A Discovery series TeAcher’s GuiDe:
Shows:
Grades suitable for: K-3rd
Georgia Common Core Standards:
Kindergarten:
Comprehension and Collaboration
SPEAKING AND LISTENING (SL)
ELAGSEKSL1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics
and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking
about the topics and texts under discussion).
b. Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges.
ELAGSEKSL2: Confirm understanding of written texts read aloud or information presented orally or
through media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if
something is not understood.
ELAGSEKSL3: Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that
is not understood.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
ELAGSEKSL4: Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support,
provide additional detail.
ELAGSEKSL5: Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional
detail.
ELAGSEKSL6: Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly
First Grade
Comprehension and Collaboration
SPEAKING AND LISTENING (SL)
ELAGSE1SL1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1
topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care, speaking
one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).
b. Build on others’ talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others
through multiple exchanges.
c. Ask questions to clear up any confusion about the topics and texts under discussion.
ELAGSE1SL2: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information
presented orally or through other media.
ELAGSE1SL3: Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional
information or clarify something that is not understood.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
ELAGSE1SL4: Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas
and feelings clearly.
ELAGSE1SL5: Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify
ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
ELAGSE1SL6: Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation.
Second Grade:
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
ELAGSE2L4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and
phrases based on grade 2 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.
a. Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
b. Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known prefix is added to a
known word (e.g., happy/unhappy, tell/retell).
c. Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same
root (e.g., addition, additional).
d. Use knowledge of the meaning of individual words to predict the meaning of
compound words (e.g., birdhouse, lighthouse, housefly; bookshelf, no
Comprehension and Collaboration
SPEAKING AND LISTENING (SL)
ELAGSE2SL1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2
topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways,
listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under
discussion).
b. Build on others’ talk in conversations by linking their commentsto the remarks of
others.
c. Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts
under discussion.
ELAGSE2SL2: Recount or describe key ideas or details from written texts read aloud or
information presented orally or through other media.
ELAGSE2SL3: Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify
comprehension, gather additional information, or deepened understanding of a topic or issue.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
ELAGSE2SL4: Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant,
descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.
ELAGSE2SL5: With guidance and support, create audio recordings of stories or poems; add
drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to
clarify ideas, thoughts and feelings.
ELAGSE2SL6: Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task
Why Theatre for Children?
With new educational initiatives in Washington, D.C. focusing on synthesis of
knowledge; theatre for youth is actively becoming a primary way of allowing
young people to “experience text” by “engaging interactively” while
simultaneously working on their listening and comprehension skills.
We, here at Rivercenter, are interested in helping you- the educator- experience
nationally acclaimed programing to be both arts inclusive and an arts integrated
classroom.
What is the difference between Arts
Integration and Arts Inclusion?
So glad you asked! You probably are already actively INCLUDING
the arts in your lessons. This is most frequently displayed by
watching a movie (acting/film), taking your students to a play
(theatre), drawing a picture (visual arts), or singing/playing a
song (Music). However, arts INTEGRATION actively takes the
fine art standard and evaluates it as equally as the core subject
standard! Our Job is to help make that easier for you by giving
you both the academic and arts standard for quality lesson
plans, and easy to follow directions that will entice you to use
them in your classroom. We hope you will join this movement to
move both your classroom and the district full S.T.E.A.M ahead!
Vocabulary for seeing THEATRE in a
THEATER!
Act: to play/pretend like you are someone else; to perform.
Stage: a place where people play, or pretend.
Actor: The person who is playing or pretending.
Audience: the people watching the actors.
Onstage: when the audience can see the actors they are “onstage”
Wings: The space on the sides of the stage that cannot be seen by the audience.
Theatre: the art of acting; a performance
Theater: the building
Mind your Manners….
(Rules for the theater)
It is polite to:
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Walk calmly in theatre (you can trip if you run).
Use the restroom before the show.
Not to talk during a show (even a whisper).
Have you listening ears on!
To applaud when you really liked something.
Not to sneak in food.
Keep your feet on the floor.
To put all of your trash in the trash cans outside of the theater.
Tell everybody what a fun time you at the theatre!
Meet the Author
Jane O’Connor is an editor at a major publishing
house and has written more than seventy books for
children, including the New York Times bestselling
Fancy Nancy series, which is comprised of over 50
titles so far. She resides (that’s a fancy word for
lives) in Manhattan with her husband, Jim. Her two
grown sons have fled New York, however, and are
both living in Los Angeles - See more at:
https://www.fancynancyworld.com/creators#sthash.9Mirbnpm.dpuf
Meet the Illustrator
Robin Preiss Glasser wore tiaras and tutus when she
danced as a soloist with the Pennsylvania Ballet.
