FE BRUARY

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26 - M A R CH 2 7 201 5

enrichment guide

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INSIDE THE GUIDE SETTING THE STAGE

A NOTE TO TE ACHERS AND PARENTS

preparing for the play

Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–4 About the Creators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Recommended Reading. . . . . . . . . . 6 Pre-Show Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

FOR TEACHERS

Curriculum connections before or after the play SCIENCE Crunch on This!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7–8

MATH

BIG NATE: THE MUSICAL Dear Educators, Navigating middle school is not an easy feat, especially if you are Nate Wright — a sixth-grader who is "destined for greatness." Consumed by his cartooning, trying to win the Battle of the Bands and his crush's heart, Nate is not always understood. In the end, he realizes that even when you're destined for greatness, not everything goes as planned. 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 BIG NATE: THE MUSICAL with your students as a teaching tool. As educators, 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.

Sampling Snacks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

LANGUAGE ARTS

Enjoy the show!

In Fact, Your Opinion ROCKS!. . 10–11 T-Ode-Alley Extraordinary!. . . . . 12–13

ART Create a Comic . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14–15

MUSIC Battle of the Bands – Teaching Rhythm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Julia Magnasco Education Director (414) 267-2971 [email protected]

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL Building Classroom Community. 17–18

CURTAIN CALL Post-Show Questions . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Who Said It? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Who Said it? (ANSWERS) . . . . . . . . 20

FIRST STAGE POLICIES • The use of recording equipment and cameras are not permitted during the performance. • 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 Assistant Patron Services Manager at (414) 267-2962. Our knowledge of your needs will enable us to serve you better upon your arrival to the theater.

SE T TING THE STAGE SYNOPSIS EARLY MORNING Nate Wright is sleeping in bed. A nightmare begins to stir in his mind. From the darkness, his teachers emerge. Mr. Galvin, Mrs. Godfrey, Mrs. Czerwicki, Coach John, Mr. Staples, and Mrs. Hickson repeat “yak yak”s and “quack quack”s in unison as Nate groans in his slumber. The cries of the teachers grow louder and louder as they demand the correct answers from Nate. Upon giving the wrong answer, Nate is slammed with the worst middle-school punishment of all time: detention. The numbers ascend higher and higher; detention sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, and finally... twenty-one! Riiiiiiiip goes the detention slip. Nate’s alarm clock buzzes, shaking him from this haunting dream. Though the teachers disappear, the detentions don’t.

HOMEROOM Nate and his classmates settle into their seats, dreading the work to come. While cracking jokes, Mrs. Godfrey enters. Disgusted with their taunts, she is about to hand Nate another detention slip. Lucky for Nate, the moment is paused by the intercom as Mr. Nichols begins to rattle off the morning announcements. Among the items of math club member insufficiencies and science club’s missing frogs (guess who?), something really perks Nate’s ears up. It is announced that at the school’s upcoming Valentine’s Day school dance, there will be a Battle of the Bands! Excitement roars throughout the classroom as the students begin dream of winning the first place trophy: The Nicholodeon! Nate and Enslave the Mollusk immediately decide to compete, but there’s just one problem: bands with a member who has more than twenty-five detentions will be disqualified.

AWAKE Nate introduces himself as the King of Detention, immediately assuring it’s not his fault. He shares what he detests most about each of his teachers; Mrs. Godfrey being the worst (with a likeness to Godzilla). But Nate can see past his faults, and confidently describes the things he has going for him. With a garage band, a fleeceball team, and a lucky fortune cookie all on his side, Nate believes he is truly “destined for greatness”.

Another quip and Nate is holding detention slip number twentythree in his hands. Teetering on the edge of becoming eliminated from the competition, Teddy and Francis encourage Nate to be on his best behavior for the week ahead. He’s gotta be perfect (but only for a week!). BAND PRACTICE Enslave the Mollusk is hard at work in the garage, practicing and prepping for the Battle of the Bands. Gina pays the boys a visit, letting them know that she and a few friends are making a band of their own and are planning to compete as well. Nate isn’t worried about his competition until he finds out that Jenny is one of the members of Gina’s band! Realizing how much of an impact Jenny has on him, Nate decides to take a stand! - to be a man! - to remember his first love! - his love for... Cheez Doodles. Nate and his buds sing about the cheesy snack and its triumph over puppy love.

