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Based on the book

written by Sonia Manzano

illustrated by Jon J. Muth

Music by

Stephen Lawrence

Lyrics by

Billy Aronson

February 7 – April 12, 2013

This study guide is also available online at

arvadacenter.org/education/study-guides

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Study Guide developed for the Education Division of the Arvada Center for the Arts

and Humanities by Becky Nelsen and Cyndi Branson

Additional Support provided by:

Enterprise Holdings Foundation

John G. Duncan Charitable Trust, Kinder Morgan Foundation

Target, Wells Fargo Foundation

Schlessman Family Foundation 

Linda and Terry Stevinson

 

Greetings and welcome to No Dogs Allowed! based on the book by Sonia Manzano, illustrated by Jon J. Muth.

Music by Stephen Lawrence. Lyrics by Billy Aronson This study guide provides ideas for turning a day at the theater into an interactive educational experience. It includes information about the plot, good audience behavior, important words to know about theater, and reproducible pages for helping students better understand the story. Ideas presented in this study guide provide excellent strategies for extending and developing vocabulary and comprehension in all content areas. We hope you find the activities transferable across your curriculum. In addition, the guide provides information and classroom connections. This guide will help prepare students for the performance and then facilitate reflection afterwards.

Table of Contents

Cover 1 Welcome 2 Audience 101 3 About the Book 4 About the Author & Illustrator

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Vocabulary 6-9 Comprehension 10-12 Classroom Adventures

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Internet Links 14 Reproducibles Appendix

 

  Children’s Theater and the Arts Day program are sponsored in part by:  

 

 

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Audience 101

Asmembersoftheaudience,youplayanimportantpartinthesuccessofatheatricalperformance. Teachers: Please help your students understand that attending a live theater performance is very different from watching television at home or a movie in a cinema. As it is a live performance, the play cannot be stopped and restarted. Audience members should laugh, cheer, clap and express their enjoyment of the performance, but there are a few rules that need to be followed. Please review the following theater etiquette with your students prior to your visit: • Food, drinks, candy and gum chewing are not permitted in the theater.

• Do not talk, whisper, sing or hum during the performance unless encouraged by the actors on stage.

• Keep feet on the floor, not on the seats.

• Performers appreciate enthusiastic applause, but not whistling or shouting.

• No photography or videotape recording of any kind, at any time while inside the theater.

• Please turn off all cell phones. 

Theater Words to Know Backstage - the part of a theater which is not seen by the audience, including the dressing rooms, wings and the “green room”

Blocking – all the movements that the director assigns to the actors during the play. They can’t just move wherever they want!

Box Office - the place that sells tickets to a performance. Here at the Arvada Center it’s right inside the front doors.

Cast - the people who perform in a show

Choreographer - the person who creates dances and arranges movements for a musical

Control Booth - the place in a theater from which all the sound effects, recorded music and lights are controlled

Crew - all the rest of the people who work together on a show besides the cast

Cue - anything said or done, on or off stage, that is followed by a specific line or action: An off-stage door slam was his cue to enter.

Director - the person who provides the vision of how a show should be presented, who works with the actors on their roles, develops the blocking, and is in charge of the rehearsals

Green Room - a place for the performers to relax while waiting to go on stage (it is not always painted green! )

Marking Out or Spike Mark - when the stage is marked with tape to show where furniture and props should be placed during the performance

Props - all the smaller items held by the actors and used to “dress” the set

Rehearsal - the period of practice before the beginning of a show in which the actors and director work on the

Being part of the audience is a very

important job!

