Session Six

Children’s Club Lesson Plans

Standards, Outline, andStandards, Outline, and

MaterialsMaterials

Inspired by the book: Pete’s a Pizza by William Steig

Art Standard: Researching– Children will find materials to support

dramatizations and use gestures to communicate information.

Literacy Standard: Children will use listen to and follow two-, three-, or four-

step directions.

Outline for Children’s Club:

8 minutes Warm-Up Activity (Boom Chicka Boom)

30 minutes Book Activity (Kneading a Story)

7 minutes Closing Activity (Yes, No, Maybe)

Session Set-Up: Children will need to be able to form a circle as well as sit in a

group facing the teacher with room to move around.

Session Materials:

• Book: Pete’s a Pizza

• One stuffed animal per child

• Optional: picture of a real pizza and recipe, items used to make a pizza:

apron, pizza pan, rolling pin, salt shaker, chef’s hat: Italian music; real

ingredients: oregano, mozzarella cheese

Florida Institute of Education at the University of North Florida ©2009

Title of Warm-Up Activity: Boom Chicka Boom Length of Time for Activity: 8 minutes Format of Activity: This is a call and response game that encourages projection. Materials: none

Directions:

1. Tell the children that you are going to call out a statement using a specific volume

and tone of voice and they should all echo you using the same volume and tone.

2. Change the voice you use after a few lines.

3. After the children learn the words, allow one of them to be the “caller.”

Teacher or Caller: A boom chicka boom! All Echo: A boom chicka boom!

Teacher or Caller: I said, a boom chicka boom! All Echo: I said, a boom chicka boom!

Teacher or Caller: I said a boom chicka rocka chicka rocka chicka boom! All Echo: I said a boom chicka rocka chicka rocka chicka boom!

Teacher or Caller: Uh Huh! All Echo: Uh huh!

Teacher or Caller: All right! All Echo: All right!

Teacher or Caller: One more time... All Echo: One more time...

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Title of Warm-Up Activity: Kneading a Story Length of Time for Activity: 30 minutes Format of Activity: Children should be seated on the floor facing the teacher with room to move. Note to Teacher: If eating a real pizza becomes an activity you do, become aware of food allergies of the children. Playing Italian music during this activity is optional. If you play the music, explain that pizza is a traditional Italian food which is why you are playing the Italian music. Materials: Pete’s a Pizza; optional – stuffed animal per child, ingredients for a real pizza

Directions: Part One: Book Background 1. Say to the children, “If you like pizza, show me a big smile. Wow! A lot of you are smiling

so a lot of you must like pizza!”

2. Show students the cover of the book Pete’s a Pizza and ask, “Do you think this boy likes

pizza?”

3. Say, “This boy’s name is Pete and this book is called Pete’s a Pizza.”

4. Ask, “Does Pete look like a pizza to you?”

5. Ask, “What needs to be on Pete in order for him to be a pizza?” (Prompt students so they

call out pizza ingredients to answer this question – such as cheese, pepperoni, tomato

sauce, etc.)

6. Explain to students what ingredients you would use to make a pizza.

7. Say, “I am going to read this story. Pay attention to the ingredients used

to make the pizza.”

8. Read the story Pete’s a Pizza and talk with children about how Pete became a pizza.

9. Ask children what is different about the real recipe and the Pete’s a Pizza book recipe.

10. Ask children, “What other items would we need to make a pizza besides the ingredients?”

(Prompt students so that they call out items such as a rolling pin, an apron, a salt shaker,

an oven, etc.)

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Part Two: Drama Tip 1. Ask students, “Is Pete heavy or light? How do you know?”

2. Say, “Show me what you would do if you were picking up Pete. What

would you do to show that you were pretending to pick up something

heavy?”

3. Explain that when you are acting you use gestures to communicate – such

as the way you act like you are picking up Pete communicates if Pete is

heavy or light.

4. Say, “Let’s practice. Pretend you are picking up a pepperoni and putting it on the pizza.”

5. Say, “Now pretend you are tossing the dough into the air and spinning it

around.”

6. Ask, “Can you see how your gestures communicate to the audience what you

are doing?”

7. Point out that sometimes props are necessary to set the stage and let the audience know

what is happening but sometimes the actors use their gestures to communicate instead of

using props.

8. Ask, “What props would we need to act out a story about turning a person into a pizza?”

Part Three: Drama Experience 1. Explain that you are going to act out making a pizza using the stuffed animal as your dough.

