as designed by the costume designer, including making new costumes and purchasing others. The Head of Wardrobe is also responsible for making sure the costumes are

cleaned and maintained for the run of the show, and provides assistance to actors who may need help with their costumes during the show.

The Lighting Designer is responsible for much more than just providing light so that we can see the stage and the actors. The Designer also needs to meet with the director to find out about the play, the characters, the setting and especially how the director wants to tell the story. Have you ever noticed how lighting can affect the way you feel? Some people feel sadder in the dark winter months compared with the bright sunny seasons and doctors believe that this has a lot to do with the light. Lighting designers not only pick the color of the lighting at each part of the play but also the intensity and how the light falls onto the stage. Flooding the stage with bright light would make it difficult for us to know where to look and what to pay attention to so the designer carefully creates softer pools of light that tell our eyes what to focus on.

Sound can be very important in a play. Most actors have had lots of training on how to project their voices so that audiences can hear them. However sometimes the theatre is very large or there are other background noises that are hard

The Production


to compete with so an audio technician has to boost the actors natural voices. Sometimes individual microphones are used and attached to each actor and sometimes microphones are placed above and around the stage to boost the sound level. Every time the play is performed the audio technician needs to monitor the sound from these microphones and make sure all the sound blends well together. There is often music in a play that is used to create a special mood or feeling which is the job of the Composer. The Sound Designer may create new sounds and select music and decide when the sounds should be played. These are called “sound cues.” Just as the costume and lighting designers work with the director so does the sound designer. They need to create the play’s own special atmosphere that helps us feel the way the director wants us to feel at certain parts of the play.

The staging of the play concerns how the actors move on stage and where the set pieces and props are placed. Every move that the actors make on stage is carefully planned out and rehearsed many times with the director. Since the lighting is held in place on metal grids above the stage the actors need to know where to stand so that they are lit properly and so they do not block other actors. The process where the director maps out exact placements for the actors is called blocking. If you look carefully on the stage floor you will see colored tape markers that help the actors know where to stand.

All the objects you see on stage are called props and are carefully selected and placed to be exactly where they are. Props can be ordinary everyday items or they can be specially made just for the particular play that they are in. It is the job of the Head of Properties to buy, make, store and maintain all the props throughout the run of the play.

Lauren Scott-Berry as Mouse in The Gruffalo photos by © Lesley Cook

BEHIND THE SCENES continued


THEATRE TERMS

People

Actor: a performer who tells a story to the audience by playing a character.

Artistic Director: the artistic director is responsible for conceiving, developing, and implementing the artistic vision and focus of a theatre company.

Choreographer: the person who creates and directs the sequence of steps and movement in a show.

Director: the person who provides the vision of how a show should be presented, who works with the actors on their roles, develop the blocking, and is in charge of the rehearsals.

Lighting Designer: the person who designs the lighting for a show and works with the director to get desired effects.

Managing Director: the managing director is responsible for guiding and directing the administrative and financial functions of a theatre company.

Prop Mistress/Master: the person in charge of all the props and who usually works with them during a show.

Set Designer: the person who designs the sets for a show.

Sound Designer: the person who designs the sound for the show.

Stage Manager: the person responsible for making sure all of the technical aspects of a show run smoothly. The stage manager sits in the lighting booth, behind the audience, and “calls the show.” This means that they give cues throughout the performance to the actors, the operators of the lights and sound, and the assistant stage manager. In rehearsal, the stage manager coordinates the schedule and makes sure everything that is needed for smooth rehearsals is present.

Places

Backstage: the part of a theater which is not seen by the audience, including the dressing rooms, wings and the green room

Catwalk: a narrow walkway suspended from the ceiling of a theater from which sometimes lights and scenery are hung.

Control Booth: the place in a theater from which all the sound and lights are controlled.

Downstage: the part of the stage which is closest to the audience.

Dressing Rooms: rooms in a theater provided for the actors in which they change costumes and apply make-up.