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development of the show

Sound Effects - the noises which are produced to accompany a scene in a show, usually produced by a machine but can be produced by actors off stage 

                                                                                  

Author: Sonia Manzano (Maria from Sesame Street ) Written in English and sprinkled with Spanish Illustrator: Jon J. Muth Hardcover – 32 pages Published – April 1, 2004 by Atheneum Books for Young Children Ages 3-7 Awards and Nominations

o CCBC Choices (Cooperative Children's Book Council) o Child Magazine's Guide to Top Books, Videos and Software of the

Year o Parents' Choice Approved Award Winner

Plot Summary

The fictional award-winning children’s book, No Dogs Allowed! is narrated by six-year-old Iris, the self-appointed caretaker of El Exigente, the family dog. Iris’s big, close-knit Puerto Rican family and neighbors decide to spend the day together at the lake in the Enchanted State Park. They LOAD their cars, literally, with only the essentials, which include El Exigente, a piano, a copy of War and Peace, a traveling game of dominos, and a deli counter! Every car in the colorful caravan is packed to the brim, and the long journey to the lake from their homes in the Bronx is filled with unexpected mishaps – cars break down, they get lost, and when the vibrant group finally gets to the lake, there it is: a sign that says, “NO DOGS ALLOWED!” Iris, her family, and their friends are not daunted. Everyone pitches in to make the most of the unforeseen, and their can-do attitudes save the day. Each person takes a turn creatively dog-sitting – El Exigente gets lots of attention and everyone has a great day at the

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lake, as they cooperatively solve each and every problem. Members of this eclectic group make the best of every situation, while each person’s passion and personality are celebrated and embraced.

                                                                                 

About the Author

Sonia Manzano is best known as "Maria," one of the first Hispanic characters on Sesame Street, a role she has played for more than twenty years. She has earned fifteen Emmy Awards as a member of the Sesame Street writing staff, and No Dogs Allowed! is her picture book debut. Sonia Manzano lives in New York City with her husband and daughter. For the record, Sonia would not leave home on a trip to the Enchanted State Park without her harp! In 2007 Sonia also wrote A Box Full of Kittens.

About the Illustrator

Jon J. Muth is an American comic book artist and a children’s book illustrator best known for his painted artwork. He is also an author of children’s books. He has won numerous awards for his illustrations, including a Gold medal from the Society of Illustrators in 1999 for his illustrations in Come On Rain! by Karen Hesse. In addition to illustrating over 25 children’s books, graphic novels, and comic books, he has written and illustrated The Three Questions, Stone Soup, Zen Shorts, Zen Ties, and Zen Ghosts. His illustrations are known for their beauty and mysticism. He also subtly hides profound messages in his artwork. In No Dogs Allowed! the road amusingly spells out the word “OOPS” in his two-page illustration of the caravan going to the Enchanted State Park.

Other books by the Ms. Manzano and Mr. Muth

Ms. Manzano – Mr. Muth (There are many more!) –

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Vocabulary

Story Vocabulary with definitions - Use realia, photos, and/or examples to help students gain understanding of these terms.

adventure – an exciting or very unusual experience Bronx – a community in New York City (blue)               car jack – a tool that helps a person raise their car off the

ground in order to repair it or change a tire clever - smart enchanted – having magical qualities  essentials – only what is absolutely needed fortune-teller – a person who can predict the future grocer – the person who works at a food store (grocery store) deli counter – the place in the grocery store where they sell cooked meat, cheese and other prepared foods dominoes – a game played with flat rectangular pieces that have various numbers of dots on them 

Puerto Rico – an island southeast of Florida  

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sand castle – a structure made of sand and built to look like a castle tri-state area – New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut  

Española English Vocabulary

Words/phrases used in the book and/or play:

