G u i d e
May 14-16, 2013
E n r i c h m e n t
In collaboration with:
Performances at Helfaer Theatre at Marquette University
I nside the G uide
A Note to Teachers and Parents
Setting the Stage
preparing for the play
Synopsis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–5
About the Author. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
About the Playwright. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Recommended Reading. . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Pre-Show Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
For Teachers
Curriculum connections
before or after the play
Art
Create a Story Quilt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Story Quilt Worksheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Language Arts
Story Circle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Active Thematic Discussion. . . . . . . . . 11
Science
Creating natural dyes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Community Service
Building an Altruistic Community/
Transactive (Authentic) Writing. . 13–15
Curtain Call
Post-Show Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Who Said It?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Who Said it? (ANSWERS). . . . . . . . . 17
GATHERING BLUE
Dear Parents and Educators,
We are pleased you are joining us for our final production of our 26th season, GATHERING BLUE. This production is a collaboration between First
Stage's Young Company and the Helfaer Theatre at Marquette University.
The companion novel in the Giver Series, written by Lois Lowry allows us to
follow Kira's quest to uncover the secrets and truths about her world and discover what lies beyond.
Enclosed in this enrichment guide is a range of materials and activities intended
to help you discover connections within the play through the curricula. It is
our hope that you will use the experience of attending the theater and seeing
GATHERING BLUE with your students as a teaching tool. As educators and
parents, you know best the needs and abilities of your students. Use this guide
to best serve your children—pick and choose, or adapt, any of these suggestions for discussions or activities. We encourage you to take advantage or the
enclosed student worksheets—please feel free to photocopy the sheets for
your students, or the entire guide for the benefit of other teachers.
Julia Magnasco
Education Director
(414) 267-2971
Julia@firststage.org
First Stage Policies
•
•
•
•
. he use of recording equipment and cameras are not permitted during the performance.
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.Food, drink, candy and gum are not permitted during the performance.
.Electronic devices are not permitted in the theater space.
.Should a student become ill, suffer an injury or have another problem, please escort him or her
out of the theater space.
• .In the unlikely event of a general emergency, the theater lights will go on and the stage
manager will come on stage to inform the audience of the problem. Remain in your seats,
visually locate the nearest exit and wait for the stage manager to guide your group from the theater.
Seating for people with special needs: If you have special seating needs for any student(s) and
did not indicate your need when you ordered your tickets, please call our School Sales Specialist
at (414) 267-2962. Our knowledge of your needs will enable us to serve you better upon your
arrival to the theater.
Setting the Stage Synopsis
. he council decides to allow Kira to stay and so that she may repair and
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complete the Singer’s Robe, which contains the entire story of their
world in its threads. Unfortunately, Vandara is granted Kira’s land. As
Vandara leaves the meeting she curses Kira. Jamison instructs Kira to
prepare for a journey to her new residence.
Our story takes place in the near future. The setting is apocalyptic.
The sound of wind, footsteps and gasps can be heard. The running
figure is being chased and falls to the ground. We hear the snarls and
roar of a creature, then silence. Then we see a smaller figure approach
and kneel by the fallen figure, which is covered by a large cloth. There is
another roar heard in the distance. The smaller figure is a teen dressed
in rags named Kira. She calls for her mother, who no longer answers.
Kira then stands with the help of a walking stick and slowly make her
way to the village.
The next day Matt sees Kira with her cane and asks if she will be taken
to the Bone Field. Kira tells Matt about the council meeting. Matt now
understands why Vandara was so cross. Matt also reveals a bundle of
remains he saved from Kira’s burned-out hut and gives them to her.
Jamison comes to lead Kira to her new quarters. She asks if Matt may
carry her bundle, indicating her leg. Jamison agrees.
As Kira approaches the village she is met by Matt, a ten year old
dressed in filthy rags. He is collecting twigs. Matt asks Kira about her
visit to the Bone Field, the creatures that live there and her mother.
Kira describes seeing her mother Katrina’s spirit leave. Matt describes
the devastating of the fire that left the village in ruins. Kira asks Matt
to remember and tell stories from the past. Matt agrees to do so and
warns Kira that the women do not want her to stay, especially Vandara.
They travel and finally reach the Edifice.
With its rooms, windows, beds, prepared
meals and water basins for washing, the
Edifice is a very special place. Jamison
tells Kira about other gifted residents.
Jamison invites Matt to stay, as well.