Front of House: the part of the theater known as the auditorium where the audience is seated, the lobby and the box office.

Green Room: a place for the performers to relax while waiting to go on stage.

House: used to describe the audience or as a short way of saying "Front of House."

Stage Left: (these left/right directions are seen from the ACTORS point of view on the stage) this is when the actor standing in the center of the stage moves to his left (This even stumps some pros so it is best to learn it now).

Stage Right: (these left/right directions are seen from the ACTORS point of view on the stage) this is when the actor standing in the center of the stage moves to his right.

Wings: the areas of the stage that are to the sides of the acting area and are out of view. These areas are usually masked by curtains.


General terms

Blocking: The director’s planning and instruction of the actors’ movements on the stage.

Cue: signals that are given to both the actors, the crew, the musicians and any others working on a show.

Curtain: the screen usually of cloth which separates the stage from the audience.

Curtain call: the bows at the end of a performance.

Dress Rehearsal: The full running of the production with all costumes, sets, lighting, and sound before the show opens to the public.

Offstage: the area of the stage which the audience cannot see.

Preview: Early public performances that allow the cast and crew to perform in front of audiences before the show officially opens.

Run: the number of times a show is performed.

Set: the setting of the stage for each act and all the physical things that are used to change the stage for the performance.

Technical Rehearsal: Also called “Tech” for short. These rehearsals take place in the theatre and allow the crew and the actors to establish and run through lighting and sound cues. Technicians and designers are able to program the lights and sounds and other design elements, and also gives the actors.

THEATRE TERMS continued

Top: lauren Scott-Berry as Mouse, Aaron Millard as Gruffalo

and Neil Jennings as Fox

Bottom: Neil Jennings as Owl , photos by © Lesley Cook


THE CREATIVE TEAM

DirectorAssociate DirectorCreative ProducerDesignerPuppet DesignerLighting DesignerComposer and Sound ProductionCompany Stage ManagerAuthor and Illustrator

Olivia JacobsLuanna PriestmanToby MitchellIsla ShawYvonne StoneJames WhitesideJollyGoodTunesAlyssa TuckJulia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

THE CAST

AARON MILLARD

NEIL JENNINGS

LAUREN SCOTT-BERRY


STEP 1:Have students draw lines to match the pairs of rhyming words in the handout provided.

STEP 2:Couplets are made up of two lines whose last words rhyme.

For example:

My cat caught a fish,

So I put it in a dish

Have students fill in the missing words from the couplets on the handout provided.

STEP 3:

For Preschoolers+

Another type of poem is an acrostic which a series of lines or verses in which the first, last, or other particular letters when taken in order spell out a word, phrase, etc. For example:

Fast in lots of sports

Really likes ice-cream

Enjoys playing baseball

Doesn’t like eating broccoli

Language Arts•Phonemic and phonological awareness•Oral language strategies•writing processes•Explore oral storytelling processes.

Arts Education•Create artistic works collaboratively and

as an individual, using ideas inspired by imagination, inquiry, experimentation, and purposeful play.

•Experience, document, and share creative works in a variety of ways.

The Gruffalo is told in rhyme. In this activity students will explore rhyme and use their experiences to create some couplets of their own.

A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood.

A fox saw the mouse and the mouse looked good.

“Where are you going to, little brown mouse?

Come and have lunch in my underground house.”

Lessons & Activities

GRADE LEVEL: K+

CURRICULUM TIES

Playing with Poetry (before or after the play)


Invite students to use their names or pick a favorite (or imaginary)animal and write their own acrostic poem. Have them add a title and drawing to polish it off. Poems can be displayed on the wall and/or read out loud to their classmates

For Grade 1+

Have students create their own couplets to describe a real or imaginary animal or creature. For older grades students can try putting two sets of couplets together to form a quatrain. Quatrains are made up of four lines. The rhyming pattern can be AABB or ABAB.:

It’s big black and hairy, Yes, my monster’s pretty scary!

