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"A Light in the Storm" is one of a series of books about America and American history published by Scholastic. The book has been adapted for the stage by the Kennedy Center. The story, which takes place during the Civil War, inspired this 5-lesson curriculum unit that complements the play and allows students to study different aspects of lighthouses in depth: the actual Fenwick Island Lighthouse (or, A Suitable Job for a Woman), Civil War Music, Structures on a Light Station, and Historical Timelines. The unit is intended for elementary students in grades 3 and above and is interdisciplinary in approach. Each lesson offers an overview; suggests length and grade level; lists subjects and subtopics; cites dimensions of learning and intelligence being addressed; notes equipment and materials needed; lists teacher resources; and addresses National Standards for Arts Education and other standards. Each lesson also identifies instructional objectives and strategies; provides a detailed, step-by-step instructional plan; suggests assessment and extension activities; and lists teacher references. Among the materials attached are several handouts with relevant background information. (NKA)

This 10-week middle school curriculum unit for grades 6-8, integrating concepts, materials, and content from language arts, music, and visual arts, provides a set of specific instructional plans relative to the study of myths (often a content area in middle school grades across the country). All the sample lessons and examples in the curriculum are based on a study of myths and artworks inspired by those myths; musical examples are chosen by mythic reference as designated by the composer or, like film or stage scores, reflecting the mood and attitude of the lesson content. The unit and its lesson plans were developed using the National Standards in English/Language Arts, Music, and Visual Arts. The framework for the unit is based on the following overarching statement: "The arts are a cohesive force reflecting and shaping culture." The unit can be adapted for almost any content subject, using this overarching statement, as well as the additional examples of activities and discussions provided. After the presentation of the preparatory materials, students and teachers can approach the unit's lessons from any viewpoint--art, then music, then content or idea, or content, then music, then art, etc. It is noted that students are expected to search the Internet to find art and music materials for their presentations. (NKA)

In the children's book, "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse," Lilly gets into trouble for interrupting class to show off her three shiny quarters and her purple plastic purse, which makes music when it is opened. This curriculum unit intended for students in grades 2 and 3 supports the book (and Kennedy Center Production). The five lessons in the unit may be taught as a group or individually and, although rooted in the language arts, may be used to teach math, science, and other disciplines. The following lessons are part of the unit: "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse": A Deeper Shade of Purple; "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse": All Things Purple; "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse": Jingly Coins; "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse": Nifty Disguises; and "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse": Safe Bike Behavior. Each lesson offers an overview; suggests length and grade level; lists subjects and subtopics; cites dimensions of learning and intelligences being addresses; notes equipment and materials needed; lists teacher resources; and addresses National Standards for Arts Education and other standards. Each lesson also identifies instructional objectives and strategies; provides a detailed, step-by-step instructional plan; suggests assessment and extension activities; and lists teacher references. (NKA)

In this lesson, each fourth-grade student is asked to choose a famous person who was born in his/her state, research the person's contributions to history, write a monologue, and then perform the monologue using a costume and/or a prop. The lesson offers an overview; suggests lesson length and grade level; lists subjects and subtopics; cites dimensions of learning and intelligences being addressed; notes equipment and materials needed; lists teacher resources; and addresses National Standards for Arts Education and other standards. It also cites instructional objectives and strategies; provides a detailed, step-by-step instructional plan; and suggests assessment and extension activities. (NKA)

Harriet Tubman, a famous Civil War freedom fighter from Maryland, is the focus of this unit that integrates the arts and history. Students will learn about Harriet Tubman through music, art, dance, literature, and reference materials. The five lessons will be models and a springboard for the research projects that the students will complete about other famous Marylanders. The students will use the information they obtain to create their own songs, dances, dramas, and/or art work. They will use those projects to prepare a presentation using HyperStudio--the HyperStudio stacks will be linked together in a virtual Maryland Biography Quilt. The unit can be adapted to focus on famous people from other states, African Americans, famous women, freedom fighters, people involved in the Civil War and/or the Underground Railroad, etc. The HyperStudio stack may be replaced by individual web pages that are interlinked to form a student publication. Each lesson offers an overview; suggests length and grade level; cites subjects and subtopics; lists teacher resources; and addresses National Standards for Arts Education and other standards. Each lesson also identifies instructional objectives and strategies; provides a detailed, step-by-step instructional plan; suggests assessment and extension activities; and lists teacher references. (NKA)