Greatness, however, leaves you behind when you’re in sixth grade. There are plenty of things that can drive any middle-schooler crazy. Nate’s arch nemesis, Gina, is his polar opposite. As a supremely smart goodie-two-shoes, Gina is always attempting to impress Mrs. Godfrey and turn her against Nate even more. Together, Gina and Godfrey make up what Nate likes to call “the Gruesome Twosome”. Moving on to happier thoughts, we meet Nate’s two best friends: Francis and Teddy. Nate displays his amazing cartooning skills by showing us drawings of his two buddies and the mystifying Jenny: the girl of Nate’s dreams. Unfortunately for Nate, Jenny is more interested in Artur, a European exchange student with lots of flair and little grammar. But it’s just another day for the great Nate Wright.

BACK IN HOMEROOM A morning announcement is made. Three bands are officially entered in the competition, including Nate and Gina’s. Gina begins to ruffle Nate’s feathers as an argument heats up. At the height of his frustration, Nate rattles off more God(frey)zilla jokes right as she walks in. Riiiiiiiip. Detention number twenty-four. AT HOME Nate’s dad appears and finds Nate in a slump. Though he doesn’t quite understand all that Nate is going through, Dad lends an ear to Nate’s woes and provides some strong advice. It’s your day so knock ‘em dead, champ. You’re gonna be a star — but if by some chance you aren’t, you’ll be great — whatever you are. Nate’s sister Ellen interrupts the heartfelt message from Dad. She’s bewildered with what she just witnessed while watching an ice skating championship on TV. One of the performers finished an amazing routine with a monumental finale: proposing to his girlfriend on the jumbotron. Nate is filled with inspiration! He is fueled and ready to win the trophy as well as Jenny’s heart. Nate leaves band practice early, but his friends are worried. If he gets into any more trouble, he’ll be at detention number twenty-five, which would eliminate all chances of Enslave the Mollusk winning the competition. They tentatively let him go, but only after he promise to exercise caution in his top secret plan.

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SE T TING THE STAGE SYNOPSIS Meanwhile, we get a look at Gina’s band rehearsal. It is less than breathtaking. Composed of bandmates Gina, Jenny, and Artur, Rainbows and Ponies could really use some work. But each band is determined to win. Each band is determined to make today their day.

As the judges leave the gymnasium to select a winner for the coveted Nicholodeon award, Jenny approaches Nate. She tells him that she believes in his future as an artist, but the judges are ready with their results. The winner of the school’s Battle of the Bands contest is... Enslave the Mollusk! Students chant and cheer, filling the room with noise. The boys are presented with the Nicholodeon trophy cake. Nate runs to Teddy and Francis to celebrate, but trips on the banner, knocking it into Gina and thus knocking her into the trophy cake. Embarrassed and upset, Gina runs off. In a whirlwind of emotion, Nate returns to Jenny and attempts to share his true feelings for her. He stumbles through the conversation and does not get to share his feelings in time. Jenny turns her focus back to Artur, and asks him if he would like to go steady with her.

THE BATTLE OF THE BANDS The battle begins with Calvin and the Galvinators (Mr. Galvin’s scientific rap group) performing first. Right before Rainbows and Ponies takes the stage, Nate gives his guys one last pep talk. This is it! The moment they’ve been waiting for. Nate leaves his friends to put the finishing touches on his top secret plan. After the girly band is done, the boys take the stage, ready to rock. They perform their newest song, “Love is a Four-letter Word” to a jamming audience. Everyone is having an amazing time! Nate decides it’s now or never: it’s time to unveil his top secret plan and win Jenny’s heart!