Bueno – bweh-noh – good ¿Como están? – koh-moh eh-stahn – How are you all? Delicioso – deh-lee-see-oh-soh – delicious Don – dohn – sir Estamos perdido – eh-stah-mohs pehr-dee-doh – We are lost. Excelente – ehk-seh-lehn-teh – excellent Exigente – ehk-seh-hen-teh – demanding, fussy Familia – fah-mee-lee-ah – family Fantastico – fahn-tah-stee-koh – fantastic Gracias, mi amor – grah-see-ahs mee ah-mohr – thank you my love Hola – oh-lah – hello Increible – een-kreh-ah-bleh – incredible Mami – mah-mee – mom Mijita – mee-hee-tah – my little daughter Muchos – moo-chohs – many Mujer – moo-hehr – woman No lo creo – noh-loh-kreh-oh – I don’t believe it ¡No me digas! – noh-meh dee-gahs – You don’t say! ¡Ole! – oh-leh – cheers Papi – pah-pee – Dad Por favor – pohr fah-vohr – please ¿Qué pasa? – keh pah-sah – What happened? ¿Qué tal? – keh tahl – What’s up? Querida – keh-ree-dah – Dear (as in “my dear”)

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¿Quien sabe? – kee-ehn sah-beh – Who knows? señor – seh-nyohr – Mr. sí , mi amor – see mee ah-mohr – Yes, my love Un momento – oon moh-mehn-toh – One minute Vámonos – vah-moh-nohs – Let’s go Vamos amigos – vah-mohs ah-mee-gohs – Let’s go, friends Ven – vehn – come

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Frayer Model (included in Reproducibles Section)

Use any of the vocabulary words in a Frayer model as modeled below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have groups of students complete a Frayer model (included in the Reproducibles section), for different vocabulary words and let students teach each other about their word.

Definition (in own words)

 

Description

 

Examples Non-examples enchanted

things that are magical like in fairy tales

Princesses

Unicorns

Magic wands

castles

Like that magic broom that carried water

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Vocabulary Sentence Frame (included in Reproducibles Section)

After reading the book, insert vocabulary words into the first blank in this sentence frame and have students work together to complete the frame and draw a picture as modeled below:

A      car jack   is a    tool__ that (is/has/does)  

used to help you raise up your car to change the tire.

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Getting into the Book and Understanding the Story

Comparing and contrasting story themes and big ideas from multiple books is one of the most effective methods to deepen comprehension and inference. Below are several story themes that are exemplified in No Dogs Allowed! and titles of other children’s books with similar themes.

No Dogs Allowed! Story Themes and other Book Connections:

Family/Family Adventure o Abuela by Arthur Dorros o A Little Story about a Big Turnip by Tatiana Zunshine o Chave’s Memories/Los Recuerdos de Chave by Maria Isabel

Delgado (Written in dual languages – English and Spanish) o Families by Ann Morris o The Family Book by Todd Parr o Family Pictures/Cuadros de Familia by Carmen Garza (Introduction

by Sandra Cisneros and written in dual languages – English and Spanish)

o In My Family by Carmen Garza (Written in dual languages – English and Spanish)

o The Elevator Family by Douglas Evans o The Night Before Summer Vacation by Natasha Wing o The Rainbow Tulip by Pat Mora (English sprinkled with Spanish) o The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant o Travels with My Family by David Homel

Cooperation o A Little Story about a Big Turnip by Tatiana Zunshine o Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell o Roadrunner’s Dance by Adolfo Anaya o The Elevator Family by Douglas Evans

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Examples of Comprehension Questions

Ask comprehension questions before, during, and after reading the story aloud. Encourage children to ask their own questions. 

Retelling – Literal 1. Who is telling the story? Iris, who is six‐years‐old and the youngest daughter in 

the family. Iris is the main character and El Exigente is her dog. 

2. Where are the family and their friends going for the day? The lake at the “Enchanted State Park” 

3. Why are there so many Spanish words used in this story? The family and 

their friends are bilingual – they speak both English and Spanish. Predictive

1. Have a class discussion about the title and cover illustrations. Ask questions that will lead students to predict what will happen in the story.

2. What do you think will happen next? 3. How will they solve the problem of what to do with El Exigente since no

dogs are allowed at the lake? Main Idea

1. How does Iris’s family and their friends solve problems? Cooperatively! Everyone helps fix the problem, they work together as a team, and they respect 

each other in the process. 

