January 27th-February 20th, 2009
RESOURCE GUIDE
2008-2009
NEWMARK THEATRE
C
lick, Clack, Moo is a short and relatively simple picture book.
In order to adapt it for the stage, James Grote and George Howe
brought two cow characters to life, along with some of their barn animal
friends. One cow is a calm, motherly character, while the other is younger,
impulsive, and radical. Duck is the knowledgeable narrator.
Farmer Brown loves his farm and his animals. He relishes his daily routine,
and the sounds of the animals as he works are music to his ears. However,
he has no idea what they are really saying. While he hears only a peaceful
‘moo’ or ‘quack,’ the animals are actually quite discontent.
The cows try to communicate with Farmer Brown, but he doesn’t
understand them. Then the cows and the hen find a typewriter. Once they
figure out how it works, they are delighted with the click-clack rhythm.
The cows type a message explaining that the barn is cold and they would
like electric blankets.
Astonished, Farmer Brown laughs at the very idea. After their request is
denied, another note follows: “Closed. No milk. No eggs.” The animals
have gone on strike! Farmer Brown struggles to find a solution. When Duck
suggests a trade, the strike is resolved and peace returns to the farm.
About the author: Doreen Cronin
Teacher Info &
Important Dates
Oct. 17: 50% Balance Due
Dec. 12: Final Payment Due
Last day to reduce seats
Jan. 23: Free Teacher Preview
Length: 60 minutes
Location: Newmark Theatre,
1111 SW Broadway
Doreen Cronin grew up in Merrick, Long Island. As a child, Doreen thought
she’d grow up to be either a police officer or an FBI agent. Instead, she
started law school. When her father, struck by illness, died suddenly,
Doreen suspended her law studies and pursued a career in publishing. Soon
after her father’s death, Doreen awoke in the night and wrote Click, Clack,
Moo: Cows That Type. She knew that it would have made her father laugh,
just as she laughed at the hilarious stories he told her. She returned to law
school and was practicing law when the book was selected as a Caldecott
Honor Book in 2001. Doreen lives in New York with her husband and two
daughters. She now works in publishing and continues to write entertaining
children’s stories involving Farmer Brown and his animals.
Based on the book by Doreen Cronin (author) and Betsy Lewin
(illustrator). Book by James E. Grote, Music by George Howe.
Lyrics by James E. Grote and George Howe. Directed by Stan Foote.
Resource guide by Marianne Sweeney.
August 2008
Dear Teacher,
Click Clack Moo provides an opportunity to examine anthropomorphism and its role in
understanding human behavior. Its themes of communication, the use of technology to
solve problems, and relationships on farms rely on uniquely human traits.
Humans use language to communicate—not only to express basic concepts but also to
solve problems, discuss abstract and complex ideas, and make jokes.
Scientists used to think that it was the ability to make tools that made human beings
different from animals. Although we have observed chimpanzees modifying tree
branches and using them as tools to dig insects out of logs, inventing is a skill that we
humans cultivate and treasure in ourselves. We marvel at our ability to solve problems
and improve our working and living conditions by continually inventing and using new
and wonderful devices.
At some point between 10,000 BCE and 8,000 BCE, humans began to grow crops and
domesticate animals—therefore creating farms. In Click, Clack, Moo, Farmer Brown’s
note back to the cows and Hen is a primal scream across nine millennia of husbandry:
“Dear Cows and Hen, You are animals. You are supposed to do what I say!
I need milk and eggs!”
It is clear that Farmer Brown cannot believe that this is really happening. But we, the
audience, are happy to go along with the joke!
The sounds of Click, Clack, Moo are especially entertaining to us because cows, hens and
ducks really don’t do what humans do. Animals don’t use language to communicate, they
don’t invent and use inventions, and they don’t communicate with each other and humans
to solve problems and improve their own living and working conditions. A story in which
they do those things is silly. Silliness is great fun. The only thing better than being silly is
being silly in a rhythmic way—Click, Clack, Moo; Click, Clack, Moo; Click, Clack, Quack!
Best,
Marianne Sweeney
Oregon Children’s Theatre
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type
The Big Ideas
•Communication only happens when both parties hear and understand each other.
•Stories about animals and people can help us understand truths about human behavior.
•It is difficult to accept and understand the unexpected or the impossible.
•Change is possible when people work together and cooperate with one another.
Supplemental materials are available at www.octc.org/resourceguides.
Your Pet Speaks… Then Writes!
Target Grade Level
1-3
Activity Instructions
Educational
Standards
Day before (10 minutes)
Lesson Overview
Students make a puppet that represents either their
own pet or someone else’s. Students meet in groups
with their puppets. The puppets have a conversation
about living conditions and other topics of interest.