Nate the Great, our sixth-grade Renaissance man, takes it all in stride. Even when you’re destined for greatness, not everything goes according to plan.

Nate pulls on a concealed rope, giving it some strong tugs. With a big yank, a banner crashes down, knocking over some of the others on stage - including Jenny! Mrs. Godfrey rushes onto the stage in shock. Before he can even blink, Mrs. Godfrey is handing

Nate detention number twenty-five. “Enslave the Mollusk is disqualified!” As the crowd boos, Jenny opens up the banner that fell on top of her. As she reads the doodled request to go steady, tears well up in her eyes. She cannot believe the thoughtfulness that went into this amazing and public dedication... from Artur! Artur explains that while he wishes he was the genius behind this, he did not create the poster. The true artist is revealed. Everyone is shocked, including Mrs. Godfrey! Having seen an act of kindness and beauty from Nate, she takes back the twenty-fifth detention slip and rips it up. Enslave the Mollusk is still in!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lincoln Peirce Taken directly from: http://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Peirce/e/B00355S9EQ http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/lincoln-peirce

Lincoln Peirce (pronounced "purse") is a New York Times bestselling author and cartoonist/writer in Portland, Maine. He lives with his wife and two children, and gives lectures to students about cartoon creating. Peirce is the creator of the comic strip Big Nate, that debuted in 1991 and appears in 250 newspapers in the US and online daily at www.comics.com, and is featured on the website Poptropica, www.poptropica.com. His is the author of Big Nate: In a Class by Himself and Big Nate: Strikes Again, the first two books in the Big Nate series, and Big Nate From The Top, a collection of the most hilarious Big Nate comic strips (Andrews McMeel, Fall 2010 pub). Lincoln Peirce was born in Iowa, earned a B.A. from Colby College, a Master's Degree in drawing/painting from Brooklyn College, studied at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, and has also taught art Xavier High School in New York. A fan and collector of classic country music, Lincoln also hosts a radio show called South by Southwest, dedicated to honky tonk and western swing, from 8:30 to 10:30 every Monday morning on WMPG (a community radio station in Portland, Maine). A huge thrill of his was interviewing Willie Nelson on board his tour bus a few years ago. You can visit him online at www.bignatebooks.com, where Lincoln blogs twice a week.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT AND LYRICIST: Jason Loewith Taken directly from: http://www.olneytheatre.org/images/pdfs/ACC14_PROGRAM_web.pdf

Jason Loewith directed the NNPN Rolling World Premiere of Steven Dietz’s Rancho Mirage for Olney Theatre Center last season as well as this season’s productions of AVENUE Q and HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING. Mr. Loewith won Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle, and Jeff Awards for Best New Musical for ADDING MACHINE: A MUSICAL, which he co-wrote with composer Joshua Schmidt (offBroadway, 2008). His latest musical is BIG NATE: THE MUSICAL which premiered in 2013 at Adventure TheatreMTC, co-written with Olney’s Associate Artistic Director Christopher Youstra. Recent regional work as a director includes the world premiere of BROKE (Alliance Theatre, Atlanta), TIME STANDS STILL (Everyman, Baltimore), CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, and WORKING IT OUT (Center Stage, Baltimore), Adding Machine: A Musical (Studio Theatre, DC), and a dozen plays for Chicago’s Next Theatre Company, where he served as Artistic Director from 2002-08. Those credits include the Chicago area premieres of DYING CITY, DEFIANCE, THE LONG CHRISTMAS RIDE HOME, and FABULATION. He conceived and directed the world premiere of THE AMERICAN DREAM SONGBOOK, wrote and directed the world premiere of WAR WITH THE NEWTS, and produced Chicago premieres by Caryl Churchill, Suzan-Lori Parks, Carson Kreitzer, Sam Shepard, Dael Orlandersmith, andmany more. He is a three-time grantee from the NEA for Artistic Excellence, a recipient of support from the Rockefeller MAP Fund and MacArthur’s International Connections Fund, and a TCG New Generations Future Leaders grant. Jason joined Olney as Artistic Director in 2013 after serving four years as Executive Director of the National New Play Network.

