Joan Martin 4 th Grade Drama Club presents

Schoolhouse Rock, Live! Jr.

Teacher’s Educational Packet 2015

Dear Teachers: Welcome to the 4th Grade Drama Club’s production of Schoolhouse Rock, LIVE! Jr. Please familiarize your class with our story before you attend the performance so that children may fully enjoy the experience and feel familiar with the characters. In Schoolhouse Rock, LIVE! Jr., a brand new teacher- Tom- learns some fun and exciting ways to share knowledge with his students. This educational packet includes: audience protocol, synopsis of the story, vocabulary, and ideas for integrating this experience into your classroom curriculum. In addition, there are also resources you might find useful in the Bibliography (including websites). The 4th Graders are eager to make this an enjoyable experience for your group. We have been working on this production since November (and working on the scenery since this summer!) We also enjoy hearing from you and your students and look forward to receiving any pictures, stories, or comments.

WELCOME TO THE AUDIENCE Before you come to the theater space, please remind the students of appropriate audience behavior. By doing this, students will be poised to give their best attention, be equipped to handle their feelings and be able to express their enthusiasm in appropriate ways. BE PREPARED: Arrive on time. Use the restroom before you arrive and find your viewing space in advance of “curtain time” (the hour at which the show is scheduled to begin.) BE AWARE: A theater is an energy space. When the “house lights” go down and “stage lights” go on, it is a time of anticipation and quiet. The theater is also a “live” space which means that sound carries very well to the audience in the gym. This also means that sounds in the audience such as whispering, rustling papers, speaking and moving about can be heard by other audience members and by the performers. PRACTICE: The International Sign of “Quiet Please” by silently raising your finger to your lips. In this way, you can communicate to others that you would appreciate silence during the performance. CONCENTRATE so that the actors feel that you are with them. Just like good athletes or scientists, actors spend many months practicing their skills. They use concentration when they perform and if the audience watches in a concentrated way the actors feel supported and can do their best. RESPECT AND APPRECIATIONS: The actors show respect for their art form and for the audience by doing their best work. The audience shows respect for the performers by watching attentively. Applause is the best way for the audience to show their enthusiasm and to show appreciation. The performers show appreciation of the audience by bowing to them. It is always appropriate to applaud at the end of a performance and it is customary to continue clapping until the curtain comes down or the lights on stage go dark. During performances you may even want to applaud in the middle of a song or an event that is particularly pleasing. If the action on stage is funny you may feel like laughing, if the action is sad you feel like crying or you may feel like sighing if a part feels beautiful to you. Appreciation can be shown in many different ways. USE COMMON SENSE: The rules of behavior good for public places apply to the theater. If audience members conduct themselves by respecting the space of those around him or her, everyone will be able to enjoy the live theater experience. This show is roughly an hour in length. Please encourage your students to use the restroom PRIOR to arriving, as the gym will be dark and leaving during a show is considered bad manners. Thanks!

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