Matt declines. Wishing Kira well,
Matt says good-bye.
Vandara, muscular woman with a scar across her face, inquires why Kira
is in there. Kira explains she plans to rebuild her hut. Vandara states
the ruins now belong to her. Kira disagrees citing her inheritance.
Elders hear the exchange and begin to surround Kira. They take
Vandara’s side. Kira does not back down, requesting the conflict be
settled by the Council of Guardians. Vandara agrees and describes
wining battles against the wild beasts that scared her face. Confident
she will win, Vandara leaves and the others follow.
Alone, Kira opens the
bundle Matt presented to
her. It contains a basket
of thread, soap, herbs
and a threading frame.
These items make Kira
think of her mother.
Katrina appears and
speaks to Kira.
Listening to her
mother’s sweet
voice, Kira falls
asleep in her
new home.
Kira slumps to the ground when suddenly the spirit of her mother,
Katrina, visits her and recounts their family history. Katrina describes
the death of her husband and holding an infant Kira with a deformed
leg and long-beautiful fingers. She told of Kira’s grandfather, the Chief
Guardian, and how her father was in line to be the next. As Kira
speaks her father’s name, the spirit of Christopher appears. He died
before Kira was born. Kira tells her mother of how badly she needs
their guidance. Katrina explains she promised the village Kira would
not be a burden. Kira cries for someone to take her side at the council
meeting as the spirits of her parents fade. A drum is heard as a guard
roughly grabs Kira. They walk to the council meeting.
The guard announces, “The accused orphan girl is here.” People with
torches and lamps surround Kira. She and Vandara participate in a
ritual, then the Chief Guardian asks that the accuser speak. Vandara
states, “Kira should have been taken to the Bone Field at birth, because
she is a burden. Her grandfather’s position spared her life.” Because
of her age, Kira may or may not speak for herself. Kira chooses to have
a defender. The council calls a man, Jamison. Jamison uses council law
to address the charges made by Vandara against Kira. He produces a
large chest containing a magnificent, large robe, the Singer’s Robe. The
robe is used annually when the Ruin Song is performed. Kira’s mother
was taught by a woman called Annabella’s to maintain the robe. Katrina
passed the skill to Kira. Jamison announces Kira’s skills are greater than
her mother’s. Because Annabella is still alive, Jamison suggests Kira
study with her.
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Setting the Stage Synopsis
The next morning, Thomas awakens Kira. He is an orphan and gifted
carver who lives across the hall. His job is to carve the Singer’s Staff for
the Ruin Song. Thomas tells Kira a Guardian will check on her work each
day. The only rule is “be productive.” As the work day bell rings, Jamison
greets them. He asks Kira how she is adjusting. She assures him all is well.
He gives her the Singer’s Robe and asks her to begin repairing the broken,
faded threads. Kira tells him the blue threads will not be mended due
to the absence of blue dye and inability to create it.
Jamison confirms what Kira said and tells her the future of their world
depends on her finishing the robe. She must try to remember what
her mother taught her about dyeing the threads. Kira assures him she
will accomplish her task. Jamison decides to send her to Annabella for
instruction. The work must be completed by autumn. Annabelle lives
a distance away and the journey is dangerous. Jamison appoints Matt
to be Kira’s protector.
Kira is unsure of Matt’s ability to protect her even if she needed it. Matt
reassures Kira he is capable and needed. They begin their journey to
Annabella’s home. As they walk, they discuss the loss of their parents.
Matt discloses his mother is still living and resides in the village called
Fen. Kira shows Matt the gift her father created for her mother, a
necklace. Matt explains that people don’t give gifts in Fen. As they
walk, the see a crone with a walking stick in her multi-colored hands.
It is Annabella.
Upon meeting her, Annabella says Kira looks like her mother. They
speak kindly of Katrina. Kira introduces Matt to Annabella. Annabella
looks at Kira’s fingers and sees giftedness. Kira promises to be a good
student. Annabelle begins teaching the plants and colors of the dyes
and Kira’s memory comes alive. Kira then asks about the color blue.
Annabella tells Kira she is not able to create the color blue, but there
are others who can. Kira tells Annabella there are no other people.
Annabella silently walks away while pointing in a certain direction.
Annabella returns to her residence and is greeted by Thomas. She
tells him about her day with Annabella. Thomas volunteers to record
her lessons. Kira is astonished Thomas is able to read and write. As
Thomas writes, Kira repeats the words. Jamison enters and Thomas
abruptly stops. Jamison is pleased to know the lesson with Annabella
went well. He encourages Kira to learn all she can from Annabella.