This lesson uses an interdisciplinary approach to looking at the concept of "heroes." In a world with few heroes, students will recognize the positive character traits of heroes through the use of music, art, creative writing, and literature. The lesson offers an overview; suggests length and grade level; gives subjects and subtopics; cites dimensions of learning and intelligences being addressed; notes equipment and materials needed; lists teacher resources; and addresses National Standards for Arts Education and other standards. It also presents instructional objectives and strategies; provides a detailed, step-by-step instructional plan; and suggests assessment and extension activities. Attached are quotes from writers about heroes and a question to answer about heroes. (NKA)

This curriculum unit for Grades 3-4 (adaptable for higher or lower grades) introduces students to Harlem, starting with black migration from Africa and from the American South to the North, to the Harlem Renaissance (including jazz musicians, visual artists, writers, and poets), and on to aspects of daily Harlem life (then and now), such as family storytelling and street games. The unit's multiple lessons, which can be taught independently from one another, include a wide array of maps, research and analytical skills, and writing exercises, as well as student activities such as creating visual artworks, oral presentations, and dance pieces. The following lessons are part of the unit: Harlem: Creative Voices of Harlem; Harlem: Street Games; and Harlem: The Great Migration. Each lesson offers an overview; suggests length and grade level; lists subjects and subtopics; cites dimensions of learning and intelligences being addressed; notes equipment and materials needed; lists teacher resources; and addresses National Standards for Arts Education and other standards. Each lesson also identifies instructional objectives and strategies; provides a detailed instructional plan; suggests assessment and extension activities; and lists teacher references. The first lesson contains extensive additional information about Harlem's artists. (NKA)

The visual arts offer aesthetic, perceptual, creative, and intellectual opportunities. This lesson points out that by creating and painting mythological characters, students will improve their ability to analyze, reorganize, critique, and create. The lesson also intends for fourth-grade students to gain insight into Greek culture through the exploration of Greek mythology. It offers an overview; suggests length and grade level; lists subjects and subtopics; cites dimensions of learning and intelligences being addressed; notes equipment and materials needed; lists teacher resources; and addresses National Standards for Arts Education. The lesson also identifies instructional objectives and strategies; provides a detailed, step-by-step instructional plan; and suggests assessment activities. Contains teacher references and a rubric for an art activity, as well as a rubric for group presentation and participation. (NKA)

Children can learn to express themselves through the performing arts in constructive ways. Theater, specifically, employs the use of all dimensions of learning. In this lesson, students will engage in basic theater techniques for creating a character through movement and voice. The lesson, lasting 5 class periods, introduces them to guidelines for being both an audience and a performer and is designed to have them become familiar with terminology and conventions used in the art of acting; students will also be introduced to the process of scripting a story by adapting a common fairy tale to perform as a drama, linking literature and theater. The lesson offers an overview; suggests length and grade level; lists subjects and subtopics; cites dimensions of learning and intelligences being addressed; notes equipment and materials needed; lists teacher resources; and addresses National Standards for Arts Education. It identifies instructional objectives and strategies; provides a 3-part, detailed instructional plan; and suggests assessment activities. Attached is a rubric for "Folktale Theater" and a relevant vocabulary. (NKA)

This curriculum unit for middle school students explores the art of folklore and story telling. In the unit, students will explore the nature of various types of stories and tales and will identify the characteristics and motifs of subgenres such as tall tales, fairy tales, and fables. The following lessons are part of the unit: Folktales: A Variety of Unwise Characters; Folktales: Elements of Folktales; Folktales: Exploring American Tall Tales; and Folktales: Writing Folktales. Each lesson in the unit offers an overview; suggests length and grade level; lists subjects and subtopics; cites dimensions of leaning and intelligences being addressed; notes equipment and materials needed; lists teacher resources; and addresses National Standards for Arts Education and other standards. Each lesson also identifies instructional objectives and strategies; provides a detailed, step-by-step instructional plan; suggests assessment and extension activities; and lists teacher references. (NKA)

In this lesson for implementation in Grade 3, students will explore the pioneers' and settlers' ways of life through drama and songs. Crossing the prairie, living in a sod house, and the growth of Abilene, Kansas, will be explored in the lesson using drama games, role playing, written text, and songs. The lesson offers an overview; suggests length and grade level; lists subjects and subtopics; cites dimensions of learning and intelligences being addressed; notes materials needed; and points out related textbooks and teacher resources. It also discusses relevant National Standards for Arts Education and other standards. The lesson then provides instructional objectives; strategies; a detailed, step-by-step instructional plan; and assessment and extension activities. (NKA)

