PRESCHOOL TEACHER S GUIDE The Arts Start prgram is supprted by The Ugly Duckling & The Trtise and the Hare Friday, March 15, 2013 10:00 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.
Welcme! This guide was created fr use by teachers in the Springfield Urban League Head Start prgram, but it will als be sent t ther teachers attending the perfrmance wh indicate they teach preschl students. Anther Teacher s Guide, with cntent fr lder students, is available n the Sangamn Auditrium website at www.sangamnauditrium.rg/classacts. We hpe the infrmatin and activity ideas included in this guide will help yur students better understand the perfrmance they see. We lk frward t seeing yu! Yuth prgramming in the Class Acts series and in cnjunctin with ther Sangamn Auditrium events is supprted in part by the Helen Hamiltn Perfrming Arts Endwment fr Yuth Fund, gifts frm Elizabeth and Rbert Staley, and a grant frm the Illinis Arts Cuncil, a state agency. The Arts Start prgram is an initiative f University f Illinis Springfield s Sangamn Auditrium and the Springfield Urban League Head Start, funded by PNC s Grw Up Great initiative. Thrugh this arts educatin prgram, Head Start students, their teachers, and their families will becme invlved in live perfrmances, enhancing the students educatinal pprtunities and schl readiness. Write t Us We wuld lve t hear frm yu and yur students! If yur students write abut the perfrmance they saw r create artwrk related t it, yu are welcme t send it t us via email t azepp2@uis.edu r thrugh the mail t Class Acts Sangamn Auditrium, UIS One University Plaza, MS PAC 397 Springfield, IL 62703-5407 We lve sharing student wrk with ur Class Acts spnsrs, s they can see the impact f their dnatins.
Attending a Live Perfrmance Please use the infrmatin belw t help prepare yur yung students fr attending a live theatrical perfrmance. Fr many, this will be their first experience with live theater. Ging t a live theatrical perfrmance is different than watching a mvie r TV shw the members f the audience are very imprtant, and the way they behave will affect the perfrmance. That s why theaters have their wn special rules abut behavir. Tell yur students that when they arrive in the parking lt, there will be a lt f ther buses there t. They will need t fllw the instructins f their teachers and walk in a straight line (r maybe in a buddy-system line) t cme int the building. Once inside, they need t stay in line because f all the ther students wh will be there. Ask yur students hw they think an audience shuld behave at a live perfrmance. What are sme f the things they shuld d and nt d? If it is nt cvered by the student answers, make sure yu talk abut: *Listen* t the perfrmance (this ties int dn t talk, but it can be helpful t keep all the discussin pints phrased in the psitive and nt in the dn t-d-this mde); use a cupped ear gesture t emphasize listening when it is mentined *Watch* the perfrmance; pint at bth sides f yur face near yur eyes with yur index fingers t emphasize watching when it is mentined * Clap* at the end f sngs and at the end f the perfrmance when the perfrmers take their bws. Take the time t practice clapping with the students. Call ne student frward wh will pretend t take a bw at the end f a perfrmance and the rest f the rm will practice clapping fr this student. Repeat the gestures fr the three pints abve and have the students d it with yu. Let yur students knw that like in a mvie theater, the area where the audience sits fr the perfrmance will be rather dark, but there will be lights n the stage and sme small lights will remain n in the aisles. If they need t use the bathrm in the middle f the shw, they can cme t the end f the rw and an usher will use a flashlight t make sure they can find their way t the crrect bathrm.
