imaginationstage.org Activity Guide 1

imaginationstage.org Activity Guide 2

Activity Guide Table of Contents

Audience Hints:

Pre- and Post-Show Question ...................................................................... 3

Reading:

Live-Action Comic Strip Tableaus .............................................................. 4-5

Writing:

Dear Thumbelina Advice Column .............................................................. 6-7

Science:

Animals Come to Life ................................................................................ 8-9

Math:

Soaring Through the Numbers .............................................................. 10-12

imaginationstage.org Activity Guide 3

Audience Hints

These questions can be used by parents, teachers, or other adults to spur discussion with children coming

to see Thumbelina. Below are conversation starters to be used both before and after seeing the play.

Pre-Show Questions:

Ask these questions to children BEFORE seeing Thumbelina.

Where do you feel most comfortable?

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Have you ever felt different from other people? What made you feel different?

Post-Show Questions:

Ask these questions to children soon AFTER seeing Thumbelina.

Did Thumbelina choose the right ending for herself? If not, how would you end her story?

How did Thumbelina’s friends help on her journey?

How do you feel when you return home at the end of a long trip?

Look For…

Live Animation Animal Characters Big and Small Objects Actors Playing Multiple Characters

Listen For…

Sound Effects Different Styles of Music Words of Wisdom

Think About…

Finding Where You Belong What Makes People Different from One Another? Elements of a Journey

imaginationstage.org Activity Guide 4

Reading: Live-Action Comic Strip Tableaus

Standards:

Maryland College and Career-Readiness Standards

Reading Literature 2.2 - Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.

Maryland State Fine Arts Standards

Theatre.Generate and Conceptualize Artistic Ideas and Work.I:3-5:1 - Propose and enact details to the plot and characters of a guided original drama/theatrical experience.

Overview:

In Thumbelina, much of the action of the play is told through live-action comics and animation. But you don’t need fancy cameras and puppets to tell a visual story! Students will review the story of Thumbelina using tableaus to recreate the beginning, middle, and end of the story and explore the characters by creating thoughts and dialogue for them. Tableaus can be a great tool for remembering the parts of the story (beginning, middle, and end) and practicing the skill of sequencing.

Activity:

1. Practice making tableaus with your class. A tableau is a still image created with bodies.

Give students a simple setting (desert, forest, city) and ask students one by one to come to the front of the classroom, add something to the scene, and say what they are. (For example, “I’m a tree.” “I’m a beaver.” “I’m a river dam”).

2. Review the plot of Thumbelina with your class, listing important events on the board.

3. Break students into groups and assign each group a scene from Thumbelina. On the “Live Action Comic Strip Tableaus” worksheet, each student should draw a 3-panel comic strip showing their scene.

4. Each group should create three tableaus: the beginning, middle, and end of the scene. Give students time to create and rehearse their tableaus.

5. In the order of the story, have groups come up and share their tableaus. While students are in their tableaus, the teacher can put their hand above a character as a thought/speech bubble and ask for that character’s “thoughts out loud” or ask “what do they say?” and get responses from students observing the tableau.

6. Ask students observing the tableaus if there are any details they think are missing.

imaginationstage.org Activity Guide 5

Name:___________________

Live-action Comic Strip Tableaus

A tableau is a still image created with bodies. When you put multiple tableaus together, you can tell a full story with a beginning, middle, and end. Use this worksheet to plan a series of tableaus showing a scene from Thumbelina. Recall the scene’s beginning, middle, and end, then draw a comic strip before you work with your group to create tableaus.

My Scene:____________________________________________________________________ Beginning:____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Middle:______________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ End:________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________

Draw a comic strip version of your scene in the panels below

imaginationstage.org Activity Guide 6

Writing: Dear Thumbelina Advice Column

Standards:

Maryland College and Career-Readiness Standards

Writing.W.1.2 - Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about

the topic, and provide some sense of closure.

Overview:

Throughout the play, Thumbelina embarks on a journey to find the place where she belongs. As she goes

along, she receives help and advice from all of the new friends she meets. In this activity, students are tasked

with writing a letter of advice to Thumbelina to help her find her place in the world. Encourage your students

to think back on the times when they themselves have felt like they didn’t belong and brainstorm what helped

them feel included in their community.

Activity:

1. Have a class conversation about the themes of belonging and finding community that are woven

throughout Thumbelina.

Encourage students to reflect on situations they’ve experienced or witnessed in which they or

someone else didn’t feel accepted.

2. Introduce the idea of advice columns and provide simple examples of problems people may write in

about.

Be clear on the structure i.e. acknowledging the problem and then offering solution(s) in a cause and

effect manner.