This lesson will introduce intermediate students to the Japanese poetic form of "haiku," which is most effectively taught after students have an understanding of syllables. The lesson plan's introductory activity is designed to introduce students to the geography of Japan, as well as Japanese culture through Asian art and music--after learning about and listening to some examples of haiku, as the next activity, students will write their own haiku. The lesson's final activity has students illustrate and "publish" their finished poems in the style of a Japanese scroll using rice paper, ink, and watercolor. The lesson presents an overview; suggests lesson length and grade level; lists subjects and subtopics; cites dimensions of learning and intelligences being addressed; notes equipment and materials needed; lists teacher resources and general resources; and outlines National Arts Education Standards and other standards. It also gives instructional objectives and strategies; provides a detailed, step-by-step instructional plan; and suggests assessment and extension activities. Lists teacher references and offers suggestions of book and musical recordings to be used with the lesson. (NKA)

This lesson intends for grade 4 students to enact a scene depicting how Anthony Stewart of Maryland had to destroy his ship, the "Peggy Stewart," and its cargo of tea because he paid taxes to the British--students will add a short scene on what they think might have happened right after the burning of the ship. The lesson presents an overview; suggests a time length and appropriate grade; lists subjects and subtopics; cites dimensions of learning and intelligences being addressed; lists equipment and materials needed as well as teacher resources; and outlines National Standards for Arts Education. It gives instructional objectives and strategies; provides a detailed, step-by-step instructional plan; and suggests assessment and extension activities. (NKA)

This curriculum unit introduces intermediate grade and middle school students to the work of Stephen Sondheim, one of the most talented composers of the contemporary American musical theater, and teaches them about the process of writing an original musical. The unit notes that in his musical "Into the Woods" Sondheim incorporates (and distorts) elements of traditional fairy tales to create a lively and unique piece of theater. In the unit, students will create the libretto and script for an original musical based on the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale, "The Frog Prince." The unit's lesson--Sondheim's "Into the Woods": Fairy Tale Tunes--takes only two days to complete. Its classroom activities focus on improvisational techniques and small-group work. The unit provides a step-by-step detailed instructional plan for the teacher. (NKA)

In this lesson, designed to be taught within a unit on China, primary-grade students will learn about the history of papermaking and its origins in China and even learn how to make their own paper. After learning about Chinese art and culture in the lesson, students will write their own "cinquain" poem about China. The lesson presents an overview; suggests length and grade levels; lists subjects and subtopics; cites intelligences being addressed and dimensions of learning; notes materials needed and teacher resources; and discusses National Standards for Arts Education and other standards. It then cites instructional objectives; lists strategies; and provides a detailed, step-by-step instructional plan for the teacher to follow in the classroom. The lesson also suggests assessment and extension activities. A papermaking and poetry rubric is attached. (NKA)

This lesson plan intends for students in Grade 3 to write to inform about oceans, using all their five senses in the "haiku" style of poetry. The lesson presents an overview; suggests length of time and grade level; cites subjects and subtopics; lists dimensions of learning and intelligence being addressed; notes equipment and materials needed; lists teacher and general resources; and cites relevant National Standards for Arts Education and other standards. It also gives instructional objectives and strategies; provides a detailed, step-by-step instructional plan; and suggests assessment and extension activities. (NKA)

A book called "The Shakespeare Stealer" (Gary Blackwood) is about a young boy during the time of Shakespeare who sneaks into the Globe Theater and meets the Bard. The book has been turned into a play. The five lessons in this curriculum unit revolve around "The Shakespeare Stealer." The lessons in the unit support many major elements of the play, and each can be used as a stand-alone lesson. The following lessons are part of the unit: Shakespeare Stealer: A Character Life Box; Shakespeare Stealer: A Way with Words or Say What?; Shakespeare Stealer: Design a Set; Shakespeare Stealer: Fancy Fencing; and Shakespeare Stealer: Playing with Puns. In these lessons, students will, for example, discover fencing through the use of ballet movement and learn the intricacy of set design; explore Shakespeare's use of words and phrases through a lesson on puns and word play; and research characters in the stories and create "life boxes" to gain a deeper understanding of play roles. Each lesson in the unit specifies: length of time to complete, grade level, subjects, subtopics, "intelligences" being addressed, dimensions of learning, equipment, media and materials needed, relevant national and state standards, and instructional objectives. The lessons also provide detailed step-by-step instructional plans, assessment activities, and teacher references. (NKA)