Activities The activities can be used tgether in any cmbinatin that wrks fr the teacher. It wuld be best t d sme activities befre the perfrmance, t help students understand the plt f the stry, and sme activities after the perfrmance, t reinfrce what they have seen. Pre-shw Discussin Questins Discuss the different types f perfrming arts (music, dance, theater) t help students understand that they are ging t see peple perfrm. Ask if they have ever experienced a live theater perfrmance befre. What did they see? What was it like? Hw is live theater different than mvies and TV? There are real peple n the stage. The perfrmance will never be exactly the same again. Familiarize yur students with the fllwing wrds theater, play, actr, stage, cstume, usher Literacy and Writing Ask yur students t draw r write abut what the duckling lked like at the beginning f the stry and what he lked like at the end f the stry. Ask them t think abut hw he has changed did he get bigger, did he change clrs? Emphasize the cncept f sequencing by talking abut befre and after. Vcabulary Be sure yur students are familiar with the fllwing wrds frm the stry: Lake Nest Hatch Fluffy Duckling Different Cried Swan
Fine Arts Visual Art Help students learn and identify shapes by making a duck ut f basic shapes. This activity will als help students practice cutting skills, identifying clrs, and fllwing directins. Give each student a cpy f the wrksheet n the next page. Each student will als need a blank piece f cnstructin paper. 1. Clr the val brwn. 2. Clr the circle green. 3. Clr the triangles yellw. 4. Cut ut the val and glue it in the middle f yur piece f paper. This is the bdy f yur duck. 5. Cut ut the circle and glue it n the edge f yur val n the upper right side. This is the head f yur duck. 6. Cut ut the 2 triangles. Glue ne n the frnt edge f the circle t be yur duck s beak and the ther n the lwer left edge f yur val t be yur duck s ft. 7. When yu are dne, students may want t decrate their ducks by drawing n a wing and eye. Dance/Mvement Ask yur students t pretend that they are baby ducklings, and yu are ging t teach them hw t fly. Have them stick ut their arms and pretend their arms are wings. Then yu will shw them different mvements they can d with their wings. Yu can als use this activity t reinfrce learning abut directinal wrds. Here are a few ideas: Wings up bth arms abve yur head Wings dwn bth arms dwn at yur sides Fly t the left lean t the left with yur left arm dwn and right arm up Fly t the right lean t the right with yur right arm dwn and left arm up Circle put yur arms straight ut and mve yur wings in small circle Think f yur wn flying mves! Try putting tgether different patterns fr the students t cpy such as up, dwn, up, dwn, circle, circle, circle. Then gradually make the patterns mre cmplex. Yu can d this activity in the classrm by just having students mve their arms, r yu can d it in a bigger space, r utside, which wuld allw rm t mve arund as a grup.
Theatre In the middle f the stry, the little duckling is alne and scared. Ask students what it means t be scared r afraid f smething. Then ask them t shw yu what it lks like t be scared. Encurage them t use bth facial expressins and bdy language. The ask them t shw yu hw they wuld express ther feelings, such as happy, tired, excited, angry, etc. Music Lead yur students in saying the rhyme belw abut ducks. At the end f each line f the first verse are suggestins fr mvements. Five Little Ducks Five little ducks, went ut t play (hld up five fingers) Over the hills, and far away. (hld hand t eyebrws) When the mther* duck went "Quack Quack Quack" (mtin "quack" with yur hand) Fur little ducks came waddling back. (make wings with arms and mve elbws up and dwn) Fur little ducks, went ut t play Over the hills, and far away. When the mther* duck went "Quack Quack Quack" Three little ducks came waddling back. Three little ducks, went ut t play Over the hills, and far away. When the mther* duck went "Quack Quack Quack" Tw little ducks came waddling back. Tw little ducks, went ut t play Over the hills, and far away. When the mther* duck went "Quack Quack Quack" One little duck came waddling back. One little duck, went ut t play Over the hills, and far away. When the mther* duck went "Quack Quack Quack" N little ducks came waddling back. N little ducks went ut t play, Over the hills and far away, When the mther* duck went "QUACK, QUACK, QUACK" (this time shut!) Five little ducks came waddling back. *Yu can substitute father r teacher r anther descriptive wrd in place f mther.
Other Activities Take hme activity Befre r after the perfrmance send hme the clring sheet fund n the last page f this study guide. Bullying In The Ugly Duckling, the duckling gets very sad when peple make fun f him fr being different. Ask yur students, What are ways yu can make smebdy feel better if they are feeling sad r left ut? Science/Weather The stry takes place ver several mnths, and during that time the weather changes. When the little duckling is hatched it is warm and sunny, but as the stry ges alng it turns t winter and he becmes very cld. Talk abut hw the weather changes fr different seasns. The ducks in the stry have feathers t keep them warm. Ask students t tell yu abut what they wear during different times f the year. Snack Make yur wn duck snack mix! Ducks eat a variety f fds, including small fish, snails, wrms, grass and weeds, algae and aquatic plants, small amphibians, insects, seeds and grain, small berries, fruits and nuts. Make yur wn versin f duck fd by mixing tgether gldfish crackers, gummy wrms, sunflwer seeds, dried fruit, and nuts. Pst-shw Discussin Questins After attending the perfrmance, it is very imprtant t talk t yur students abut their experience, memry, and reactin t the live perfrmance. These are sme pssible questins: Tell me abut what yu saw n the field trip. Tell me abut what yu heard n the field trip. What will yu remember abut the perfrmance? What surprised yu abut ur field trip? What was the mst exciting part f ur field trip fr yu?