ABOUT THE COMPOSER AND LYRICIST: Chris Youstra Taken directly from: http://www.adventuretheatre-mtc.org/documents/bignate_touring_program.pdf

Chris Youstra has been involved in over 200 productions including work at Ford’s Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Round House Theatre, Toby’s Dinner Theatre, Kennedy Center TYA, Imagination Stage and Signature Theatre, among others. Tours Smokey Joe’s Cafe European and Korean tours Composition Favorites shows include The DANCING PRINCESSES at Imagination Stage, GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE PIGS GRUFF at Toby’s, COMING HOME for the Atlas Center and his current project, ELYSIAN FIELDS. Christopher has received eight Helen Hayes nominations for Outstanding Music Direction. He received the 2008 award for TITANIC.

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RECOMMENDED RE ADING BOOKS BY LINCOLN PEIRCE Big Nate In a Class by Himself – 2010 Big Nate Strikes Again – 2010 Big Nate On a Roll – 2011 Big Nate: The Boy With the Biggest Head in the World Big Nate Goes for Broke – 2012 Big Nate Flips Out – 2013 Big Nate In the Zone – 2014 Big Nate Lives It Up (Release date: March 10, 2015) Big Big Big Big

Big Big Big Big Big Big Big Big Big Big Big Big Big

COMIC COMPILATIONS BY LINCOLN PEIRCE Nate: What Could Possibly Go Wrong? – 2012 Nate: Here Goes Nothing – 2012 Nate: Genius Mode – 2013 Nate: Mr. Popularity – 2014

COMIC COMPILATIONS BY LINCOLN PEIRCE Nate: Dibs on this Chair – 2001 Nate: Pray for a Fire Drill – 2001 Nate Makes a Splash – 2001 Nate: I Smell a Pop Quiz! – 2008 Nate From the Top – 2010 Nate Out Loud – 2011 Nate and Friends – 2011 Nate: Makes the Grade – 2012 Nate: All Work and No Play – 2012 Nate: Game On! – 2013 Nate: I Can’t Take it! – 2013 Nate: Great Minds Think Alike – 2014 Nate: The Crowd Goes Wild – 2014

IF YOU ENJOYED BIG NATE BY LINCOLN PEIRCE, YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO READ Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Jeff Kinney Captain Underpants – Dav Pilkey Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made – Stephan Pastis Cartboy and the Time Capsule – L.A. Campbell Diary of a 6th Grade Ninja – Marcus Emerson Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life – James Patterson & Chris Tebbetts

ACTIVITY BOOKS BY LINCOLN PEIRCE Big Nate Boredom Busters, Super Scribbles, Cool Comix, Lots of Laughs – 2011 Big Nate Fun Blaster, Cheezy Doodles, Crazy Comix and Loads of Laughs – 2012 Big Nate Doodlepalooza, Scribble Games, Secret Codes, and Nonstop Laughs – 2013 Big Nate Laugh-O-Rama, Daring Drawings, Maze Madness, and Tons of Fun – 2014 Big Nate Super Scribbler, Crazy Comics, Cheezy Doodles, and Epic Laughs – (Release date: July 7, 2015)

PRE-SHOW QUESTIONS 1. Nate and his two best friends, Teddy and Francis, have formed the greatest garage band in the history of the galaxy: Enslave the Mollusk! Do you think this is an appealing band name? If you could create your own rockin’ garage band, what would you name it, and why? 2. Nate is known as “The King of Detention”. Within the first five minutes of the play, Nate has twenty-one detentions! Have you ever had a detention? How would you feel if you had twenty-one? 3. Nate LOVES Cheez Doodles (a snack food similar to Cheetos). What is your go-to snack? Do you remember the first time you had it?

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CRUNCH ON THIS!

