Inside this guide:About: The Show, Author, and Playwright . . . . . . . . . . . .2

The Big Ideas, Questions for Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Activity: My Own Top-Secret Personal Beeswax . . . . . . .4Jumpstart your class’ journals with Junie B.! Includes a printable journal page and lots of prompt ideas.

Activity: Freeze that Plot! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6Introduce or review plot and character concepts with an on-your-feet frozen image game.

Interview: meet cast member Kai Tomizawa (Junie B . Jones) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Reflection: After the Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Field Trip Info Length: 60 minutes

Teacher Preview: Friday, October 23

Sign Interpreted Performance: Thursday, November 11, 11:45

Questions?Learn more at octc.org/schoolservices Email: teachers@octc.org Call: 503-228-9571

Follow us on Facebook! Oregon Children’s Theatre posts videos, behind-the-scenes photos, and other great multimedia connected to your field trip.

Oct 28 – NOv 20, 2015

NEWMARK THEATRE

1111 SW BRoAdWAy

AWAR

D-WINNING THEATER

TEaChEr rESOurCE GuIdE

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Teacher resource Guide

AboutThe ShowDear First Grade Journal,

First grade is hard! Last year I had two best friends. This year the lunch lady is my best friend. Last year I was cute. This year I need glasses.

Junie B. Jones quickly learns that first grade is very different from kindergarden. her old friends don’t want to sit with her in class or on the bus, and she’s dreading revealing her new glasses to her classmates. helping Mrs. Gutzman serve lunch in the cafeteria turns out to have hidden consequences. Even the kickball tourna-ment is fraught with trouble—an ill-timed pinky toe injury sidelines Junie B. and suddenly she has to save the day during the half-time show! however, our fearless first grader tackles each challenge with characteristic spunky style in this high-energy musical.

The play combines several Junie B., First Grader books, most notably:

• Junie B., First Grader (At Last!)

• Junie B., First Grader: Boss of Lunch

• Junie B., First Grader: One Man-Band

The AuthorBarbara Park was best-known as the creator and author of the New York Times bestselling Junie B. Jones series, the stories of an outrageously funny kindergartener who has kept kids (and their grownups) laughing — and reading — for over two decades.

Park was born in Mount holly, New Jersey, and spent most of her adult life in arizona. There she, with her husband, richard, raised her two sons and spent time

with her two young grandsons. She died in 2013 after fighting ovarian cancer heroically for seven and a half years.

She wrote over fifty books, from the picture book Ma! There’s Nothing to Do Here!, a love letter to her grand-son, to middle grade novels such as Skinnybones, The Kid in the Red Jacket, Mick Harte Was Here, and The Graduation of Jake Moon. Barbara won more than forty children’s book awards, including several Children’s Choice awards.

Learn more at juniebjones .com/author.

The Playwrights: Marcy Heisler (book and lyrics) and Zina Goldrich (composer)Longtime songwriting team Marcy heisler and Zina Goldrich are set to make their 2015 Broadway debut with Ever after (based on the film of the same title). They were the first women ever honored with the Fred Ebb award for Musical Theatre Songwriting. Besides Junie B. Jones, other collaborations include the musical Dear Edwina and Snow White Rose Red (and Fred), originally produced by the Kennedy Center. They have provided original songs for The disney Channel, disney Theatricals, PBS, and Nickelodeon. as performers, they have toured domestically and internationally. upcoming theatrical projects include The Great American Mousical, based on the bestselling book by author/director Julie andrews, and Serena Bergman, a Cyrano de Bergerac story set in the Brill Building. They are both active members of The dramatist Guild, and have served as contributing writers to dramatist magazine.

Learn more at goldrichandheisler .com.

Book and lyrics by Marcy Heisler. Music by Zina Goldrich. Adapted from the Junie B. Jones series of books by Barbara Park. Junie B. Jones: The Musical is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). Directed by Isaac Lamb. Teacher Resource Guide by Allison Davis.

Teacher Tip: review key events from the Junie B. Jones series with students before your field trip! Visit Music Theatre International to find a song-by-song show synopsis!]

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Teacher resource Guide

The Big Ideas• Changes and new situations can be scary.

• What makes a good friend?

• Things that make us different can also make us special.

• Sometimes disappointments can seem over-whelming, but we can learn to overcome them.

Questions for Discussion1. how does Junie B. Jones feel on her first day of first

grade?

2. how did you feel on your first day of school this year?

3. do you think Lucille acts like a very good friend to Junie B.?

4. What happens when Grace doesn’t want to sit with Junie B. on the school bus? do you think Junie B. did the right thing?

5. List two or three things that make a good friend.

6. Why do you think Junie B. Jones doesn’t want to show her classmates her glasses?

7. List two or three adjectives that describe Junie B. Jones.

8. how are you different from Junie B.? how are you similar?

9. What is the difference between being a good leader and being bossy?

Reading ListGo to www .tinyurl .com/OCTJunieB to access a Junie B. Jones book list provided by Multnomah County Library SchoolCorps. Includes related nonfiction titles great for Common Core connections!

Junie B. Jones is a Ticket to Read title. Ticket to Read is a new program linking lit-eracy to live theater by providing students from low-income schools with a free the-

ater ticket and a companion book to take home and keep. This program is supported in part by KPMG, the Community Foundation of SW Washington, and the Portland Timbers. Learn more .

“I’ve never been sure whether Junie B.’s fans love her in spite of her imperfections … or because of them. But either way, she’s gone out into the world and made more friends than I ever dreamed possible.”