In this lesson for grade 4, after students study the American colonists, they work in groups to create articles and artwork that depict colonial life--the art and articles are put together in newspaper form and copied for distribution to the class, other classes, and parents. The lesson should take 4-5 days for classroom implementation. It provides detailed information for the teacher and an overview; cites relevant National Standards for Arts Education; lists instructional objectives and strategies; offers a step-by-step instructional plan; and suggests assessment and extension activities. (NKA)

This curriculum unit addresses myths in Western cultures and in other cultures around the world. The three lessons in the unit gives students the opportunity to think critically about how and why myths were first created, and to create their own myths. Specifically, in the unit students read, discuss, and respond in writing to myths from Greek, Hawaiian, and African cultures, and then graphically represent a myth they read in class in small groups. For each lesson the unit presents an overview; suggests length and grade level; gives subjects and subtopics; cites dimensions of learning and intelligences being addressed; and lists equipment and materials needed as well as teacher resources. It also outlines National Standards for Arts Education and other standards; cites instructional objectives and strategies; provides a detailed, step-by-step instructional plan; and suggests assessment and extension activities for each lesson. The following lessons are part of the unit: Myths: A World of Myths; Myths: Elements of Myths; and Myths: Writing Myths. Contains sample checklists for writing assignments, a sample scoring rubric, and standards for rubrics. (NKA)

This curriculum unit, designed for grades 7-12, integrates various artistic disciplines with geography, history, social studies, media, and technology. This unit on William Butler Yeats, the writer, and Jack Yeats, the painter, seeks to immerse students in a study of the brothers as voices of Ireland and as two of the most renowned artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The unit is dedicated also to helping students see how the outlook of an age controls cultural expression, and how this expression is articulated in similar ways throughout genres of art. To help effect these major goals, focus in the unit is placed on: the impact of geography, place, and family on both William Butler Yeats and Jack Yeats; the influence of personalities of the time period on the two artists; and also, the ways both Yeats align, in philosophical construct and creative expression, with the dynamic changes that occurred during the time period. The 6-lesson unit is designed for use either in its completeness or in such a way that individual lessons can be accessed. It presents an overview; lists equipment and materials needed; discusses standards; and outlines content acquisition, process skills, and strategies. Each lesson provides a detailed, step-by-step instructional plan. Lessons are entitled: (1) Influence of Landscape on William Butler Yeats; (2) Influence of Environment on Jack Yeats; (3) Influences and Change for William and Jack Yeats; (4) Individual Fingerprints: The Mature Years; (5) Sections of Yeats's Poetry Related to His Involvement with the Irish Nationalist Movement; and (6) Jack Yeats: A Few Samplings from the Mature Years. (NKA)

This curriculum unit can be adapted for students as young as grade 6 or 7 and as old as grade 12. The unit integrates writing process instruction, storytelling lore, mythology, and arts instruction and is in support of standards as defined by the Consortium of National Arts Education Associations and the National Council of Teachers of English. Each of the three lessons in the unit has been planned for a 45-50 minute instructional period, but it is not necessary to follow the lessons in linear fashion. The unit was designed to be implemented through a blend of traditional classroom writing process instruction and Internet exchange. It intends that students will explore their own cultural identity while learning vital aspects of the writing process. The unit provides an overview, lists equipment and materials needed, posits essential questions, discusses relevant standards, and outlines content acquisition. Student handouts are attached. (NKA)

This "mini" curriculum unit introduces primary children (grades K-3) to the concept of images presented through the media, primarily advertising through print and on television. The unit is divided into three approximately 45-minute lessons. In the unit's first lesson, students will discuss why they like the particular toy they have chosen to bring to class, while the second lesson begins with a teacher-led discussion of the purpose, target audience, and value of advertisements in general, and of the specific ads each student has brought to class from home. In the unit's final lesson, students will make an outline drawing of their chosen toy, either from observation or from memory, including background/foreground space on the picture plan as well as possible symbols for their advertisement with consideration given to their target audience. Each lesson provides an overview and detailed information for the teacher; cites relevant national standards, strategies, and instructional objectives; and offers a step-by-step instructional plan. Each lesson also discusses assessment and suggests extension activities. (NKA)

How have "monsters" been viewed in society, what purpose do they serve, and why are they necessary? In this language-arts-based curriculum unit for grades 9-12, students explore the ways "monsters" are depicted in literature, music, and drama. According to the unit, students will: define what a monster is; read the classic "Beowulf"; then read John Gardner's "Grendel"; and execute a concluding project which requires them to create, name, describe, and visually depict a "monster." The lesson presents an overview; suggests grade level; cites subjects and subtopics; lists equipment and materials needed; and gives teacher resources and extensive National Standards for Arts Education as well as other national standards and Virginia State Standards. It provides instructional objectives and strategies, followed by a detailed, step-by-step instructional plan for the classroom. It also suggests assessment and extension activities. (NKA)