2. Demonstrate each step.

a. Say, “Let’s put on our chef’s hat.” (Pretend to place a chef’s hat on your head.) b. Say, “Let’s put on our apron.” (Pretend to put on your apron and ask for help tying it.) c. Continue demonstrating how to spread the tomato sauce, sprinkle spices, shake on the

cheese, etc.

3. Talk about how your gestures communicated what was happening.

4. Give each child a stuffed animal to act out the story.

5. Read Pete’s Pizza again and have the children act out each page with their

stuffed animal.

6. Pretend to eat the pizza.

7. As an extension of the activity serve real pizza.

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Title of Closing Activity: Yes, No, Maybe Length of Time for Activity: 7 minutes Format of Activity: Divide the room into three sections and label them – one for yes, one for no, and one for maybe. Materials: none

Directions: 1. Ask the children to stand in a line across

the back of the room.

2. Explain that you are going to ask questions

and each child’s answer will be yes, no, or

maybe.

3. Show children how the room is divided into

three areas. Explain that after you ask each question they should move to the area

of the room that matches their answer – either yes, no, or maybe.

4. Before asking a question, remind the children that they should move calmly to

their answer since they will all be moving at the same time.

5. Ask one question at a time (suggested questions are listed below).

6. Allow older children to create questions to ask the other children.

Suggested Questions: a. Do you like eating pizza? b. Do you like pepperonis on your pizza? c. Do you like pretending to make a pizaa? d. Do you like acting out a story with no props? e. Did you like the story Pete’s a Pizza? f. Do you know how to make a pizza? g. Have you ever made your own pizza?

YES MAYBE NO

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MODIFICATIONS: How will the activities be modified for various ages - 5 and up (5-8 years, 9-12years)?

Warm-Up Activity: Boom Chicka Boom – older children

could be invited to be the caller;

older children should be expected

to say the chant more quickly than

younger children

Book Activity: Kneading a Story – older children

could read the book; children could be divided into

a parent/child team where the older child

functions as the parent; the “parent”

demonstrates a gesture and the “child” imitates; the pair could act out

the story Pete’s a Pizza with the “parent” coaching the “child” as he/she

transforms the stuffed animal into a pizza.

Closing Activity: Yes, No, Maybe – questions could

be more challenging; older children could be allowed

to create the questions to ask the other children.

Florida Institute of Education at the University of North Florida ©2009

DRAMA and STORYTELLING Glossary of Terms

Creative dramatics— A form of play that asks children to use movement, mime, and dialogue to answer dramatic questions or solve dramatic problems.

Pantomime (mime) – Telling a story without words but by using movement and facial expression.

Improvisation—Making up dialogue and/or movement without any planning, thinking fast on your feet.

Leader—The person who sets the rules, teaches the games and side-coaches giving structure to the group.

Side-coaching— instructional phrases encouraging the players to be involved which are called out as the group is engaged with an activity. It helps the student to learn how to listen without stopping the momentum of the game. Player—A person who is participating in the creative play. Term used instead of actor. Narrator-- The person who tells a story with expression in their voice. Audience—a group of people who watch and listen to the story or game being shown by a troupe of players.

Director—In more formal theater settings, the person who interprets the play or story and oversees everything the actors do.

Making the invisible, visible—By using pantomime and focus, the player shows an activity or uses a make-believe prop in a specific way so that the audience can see that which is not there.

Playing area—The space where the players move in. There should be a definite perimeter to help define the area.

Prop—A tangible object used by the player to help tell the story. Setting the Stage—Getting ready by pre-placing props and furniture needed for the story ahead of time. Open Up-- In order for a player to be seen by the audience, the player must open up his body like a book. Also, called “cheating”. This encourages the player not to be in a profile position but rather to face out in a natural manner.

Terms about the Stage

Backstage - The space behind the playing area where actors enter and exit from.

Upstage - The part of the playing area in the rear.

Downstage - The part of the playing area that is closest to the audience.

The modules presented here were funded in part by the Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education as part of theVirtual School Readiness Incubator Project, the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Familiesas part of the Early Learning Opportunities Act/Bringing Education and Support to Teachers, Parents and Children (ELOA/BEST) Project,and the Florida Institute of Education at the University of North Florida. The content of these modules does not necessarily reflect the viewsor policies or imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services,and/or the University of North Florida.

Florida Institute of Education at the University of North Florida ©2009