Huge green eyes and big sharp claws, it makes a loud roar when it opens its jaws.

Have them give the poem a title and illustrate their animal. Poems can be displayed on the wall and/or read out loud to their classmates.

Here are some useful links on teaching poetry:

http://www.theteachersguide.com/poetrymonth.htm

https://www.poetry4kids.com/lessons/poetry-writing-lessons/

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/10-ways-use-poetry-your-classroom

Playing with Poetry continued

Neil Jennings as Fox, photos by © Lesley Cook


see

Poetry Worksheet _____________________

toessnakewoodclawscream

lakegoodjaws

sreamnosehouserocks

me

Draw lines between the rhyming word pairs:

mousefox

Fill in the blanks below to complete the rhyme. The missing words are listed below if you need help.

My favourite food!” the Gruffalo said.“You’ll taste good on a slice of ______________________!”

All was quiet in the deep dark wood.The mouse found a nut and the nut was ________________.

“Where are you going to, little brown mouse?”“Come and have tea in my treetop ___________________.”

house lake good rocks bread


Step 2: The Characters

Have students list the characters in the play (Mouse, Fox, Snake, Owl and Gruffalo) and lead a class discussion about them using the following prompts:

How would they move? What would they sound like? What things would they be thinking about? How would they be feeling?

Invite the students to “become” the characters by using their entire bodies, voices and even the way they might be thinking.

Step 3: Putting it all Together!

Now it’s time to create your own play in the classroom.

Divide the class into small groups and have them choose a scene from their timelines to perform. For older grades students can perform the entire timeline of events. If there are only two characters in the scene some students can play parts of the scenery or additional animals that could be in the forest observing and reacting to the action.

Invite the groups perform their scene to the class.

Language Arts•Recognize the structure and elements of a story.•Exchange ideas and perspectives to build

shared understanding.• Identify, organize, and present ideas in a variety

of forms.•Explore oral storytelling processes.•Show an increasing understanding of the

role of organization in meaning.

Arts Education•Express feelings, ideas, stories, observations,

and experiences through the arts.•Experience, document, and share creative

works in a variety of ways.

GRADE LEVEL: PreK+

CURRICULUM TIES

Build Your Own Play (After the play)

BEGINNING END

Step 1: The Story

Have the class suggest events in the play that they remember. Write these events on the board. Now have the class talk about when the events listed occured in the play - which can before and which came after.

After brainstorming as a class, ask students to choose 5 important events from the play and either write them (or draw them) on cards. Place the cards on a timeline (see Handout) in the order that they occur in the play.


The Gruffalo Timeline Worksheet ___________

Ch

oo

se 7 imp

ortan

t events fro

m th

e story an

d p

lace them

on

the tim

eline.

BEG

INN

ING

END


Step 1: For PreK+

Ask the class to recall some of the Gruffalo’s physical features. Below is a list of Mouse’s descriptions for reference:

Terrible tusks Terrible claws Terrible teeth in his terrible jaws Knobbly knees Turned-out toes Poisonous wart at the end of his nose Orange eyes Black tongue Purple prickles all over his back

Invite students to draw a Gruffalo using some or all of the descriptions discussed.

Step 2: For K+

Now it’s time for students to create their own creature using words. Talk about adjectives and make a list together on the board.

Ask students to choose some of the adjectives listed and fill in the Worksheet. They can insert either adjectives or descriptive phrases in the boxes. Once they have “painted” a picture with words they can then use art supplies to paint their creature with their hands.

Gruffalos can be posted on the classroom and/or presented to the class.

GRADE LEVEL PRE K+

CURRICULUM TIES

Making Gruffalos with Words & Pictures (Before or after the play)

Language Arts•Use sources of information and prior

knowledge to make meaning.•Use language to identify, create, and share

ideas, feelings, opinions, and preferences•Explore foundational concepts of print,

oral, and visual textsArts Education•Create artistic works collaboratively and

as an individual, using ideas inspired by imagination, inquiry, experimentation, and purposeful play

•Reflect on creative processes and make connections to other experiences

•Express feelings, ideas, stories, observations, and experiences through the arts.