Now she happily spends her days in jeans, drawing.
She has illustrated many acclaimed picture books,
including the now classic and beloved Fancy Nancy
series. In 2013, she won the Children’s Choice
Award for Best Illustrator of the Year for Fancy
Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet. Robin lives in
Southern California with her husband, Bob, and two
children, Sasha and Ben. - See more at:
https://www.fancynancyworld.com/creators#sthash.9Mirbnpm.dpuf
ABOUT THE PLAY!
What could be fancier than Christmas?
Presents with elegant wrapping paper, festive decorations, and Christmas
cookies with sprinkles— and who could forget the tree? After all, there is no
such thing as too much tinsel. Ooh la la! This year, Nancy is especially excited
about decorating the Christmas tree. She bought a brand-new sparkly tree topper
with her own money and has been waiting for Christmas to come. But when
things don't turn out the way Nancy planned, will Christmas still be
splendiferous?
In this merriest of stories from bestselling duo Jane O'Connor and Robin Preiss
Glasser, Nancy proves once again that a little fancying up can go a long, festive
way!
ABOUT THE ACTIVITIES
Skippy John Jones “SNOW WHAT” is a clever retelling of the classic story “Snow White and
the Seven Dwarfs.” Now encourage your students to rethink their favorite bedtime stories in this
simple story retelling activity. Just ask each student to think “What if…?” and then to change the
story based on the new premise.
Depending on the developmental age of the students, this activity can be written on paper as a
mini story, or it can be picture book. Eventually, it should be shared orally and/or acted out in
front of the class.
Arts Inclusion Standard: Theatre
TAESK.3 Acting by developing, communicating, and sustaining roles within a variety of
situations and environments
 a.Uses voice to communicate ideas and emotions
 b.Uses body to communicate ideas and emotions
 c. Uses imagination to create, revise or add to ideas
Here are a few ideas to get students thinking.
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“Goldilocks and the Three Bears”: What would happen if the third bowl of porridge
wasn’t “just right”?
“The Three Little Pigs”: What would happen if the wolf felt remorseful after blowing
down the first two houses? What would happen if a fourth little pig appeared in the story?
“The Tortoise and the Hare”: What if the hare had paced himself better? What if a third
animal had joined the race?
“The Little Red Hen”: What if the other animals had helped bake the bread instead of
insisting “Not I!” when the hen invited them to join her?
“Cinderella”: What would have happened if the Cinderella only had one hour at the
dance?
Other stories to choose from include “Jack and the Beanstalk” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Little Red
Riding Hood,” or any of the stories from Aesop, Anansi, Brier Rabbit, Brothers Grimm, and
Hans Christian Anderson.
Story Retelling Tips
Consider using the following tips to give this activity more structure.
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Suggest changing the setting—either the time or place for the story. What if Little Red
Riding Hood’s grandmother lived in a big city apartment instead of in the woods?
Ask your child whether he or she wants to change the beginning, middle, or end of the
tale. This will give you the opportunity to discuss cause and effect or review the parts of a
story (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution).
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Help your child make an outline. Use a graphic organizer to determine which plot points
will stay the same, which ones will change, and when the changes will occur.
Ask your child to think of a message or theme he or she wants to add to the story. How
do the characters or plot need change to convey this message? If your child wants to keep
the original message, how can he or she change the tale without changing its meaning?
Start with a story told in a song, such as “Puff, the Magic Dragon.” What if Puff found a
new friend after Jackie grew up?
Look into similar stories from other cultures. For example, many cultures have a
Cinderella rags-to-riches type of story that recognizes inner beauty. The Rough-Face Girl
by Rafe Martin is an Algonquin variation on the theme. Compare and contrast Martin’s
tale with Disney’s Cinderella movie or the musical version by Rodgers and
Hammerstein.
Creative Story Exercises
Ask your students they wants to retell the story. Choose one of the following:
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Instead of retelling one tale, choose two and combine them. The popular play Into the
Woods includes several fairy tale characters interacting with each other to create a whole
new story line.
Write a paragraph of the story and then pass it to a partner so that he or she can write the
next paragraph. Working silently, keep passing the paper back and forth so you can both
put your own spin on the retelling.
Create your own picture book to illustrate your retelling, but don’t include any words.
Ask someone to look at it and see if he or she can catch all of the changes you have
made.
Turn the retelling into a play or puppet show that you and your friends or siblings can
perform. Present the play to some unknowing audience members and see their reactions
when it doesn’t turn out the way they expect!
Write two different retellings of the same story. Which one do you prefer?
Write a back story. Why is the evil queen in Snow White so jealous of Snow White’s
youth
Lesson Modified from rethinking story and fairytales by Tracy Kowald