Science Classroom Activity

In this experiment, students will make an educated guess about which crunchy snack has the biggest crunch. QUESTION: Which snack will have the loudest crunch? MATERIALS 3-5 types of crunchy snack foods Worksheets Napkins Plates Activity 1. Divide students into workable groups of three. Distribute three plates of snacks to each group. 2. Instruct students to share their hypotheses in their groups. 3. Invite students to begin testing their hypotheses by crunching the snacks one at a time and rating what they hear whilst doing it and what they hear when their partners crunch. 4. Once completed, have students report on their findings- what did they find and how did they go about finding it. Encourage them to explain why they think certain snacks may be louder than others.

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CRUNCH ON THIS!

Science Student Worksheet Adapted from: http://www.first-school.ws/

HYPOTHESIS

I think that ______________________________________________________ will have the loudest crunch. SNACK 1 __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Quiet as a Mouse

Library Whisper

Kinda Crunchy

Shhh, Too Loud!

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

SNACK 2 __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Quiet as a Mouse

Library Whisper

Kinda Crunchy

Shhh, Too Loud!

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

SNACK 3 __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Quiet as a Mouse

Library Whisper

Kinda Crunchy

Shhh, Too Loud!

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

SNACK 4 __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Quiet as a Mouse

Library Whisper

Kinda Crunchy

Shhh, Too Loud!

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

SNACK 5 __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Quiet as a Mouse

Library Whisper

Kinda Crunchy

Shhh, Too Loud!

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

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SAMPLING SNACKS Math Classroom Activity

What is your favorite snack food? Poll your students to figure out your classroom’s favorite crunchy snack. Students can create graphs representing the classrooms choices. The list of snacks can be adapted to fit the choices of the students. IDEAS FOR GRAPHING • Create a classroom bar graph using Post It notes on an empty wall. • Trace a pie chart on a large piece of butcher paper and glue the snacks on to represent the pieces of the pie. • Label the Y values on a tall, clear jar (perhaps empty peanut butter jars or pickle jars) and fill according with the snack food.

Crunchy Snack

# of students

Potato chips

Cheetos

Doritos

Popcorn

Carrots

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IN FACT, YOUR OPINION ROCKS! Language Arts Classroom Activity

In order to promote his band, Enslave the Mollusk, Nate and his bandmates had to create a band poster. Follow the directions below to create your own BATTLE OF THE BANDS poster! Use the band poster template on the following page. Activity 1. Create a band name using the following: a. Choose a VERB b. Choose a NOUN. c. Your band name is: VERB add an ADVERB or ADJECTIVE the NOUN or VERB with NOUN+ s/es For example: Jumping with Toads; Hugging the Unicorns; Walking with Smiling Zombies. 2. Create 3 fact statements and 3 opinion statements. A fact is a specific detail that is true based on objective proof. An opinion is an interpretation, value judgment, or belief that cannot be proved or disproved. a. Examples of FACTS on your poster may be: Where the concert is, what time the concert is at, places the band has played before. b. Examples of OPINIONS include: testimonials from other people, how you feel about the band, how others feel about the band. 3. Use your drawing to capture people’s attention get them to your show!

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IN FACT, YOUR OPINION ROCKS! Battle of the Bands Poster Template

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T-ODE-ALLE Y E X TRAORDINARY! Poetry Classroom Activity

An ode is a type of poem that celebrates something ordinary and makes it seem extraordinary. An Ode to Sour Patch Kids

Oh Sour KidsThe very thought of you chases away skies of grey. My tastebuds dance, twirl and sway. Red Orange Yellow Blue These small friends turn around my day. Oh Sour KidsYou are sour and then turn sweet. Just like me to others I first meet. Oh Sour KidsTo live in a world where you are not near Frightens me to my core, shedding more than just one tear. Sour kids stay with me forever more. Create your own personal Ode Poem to share with your students. Then, write one as a class to model its creation through using the guidelines below:

Pick an ordinary place or thing. Give your subject praise or thanks. (Oh, _____________!) Speak directly to the object. Use adjectives to describe it. Use verbs to bring that object to life. (Personification) Use repeated lines.