This lesson plan for grade 3 intends for students to use creative dramatics to demonstrate an understanding of three ways a mountain can be formed; students will also explore the effects of elevation on plant and animal life and on weather in the regions on both sides of a mountain. The lesson should take two to four days to implement. It provides detailed information and an overview for the teacher; cites relevant national standards; lists instructional objectives and strategies; and offers a step-by-step instructional plan. The lesson also discusses assessment and extensions. (NKA)

In society, information/ideas are communicated through various media (words, symbols, illustrations, etc.). When analyzing comic strips, it is noticeable that each has a different style, point of view, setting, plot, and summary, communicated not only through words, but through illustrations and style--creating comic strips can summarize various ideas through illustrations that otherwise could not be expressed through words alone. This lesson (lasting 3-4 class periods) intends for students to first evaluate various comic strips and then to create their own comic strips. The lesson offers an overview; suggests length and grade level; lists subjects and subtopics; cites dimensions of learning and intelligences being addressed; notes equipment and materials needed; lists teacher resources; and addresses National Standards for Arts Education. It identifies instructional objectives and strategies; provides a detailed, step-by-step instructional plan; presents a scoring rubric; and suggests an extension activity. (NKA)

In this curriculum unit, students will explore fiction writing in three lessons--characterization, setting, and plot. The unit intends for them to learn how to use characterization, dialogue, point of view and other literary devices in fiction writing. Each of the lessons offers an overview; suggests length and grade level; lists subjects and subtopics; cites dimensions of learning and intelligences being addressed; notes equipment and materials needed; lists teacher resources; and addresses National Standards for Arts Education and other standards. Each lesson also identifies instructional objectives and strategies; provides a detailed, step-by-step instructional plan; suggests assessment and extension activities; and contains teacher references. Attached are guidelines for writing dialogue and constructing a plot, writing assignments, and standards for developing scoring rubrics. (NKA)

This fantasy unit focuses on C. S. Lewis's "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Through the unit's 17 lessons (which correspond to the book's 17 chapters), students will read and analyze the text, using the literary elements of characterization, setting, plot, theme, character, climax, and resolution. The unit offers an overview; suggests length and grade level; lists subjects and subtopics; cites dimensions of learning and intelligences being addressed; notes equipment and materials needed; addresses National Standards for Arts Education and other standards; and lists teacher resources. It also presents instructional objectives and strategies; offers a warm-up instructional plan; and suggests assessment and extension activities. It then provides a detailed, step-by-step (i.e., chapter-by-chapter) instructional plan. Attached are an outline of literary elements and questions for "quality thinking." (NKA)

Introducing children to well written and beautifully illustrated books will help build basic skills while providing for the aesthetic need for beauty and pleasure. This lesson is designed as an integrated literature and visual arts lesson, revolving around the story book, "Owl Moon," written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by John Schoenherr--the book won the Caldecott Medal in 1988. The lesson explains that the story describes a young child's adventure on a snowy winter evening searching for owls. According to the lesson, the intention is to have the book serve as an inspiration for an arts exploration that allows children to create a watercolor painting inspired by Schoenherr's illustrations. The lesson offers an overview; suggests a length and grade level; lists subjects and subtopics; cites dimensions of learning and intelligences being addressed; notes equipment and materials needed; lists teacher resources; and addresses National Standards for Arts Education. It identifies instructional objectives and strategies; provides a detailed, step-by-step instructional plan; and suggests assessment and extension activities. Contains 5 teacher references and a scoring rubric. (NKA)

Designed for a third-grade literature curriculum, this unit integrates language arts with visual arts, music, and social studies. In the unit, third graders use elements of exaggeration to create folktales, work with sixth graders to edit the tale, and create 3-dimensional representations of their main characters. The following lessons are part of the unit: Exaggeration, Folktales, and Characters Lessons 1-4: Introduction; Exaggeration, Folktales, and Characters Lessons 5-8: Writing; Exaggeration, Folktales, and Characters Lessons 9-11; and Exaggeration, Folktales, and Characters Lesson 12: Sharing Party. Each lesson in the unit offers an overview; suggests length and grade level; cites subjects and subtopics; notes equipment and materials needed; lists teacher resources; and addresses National Standards for Arts Education and other standards. Each lesson also identifies instructional objectives and strategies; provides a detailed, step-by-step instructional plan; and suggests assessment and extension activities. (NKA)

