reSourCe Guide · PDF fileTogether they embark on an adventure full of quirky ... «...

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ABOUT THE SHOW Can a hairless little squirrel change the human heart? After getting sucked up by a Ulysses 2000x vacuum cleaner, a squirrel is rescued by Flora Belle Buckman, a 10-year-old self-proclaimed cynic. She names him Ulysses and discovers he has been reborn a superhero. Indeed, this once average squirrel can suddenly understand Flora, fly, and even write poetry. Together they embark on an adventure full of quirky characters and bursting with heart. Based on the bestselling book by Kate DiCamillo (author of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, The Tale of Despereaux, and Because of Winn-Dixie). FIELD TRIP INFORMATION « Length: 75 minutes with no intermission « FREE Teacher Preview: February 24, 2017 « Dates: February 28–March 24, 2017 « Grades: 3 rd –6 th « Location: Winningstad Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway, Portland « Sign Interpreted Performance: March 9 at 11:45am « Questions? Learn more at www.octc.org/teachers Email: [email protected] Call: 503-228-9571 RESOURCE GUIDE THE AUTHOR Kate DiCamillo lives in Minneapolis, where she faithfully writes two pages a day, five days a week. After moving to Minnesota from Florida in her twenties, homesickness and a bitter winter helped inspire Because of Winn-Dixie —her first published novel, which became a runaway bestseller and snapped up a Newbery honor. Her second novel, The Tiger Rising, went on to become a National Book Award Finalist. Since then, the master storyteller has written for a wide range of ages, including the Mercy Watson series of early chapter books, co-authoring the Bink and Gollie series, and a holiday picture book, Great Joy. Her novel Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures won the 2014 Newbery Medal and was a 2013 Parents’ Choice Gold Award Winner and was chosen as “Best Book of the Year” by Amazon, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus reviews, and Common Sense Media. DiCamillo says about stories, “When we read together, we connect. Together, we see the world. Together, we see one another.” BIG IDEAS « To understand someone’s behavior, you need to understand what is going on in their life. « You can find friends in unlikely circumstances. « Sometimes people act angry because they are hurt, scared, or lonely. « Using your feelings will help you understand some situations better than only using your logic. « You can grow new strengths from difficult, even hurtful, events. « Forming friendships with people who are different from you can make you stronger. A WORLD PREMIERE! FEB 28–MAR 24, 2017 WINNINGSTAD THEATRE FLORA & ULYSSES.© 2013 by Kate DiCamillo. Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Keith Campbell. Originally published by Candlewick Press. Used with the permission of Pippin Properties, Inc. Book by John Glore. Follow us! @OCTPortland Like us! OregonChildrensTheatre www.octc.org

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Page 1: reSourCe Guide · PDF fileTogether they embark on an adventure full of quirky ... « Could this superpower help you be a hero? How would you use this superpower for ... « Ulysses

About the ShowCan a hairless little squirrel change the human heart? After getting sucked up by a Ulysses 2000x™ vacuum cleaner, a squirrel is rescued by Flora Belle Buckman, a 10-year-old self-proclaimed cynic. She names him Ulysses and discovers he has been reborn a superhero. Indeed, this once average squirrel can suddenly understand Flora, fly, and even write poetry. Together they embark on an adventure full of quirky characters and bursting with heart. Based on the bestselling book by Kate DiCamillo (author of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, The Tale of Despereaux, and Because of Winn-Dixie).

Field trip inFormAtion « length: 75 minutes with no intermission « Free teacher preview: February 24, 2017 « dates: February 28–march 24, 2017 « Grades: 3rd–6th

« location: winningstad theatre, 1111 Sw broadway, portland

« Sign interpreted performance: march 9 at 11:45am « Questions? learn more at www.octc.org/teachers

email: [email protected] Call: 503-228-9571

reSourCe Guide

the AuthorKate DiCamillo lives in Minneapolis, where she faithfully writes two pages a day, five days a week. After moving to Minnesota from Florida in her twenties, homesickness and a bitter winter helped inspire Because of Winn-Dixie —her first published novel, which became a runaway bestseller and snapped up a Newbery honor. Her second novel, The Tiger Rising, went on to become a National Book Award Finalist. Since then, the master storyteller has written for a wide range of ages, including the Mercy Watson series of early chapter books, co-authoring the Bink and Gollie series, and a holiday picture book, Great Joy. Her novel Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures won the 2014 Newbery Medal and was a 2013 Parents’ Choice Gold Award Winner and was chosen as “Best Book of the Year” by Amazon, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus reviews, and Common Sense Media. DiCamillo says about stories, “When we read together, we connect. Together, we see the world. Together, we see one another.”