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T-ODE-ALLE Y E X TRAORDINARY! Poetry Classroom Activity

ODE TO ______________________________________________________________________ By: ___________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

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CRE ATE A COMIC Art Classroom Activity

Follow these steps to create own your comic strip. 1. Decide on a theme for your comic: a. Setting- Where does it take place? b. Characters- Who is the story about? 2. Create an outline for the story. Make sure there is a beginning, a middle and an end. a. Beginning- Introduces the reader to the characters and hints at what the conflict will be. b. Middle- The conflicts rises and erupts into a climax- the most exciting, suspenseful, nail biting part. c. End- The conflict is solved. 3. Sketch the characters and plan what is going to happen in each box of the comic strip. a. Aim at creating characters that look nothing like each other so they are distinguishable on the page. 4. Draw the story using light pencil strokes. 5. Use a pen or fine tipped marker to trace over your penciled drawings. 6. Erase the pencil markings. 7. Share your work with family and friends! For more comic templates, please visit: http://donnayoung.org/art/comics.htm

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CRE ATE A COMIC Art Classroom Activity

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BAT TLE OF THE BANDS – TE ACHING RHY THM Music Classroom Activity

Adapted from: http://makingmusicfun.net/htm/f_mmf,_music_library/battle-of-the-bands-music-lesson-rhythm.htm

It can be tricky to understand the difference between the rhythm and the beat in music. The beat is the steady pulse that you feel in the song – it’s what you clap along to. The rhythm is the actual sound of the notes (which in a song may be the same as the words). Materials

Hand held percussion instruments Award (candy, certificate, etc.) for winning team

Activity

1. Go through rhythm and beat with students using nursery rhymes. Check out: http://www.letsplaykidsmusic.com/ wp-content/uploads/2013/01/How-to-Teach-the-Difference-Between-the-Rhythm-the-Beat.pdf to find examples to use with your students. a. Practice tapping out the rhythms and beats of a number of nursery rhymes to make sure students clearly understand how to tap out these different rhythms and beats. 2. Place students into small groups. In these small groups, students will be participating in a Battle of the Bands! 3. Students will get to choose a hand held percussion instrument to use, and then as a group they will also choose a nursery rhyme to perform, demonstrating: a. Tempo (Was the beat steady?) Rhythm (Were the rhythms performed correctly?) Balance (Could all the parts be heard? If students spoke the piece along with the rhythm instruments, could they be heard?) 4. Allow groups about 10 minutes to select and practice their piece as a group. You may choose to have students write out the rhythm to demonstrate their understanding of stressed syllables and note value. More information can be found at: http://www.mymusictheory.com/for-students/grade-4/96-10-writing-a-rhythm. 5. When it is time to perform, have each band come to the front of the classroom one at a time, and introduce their band name. After their performance, as a class discuss: a. Was the beat steady? b. Were the rhythms performed correctly? c. Could all the parts be heard? 6. Record the results on the white board and at the end, name the winner of the classroom Battle of the Bands!

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BUILDING CL ASSROOM COMMUNIT Y Social Emotional Learning Classroom Activity

Adapted from: http://one-lesson-at-a-time.blogspot.com/2014/07/5-ways-to-build-classroom-community-in.html?m=1

There are many things we can do to help create a safe classroom environment where every student feels valued and respected. Whether it is the beginning of the year or the middle of the year, we can implement new strategies to nurture this positive classroom culture. A few ideas include: • All of us learning each others’ names • Students being grouped with classmates they might not seek out on their own and then being asked to learn something new about them • Pictures of student work posted around the classroom • Photographs of students used to organize students into groups • A class poem that is written together • A class webpage where students can find blog posts of class work and photographs of their contributions

Here are some simple activities to do with your students to build community in your classroom: Getting to Know You Game Copy the worksheet on the adjacent page for each student. Instruct students that this is a game – they must go up to their classmates and ask them if they have ever done anything on the page. If they have, that student must sign their name in the box. Each student can only sign one box per student – so students must try to get 12 different signatures to fill their sheet, and the student who does this first is the winner! Afterwards, go through the sheet one question at a time, asking for students to voluntarily share their experience with the class.