This curriculum unit examines William Shakespeare's tragic play, "Romeo and Juliet." The unit calls the play "one of the greatest and saddest love stories of all time," and notes that artists across centuries and oceans have retold the tale of "Romeo and Juliet" in various forms and incarnations. It first presents background information about Shakespeare's life and about the Elizabethan England of his time. It also describes the Globe Theatre (built about 1599) where Shakespeare's plays were presented to the public. The unit provides a summary of the 5-act drama and considers the recurring motifs and images. It discusses the literary devices Shakespeare used in "Romeo and Juliet" to capture the public's attention, including puns, foreshadowing, metaphor, personification, oxymoron, and paradox. It also presents the entire play in one page, scene by scene and act by act. The next section of the unit explores the connections across the arts and highlights some favorite versions of the tragic tale as depicted in films, operas, ballets, and paintings. The unit then offers two lesson plans to facilitate students' understanding of the themes, plot, and characters present in "Romeo and Juliet," including creative writing using character analysis in the play; and enhancing students' ability to analyze and interpret dramatic scripts. The unit's lesson plans specify length, grade level, materials needed, relevant standards, and instructional objectives. They also offer additional teacher information and provide a step-by-step instructional plan. Contains an extensive resource list. (NKA)

This performance guide is designed for teachers to use with students before and after a performance of "Caddie Woodlawn," adapted by Greg Gunning from the novel by Carol Ryrie Brink. The guide, called a "Cuesheet," contains seven activity sheets for use in class, addressing: (1) The Characters (introducing the characters in the play and explaining some theatrical conventions such as narrators, scenes, and actors doubling parts); (2) The Story (offering a story synopsis and looking at where the story takes place on the map); (3) Westward Ho: The Setting (discussing pioneer life and the movement West, and how props and set pieces recreate this time); (4) Language on the Frontier (helping students understand language in the play that might be unfamiliar to them); (5) From Book to Play (looking at the challenges of adapting a book into a play that can be performed on a stage); (6) Carol Ryrie Brink and the "Real" Caddie (describing how the author wrote this book based on stories her grandmother told her about growing up on the Wisconsin frontier, and listing resources for further explanation); and (7) Going to the Kennedy Center (about the audience's role and the Kennedy Center itself). (SR)

This performance guide is designed to help teachers prepare students to see the Sogolon Marionettes performing one of two stories from the West African country of Mali. The guide, called a "Cuesheet," contains four activity sheets for use in class, addressing: (1) About the Performance (offering a performance overview of the stories, and some helpful vocabulary about the stories or puppetry); (2) Getting Ready To See Sogolon Marionettes (locating the country of Mali, discussing the ancient tradition of puppetry in West Africa, exploring the telling of stories without words, discussing the puppets themselves, becoming a marionette oneself, introducing the master puppeteer, and things to watch for during the performance); and (3) Going to the Kennedy Center (helping students understand the important role of the audience in a live performance, and discussing visiting the Kennedy Center). Resources for further exploration are listed. (SR)

This performance guide is designed for teachers to use with students before and after a performance of "Ramona Quimby," adapted by Len Jenkin from the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary. The guide, called a "Cuesheet," contains seven activity sheets for use in class, addressing: (1) The Characters (introducing the characters in the play, and theatre conventions such as scenes, narrators, and actors doubling roles); (2) The Story (offering a story synopsis); (3) Your Neighborhood (offering a description and a map of the neighborhood in which the story takes place, and the props and set pieces used to create that world); (4) From Book to Play (discussing how playwrights adapt books to plays and how this play was adapted from several books); (5) Imagination in "Ramona Quimby" (discussing the role of imagination in the play and in the theatre); (6) Beverly Cleary (about the author Beverly Cleary and how she came to write books); and (7) Going to the Kennedy Center (about the audience's important role in a performance and about the Kennedy Center itself). Resources for further exploration are listed. (SR)

This performance guide is designed for teachers to use with students before and after a performance of "Tales from the Brazilian Jungle" with storyteller Antonio Rocha. The guide, called a "Cuesheet," contains four sheets for use in class. The first, "About the Performance," prepares students for understanding references to the Amazon rainforest, and introduces the four stories presented in the performance. The second, "Getting Ready To See 'Tales from the Brazilian Jungle,'" discusses and presents activities for imagining the rainforest, what storytelling is, telling stories, what good stories are, a storyteller's tools, and storytelling with mime. The third, "Going to the Kennedy Center," helps students understand what a good audience does and discusses visiting the Kennedy Center itself. Resources are listed for further explanation. (SR)