Drawing on this discussion, the “pets” decide whether
they need to write a note to their owners. They write a
note together asking for things they need/want.
Length of Lesson
60 minutes
Learning Objectives
•Students follow directions.
•Students verbalize and evaluate living conditions
from their pet’s point of view.
•Students compose notes to post from their pets.
Materials Needed
Bulletin board with individual pictures of each student
and room for pet pictures and notes
A classroom set of paper lunch bags
Lined paper for writing notes
Photocopier that can shrink or enlarge
Animal outline drawings size 3 1/2” x 5 1/2” (to fit
on the bottom of a standard lunch bag) of several
different kinds of pets: generic dogs, cats, fish, turtles,
lizards, newts, birds, etc.
Note: Each child will need 2 copies of the same picture.
One picture is for the puppet; the other is for the
bulletin board. Make more pictures of dogs and cats
than other animals. These will be simple puppets. The
picture of the animal will just be glued to the base of
the bag, so that children may put their hand in the bag
and create movement when their animal is speaking.
No effort to make the mouth of the pet appear to move
is intended.
Oregon Children’s Theatre
1. Invite students to select a
pair of matching pictures to
represent either their own
pet or a pet they know.
2. Instruct students to take the
pictures home, color them,
and bring them back the
next day.
E:COMM:SPK
E:COMM:LST
E:W:COMM
E:W:AP
Next Day
3. Select a picture of your own pet and glue it to the
bottom of a lunch bag, making your own lunch bag
puppet to show them how it is done.
4. Give students time to glue one of their pictures
to the bottom of a lunch bag, making a puppet
(10 minutes).
5. Brainstorm all the topics that the pets might
discuss, listing these topics on the board or chart.
6. Use your own lunch bag puppet and model talking
briefly about one of the topics, e.g. “I am Amarillo,
the goldfish. I like living in the bowl on the counter
in the kitchen because I get to watch the dishes
being washed…”
7. Put students in groups of three.
8. Instruct students to give voice to their pet-puppets
in a conversation about where and how they live.
The list of topics will help them remember what to
discuss (15-20 minutes).
9. After giving students time for their puppet
conversations, distribute note-paper.
10.Instruct students to write notes from their pets.
Some second and third grade students may write
these notes on their own, rather than in a group
(15 minutes).
11.Direct students to post their notes and their
remaining picture on the bulletin board next to the
pictures of themselves.
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type
Why Electric Blankets?
Target Grade Level
1-3
Lesson Overview
Adapted from: www.teachernet.com
•Students observe
appropriate record-keeping
(teacher models this).
Educational
Standards
Students compare a regular blanket with an electric
blanket to determine why the cows and hen requested
electric blankets in the play. The teacher models data
gathering and record keeping on a chart. This chart
becomes a reference for future work in science.
•Students will then feel
the difference between
the regular blanket and
the electric blanket
for themselves.
Length of Lesson
•Students will contribute to a class chart
describing the experiment.
25 minutes
Learning Objectives
•Students will observe the difference between the
heat of a regular blanket and an electric blanket.
•Students gather information using simple
equipment and tools.
SC:SI:CP
SC:SI:A&I
•Students will learn a model for future science
investigations in the classroom.
•Students will collect data from an investigation.
•Students will analyze data and interpret results.
•Students will use the data collected to explain
the results, presenting a conclusion.
Materials Needed
Table and chairs
Electric outlet close to one end of the table
(Place chair at the other end)
Regular blanket
Electric blanket
Insta-Read cooking thermometer that reads
temperatures from 0-220 degrees Fahrenheit
Chart paper to describe the experiment, on which the
teacher has written:
•Question: Why did the cows ask Farmer Brown
for electric blankets?
•Observation: Compare temperatures under a
regular blanket and an electric blanket.
Investigation Plan
Extension
Data:
Blanket
Electric Blanket
5 min.
____degrees F
_____degrees F
10 min.
____degrees F
_____degrees F
15 min.
____degrees F
_____degrees F
Conclusion:
Activity Instructions
1. Place a regular blanket on a table.
2. Invite a student to sit at the table and place his/her
hand palm down on the table, under the blanket.
3. Note and record the time.
1. Use two electric blankets, two regular blankets,
and two quilts.
2. Set up a third and fourth station with an electric
blanket and a regular blanket, each under an
insulating quilt.
3. Record temperatures at 5 and 10 minute intervals.
4. Determine whether the insulated electric
blanket provides more heat than an insulated
regular blanket.
5. Write a class letter to the cows suggesting that
they ask for both electric blankets and quilts.