biG ideAS « to understand someone’s behavior, you need to

understand what is going on in their life. « You can find friends in unlikely circumstances. « Sometimes people act angry because they are

hurt, scared, or lonely. « using your feelings will help you understand

some situations better than only using your logic.

« You can grow new strengths from difficult, even hurtful, events.

« Forming friendships with people who are different from you can make you stronger.

A WORLD

PREMIERE!

FEB 28–MAR 24, 2017Winningstad theatre

FLORA & ULYSSES.© 2013 by Kate DiCamillo. Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Keith Campbell. Originally published by Candlewick Press. Used with the permission of Pippin Properties, Inc. Book by John Glore.

Follow us!@OCTPortland

Like us!OregonChildrensTheatre

www.octc.org

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QueStionS For diSCuSSion « If you were creating a superhero, what animal

would you choose? Create your own superhero animal using Ulysses as a guide. You may want to include:

x A superpower and its uses x A special name x How that character hides his or

her superhero self x Friends x Enemies

« Flora doesn’t like William Spiver in the beginning, but they become friends by the end of the book. What happens that helps them become friends? Can you think of people in your life that you didn’t like at first but changed your mind about later?

« What does the phrase “Do not hope; instead, observe” mean in the story? How does it relate to your life?

« Ulysses’ powers help him survive in dangerous or difficult situations. What are some “powers” or qualities you have that help you survive when dealing with difficult circumstances?

« “Loneliness makes us do terrible things.” What happens when you feel lonely? How does it feel? What things, terrible or not, do you do when you are lonely?

« “Cynics are people who are afraid to believe.” Flora is a self-described cynic. What does it mean to be cynical? How is Flora cynical? What is it that Flora is afraid to believe?

« Is Flora really a cynic? How did she come to believe this about herself?

« What does it mean to have a “capacious heart?” Do you know someone who has a “capacious heart?”

ACtivity promptS « Pick a character and write about the changes they

experience during the story. Use examples from the book to demonstrate these changes.

« How do you make a friend? What things do you do to become friends? What actions do Flora and William Spiver take? Write a short paragraph about friendship using Flora and William Spiver as examples.

reSourCe Guide

diSCuSSion QueStionS beFore the plAy

Has anyone ever experienced a big change– something that changed what their daily life looked like, such as moving, getting a new baby sister or brother, starting a new school?

« What was hard about that change? What didn’t you like about it, or what was difficult to get used to? How did that make you feel?

« What was good about that change?

« How did that make you feel?

« What new strengths did you get from that change?

2 Have you ever wished you had a superpower?

What would your superpower be?

« Could this superpower help you be a hero? How would you use this superpower for good? What positive things could you do in the world if you had this superpower? Who would you save?

« Is there a time when you were heroic? OR a time when someone was heroic for you?

A WORLD

PREMIERE!

TEACHING FLora & ULysses IN THE CLASSROOM

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lAnGuAGe ArtS: retell the StoryThe book is told mostly from the points of view of Flora and sometimes Ulysses. Have students work in groups; assign each group a different scene from the story and each person a different character. Have them retell the story to the class from the point of view of that character.

« Grade level: 3rd–6th « length: 30–45 minutes depending on class size « Standards:

x CCSS.elA-literacy.rl.3.6 Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters.

x CCSS.elA-literacy.rl.4.6 Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first-and third-person narrations.

x CCSS.elA-literacy.rl.5.3 Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).

mAteriAlS: « Flora & Ulysses book

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lAnGuAGe ArtS: retell the Story The book is told through both text and comic forms. This activity explores the two different forms.