–Barbara Park

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Teacher resource Guide

Activity: My Own Top-Secret Personal BeeswaxOverviewJunie B. Jones’ first grade journal is a way for her to w rite down thoughts, feelings, and important events throughout her school year. use the included printable to jumpstart some journaling in your classroom!

Activity Instructions

Print a class set of Personal Beeswax journal pages.

In Chapter 1 of Junie B. Jones, First Grader (At Last!), Junie B. writes in her new first grade journal. how does she feel about beginning the first grade?

distribute journal pages to students and allow time for writing. Provide one of the journal prompts below or use one of your own.

• On the first day of school

• I want to learn about

• In (this month), I see (or hear or smell or taste)

• On a school bus

• What I’m bringing for Show and Tell

Junie B.’s teacher, Mr. Scary, tells the class “it won’t be long until your journal starts feeling like an old friend.” describe an object that feels like an old friend to you. What does it look like? Why does it feel like a friend?

StandardsLanguage Arts: Writing: Text Types and Purposes anchor Standard 3 K.W.1, 1.W.1, 2.W.1

anchor Standard 8 K.W.8, 1.W.8, 2.W.8

Vocabulary and Conceptsjournal entry prompt

Grade Level: K-2

Length: 10+ minutes

Materials•Personal Beeswax

journal page (page 5)

•pencils

Create an ‘Idea Jar’ with written or visual journal prompts — during journal time, invite

a different student to choose a prompt at random for the class.

From the top-secret personal-beeswax journal of_____________________

Today is _____________________________

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Activity: Freeze That Plot!Overviewuse an active frozen image game to review key events from Junie B. Jones and introduce or reinforce plot and charac-ter concepts.

Activity Instructions

Prepare chart paper or whiteboard with three large columns labeled beginning, middle, and end.

Introduce or review plot with students. ask them to recall when Junie B. Jones gets her glasses. as a class, map the beginning, middle, and end of the event onto your plot chart.

Guide students through the following frozen image game.

1. Gather students into a standing circle.

2. read an event from your plot chart to the class (for example. “Junie brings her glasses to show and tell.”).

3. ask students to close their eyes and silently imagine how Junie feels at this point in the plot.

4. With their eyes still closed, instruct students to silently use their faces and bodies to illustrate how Junie B. feels. Once they find their expression, freeze and hold that pose!

5. Count down from three and tell students to open their eyes while keeping their expressions and bodies frozen.

6. repeat with other parts of the plot chart.

are Junie’s feelings different in the beginning than in the end? What happens in the middle? Can students recall a time when their feelings changed a lot because of something important that happened? discuss in class or use as a journaling prompt.

StandardsLanguage Arts: Reading: Literature: Key Ideas and Details anchor Standard 1 K.r.1, 1.r.1, 2.r.1

anchor Standard 3 K.r.3, 1.r.3, 2.r.3

Vocabulary and ConceptsPlot: beginning, middle, end

Grade Level: K-2

Length: 30 minutes or two 15 minute

sessions

Materials•Chart paper or white-

board space

•Markers

•Space for students to stand in a circle

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Teacher resource Guide

Interview with KaiMeet Kai Tomizawa! Kai is a 7th grader at Beaumont Middle School in Portland and is playing the role of Junie B. Jones.

Oregon Children’s Theatre: Tell us a little about yourself – besides theater, how do you spend your spare time?

Kai: I love to read! I also like to make short films and music videos with my family. We’ve made 4 short video projects this summer. I also love to unicycle which I’ve been doing since I was 9 years old. I taught myself how to unicycle and now I am teaching myself tricks like hopping on a unicycle and going backwards. 

OCT: how long have you been involved in theater?

Kai: When I was four years old, I took played the part of Leisl in The Sound of Music. Later, I was cast as annie in Annie the Musical. I’ve done musical theater every year since then.

OCT: Tell us a little bit about what auditioning for Junie B. Jones was like.

Kai: It was really fun.  I walked in feeling really nervous but at the end of the audition process I felt calm and confident. I got to meet lots of people and I learned a lot from the audition including singing technique and how to read dialogue with a partner.

OCT: rehearsals start august 31 – can you tell us a little bit about how you’re getting ready?

Kai: I’m getting ready by reading the script and listening to the music. I’m also re-reading some of the Junie B. Jones books to get into the character.

OCT: do you feel that you have a lot in common with your character?

Kai: Somewhat. Just like Junie B., I can be silly and speak my mind. I can also be pretty stubborn when I really want something.  Other than that we are pretty different. For instance, I am much more easy going and not quite as loud as Junie B.

OCT: If you could give Junie B. Jones one piece of advice, what would it be?

Kai: I would say even though change can be scary, the end result can be much better than you could have ever expected.

OCT: any tips for young audience members who are interested in getting involved in theater?

Kai: Get in front of an audience as much as possible and don’t be afraid to get silly and make a fool out of yourself!

does your class have a question for Kai? Email it to teachers@octc .org and your class could be featured in an upcoming OCT blog post!

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Reflection: After the PlayAfter the Play: What did you see?download the after the Play worksheet on the next page and print a class set. ask students to complete the drawing and response portions of the sheet either in class or at home.

Write to Oregon Children’s TheatreWe love hearing student feedback and responses to our shows! Please feel free to share any letters from students with us:

Oregon Children’s Theatre 1939 NE Sandy Blvd. Portland, Or 97232

Letters can also be emailed to teachers@octc .org.

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What did you see? cont.

1. describe what is happening in your drawing.

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2. List two or three things you liked about the play.

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3. If you were directing your own version of this play, what would you do differently?

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4. Write one question you had about the play that you’d like to ask Oregon Children’s Theatre. Questions can be for actors, the director, a designer, etc.

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