2. Why is the book entitled, No Dogs Allowed! After a long trip to the lake, Iris, her family, El Exigente, and their friends find a sign that says, “No Dogs 

Allowed!” The entire group works together to care for the dog so everyone can 

have a good time at the lake and not have to turn around and head for home. 

3. Tell how you and your family would have solved the problem of “No Dogs Allowed!” Discuss different ways to cooperatively solve the problem, and/or 

other problems as well. 

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Examples of Comprehension Questions (con’t)

Ask comprehension questions before, during, and after reading the story aloud. Encourage children to ask their own questions. 

Inferential 1. What are some of the problems the family has before and during their

trip, and when they get to the lake? , and after their trip? Before: Deciding what is “essential” and fitting everything into the car; During: cars break down 

(engine problems), they get lost, it takes a very long time to get to the park; At 

the lake: There is a sign that says, “No Dogs Allowed!” Family and friends have to 

take turns caring for El Exigente in the parking lot during their visit.  

2. Why do you think everyone brought so much stuff when Papi told everyone to bring “only the essential”? Each person had their own idea of what was “essential” based on what was important to them. What is important 

to one person is not necessarily important to someone else. 

3. How has the author/illustrator exaggerated what happened to tell a better story? Number of people who went, the amount of things brought, the 

way everything fit into the cars, the length of the caravan of cars 4. How did the illustrator help tell the story? The road to the lake spells out 

“Oops” Why did he make the road spell “OOPS”? So many things went wrong 

on the trip to the lake 

Personal, World, and Text-to-text Connections 1. What does your family do for fun? 2. Which story character are you most like? 3. What word would best describe you? (Examples from the book) Shorty, the 

Fortune‐teller, Mami the Busy, Papi the Clever, Carmen the Beautiful 

4. What other stories have we read that are about families? 5. Has your family traveled together or gone on a long trip? How was that

trip the same or different from the trip in this book? 6. If you could only take “the essentials” on a trip, what would you include?

 

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Classroom Adventures

Use classroom desks and chairs to build a long, winding road and create a caravan of cars on the road. Create a destination at the end of the road. Label road signs and signs for the destination. (Social Studies, Language Arts)

Create signs/labels for classroom areas, post reminders, etc. (Language Arts) Collect a variety of items for students to sort into essential and non-essential

groups of items to bring on vacation. Students will not agree on which items fit into each category, but the conversation that they have will deepen their comprehension of the word “essential” and the theme of the story. (Math, 

Speaking and Listening, Language Arts, Vocabulary Development) Have students bring in an “essential item” from home that they would take on a

day trip. Have students tell why the item is so important to them, and why it would be “essential” to take along on a family trip. Students may want to write about the item and its importance. (Language Arts, Vocabulary Development, 

Speaking and Listening) Have students select adjectives that describe themselves and “extend their

names”. They can then illustrate their names and post them in the room and/or put them in a class book. i.e., Scott the Mathematician, Lilly the Dog-Lover, Sara the Artist (Language Arts, Vocabulary Development)

Plot points on graph paper to create a picture that has a connection to the book. i.e. dog, or an essential item for the classroom (Math, Language Arts)

Using a simple map of their classroom or neighborhood, etc., have students write down directions to get from one point to another. (Social Studies, Language Arts) 

After reading the book and attending the play, have students complete a Venn Diagram (included in the Reproducibles section) to compare and contrast the book and the musical. (Language Arts, Vocabulary Development)

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Links

http://www.nodogsallowedmusical.com – Learn more about the musical and hear portions of the songs that students will hear during the production. http://www.armoredpenguin.com/crossword/ - Make your own crossword puzzles. http://www.spanishdict.com – Type in a Spanish word and click on the speaker icon; the correct pronunciation will be provided. This site will also translate English to Spanish and vice versa.                       

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A __________________________ is a

___________________ that (is/has/does)

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Word Bank Shorty busy

enchanted clever essentials grocer

Bronx dominoes adventure Iris