Science•Share observations and ideas orally•Make exploratory observations using their

senses•Represent observations and ideas by

drawing charts and simple pictographs•Observe objects and events in familiar

contexts•Ask questions about familiar objects and

events.

In the play Mouse makes up an imaginary creature and uses words to “paint” a picture of what his creature looks like. In this activity students will work with adjectives; learning to visulize written descriptions.


Making Gruffalos Worksheet__________“Paint” your own creature by filling in the body spaces with describing words. You can draw a picture of your creature on the other side of the sheet.


When you take a walk in the woods you can sometimes be lucky enough to find clues about what animals live there,

Step 1: Detecting Animal Tracks

When animals move about the forest their feet leave tracks on the ground. Below is a chart of some common animal tracks that students can look for when they take a walk in the woods.

Have kids look at real feet, including non-human feet. Look at pictures of feet, too, and ask kids to consider these questions: How many toes are there? What does the bottom surface of the foot look like? Is it bumpy? Scaly? Smooth? Flat? Arched? What shapes do you see? When the creature walks, what parts of its feet touch the ground?

Have the students using the key below to identify footprints. on the handout provided..

Option 2: Making Tracks

Have students make their own animal track prints by cutting sponges into shapes and arranging them together to look like a real animal track or the track of an imaginery animal.

GRADE LEVEL: PreK+

CURRICULUM TIES

Animal Detectives (Before or after the play)

Language Arts•Use sources of information and prior

knowledge to make meaning.•Exchange ideas and perspectives to build

shared understanding..

Science• Identify simple patterns and connections•Make and record observations•Sort and classify data and information using

drawings, pictographs and provided tables

Arts Education•Explore elements, processes, materials,

movements, technologies, tools, and techniques of the arts

•Create artistic works collaboratively and as an individual, using ideas inspired by imagination, inquiry, experimentation, and purposeful play

•Explore artistic expressions of themselves and community through creative processes.

Rabbit Duck Bear Turkey Porcupine Otter Bobcat Coyote Deer

Supplies needed: Stiff card, sponges (dish sponges work well), scissors, markers (to draw template on sponge before cutting) and tempura paint).


Animal Tracks Worksheet______________

deer

otter

turkey

bear

duck

rabbit

porcupine

Match the tracks to the animal:


In this activity students will work together with their classmates to create some crazy-looking animals.

Give each student a piece of white paper and have then fold it into quarters lengthwise. On the top quarter of the paper the students should draw something from the head to shoulders of the creature. They then need to fold the paper down, hiding everything they just drew except for two guides lines for the next student to draw from.

Students then pass their paper to the person next to them (left or right) and they then draw from the shoulders to waist. Again students fold up the paper so that the drawing is covered and pass the paper onto another classmate.

Now students need to draw and draw from the waist to the knees folding and passing on as before.

For the last round students draw from the knees to the feet of the creature. They can then unfold the paper to see the crazy creature they just created. It’s fun to give the creatures names and put them up on the wall for display.

Online Fun!

You can use this fun link to let the children create their own unique animals online!

Use https://switchzoo.com/zoo.htm

GRADE LEVEL: PreK+

CURRICULUM TIES

Crazy Creatures (Before or after the play)

Arts Education•Createartisticworkscollaborativelyand as an individual, using ideas inspired by imagination, inquiry, experimentation, and purposeful play•Experience,documentandsharecreative works in a variety of ways•Developprocessesandtechnicalskillsin a variety of art forms to nurture motivation, development, and imagination•Reflectoncreativeprocessesandmake connections to other experiences

Language Arts•Exchange ideas and perspectives to build

shared understanding•Use language to identify, create, and share

ideas, feelings, opinions, and preferences.