1. Have students write a short, one-page narrative entitled “Getting to School this Morning.” What happened today as you were getting ready to come to school? Anything exciting? Unusual? What is part of your morning routine? Tell the story about getting ready to come to school today. Try to make it as interesting as possible—it can be a true story or fiction!

2. After writing the one page story, have them tell the same story in a series of comic frames. Use the storyboard page (link below) with nine frames to tell the story in images. It doesn’t matter if you are a good artist or if your pictures are stick figures. The important thing is to think about what is the most important image to tell the story.

3. Have students share just their illustrations with a partner. Have the partner try to tell the story they see in the drawing. Remember, some people are better at drawing—it doesn’t matter how good of an artist anyone is, treat their story and drawings with respect!

Afterwards, have the class discuss the following questions:

x which was easier for you, the writing or the drawing? x Are certain things easier to express in one form or the other? what

can images do that writing cannot? what can writing do that images cannot?

x how did you decide what to draw in each frame? what was hard about deciding what to draw?

x was it hard to decide what to write about? how did you choose what to write and what to leave out?

« Grade level: 3rd–6th

« length: 30–45 minutes depending on class size « Standards:

CCSS.elA-literacy.rl.5.7 Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).

mAteriAlS: « Paper « Writing Utensils « Comic Strip. See next page for sample.

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Comic S

trip S

tory

boar

d

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livinG ComiC bookStudents will use their bodies to make frozen pictures to illustrate a moment from the story.

1. Choose a moment from the story that the class will illustrate.

2. Have the class brainstorm the order of events and write them in order on the board. It’s okay if they don’t remember exactly what happened—you can decide to make up your own details or order of events as necessary.

3. Working in groups (or as one whole class), have the students create a series of frozen images telling the story of the event. Invite students to think about not only the main characters, but bystanders and setting (students can portray paintings, tables, a box of donuts, etc).

4. Have them share the frozen pictures like a slideshow.

SuGGeSted SCeneS to illuStrAte: « Ulysses gets sucked into the vacuum

(Flora, Mrs. Tickham, Ulysses, the vacuum). « ulysses jumping out of the box at the

do-nut shop (dad, ulysses, Flora, the waitress, customers).

« Ulysses types poetry at Mrs. Tickham’s (Flora, Ulysses, William Spiver, Mrs. Tickham).

« reuniting at dr. meescham’s apartment at the end (Flora, Ulysses, Dad, Mom, Mrs. Tickham, Dr. Meescham).

Feel free to use any other scenes your students remember!

reFleCtion QueStion: « did you learn anything about this scene

that you didn’t know before?

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TEACHING FLora & ULysses IN THE CLASSROOM

« Grade level: 3rd–6th

« length: 30–45 minutes depending on class size « Standards:

x CCSS.elA-literacy.Sl.3.1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

x CCSS.elA-literacy.Sl.3.2. Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

x CCSS.elA-literacy.Sl.5.4. Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

mAteriAlS: « Scenes from Flora & Ulysses « Whiteboard or Paper « Writing Utensil

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online reSourCeS « Teachers’ Guide by Candlewick Press

www.floraandulysses.com/media/fu_teachersguide.pdf

« Kate DiCamillo Official Website www.katedicamillo.com

« kate diCamillo on writing www.bit.ly/1vKj3v5

« Kate DiCamillo Interview (under 1 minute) www.bit.ly/2h32rlm

« kate diCamillo on writing, reading, and community www.wapo.st/2h32JIY

« bibliostar tv’s interview with kate diCamillo www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQymCUPGl0Q

« NY Times’ review of Flora & ulysses novel www.nyti.ms/2hAKB9K

reFleCtion: AFter the plAy « List two or three things you liked about the play.

« If you were directing your own version of the play, what would you do differently?

« Encourage your class to come up with one question they had about the play. Send your class question to [email protected] and we will reply. Questions can be for actors, the director, a designer, etc.

write to oreGon Children’S theAtre We love hearing student feedback and responses to our shows! Please feel free to share any comments from students with us:

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

Letters can also be emailed to: [email protected].

Follow us!@OCTPortland

Like us!OregonChildrensTheatre

www.octc.org

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Oregon Children’s Theatre receives support from the Oregon Arts Comission, a state agency funded by the state of Oregon and the National Endowment for the Arts.