3. Guide the students through the handout.

4. Ask for volunteers to share the best advice they have for Thumbelina.

imaginationstage.org Activity Guide 7

Name:___________________

Dear Thumbelina

Thumbelina is in need of advice. She writes you a letter telling you that she feels different from those around her and wants to find somewhere that she belongs. Use this worksheet to think about how to help Thumbelina, then write a letter of advice to her.

What makes Thumbelina different from other people? ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ What does Thumbelina want? ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ List three things that can help Thumbelina find where she belongs 1. ____________________________________ 2. ____________________________________ 3. ____________________________________ Write a letter of advice to help Thumbelina find her home and community. Use the space below and the back of this worksheet.

Dear Thumbelina,

____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________

imaginationstage.org Activity Guide 8

Science: Animals Come to Life

Standards:

Maryland College and Career-Readiness Standards

Life Science.1.A.Diversity of Life - Compare and explain how external features of plants and animals help

them survive in different environments.

Overview:

In Thumbelina, most of the characters are animals. When an actor becomes an animal on stage they need to

carefully look at the way the animal moves and use their body in creative ways to mimic the animal. Students

will look at the animals from Thumbelina and use their bodies to mimic and better understand the animal.

Activity:

1. Hand out the “Animals Come to Life” worksheet.

2. For each animal, students identify how it moves (does it crawl? fly? hop?) and what body parts it uses to

move (wings? legs? arms?).

3. At their chairs, students stand up and make a still pose in the shape of one of the animals. Encourage them

to use their whole bodies from their heads to their toes.

4. Once they have their animal pose, tell students to move around like their animal. If they seem lost, you can

give them an action (find food, find a place to rest, go for a swim in the pond).

5. Repeat with each animal.

6. As an added challenge, introduce an environmental pressure that they need to react and adapt to as their

animal. Choose from the following list:

Tall grass

Excessive rains/floods

A heat wave

Cold and snow

A predator

imaginationstage.org Activity Guide 9

Name:___________________

Animals Come to Life In Thumbelina, most of the characters in the play are different animals. Look at the pictures of animals below and think about how the animal moves. Does it crawl? Gallop? Fly? Hop? What body parts does it use to move? Its feet? Arms? Wings?

Toad

How does a toad move?

________________________________

What body parts does a toad use to move?

________________________________

Swallow

How does a swallow move?

________________________________

What body parts does a swallow use to move?

________________________________

Maybug

How does a maybug move?

________________________________

What body parts does a maybug use to move?

________________________________

Field Mouse

How does a field mouse move?

________________________________

What body parts does a field mouse use to move?

________________________________

Mole

How does a mole move?

________________________________

What body parts does a mole use to move?

________________________________

imaginationstage.org Activity Guide 10

Math: Soaring Through the Numbers

Standards:

Maryland College and Career-Readiness Standards

Mathematics.2.NBT.B.8 - Use place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract.

Overview:

Thumbelina relies on the help of her friend, Swallow, to fly her around the land. However, their travels are not

without some roadblocks. In this activity, students will use their math skills to traverse through the skies to

reach the flower kingdom. There are three mazes that increase in difficulty. Encourage each student to

attempt every level.

Activity:

1. Discuss the journey Thumbelina went on and the obstacles she encountered.

2. Review the math concepts found in the mazes:

Even numbers

Odd numbers

Simple addition with digits under 20

3. Allow the students to work at their own pace through the three mazes.

imaginationstage.org Activity Guide 11

Name:___________________

Soaring Through the Numbers

Follow the path of even numbers to help Thumbelina and Swallow reach the Flower Kingdom.

Start

End

Follow the path of odd numbers to help Thumbelina and Swallow reach the Flower Kingdom.

Start

End

6 7 14 16 18 21 26 21

8 10 12 15 32 27 28 30

11 13 50 48 46 45 47 50

60 53 52 41 44 42 40 38

58 56 54 40 35 21 56 67

68 67 55 82 84 86 88 90

70 72 62 80 90 100 32 92

49 74 76 78 77 67 99 88

34 68 33 71 45 23 51 67

11 14 15 36 69 24 67 98

97 15 43 47 16 59 92 54

63 12 19 52 23 35 30 34

87 51 32 67 24 32 46 31

38 13 99 17 53 85 89 70

64 57 42 19 66 54 97 14

21 73 57 73 68 99 93 53

imaginationstage.org Activity Guide 12

Name:___________________

Soaring Through the Numbers

Follow the path of sums that equal an even number to help Thumbelina and Swallow find their way to the Flower Kingdom

Start

End

11+3 10+2 3+3 4+3 13+2 17+1

7+8 14+4 16+2 9+3 17+3 4+4

7+7 16+2 9+2 4+5 4+2 5+10

13+1 13+2 11+6 14+3 5+1 15+1

6+4 12+4 4+4 10+9 15+1 2+4

5+5 4+5 18+2 10+10 8+2 11+7