The next day, Kira is with Annabella. Taking a break from their lesson,
they discuss the Kira’s new home, the Tender. Annabella provides tea
and tells Kira she is not impressed by the Tender. Looking into her
eyes, Kira realizes Annabella is the only elder she has never known.
After returning home, Kira practices her work. Thomas stops by to
show Kira his hands which are shaking from carving. He explains the
Singer’s Staff get’s worn down and its images re-carved. She then
shares the Singer’s Robe, describing its details. Thomas then takes a
carving from his pocket. They speak of how wood and threads can
speak and sing to an artist. In the shadows the spirit of Katrina watches
with a smile. As Thomas begins to leave, Kira asks him about a sound
she hears at night, a child crying. Just then, Jamison enters the room
and Thomas runs out. Jamison directs Kira to keep working and leaves.
The following day, Kira journeys to Annabella’s on her own. She
hears sounds of nature and then an other-worldly growl. She runs to
Annabella’s hut, out-of-breath. Annabella notices the change in Kira
and serves her calming tea. Kira describes what she heard and how it
never happens when Matt is with her. Annabella refutes her, “There
are no beasts, only humans pretending.” That evening Kira shares a
meal with Thomas. She asks him about the beasts and repeats what
Annabella said.
In the morning there is a rainstorm. Kira works on the robe as she
looks out the window, thinking of her life in the village. Jamison checks
on her. She tells him about sharing stories with the children during
rainstorms to keep them calm. Looking at the robe, she deciphers the
story being told about the end of the world. Jamison tells her the story
is about ruin and rebuilding. Kira wishes she had blue thread, the color
of freedom. Jamison shows Kira an empty space she will fill one day
and encourages her not to worry, “Instructions will come.”
When he leaves the faint cry of a child is heard. Thomas and Matt come
into her room, speaking of the soft cry. They decide to investigate the
source of the sound coming from the floor below. As they walk toward
a door the cry becomes a beautiful song. Looking through a keyhole,
they discover a small child. Matt recognizes the child and calls her Jo
from Fen. Matt remembers Jo’s mother’s illness and death in the Bone
Field. Jo’s dad took his own life. Hearing footsteps they quickly return
to their rooms, thinking of Jo.
. hat evening, Jamison visits Kira. Kira tells him what Annabella said
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about the beasts. Jamison dismisses her saying Annabella is old with a
wandering mind. Kira is cautious, especially since her father was killed
by beasts. Jamison reassures Kira she is doing good work before he
leaves. Again, Kira hears soft cries.
. orning comes and Kira is ready to visit Annabella when Matt tells
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her Annabella has gone to the Bone Fields. Kira wants to speak with
Thomas and Jamison. Matt tells her Jamison watched as the Draggers
took Annabella to the Bone Field. Kira decides to speak with Jo.
. ira whispers through the door and a frightened Jo speaks about being
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good and trying hard. Kira comforts Jo with sweet words, promising
to return. Kira tells Jo not to mention her visit to anyone. Back in her
room, Kira and Thomas plan to free Jo.
. hat night they sneak downstairs. Thomas reveals a wooden master
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key that opens the door. They enter the room and find Jo asleep.
A frightened Jo calls for her mother. Kira calms Jo with a song and
introduces her to Thomas. Jo tells of how she is made to repeatedly
sing songs. Kira realizes the importance of their gifts and how these
gifts have saved them from going to the Bone Field. They pledge to
be friends. Jo tells them of her desire for a doll. Thomas promises
4
Setting the Stage Synopsis
to make one for her. Before they leave Kira gives Jo a kissie on the
forehead. Jo thinks of her mama.
the day of his abduction. It happened not long before he was to join
the Council of Guardians. Kira thinks about the words Annabella spoke.
. he next day, Kira asks Thomas to visit the Fen with her. She wants to
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learn about Jo’s life and find Matt, who has been missing for a week.
Thomas agrees. As they walk the sound of animals fill their ears.
Reaching the Fen, they find a village filled with filthy, sorrowful people.
Thomas tells her it has always been like this. Kira disagrees, “That’s
not what the robe says. Once, the lives of the people were green and
golden.” Kira wonders if times could change by the art they create.
. hristopher had survived an assassination attempt, awaking in the
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Field of Leaving. He didn’t die, although he wanted to. Kind strangers
nursed him and took him to their village filled with gardens, homes and
loving families. The spirit of Katrina appears then fades as he speaks.