This performance guide is designed for teachers to use with students before and after a performance of "Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile," a musical based on the books by Bernard Waber, with book by Michael Slade, music by David Evans, and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein. The guide, called a "Cuesheet," contains four activity sheets for use in class, addressing: (1) What Happens in the Story (with a brief summary for students of the story); (2) Getting Ready To See "Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile" (with several activities that each introduces and aspect of musical theatre, including Understanding the Story, From Story to Stage, What's a Musical? Actors Pretend, Props Help Tell the Story, and with background on geography, languages, including some lines from the play); and (3) Going To See "Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile" (discussing the audience's important role in a live theatre performance, and describing visiting the Kennedy Center). Resources for further exploration are listed. (SR)

This 9-week curriculum workshop, "Buddy Books," is a creative art and writing partnership between middle and elementary schools. The workshop offers eighth-grade students an opportunity to use writing workshop methods to draft, revise, confer, edit, illustrate, and publish children's books with first-grade students at a neighboring elementary school. Benefits of the workshop method are that students: read, examine, and enjoy a variety of children's literature; participate in a cooperative learning experience; apply literary devices to their writing; write for a real audience; consider possible illustrations and cover art to enhance the text they have created; experiment with word processing, graphics, and layout; and create a partnership with an elementary school. Finished products include front and back covers, title, publishing, dedication, and about-the-author pages, and interesting illustrations to complement the literature they have created. The unit: offers an overview; suggests length and grade level; cites subjects and subtopics; notes equipment and materials needed; lists teacher resources; addresses National Arts Education Standards and other standards; identifies instructional objectives and strategies; provides a detailed instructional plan; and suggests assessment and extension activities. Contains 9 teacher references. A narrative instructional plan and other materials are attached. (NKA)

This performance guide is designed for teachers to use with students before and after a performance of the Potato People in "School Daze." The guide, called a "Cuesheet," contains seven pages of reproducible activity sheets for use in class with activities and discussion questions on the following topics: (1) Meet the Characters (introducing students to what characters are, and who they are; and including some puppet activities; (2) New Experiences (helping students relate the theme of new experiences to their own lives); (3) The Three "M"s: Mime, Music, and Masks (how actors communicate to the audience the meaning of the play using mime, music, and masks); (4) Mime Time (with activities for students to explore mime through group mime, narrative pantomime, a sound and mime story, and discussion questions); and (5) Playing Your Part (about attending a performance and the audience's role). Resources are listed for further exploration. (SR)

This performance guide is designed for teachers to use with students before and after attending a storytelling performance of "Growing Up Cuban in Decatur, Georgia" by Carmen Agra Deedy. The guide, called a "Cuesheet," contains seven reproducible sheets for use in class, addressing: (1) A True Story (brief historical background on Cuba and questions in immigration and moving); (2) From Cuba to Georgia (a map of the southeastern U.S. and Cuba, with brief information on Carmen's family's exile); (3) The Storyteller (the author tells us about herself); (4) Storytelling (with questions for discussion regarding what makes a good storyteller and what makes a story worth telling); (5) Picture This (telling stories with images) and Resources (for more information about the storyteller, about Cuba, or about telling family stories); (6) Listen for These Lines (lines to think about before and after the performance; and (7) Tell Your Own Story (an activity to help students outline a story of their own to tell, and to evaluate it). (SR)

This performance guide is designed for teachers to use with students before and after a performance of "Borrowed Black: A Labrador Fantasy," by the Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia. The guide, called a "Cuesheet," contains seven reproducible activity sheets for use in class, addressing: (1) The Story (orienting students to the characters and places of the story, and with a basic story outline); (2) Before Attending the Performance (on creating the characters, problems to solve, creating the character "Borrowed Black," creating a Borrowed Black puppet, and myths and legends about the moon); (3) After Attending the Performance (with activities such as interviewing characters and writing newspapers articles about them, and with questions to consider); and (4) Theater: A Collaborative Art (describing the audience's role in a performance). Resources for further exploration are listed. (SR)

This performance guide is designed for teachers to use with students before and after a performance of "A Village Fable, In the Suicide Mountains," A one-act musical play based on the novella "In The Suicide Mountains" by John Gardner, and presented by The Coterie Theatre. The guide, called a "Cuesheet," contains seven activity sheets for use in class, addressing: (1) A Village Fable (offering a story synopsis, introducing important characters, and offering activities that examine different ways to say lines from the play); (2) Ways of the Stage (looking at theatre conventions, production problems, and the role of the audience); (3) About Adaptations (looking at the challenges of adapting a story into a play script); and (4) Superstition on Stage (discussing both ancient and current superstitions, and listing resources for people who "hurt too much"). (SR)