4. Discuss the play and ask students why they think
the cows and the hen requested electric blankets
rather than regular blankets.
5. Plug in an electric blanket and place it at the other
end of the table. Repeat steps 2 and 3.
6. Use the Insta-Read thermometer to measure the
temperature of the child’s hand under the regular
blanket. Record the temperature on the board or
on a chart along with the number of minutes that
have passed since the child first put his/her hand
under the blanket: e.g. 99 degrees 5 min.
7. Measure the temperature under the electric
blanket. Record the temperature on the chart.
This isn
’t just a
bout ele
blanket
ctric
s. It’s a
bout fre
Freedom
edom.
from Fa
rmer Br
tyranny
own’s
. Freedo
m from
oppress
our
ors. Fre
edom fr
the Man
om
!”
—Cow
8. Measure the temperature of the child’s hand under
each blanket at the same intervals (10 minutes)
and record.
9. Ask the students to tell you what this
activity demonstrates.
10.Write a conclusion on the chart: e.g. “Electric
blankets are twice as warm as regular blankets.”
11.Allow all the students a chance to feel the warmth
of a regular blanket and compare it to the warmth
generated by the electric blanket.
Oregon Children’s Theatre
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type
Food From the Farm
Target Grade Level
2-3
Lesson Overview
Teacher will demonstrate the connection between food
that we eat and farming. Students will see the range of
products grown and raised in Oregon. Then students
will sort and categorize different vocabulary words
associated with farming.
Length of Lesson
30-40 minutes
Learning Objectives
•Students will see the variety of foods we need to
be healthy.
•Students will understand that farmers in different
parts of Oregon grow different foods and crops.
•Students will sort words related to farming into
different categories.
•Students will demonstrate concept development
by labeling these categories.
3. Explain that many of
these good foods are grown
and produced right here
in Oregon.
4. Show/distribute the Food
Grown in Oregon handout.
Educational
Standards
E:R:VOC
5. Explain that the lines in the Oregon map show the
different counties in Oregon.
6. Ask where Farmer Brown’s farm may have been
located if it had existed in Oregon. (Dairy products
are shown along the coast in Tillamook County.)
7. Distribute the Farming Words and Category Boxes
student pages.
8. Explain that when students group words together
for a good reason and then label the groups, they
are building concepts. This is a basic step in
building thinking skills.
9. Help the students begin this process and then let
them finish on their own.
Materials Needed
Download the following from octc.org:
Did you know…?
•My Pyramid for Kids handout from the USDA
(one for every pair of students, or a
projected transparency)
In 2006, there were 39,300 farms in Oregon.
•Food Grown in Oregon handout from the Oregon
Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation (one for
each student, or a projected transparency)
Oregon has approximately 2,000 different types
of soil.
•Farming Words student page
•Category Boxes student page
Oregon has 17,100,000 acres in farmland.
Oregon has three district growing areas, the
Oregon coast, the Willamette Valley, and Eastern
and Southern Oregon.
1. Explain that everyone needs plenty of nutritious
food to eat in order to stay healthy.
Oregon summers are very dry. We rely heavily
on irrigation. Nearly 78% of water usage in
Oregon goes for farm irrigation, compared to
40% nationally.
2. Show/distribute the My Pyramid for Kids handout
and ask students what they notice.
Crops account for 69% of the state’s total
farm sales.
Activity Instructions
Livestock and poultry account for 31% of the
state’s total farm sales.
Supplemental materials are available at www.octc.org/resourceguides.
Story Review
Target Grade Level
K-3
Lesson Overview
After seeing the play, students review the important
elements of the story by matching pictures of the
characters with phrases.
Length of Lesson
25 minutes
Learning Objectives
•Students will recall the characters and plot of
the play and demonstrate their knowledge by
matching the appropriate phrases with
each character.
Materials Needed
Download the following from octc.org:
•Story Review Sentences
•Story Review Picture Page
•Story Review Key
Scissors (class set)
Glue sticks (class set)
Activity Instructions
1. Distribute the Story Review
Sentences sheet and the
Story Review Picture Page,
along with scissors and glue
sticks to each student.
Educational
Standards
E:R:VOC
E:R:INFO
E:R:LIT
2. Explain that each phrase on
the Story Review Phrases
sheet might have been said by one of the
characters on the Picture Page.
3. Have students cut out sentences from the Story
Review Sentences sheet, and paste them into the
box on the Story Review Picture Page that
corresponds with the correct character.
4. At the end of the activity, all the phrases on the
first sheet should be glued into one of the boxes on
the second sheet.