Christopher lost his memory, but as it slowly returned he remembered
a lullaby and his girl-child. He’d lost his sight and thought he’d never be
able to find her until Matt came to the village seeking blue for a friend
named Kira.
. hey pass a woman who they believe is Matt’s mother. When they ask
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for information about Matt, she demands payment for information. She
grabs Kira’s necklace, when Thomas offers her an apple. After grabbing
the fruit, she runs away calling out, “Matt’s gone. Good riddance.” She
told of Matt’s desire to get some blue for his friend. With this news
they returned to the Edifice and check on Jo. Jo notices how sad Kira
is. Kira tells Jo about the anticipated Gathering and the most important
person, the Singer. Jo promises to one-day sing for Kira. As Kira returns
to her room she hears slow drum beats. Thomas comes to her, “Are
you ready?” Kira is ready. The robe and staff had been collected the
day before.
. att led Christopher to Kira and she wanted to share this good news
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with Jamison. Christopher reveals Jamison is the one who tried to kill
him and may have poisoned his wife, as well. Thomas and Jo begin to
realize the truth of their talent and great loss. Christopher warns that
Jamison and the others will stop at nothing to control them. The three
devise a plan to use their position and power for good.
. he next day Kira gathers plants while hearing the instructions of
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Annabella in her mind. She will create blue. Kira thinks of the future
she will weave, a new beginning for her people!
Kira and Thomas join the gathering crowd and take their assigned
seats before the final drum beat and moment of silence. Then Jamison
announced, “The gathering begins.” The Guardians were introduced
followed by Thomas (Carver of the Future) and Kira (the Robethreader, Designer of our Future). Jo ran to Kira to sit with her.
Finally, The Singer entered wearing the splendid robe. As he
bowed a metallic noise is heard. The singer raised the staff above
his head and began his song in a deep voice, “In the beginning…”
With his final amen, the crowd disperses.
. ira asks Thomas is she noticed the scares around the singers
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ankles and blood on his feet, “He is chained so he can never
flee.” Just then Matt appears from the shadows with his gift
for Kira… a scrap of blue cloth. It was found where Annabella
said it would be. His journey was hard and full of hunger but
no beats! He meet people in a far away village. They
were broken but they had blue. Matt also brought
a new friend with him. The man from the village
was blind, wore a blue shirt and carried a pouch
full of plants that will produce all sorts of colors.
Thomas started to call Tenders to bring food,
but the man refuses asking his presence be kept
a secret. A hungry Matt races to get food.
. he man and Kira talk about the Gathering. Jo
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notices a necklace that hangs around the man’s
neck. It matches Kira’s necklace. The man explains
he made both necklaces and his name is Christopher.
Kira can’t believe it, “You were killed by beasts.” “No,
I was taken by men. Your mother believed what the
Guardians to her.” Christopher tells her the truth about
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About the Author – Lois Lowry
I’ve always felt that I was fortunate to have been born the middle child of
three. My older sister, Helen, was very much like our mother: gentle, familyoriented, eager to please. Little brother Jon was the only boy and had
interests that he shared with Dad; together they were always working on
electric trains and erector sets; and later, when Jon was older, they always
seemed to have their heads under the raised hood of a car. That left me
in-between, and exactly where I wanted most to be: on my own. I was a
solitary child who lived in the world of books and my own vivid imagination.
My children grew up in Maine. So did I. I returned to college at the University
of Southern Maine, got my degree, went to graduate school, and finally began
to write professionally, the thing I had dreamed of doing since those childhood
years when I had endlessly scribbled stories and poems in notebooks.
After my marriage ended in 1977, when I was 40, I met Martin and we
spent 30 happy years together, traveling the world but equally happy
just sitting on the porch with the New York Times crossword puzzle!
Sadly, Martin died in the spring of 2011. Today I am in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, living alone and writing in a house dominated by a very
shaggy Tibetan Terrier named Alfie and a funny little cat named Lulu.
But a very happy part of my time is spent as well in Maine, in a 1768
farmhouse surrounded by meadows and flower gardens, and often with
visiting grandchildren.
