SuggestedActivitiesfor“TheUglyDuckling”

fromPattiAustin’schildren’salbum

MightyMusicalFairyTales

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PattiAustinEnterprisesandLet’sRoar,LLCaresopleasedtosharewitheducators,parentsandchildrenthevaluesexpressedinthisnewmusicaladaptationof“TheUglyDuckling.”ThesongcomesfromMs.Austin’sJirstchildren’sproject,MightyMusicalFairyTales.

Believingthatchildrenareourfuture,Grammy-WinnersPattiAustin,TaroMeyerandTaro’sdaughter,actressAriMeyers,musicalizedandupdatedclassicfairytalesandinfusedthemwithvaluesthatcontributetoakinder,wisersociety;valuessuchastolerance,sharingandhonesty.

Inthespiritofinclusion,themusicalstylesrangefromrap,R&B,popandjazz.Theresultisentertaining,upliftingandeducational.Childrenlovedancing,singingandactingalongwiththecontemporary,musicalstories;learningwhileplaying!

Thisnewversionof“TheUglyDuckling”deliversapowerfulanti-bullyingmessage.Bullyinghasbecomeanalltoofrequentissueinourchildren’slives.Researchshowsthatthebestwaytocombatbullyingistopromoteempathyandunderstanding.

Inthisfreshinterpretationofthestory,U.G.,TheUglyDuckling,Jindshappinessattheendofhisjourneynotbecausehebecomesthemostbeautifulswan,butbecausehisfamilycomestoaccepteachotherandrespecttheirdifferences!“Bullying”isreplacedby“Inclusion”andthestoryendswithajoyfulcelebrationofloveandacceptance.

MusicandArtcanprovidechildrenwithan“experiential”involvementwithouttheirhavingtoactuallyexperiencethesituationdescribed.Thiscanhelpthemunderstandandempathize.Tohelpfacilitatethatexperiencewith“TheUglyDuckling”songandbook,NassauCountyMuseumofArt-ManagerofSchoolPrograms,Ms.RebeccaHirschwerk,developedthefollowingactivities,someofwhichuseVisualThinkingStrategies,aresearchedbasedmethodofgeneratingopen-endedconversationsaboutaworkofartusingthreebasicquestions:

What’sgoingoninthispicture?Whatdoyouseetomakeyousaythat?WhatelsecanyouJindinthepicture?

Beforebeginningtheseactivities,thestudentsshouldbefamiliarwiththebook,knowwhattheword‘siblings’means,whothesiblingsareintheimages,andwhichcharacterisTheUglyDuckling.

Remindstudentsthattherearenowronganswers!Weallseethingsdifferently.Thisisanopportunitytodeveloptrustwithourfriendsandrespectfordifferentopinions.

Wesincerelyhopethatthebook,songandtheseactivitiesopenthepathtoempathyandacceptance.Andremember:

HAVE FUN!!!

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INTRODUCTION:

Questionsregardinglookingatthepicturesandbullying:

SETA:ForTeachersandParents.

PAGE2—“BULLYING“

Questions/Discussion:

HowdoestheTheUglyDucklingfeelinthispicture?

Howcanyoutell?

Whyishefeelinglikethat?

Howarehissiblingstreatinghim?

Whyaretheytreatinghimthatway?

Whatdoyouseetomakeyousaythat?

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“bullying”

PAGE3—“WHISPERING”

Questions/Discussion:

Haveyoueverwhispered?

Whydopeoplewhisper?

Whenisitokaytowhisper?

Whenisitnotokaytowhisper?

Activity:Makealistofwhenit’sagoodideatowhisperandwhenitisn’t.

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“whispering”

PAGE20—“BOYandGIRLHELPTHEUGLYDUCKLING”

Questions/Discussion:

Wherearethey?

Whatdoyouthinkishappeninginthispicture? WhydoyouthinktheboyandgirlhelpedTheUglyDuckling?

Activity:MakealistdescribinghowTheUglyDucklingisfeelinginthispicture.

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“boy and a girl help the ugly duckling”

PAGE24—“REFLECTION”

Questions/Discussion:

Whatdoes“reJlection”mean? WhyisTheUglyDucklingsurprisedathisreJlection? Doeshisfacelooksurprised?Happy?

Activity:MirroringFacesChildAndGrownUp

Childslowlystartstomakeaface(funny,sad,angry,etc.)

Grownupcopieschild’sfacesotheyaremirroringeachother.

TrymakingafaceofallthedifferentemotionsTheUglyDucklingisfeelinginthisbook.

Noticewhathappenstoyoureyesandyourmoutheachtime.

Whichfacefeelsthenicest?Whichfacefeelsthemeanest?

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“reflection”

PAGE29—“FAMILY”

HowareTheUglyDucklingandhissiblingsdifferentfromeachother?

Howaretheythesame?

Howareyoudifferentfromsomeoneinyourfamily?

Howareyouthesame?

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“family”

SETBForTeachers*

GradeK-2

Activity:WordAssociation:

Givestudentsindividualwordsandaskthemtoplacethemnexttotheillustrationthatthey feelmatchestheword.Alternatively,teacherscansaythewordandaskthestudentsto matchittoanimage.(Teacherscanaddtheirown!):

Sad Happy Cold Nice Family Helping Quiet Loud Proud

Activity:Drama:TableauVivant(LivingPicture):

Insmallgroupsaskstudentstochooseoneimageandsetupalivingpicture–withthe childrenposingasthepicture-andthinkabouthowitfeelstobeinthatpose.Askstudents whoareposingasthesiblings:Howdoyoufeelinthisposition?Doyoufeelnice?Mean? Angry?DothesamefortheUglyDuckling.(HavestudentstaketurnsbeingtheUgly Duckling).

Activity:Drama;Posing:

Askstudentsto“strikeapose”basedonthefeelingsandactionsdescribedinthebook.They canalsochooseotherwordsaswellhatdescribehelpingandbullying.Dotheseoneafter anotherinquicksuccession.Forexample:

Mean Helpful Hugging Crying Hiding Proud Sad Whispering

Activity: Language Development:

Choose a picture to discuss. Create a chart with the following columns:

As the class fills in the chart, notice how the characters are feeling, what they are doing and what is in the picture. Choose a different image and see what the characters are feeling and doing.

Ask students to describe what they are looking at as they answer.

Grade2

Activity:FindaPicture:

Givestudentsindividualphrasesandhavethemplacethephrasenexttothepicturethat matchesthephrase.

• apicturethatyouwouldliketobein.• apicturethatremindsyouofsomethinginyourownlife.• apictureyouthinkisstrong.• apicturethatmakesyouhappy.• apicturethatmakesyousad.

Activity:Drama:Upstander/Bystander:

Upstanderisapersonwhohelpswhensomeoneisbeingbulliedorstandsupfor themselveswhensomeoneisbeingmeanorhurtingthem.

Bystanderissomeonewhoseesthebullyingbutdoesn’thelp.

Brainstormalistofwayswecanhelpotherpeople:

• Howhaveyoumadesomeonefeelbetter?• Howdidsomeonemakeyoufeelbetter?

Insmallgroups,havestudentschooseoneactionfromthelistandcreateashortskitabout helping—Upstander

Askthemtodotheskitagain,butthistimehavethestudentsbeunhelpfulinsteadof helpful—Bystander

DiscussthedifferencesbetweentheUpstanderandtheBystander.

*WhiletheactivitiesaboveinSetBaresuggestionsforeducators,theycaneasilybe adaptedbyparentsandsupportersathome.

NOUNS: FEELINGS: ACTIONS:

Character in the picture Expressed by character What is he or she doing?