This is a based on a popular freeze game for children and involves a combination of holding still and movement.

ObjectiveStudents take turns being Mouse who has to take a walk through the woods without being caught by any Gruffalos.

Students become trees – tall and straight, short, curly branches, drooping over. They need to form on either side of a designated pathway for Mouse to walk along. the trees need to stand perfectly still while the mouse can see them. Whenever the mouse’s back is turned the trees can turn into Graffalos and move around being careful not to be seen moving by the mouse. If the animals are caught moving they have to sit out. Depending on the age level students may sit out one round or more.If any of the Gruffalos managed to touch Mouse then they become the mouse

Variation for Younger Students:

The students simply alternate between being Gruffalos and trees with no added objective of catching Mouse. Mouse walks through the trees trying to catch students moving.

Mouse’s Walk

Physical Education & Drama Games

In this drama game students work together to create a “creature” who is then acted out by a fellow student. This can be done as a class activity or in small groups.

In each grouping of four, one student will play the creature that the other three create. Begin by setting a scene for the three students to interact in and. one that also incorporates the imminent arrival of the creature. You can either do this or you can have the class contribute ideas. Here are some suggestions: sitting on a park bench eating lunch; taking a walk in the wood; having a picnic in the countryside; or playing at the beach.

Once the scene is set the three students should take their places in front of the class and each take a turn at describing the creature that they have heard about who is said to live nearby. They can each describe a different aspect of the creature:

Physical: walks sideways, jumps like a bunny, skips, hops on one foot, rolls on the floor, waves their arms, keeps their hands on their head, walks on all fours, etc.

Emotional: happy, sad, angry, excited, scared, etc.

Characteristics: cris a lot, sneezes, winks, burst out in song, accents, whispers, etc.

Once each student has provided a description the fourth student should enter the scene and interact with the three students taking on all the traits attributed to them.

The Creature I Saw Was...


This is a fun energetic game where students get to become the animals in the play. It helps students learn to follow cues and train them to follow directions that may not always be intuitive to them.

First explain the following directions to the students so that they know what action they should associate with each word.

Encourage students to use their whole bodies and their voices to try and become each animal. They should think about how they move, how to make themselves appear big or small, how to use their arms, hands and feet, how to adjust their voice and volume to become each animal.

Once they are familiar with each action they are ready to play! Ask students to move around the space as whatever animal you tell them to be unless they are a tree or rock in which case they should be as still as possible. Call out the various actions listed below in random order to keep them on their toes.

Gruffalo!Mouse!

Owl!Snake!

Fox!Rock!Tree!

Move It!

This is a great exercise to encourage cooperation and mutual respect. Students work in small groups of 4-5 to create a tableau (frozen image) of a Gruffalo using their bodies. Each student can use their body to mold themselves into a piece of the picture: horns, head, feet, teeth, tounge, prickles, arms, claws, etc. Encourage students to think about their relative positions and whether their “part” should be still or moving in the picture.

When all students have completed their pictures have each group present to the class.

Gruffalo Body Sculptures


In the play we learn that just because something is worn and old doesn’t mean that it can’t be beautiful to someone. In this activity, students can be the Nursery Fairy and transform a collection of recyclables into something beautiful.

Step 1. Have students collect recyclables over a couple of weeks for this art activity. Useful items are plastic bottles (all colours and sizes), cereal boxes, cans (making sure there are no serrated edges), yogurt containers, magazines, egg cartons, candy wrappers, etc.

Step 2. Either individually or in small groups, have the students collect several items from the collection of recyclables and construct an animal of their choosing. Discuss possible ideas beforehand as a class brainstorming activity. Students can create either real or imaginary animals.

Step 3. Once the basic structure is complete, students can use paint, glitter, stickers etc. to add to their design.

Step 4. Students can make a name tag for their animal and display their creation in the classroom for their classmates to view. You could even invite other classes or parents to attend a special Art Exhibition to showcase the work!