Because my father was a career military officer - an Army dentist - I lived
all over the world. I was born in Hawaii, and moved from there to New
York, where I began school. When the war began, Dad had to go overseas,
and Mother took us back to the town of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where she
had grown up and where my grandparents lived. I finished elementary
school there and during the summer following sixth grade we moved to
Tokyo, where I went through seventh and eighth grades. I graduated from
high school in New York city, but by the time I went to college, Brown
University in Rhode Island, my family was living in Washington, D.C.
My books have varied in content and style. Yet it seems that all of them
deal, essentially, with the same general theme: the importance of human
connections. A Summer to Die, my first book, was a highly fictionalized
retelling of the early death of my sister, and of the effect of such a loss on
a family. Number the Stars, set in a different culture and era, tells the same
story: that of the role that we humans play in the lives of our fellow beings.
I married young. I had just turned 19 - just finished my sophomore year
in college - when I married a Naval officer and continued the odyssey
that military life requires. California. Connecticut (a daughter born
there). Florida (a son). South Carolina. Finally Cambridge, Massachusetts,
when my husband left the service and entered Harvard Law School
(another daughter; another son) and then to Maine - by now with four
children under the age of 5 in tow.
Copyright © 2012. Content, photos, and illustrations by Lois Lowry.
No images or content on these pages may be reproduced or republished in any form without permission.
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About the Playwright – Eric Coble
Source: http://ericcoble.com/biography/
People find this hard to believe, but Eric Coble was born in Edinburgh,
Scotland and raised on the Navajo and Ute reservations in New Mexico and
Colorado, playing with rocks, sticks, seeing 1940s serials at the movie theatre
thirty miles away, and wandering the desert with his friends trying to avoid
cactus until he was 15 years old.
Festival, the Denver Center, New York and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals,
Alliance Theatre, Cleveland Play House, Alabama Shakespeare Festival,
South Coast Repertory, Florida Repertory Theatre, Indiana Repertory
Theatre, Asolo Repertory, Coterie Theatre, Curious Theatre, Actors
Theatre of Charlotte, Oregon Children’s Theatre, People’s Light and Theatre
Company, Stages Repertory Theatre, Great Lakes Theater Festival, and The
Contemporary American Theatre Festival.
Much of that time was spent writing/drawing comics and rigging up poorly
built stage shows (much falling out of trees ensued). Moving off the
reservation led to acting in high school, which led to majoring in English at
Fort Lewis College (Colorado) before winging it to Ohio University for an
M.F.A. in Acting. Along the way he started writing plays, which (thank god)
were well-received enough to spur him on.
Awards include an Emmy nomination, the 2011 AATE Distinguished Play
Award for Best Adaptation, the AT&T Onstage Award, National Theatre
Conference Playwriting Award, Edgerton Foundation New American
Play Award, an NEA Playwright in Residence Grant, a TCG Extended
Collaboration Grant, the Cleveland Arts Prize, a Creative Workforce
Fellowship from Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, and four Ohio Arts Council
Individual Excellence Grants.
Since then he has written a lot of scripts for adults and not-quite adults,
including Bright Ideas, The Dead Guy, Natural Selection,
For Better, Southern Rapture, A Girl’s Guide To Coffee,
The Velocity of Autumn, My Barking Dog, and The Giver
which have been produced Off-Broadway, throughout the U.S., and on
several continents, including productions at Manhattan Class Company, The
Kennedy Center, Playwrights Horizons, Actors Theatre of Louisville Humana
Eric has now traded the cactus of the southwest for the poison ivy of
northeast Ohio, where he is a member of the Cleveland Play House
Playwrights Unit. He does miss the mesas, but can’t stop admiring the lush
trees and that huge body of water just north of him.
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Recommended Reading
The Anastasia Series
See You Around, Sam! (1996)
Find a Stranger, Say Goodbye
Anastasia Krupnik (1979)
Zooman Sam (1999)
(1978)
Autumn Street (1980)
Anastasia Again! (1981)
Anastasia at Your Service (1982)
Tate family
Taking Care of Terrific (1983)
Anastasia, Ask Your Analyst (1984)
The One Hundredth Thing About
Us and Uncle Fraud (1984)
Anastasia on Her Own (1985)
Caroline (1983)
Rabble Starkey (1987)
Anastasia Has the Answers (1986)
Switcharound (1985)
Number the Stars (1989)
Anastasia's Chosen Career (1987)
Your Move, J.P.! (1990)
Stay! Keeper's Story (1997)
The Silent Boy (2003)
Anastasia at This Address (1991)
Gooney Bird
Gossamer (2006)
Gooney Bird Greene (2002)
The Willoughbys (2008)
The Quartet
Gooney Bird and the Room Mother
Crow Call (2009)
The Giver (1993)
(2006)
The Birthday Ball (2010)
Gathering Blue (2000)
Gooney the Fabulous (2007)
Bless This Mouse (2011)
Messenger (2004)
Gooney Bird Is So Absurd (2009)
Like the Willow Tree (2011)
Son (2012)
Gooney Bird on the Map (2011)
Anastasia Absolutely (1995)
Autobiography
Sam Krupnik
Other books
All About Sam (1988)
A Summer to Die (1977)
Attaboy Sam! (1992)
Here in Kennebunkport (1978)
Looking Back (1998)