3 – 2 – 1 Challenge This little challenge is a great, easy way to reinforce character education lessons throughout the year. Use the ideas below or create your own based on your students’ particular needs. • 3 – Help three people out today (holding the door for them, helping them pick up a dropped pencil box, sincerely complimenting someone for something positive they did). • 2 – Say ‘hi’ and start a conversation with two new people today. • 1 – Perform one act of random kindness for someone today.

Kindness Chain As a class, create a number of different colored strips of paper and have these pieces of paper accessible to students. Inform students that every time they witness another student performing an act of kindness and/or courage, they are to write that act on a strip of paper and create a paper-link chain of kindness and courage. This chain will remind everyone that acts of kindness and courage do not go unnoticed, and encourage students to perform these acts every day. See how far your chain will go!

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GE T TING TO KNOW YOU GAME Student Worksheet

HAVE YOU EVER TRIED SUSHI?

HAVE YOU EVER BROKEN A BONE?

HAVE YOU FLOWN ON AN AIRPLANE BEFORE?

DO YOU PLAY A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT?

HAVE YOU MET SOMEONE FAMOUS?

HAVE YOU LAUGHED SO HARD MILK CAME OUT OF YOUR NOSE?

HAVE YOU AUDITIONED FOR A PLAY BEFORE?

HAVE YOU WRITTEN A STORY OR PLAY (THAT WASN’T PART OF A SCHOOL ASSIGNMENT)?

DO YOU HAVE FAMILY THAT LIVES IN ANOTHER COUNTRY?

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WHO SAID IT?

1. Listen, I can’t say I completely understand what you’re going through. Being a kid is hard. 2. The problem with destiny is: you don’t know when it’s gonna happen. 3. This is the most beautiful thing anyone’s ever done for me. 4. No covers? That means we can’t do our heavy metal version of ‘Hot Cross Buns’! 5. That is very hard cheese, Jenny, but right decision you make. 6. This is unbelievable! Unfathomable! Unacceptable! 7. Actually, cephalopod mollusks like the octopus and squid have been known to exhibit surprising intelligence. 8. Well. Perhaps I misjudged you. A little. 9. I am think I know why Gina is take this so serious. Because she maybe is scared. 10. What’s your band called again? “Revenge of the Shrimps”? 11. Chivalrous! It means... well, it just means you’re a nice guy.

POST-SHOW QUESTIONS 1. What kind of adjectives would you use to describe Nate? Do you have any similar traits with the main character? 2. Nate calls himself a “sixth-grade Renaissance man”. If someone is referred to as a Renaissance man or woman, it is because they have strong skills in varying categories. Do you have a few skills that are completely unrelated? How do you think those different qualities make you a better student? 3. Nate really wants his band to win the Battle of the Bands contest as a way to impress Jenny. Have you ever wanted to accomplish something with the hopes of impressing someone else? How do you think setting a goal to impress a friend differs from setting a goal to impress yourself?

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WHO SAID IT? (ANSWERS)

1. Listen, I can’t say I completely understand what you’re going through. Being a kid is hard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. The problem with destiny is: you don’t know when it’s gonna happen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DAD

NATE

3. This is the most beautiful thing anyone’s ever done for me. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JENNY 4. No covers? That means we can’t do our heavy metal version of ‘Hot Cross Buns’! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TEDDY 5. That is very hard cheese, Jenny, but right decision you make. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ARTUR 6. This is unbelievable! Unfathomable! Unacceptable!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MRS.

GODFREY

7. Actually, cephalopod mollusks like the octopus and squid have been known to exhibit surprising intelligence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRANCIS 8. Well. Perhaps I misjudged you. A little. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MRS.

GODFREY

9. I am think I know why Gina is take this so serious. Because she maybe is scared.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ARTUR 10. What’s your band called again? “Revenge of the Shrimps”? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GINA 11. Chivalrous! It means... well, it just means you’re a nice guy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JENNY

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