Recycled Gruffalos (All levels)

Arts & CraftsGruffalo Puppet (All levels)

Supplies Needed:

•Construction paper•Brownpaperlunchbags•Scissors•Glue•Blackmarker•Orange,green,purple&whiteconstructionpaper (optional) Using the templates provide trace and cut out the prickles, eyes, nose, tusks,teeth and ears and horns. Glue all body parts on the paper bag and fill in the details (mouth, pupils, etc.) with a black marker.

Try making puppets for some of the other animals in the play!

Fun Online Crafts & Activities!• https://www.kidssoup.com/member/gruffalo-

headband

• http://www.gruffalo.com/activities/activities

• https://www.kidssoup.com/activity/the-gruffalo-preschool-activities-and-crafts


Gruffalo Puppet Templates You can use these templates to trace out the Gruffalo’s body parts for either craft project or make your own shapes.

Eyes

Ears

Tusks Horns

Wart

Teeth


Try making these favourite treats to enjoy and share!

The ice cream can be made in class and the crumble can be prepared in class and taken home with students to be baked at home.

Preparation 20 min · Cook Time 25 min · Serves 8-12

This crumble may not have Gruffalo in it but it’s gooey and delicious just the same!

Ingredients1 Gruffalo (optional)750g rhubarb (washed and cut into 1cm pieces)50g sugar1 tablespoon butter (cold and diced)1 tablespoon vanilla extract1 tablespoon cornflour

Crumble Topping

150g plain flour1 teaspoon baking powder110g unsalted butter, cold and diced3 tablespoons castor sugar3 tablespoons golden brown sugar

“Gruffalo” and Rhubarb Crumble

Cooking

Instructions

• If baking in class: Preheat the oven to 190oC, and put in a baking sheet to sit the crumble dish on.

• Toss the sliced rhubarb in a pan on the heat with the sugar, butter, vanilla and cornflour for about 5 minutes until the butter has melted.(If you don’t have access to a hotplate in class toss rhubarb, sugar, butter, vanilla and cornflour together and let sit for a couple of hours.)

• Put rhubarb mixture into a pie dish approximately 21cm diameter and 4cm deep (or smaller disposible tin containers for students to take home).

• Mix the flour and baking powder together well. Drop in the cold, diced butter and rub together with the flour with hands until crumbs form like rough oatmeal. Add in the sugar and gently mix through.

• Pour the crumble mix over the rhubarb. If baking in class: Place in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes on the baking sheet..

• Serve with fresh whipped cream or ice cream and enjoy!


Preparation 30min · Serves 10

IngredientsA large container (eg.empty pickle or pretzel jar, extra large ziiploc bag)Bag of crushed iceLarge ziploc bags ½cupofhalf&half 1 T granulated sugar ½ tsp vanilla extract1 small owl (optional)Towel or glovesM&Mstodecorate(optional)

Instructions• Fill the container about half-full with crushed

ice. Add about 6 T of rock salt to the ice. Seal it and shake the ice and salt combo for about five minutes. You’ll need to wear your gloves when you’re handling the jar because the ice makes it extremely cold.

• Mixthehalf&half,sugarandvanillainaziplocbag.

• Push as much air out of the bag before sealing it tightly. Too much air left inside may pop the bag open during the shaking. Seal the first bag into a second large ziploc bag by pushing out the air as well (by double-bagging, the risk of salt water and ice leaking into the ice cream mix is minimized).

• Place the two sealed bags into the ice and salt mixture. Close the container tightly.

• Wrap the container in a towel or put on gloves. Shake the bag for about 15-20 minutes. This is a great activity to share among the class as it does take a lot of work!

• After 20 minutes of vigurous shaking,the ice cream should be ready. Make sure to rinse the ziploc bag to remove any salt before enjoying the ice cream.

“Owl “Ice Cream

Optional

You can turn your ice cream scoops in owls by addingM&MsforeyesandtwobrownM&Ms(inserting them sideways) for the beak.