Pre-Show Questions
1. What makes a society civilized? How does fear control people? How do you know who to trust?
2.What makes up a community? What are the challenges and benefits of working as a part of a
community? What different communities are you a part of?
3.Kira has a special talent that makes her valuable to her community. What is your special talent and
how does it contribute to your community?
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Create a Story Quilt
Visual Art Classroom Activity
http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780440229490&view=tg
Jamison— This large portion of blank material. The future will be told here.
Our world depends upon the telling.
Kira— But how will I know what goes there?
Explain to the students that tapestries and needlework samplers have been used
throughout history to tell stories–to preserve history.
Materials:
10” X 10” square pieces of construction paper
Pencils
Scissors
Markers
Directions:
In this project, students will be telling a true story about themselves. Ask students to think about a special family
memory or a memorable time with a friend.
1.Before drawing or cutting, have students
fill out the Story Quilt worksheet.
2.Once the design gets approval, students
may begin to create their square.
3.Encourage students to sketch and lay out
the pieces before permanently attaching
the cut outs.
4.After students are finished, connect the
squares to form a class quilt on display in
the classroom.
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Story Quilt Worksheet
Visual Art Classroom Activity
Where and when did your memory take place? ___________________________________________________
Who was there? ____________________________________________________________________________
What happened? ___________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
How did it make you feel? ____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Name 3-5 objects you remember seeing: ________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
In the space below, sketch a few different images that represent your memory:
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Story Circle
Language Arts Classroom Activity
Take Directly from First Stage’s Literacy program
This robe contains the entire story of our world laid out in thread. We must keep it
intact. More than intact. Kira, you will continue your mother’s work. You will repair
the robe, then you will complete the robe. Kira... you are to become the Weaver of
the future. —Jamison
Materials:
Picture
Talking stick (or other small, passable object)
Choose a picture from a magazine that may elicit an emotional response from the students. Make sure that
there is a clear location and at least one person in the photo.
1.Review with students the essential elements of a story, primarily focusing on the BEGINNING, MIDDLE and
END—and what those elements needs to include.
2.Show the picture and ask them “where do you think this picture was taken? Who is that in the picture?
What is the title of the picture?”
a.Allow them to creatively flesh out these questions!
b.Write down the responses on the board.
3.From the list of ideas on the board, choose one WHO and the WHERE of the story. Inform students that
together we are going to make up the story of (make up a title). Remind them that we will need to have a clear
beginning, middle and ending to our story—remembering to include the essential elements of the beginning,
middle and end in our story.
4.The facilitator will begin the story—“Once upon a time, “ or some such, “there lived a (character)
who (what did they do every day or like to do).
a.The facilitator may ask questions to add detail or steer the direction of the story.
b.Ideas from students may be in the form of: character names or relationships, specific actions a character does
to solve a problem, specific words a character speaks, places the characters go, etc.
5.The facilitator will explain that whoever holds the talking stick will be the teller of the story. Each student in the
circle will be responsible for telling one line of the story, building on what the previous storyteller said.
a.The facilitator may choose to divide the circle into 3 sections, “These students will be responsible for telling
the beginning of the story- introducing characters, establishing relationships, etc” the middle, and the end so
that students have clear objectives in their storytelling.
b.The facilitator may interject details to steer the story or combine details together.
6.Once the story is finished, have students recall what happened in the beginning, middle and end of the story.
a.Write this information on the board.
7.Inform students that you are now going to be acting this story out. Begin by casting the BEGINNING of the
story only. Tell students that you will serve as the narrator and they will have to act out the story as you tell it.
Recast different students to act in the MIDDLE and ENDING of the story.