This performance guide is designed for teachers to use with students before and after a performance of "Little Women," adapted for the stage by Paulette Laufer and based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott. The guide, called a "Cuesheet," contains seven activity sheets for use in class, addressing: (1) From Novel to Stage Play (with background information about the story setting and the change from novel to play); (2) Characters and Resources (describing the characters and showing how three actors play the 10 roles); (3) Costumes (how characters' costumes reveal age, social status and attitudes); (4) Lines (from the play, with questions to discuss); (5) Adapting a Novel for the Stage/Script It! (getting a feel for the playwright adapter's job by trying some adaptation); (6) Your Script; and (7) Rigmarole (telling a story by playing Jo's favorite game) and The Final Collaborator (looking at the audience's role). (SR)

This performance guide is designed for teachers to use with students before and after a performance of "Sundiata: Lion King of Mali," adapted by Kim Hines and featuring Griot Alhaji Papa Susso. The guide, called a "Cuesheet," contains seven activity sheets for use in class, addressing: (1) Sundiata: Man & Myth (discusses the real man and the 700-year-old epic legend behind this story, Sundiata's historical kingdom, and notes about the storyteller); (2) The Story and Characters (offering an outline with pictures of the story and characters); (3) Listening to Lines (presenting some lines from the play and examining how they help develop the story and give the audience information about the characters); (4) Theatre Collaborators (discussing the many people who work together to make a theatre performance happen); and (5) Collaborating on the Performance (explaining the important role of the audience in a live theatre event). Resources for further exploration are listed. (SR)

This performance guide is designed for teachers to use with students before and after a performance of "The Color of Justice," by Cheryl L. Davis, the true story of the fight for freedom of an elementary school girl and an outspoken lawyer in the 1950s, and how they teamed up to change forever the way black and white Americans lived and learned together. The guide, called a "Cuesheet," contains seven activity sheets for use in class, addressing: (1) The True Story of "The Color of Justice" (outlining the real-life events of the early 1950s in the lives of Linda Brown and Thurgood Marshall upon which the play is based, introducing the characters, and explaining some vocabulary terms); (2) The Supreme Court (outlining information about the Supreme Court); (3) The Color Line: Segregation in Daily Life (describing how activities and places were separated based on people's skin color, and offering an activity to help students understand the impact of segregation); (4) Production Notebook: A Closer Look (with ideas of things to listen and look for before and after the performance, a discussion of how an actor can play three different people, description of cooperation on and off stage, and the important role of the audience in this collaboration); and (5) Thurgood Marshall (offering a brief biography of the man who helped to significantly redefine America's sense of justice). Resources for further exploration are listed. (SR)

This performance guide is designed for teachers to use with students before and after a performance of "The Nightingale," a dance-theater performance conceived and choreographed by Dana Tai Soon Burgess, written and directed by Mary Hall Surface, and adapted from the story by Hans Christian Andersen. The guide, called a "Cuesheet," offers four Reproducible Activity Pages for students, as well as learning activities and information for teachers to share with young people before and after attending the performance. Materials for teachers address Using the Reproducible Activity Pages, Theater Conventions, and Problems To Solve (appreciating creative solutions that playmakers invent to solve theatrical problems). Reproducible Activity Pages include a Story Map (illustrating what happens in the play), Dancing a Story (a page of representative dance styles which may be similar to styles of movement found in the performance of "The Nightingale"), Designing Nightingales (familiarizing students with the job of the costume designer and encouraging them to think creatively), and Going to the Theater (familiarizing students with theater behavior). (SR)

This performance guide is designed for teachers to use with students before and after a storytelling performance of "Coyote and Spider Woman and Other Creation Stories," by Geri Keams, a Navajo storyteller. The guide, called a "Cuesheet," contains seven activity sheets for use in class, addressing: (1) The Storyteller Tells Her Story (where the storyteller describes the importance of storytelling as she was growing up and discusses her work); (2) Telling Stories (discussing why tell stories, what makes good storytelling--including words, voice, facial expressions, and body movements, and listeners who are partners--and what makes a story worth telling); (3) The Stories (providing some information about two stories and offering a Venn diagram for story discussion); (4) Picturing a Story (with an illustration activity for students based on the performance they attended); and (5) What Did You Learn? (an activity sheet to show what students learned about Native Americans from listening to these stories). Resources for further exploration are listed. (SR)