Match the answers to the questions below.

•What is the smallest animal in the play?

•What animal lives in a “treetop house”?

•What does the Gruffalo have at the end of his nose?

•What is the first animal that mouse meets?

•What does Mouse tell the Gruffalo his favourite food is?

•How many actors are in the play?

Name Date

three mouse fox

Gruffalo crumble owl wart

The Gruffalo Quiz Handout


We are so excited that you’ve chosen to bring your students to our show! We are honored to represent, for many, their first visit to a live performance. To help ensure that their first experience is a safe and enjoyable one, we’ve included some guidelines below that we hope will help our guests know what to expect as an audience member, and also what is expected.

Food, drinks, candy and gum are not permitted in the theatre. If your class has packed lunches, Please ensure that they stay inside backpacks until your group has left the theatre. Bottles of water are permitted.

Noise carries in the theatre. Even the quietest of whispers can be distracting to the performers and other audience members. Please remind your students to refrain from talking or moving around during the play, but that laughter and clapping is okay. And of course feel free to join in audience participation moments when invited by the company!

Please ask your students to refrain from touching the set pieces or props before, after or during the show as the actors need them for the next performance so that other students can also enjoy them. Leaning or climbing on the edge of the stage or step units is not permitted.

Please encourage everyone to use the washroom facilities prior to the performance. Our ushers are happy to assist anyone who needs to leave or re-enter the theatre, and will do so at an appropriate moment in the show through the exit door on house right, mid-way up the stairs. Young ones are not permitted to leave the theatre unless accompanied by an adult.

THEATRE ETIQUETTE

Going to the Theatre

Throwing objects or using laser pointers is not permitted. We might have to stop the performance if this occurs, as it compromises the safety of the performers and other audience members.

Due to copyright rules and performer safety, photography and recording of any kind is prohibited inside the theatre

The use of cell phones, iPads, video gaming systems, etc. is strictly prohibited. All audience members including educators, parents and students must turn off their devices prior to the show and tuck them away.

We encourage our audiences to respond to our performances; laughter is welcomed when appropriate and applause at the end of a performance is the best feedback of all. If your studentsarecuriousabout‘standingovations,’you can let them know that standing up and clapping is a way people show the actors that they think a performance.


You will sit in your allocated seat and wait for the play to start. Before the play starts a person will stand in front of

the stage and welcome everyone. Everyone will stop talking and listen. The lights will dim and the theatre will become dark. The curtains on the stage will open

and there will be bright lights shining on the stage.ts

• The actors will walk about on stage and talk to each other. Sometimes the actors may feel quite close to you, but don’t worry, they won’t reach out to you or touch you.

• Sometimes things will appear on stage as if by magic.

• Sometimes, the lighting will change—there will be different coloured lights and sometimes it will go darker or brighter as we change place and time in the story.

• Actors tell the story by dressing up in different characters. When they change character, they will put on different pieces of costume. Sometimes they may pretend to be upset or fight with one another but they are only pretending and none of them get hurt.

WHAT TO EXPECT: A STORYBOARD

If you would like to ask any questions about the play or share your thoughts and pictures about it, you can write us a letter or email us: [email protected]

Education Managerc/o Carousel Theatre1411 Cartwright Street Vancouver, BC V6H 3R7

This is what the outside of the theatre building looks like.

You will go through these doors and enter into the lobby.

The inside of the theatre looks like this. When you come into the theatre the auditorium lights will be on so that

This is a picture of the theatre doors. When you walk through these doors an usher may ask you for your ticket and help you find your seat.

Before the Play Begins

When the play ends the actors will all stand on stage together and look at the audience. The Audience will all clap and some people may even call out to let the actors know that they enjoyed the play. When the actors leave the stage people will begin to stand up and leave the theatre.

the story 3 the production 6 - carousel theatre · 2019-07-02 · gruffalo.” the gruffalo, mouse...

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