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Active Thematic Discussion
Language Arts Classroom Activity
Take Directly from First Stage’s Literacy program
1.Have students get up and stand by their desks in Neutral. Share with them that we are going to be actively
discussing one of the main themes in Gathering Blue. Have them begin walking around the room in neutral—no talking, no touching, until FREEZE is said. Then, have students get into small groups of 3–4 with the
people in the room closest to them. Once in these new groups, they can sit down in the room with their
group members. Share with students that they will have two minutes as a group to come up with a response
to the following statement: What do you think the statement, “Helping others can help us overcome grief”
means?
a.After the two minutes are up, have each group share their response. Other possible statements: Love never
dies, How can you use your talents and gifts for the good of others?
b.This discussion may lead to journal writing or as a creative writing prompt.
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Creating natural dyes
Science Classroom Activity
Taken directly from: http://www.teachnology.com/teachers/lesson_plans/history/dyes35.html
The blue of the sky, the water. All the other colors I’ve seen my mother work with.
But she never had any blue dye. She said we’ve lost the ability to create it. —Kira
Materials:
Hot water
Shredded beets
Yellow Onions
Strawberries
Three containers
Strainers
Pieces of cotton or wool fabric or string
Pieces of nylon and polyester
Chart paper
Directions:
Tell the students that they are going to get to make their own dye.
Ask students to tell you what fruits or vegetables they would use to
make yellow, pink, and red.
Pour hot-to-boiling water over a container of the onion skins, one
filled with the strawberries, and a third full of beets. Let them soak
overnight. Ask the students to help you strain the mixture and
throw away the fruits and vegetables. They can then take a piece
of cotton or wool, wet it with water, and let it soak in one of the
dyes. The longer it soaks, the darker the color will be. Explain to the
students that the colors will be muted and not vibrant and bold like
they are today.
Soak some polyester and nylon also and have the students note that the material does not absorb the
dye very well.
The pieces of fabric should be run under cold water to help the color to set and then they can be hung
up to dry.
Wrap Up:
The fabric squares can be decorated and put together in a quilt. This activity should be done outside and you
should encourage your students to wear clothes that can get dirty or stained.
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Building an Altruistic Community/Transactive (Authentic) Writing
Community Service
Taken directly from: http://teach.clarkschools.net/jbernhard/Literacy_Web/Units/Gathering_Blue_Interdisciplinary_Unit.pdf
1.Share with students the definition of altruism and community
a.Altruism—unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others
b.Community—a unified body of individuals OR the people with COMMON interests living in a particular area
2.After looking at the elements of an Altruistic Community, ask students to list the examples of what they see
happening in their classroom community.
a.Discussion can also move to school communities or their neighborhoods.
Generating Portfolio Appropriate Transactive Writing
Adapted from materials provided by Dr. Charles Whitaker, Director, EKU Writing Project
During the teaching of the content from a Unit of Study, discussion should take place about issues, questions,
problems, goals, needs in students’ lives that have relevance to the content being studied. These ideas are essential
when teachers set up writing for authentic purposes and readers.
At the conclusion of the unit, with the teachers’ help, students brainstorm by “slicing the pie” to determine topics
associated with content being studied and to help define their own writing task. The issues, questions, topics, etc.,
that come from a 7th grade literature unit on Building an Altruistic Community might be divided into a
“pie” as follows:
Community Organizations
Disabilities
Talents
Selflessness/altruism
Equity
Community Service
Diversity
Rewards
A student will then choose an issue and “slice the pie” further to help define important topics from which another
choice can be made to narrow the focus for transactive writing.
For example: Community Service
Character building
Helping People
Shyness/other problems
Sense of belonging
Success Stories
Personal connection
Volunteering
Naturally, each of these slices can be “cut” again to narrow the focus.
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Local connection
Building an Altruistic Community/Transactive (Authentic) Writing
Community Service
Creating Angles
Adapted from materials provided by Dr. Charles Whitaker, Director, EKU Writing Project
To help define their writing task further, with the teacher’s help, students can brainstorm angles or ideas for writing.
These are phrased as statements to indicate the direction the writing will take or the basic purpose the writer may
develop. Here are some models to generate issues or topics:
1. Here is an issue that readers may not know about and some reasons why I think readers should be aware of it.
2. Here is a problem that has not been solved and here’s my suggestions for what should be done about
this problem.
3. We need a new way of looking at a problem. I recommend this.
4. I wanted to find answers to these important questions. This is what I have found out and why I think it is
important others should know what I’ve found out.