5. Point out that some phrases are repeated on the
Story Review Phrases sheet because more than one
character might have said them.
Modifications
1. For students who have fine motor difficulties, it
may be appropriate to have a teaching assistant
cut the phrases out and put them in an envelope,
so that the student’s time is used for sorting
and gluing.
2. For students in K-1st grade, instead of having the
students glue the sentences onto the sheet, you
may print the Story Review Picture Page onto card
stock and cut into four small cards. Give each
student a set of the four cards. As you say each
sentence aloud to the class, have the students hold
up the card of the character who said it.
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type
Communication & Inventions
Click, Clack, Click, Clack, the rhythm of inventiveness,
the sounds of communication.
Teacher to Teacher: The typewriter was one of the
great inventions of the 19th century. If you are
planning a science or social studies unit on inventions,
Click, Clack, Moo will provide a great literary arts
connection. —Marianne Sweeney
Computer projector to show
online images and sounds to the
entire class
Educational
Standards
Presentation
lesson only
Active internet connection
Map of the United States in 1803, including the
Louisiana Purchase: www.earlyamerica.com
Target Grade Level
Sound sample of a typewriter: www.freesound.org
1-4
Excerpt from Leroy Anderson’s The Typewriter
Lesson Overview
This presentation lesson is designed to give students
information about the human need to communicate
and invent in the 19th century by looking at three
important inventions: the copy press, the polygraph,
and the typewriter. Students will also experience
how the sound of the typewriter was an important
part of the 20th century in both music and film.
This presentation may be used to introduce an active
unit on inventions.
Length of Lesson
15-20 minutes
Learning Objectives
•Students will become aware of the efforts in the
18th and 19th centuries to make writing and
communication easier.
•Students will be introduced to these inventions:
the copy press, the polygraph, and the typewriter.
•Students will hear the sound of a typewriter and
hear the orchestral music based on this sound by
Leroy Anderson.
•Students will enjoy the pantomime performed by
comedian Jerry Lewis to this music.
Materials Needed
Download the following from octc.org:
•The Copy Press and the Polygraph (picture and
information sheet on both inventions)
•Typewriter picture
•Close-up of Typewriter Keys picture
•The typewriter is the solo instrument in
Anderson’s famous composition, The Typewriter,
written in 1950. A brief MP3 excerpt is available
on LeRoy Anderson’s official website:
www.leroyanderson.com
Jerry Lewis pantomiming to Leroy Anderson’s The
Typewriter in the movie, Who’s Minding the Store?
(2 minute excerpt) www.youtube.com
Lesson Instructions
1. Show students the Map of the United States in
1803, including the Louisiana Purchase. Explain
that Thomas Jefferson was the President of the
United States at this time. Even back in the 1700s,
Thomas Jefferson had a copy press that he used to
make copies of letters by pressing them against
fresh pieces of tissue paper. He even had a portable
one for travel purposes.
2. Show students the picture of the copy press.
3. Thomas Jefferson also purchased a writing machine
that copied his own letters as he wrote them. It
was called a polygraph.
4. Show the picture of the polygraph.
5. Explain that there were many scientists all over the
world in the 1800s who worked with mechanical
devices, trying to invent machines that would make
life more convenient. There were no computers or
photocopiers, so office work was very difficult and
slow. Many people tried different ideas to make
letters and copying letters easier. Carbon paper
allowed writers to make a copy of an original as
Supplemental materials are available at www.octc.org/resourceguides.
they were writing. The carbon paper was placed
between two sheets of paper and the writer would
press hard while writing to make a good copy.
6. Show students the typewriter picture and the
close-up of typewriter keys.
8. Play the sound of a typewriter for your students.
(Go to the sound sample of a typewriter on the
website listed in the materials. Click on the
right-facing arrow just above the picture of a
sound wave.)
9. Explain that the sound of the typewriter was so
rhythmic that it inspired composer Leroy Anderson
to write music for orchestra featuring the
typewriter. Play The Typewriter on his website.
10.Explain that the sound of the typewriter and this
music was what everyone thought of when they
thought of working in an office. The comedian
Jerry Lewis performed a pantomime to this music
in the movie, Who’s Minding the Store?
7. Explain that the first typewriter was called the
Sholes & Glidden Type Writer, and it was produced
by the gun manufacturers E. Remington & Sons in
Ilion, New York from 1874-1878. The late 19th
century is often referred to as the Age of Invention.
These inventors wanted to make office work easier.
Oregon Children’s Theatre
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type
Supplemental materials are available at www.octc.org/resourceguides.
600 SW 10th Avenue, Suite 313 | Portland, OR 97205-2724 | 503.228.9571 | octc.org