5. My own experience backs up a belief or main idea that is important for readers.
6. Although some people may agree with such and such, I do not. Let me explain and support my view so that
others will accept my ideas.
7. In order to understand something or in order to do something, a person should know the answers to
these questions.
8. How did all this come about? Here’s how it happened and why it is important.
9. If you are not sure about such and such, let me help you.
10. Let me discuss what makes something effective or ineffective.
Creating Titles for Transactive (Authentic) Writing
(memo, letter, editorial, article, speech, proposal, report, etc.)
To clarify this brainstorming strategy for students, angles can then be transformed into titles that reflect the
content being studied. Not only is providing a title realistic, but also forming the title can help students with key
concepts about writing: authentic, focused purpose; idea development, and reader awareness.
Here are some good tips for students to think about in creating titles:
· In creating the title, think about how you are focusing on the subject. What is an angle that can make your writing
unusual? What is your main idea, and what might appeal to readers?
· Titles often include key words that tell the writer’s purpose and the content of the writing. Try to use key words
in the title.
· Don’t make the title too broad or general. Use the title to establish a focus on the subject.
· Some titles have two parts. The first part is broad, for example, Teen’s Talents; then the writer uses a colon and
gives something more specific about the subject. For example, “Talented Teens: Using Them Wisely.”
· Similarly, writers often use questions in their titles as a way to indicate their purpose and to try to interest
readers: “Community Service: What Are You Doing?”
· Some titles are simply statements that have an impact: “Giving Up A Little Free Time Pays Huge Dividends”
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Building an Altruistic Community/Transactive (Authentic) Writing
Community Service
Sample Titles for Transactive (Authentic)
Writing about Community Service
(memo, letter, editorial, article, speech, proposal, report, etc.,)
Here are some sample titles that could perhaps be used as models to generate students’ titles based on the
content that was studied in the unit Building An Altruistic Community.
1. Kids Helping Their Communities: Reasons To Get Involved! (practical ways of getting involved and benefits)
2. Tutoring Teens: Where Do You Fit In? (an invitation to get involved in a tutoring program as a tutor or student)
3. Habitat for Humanity: Can You Swing a Hammer? (practical information about Habitat with an appeal to
get involved)
4. Community Service Builds Character (examples of how community service helps boost selflessness)
5. Share a Pet with Seniors: Share Reasons to Smile! (information about taking pets to nursing homes,
including research about why this is beneficial to seniors)
6. Small Gifts: Huge Rewards (specific details about the advantages of community service)
7. Serving Your Community: Who Benefits? (the benefits of community service)
8. Make A Difference, Make A Commitment, Be A Volunteer (an appeal to become involved in community service)
9. Toys for Tots: Teens To Collect (information about how teens are collecting toys to help the needy and an
appeal for donations)
10. Volunteers Needed at Animal Shelter (an appeal for additional volunteers from a student who is
already involved)
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WHO SAID IT?
1. We don’t want you here. Why didn’t you stay in the Land of the Living?
2.Our fingers were long and well-shaped.
3. My hands were strong.
4. You will fail. They will kill you.
5. I learned to carve when I was young.
6. Today you begin work restoring the Singer’s Robe.
7. I only look wee.
8. Some of them have blue yonder.
9. I want my mama--10. I did it to keep you alive!
11. I wish I had blue. The color of freedom.
Post-Show Questions
1. How does Kira’s disability affect her status in society? What strengths must she possess in order to survive and thrive in her village? How do her talents aid her in her survival?
2.Kira says, “All the other colors I’ve seen my mother work with. But she never had any blue dye. She
said we’ve lost the ability to create it.” What do the colors symbolize? Why did they lose the ability
to create it?
3.Why is the history of the people called the Ruin Song? The scenes on the Singer’s Robe represent Ruin,
Rebuilding, Ruin Again, and Regrowth. How does this symbolize the history of our world?
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WHO SAID IT? ANSWERS
1. We don’t want you here. Why didn’t you stay in the Land of the Living?
2. … Your fingers were long and well-shaped.
3. My hands were strong.
Katrina
Kira
4. You will fail. They will kill you.
Vandara
5. I learned to carve when I was young.
Thomas
6. Today you begin work restoring the Singer’s Robe.
7. I only look wee.
Jamison
Matt
8. Some of them have blue yonder.
9. I want my mama---
Annabella
Jo
10. I did it to keep you alive!
Christopher
11. I wish I had blue. The color of freedom.
Kira
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Vandara