Join us for the 2019-20 Season as we explore the

themes of our heritage, belonging and finding

connections to one another through the arts. As

we journey through this season of educational

programming, take a moment to discover what

your heritage means to you.

From lesson ideas and professional development

workshops to backstage tours, allow us to partner

with you to provide students with exciting

educational opportunities!

For questions contact the education sales

department at (920) 730-3726 or

educationsales@foxcitiespac.com.

Welcome | 3

Standards & About| 4

Lesson Plans | 5

Did You Know | 5

In the Spotlight | 6

What is Next? | 7

My Journal | 8

Student Showcase | 9

Resource Room | 10

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Sharing our heritage

A note from our Series Title Partner – Amcor

"The music, the voices, and the dramatic action of the performances presented through the Amcor Education Series, all help to animate the lessons our K-12

students are taught every day in the classroom. Amcor supports the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center's Education Series because live performance expands our understanding of textbook learning and helps us imagine the world beyond the written page. We believe every child should have the opportunity to experience the wonder of history, adventure, human drama and other cultures, coming to

life right before them on stage. The Education Series performances spark a child's imagination and ignite the desire to know more."

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Community Partner

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• Be prepared to arrive early – You should plan on

arriving to the Center 15-30 minutes before the show.

Allow for travel time, parking and trips to the restroom.

• Security – All bags entering the building are subject to

search and prohibited items will not be allowed. Teachers

and chaperones are discouraged from bringing bags;

however, necessary backpacks, or bags may be searched

and tagged before being allowed in the theater.

• We ask that students leave their backpacks at

school for Amcor Education Series performances,

however, if students do bring them, they are

subject to search and will need to be checked at

the registration table in the lobby upon entry.

• Know your needs – To best serve the needs of you and

your students, please indicate if you have individuals who

require special services or seating needs upon making your

reservation.

• Seating – Seating is based on a number of factors

including when the reservation is made, size of group,

students’ ages and any special seating needs.

• Please see our complete list of policies at foxcitiespac.com.

• Questions about your show reservation? Contact our

education sales team at educationsales@foxcitiespac.com

or call (920) 730-3726.

• When entering the Fox Cities Performing Arts

Center, remember to show respect for others

and your environment so everyone can fully

enjoy and participate in the experience.

• During the performance, the performers can see

and hear you, so give them your full attention.

Unlike a video, we can not rewind and replay a

scene if we miss it.

• Applause is the best way to express how much

you enjoyed the performance!

• Important things to remember:

• Student backpacks, gum, beverages

(including water bottles) and food are

not allowed in the theater.

• Cell phones should be turned off

and stowed.

• Note that recording or taking photos in

the theater is strictly prohibited;

however, photos may be taken in the

lobby.

• It’s a long way down – please do not

drop items off balconies.

MONKEY BAA THEATRE COMPANY is Australia’s widest reaching touring company for young

people, having conducted over 27 national tours to 135 regional and remote communities across every state

and territory of Australia, four international tours and over 2,500 performances, engaging with over 1.3

million young people. Monkey Baa’s mission is to exhilarate young minds, hearts and imaginations by

creating and sharing exceptional Australian theater nationally and internationally.

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To assist you in your planning, the Wisconsin Academic Standards that are most likely to connect with

this performance are listed below.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS • SL.K.2: Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media

by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not

understood.

MUSIC• RESPOND: Students will critically interpret intent and meaning in order to evaluate artistic work.

• CONNECT: Students will relate prior knowledge and personal experience with music to cultural and

historical context.

SOCIAL STUDIES• SS.BH1: Wisconsin students will examine individual cognition, perception, behavior and identity

(Psychology).

THEATER• TP.R.1.e: Analysis: Respond to a theatrical work by sharing what is seen, heard, and/or felt.

ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY AND SUSTAINABILITY• ELS.EX2: Students evaluate relationships and structures of natural and cultural systems and analyze their

interdependence.

SCIENCE

• SCI.CC1.K-2: Students recognize that patterns in the natural and human designed world can be observed,

used to describe phenomena, and used as evidence.

• SCI.LS1.A.1: All organisms have external parts that they use to perform daily functions.

• SCI.LS1.D.1: Animals sense and communicate information and respond to inputs with behaviors that help

them grow and survive.

This delightful, nonverbal depiction of the beloved multi-award winning book by Jackie French and Bruce

Whatley will engage students and educators alike. Join Mothball, the naughtiest wombat in Australia, who

becomes bored with her daily routine and goes in search of shelter and food, creating chaos around her.

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OBJECTIVE:

Students will practice discerning the plot of a story through its

illustrations.

MATERIALS:

• Projector

• Writing utensils

• Coloring utensils

• Blank paper

• “Diary of a Wombat” by Jackie French

ACTIVITY:

• Project the illustration of Mothball eating the welcome mat.

Ask the students to really study the picture and think about

what is happening and why it might be happening. Give

them about 5-10 minutes to come up with their reasoning.

• Think, Pair and Share: Have the students share with

someone close to them why they think Mothball was eating

the welcome mat. After the partners share, come together

as a large group and discuss the different reasonings

students came up with.

• Discuss with students that words tell the story, but

illustrations help it come to life, and give us details the

author may not write about.

• Show the picture of Mothball eating carrots. Discuss these

various questions with your students:

• What emotions do you see in Mothball? How does

she look? What is she doing?

• What is the setting? What specific things do you

notice about the picture?

• Read the page from the book with this drawing on. Discuss

what the author writes with what your students figured out

from the picture.

• Choose a page from the story with good narrative. Read the

page aloud and have the students draw a picture of what the

author writes about.

• Once the students are finished with their drawings, show

the class the illustrations in the book and discuss any

similarities or differences between them.

10 Fun Facts about Wombats

1. They are a part of the Marsupial family

(like Kangaroos and Koala bears).

2. Wombats walk with a waddle.

3. They’re champion diggers.

4. They have a backwards facing pouch.

5. Wombats have slow metabolisms.

6. They have teeth like rodents.

7. During the Ice Age there used to be

giant wombats.

8. The oldest wombat is documented at

being 31 (about 130 in human years).

9. A group of wombats are sometimes

called a “wisdom”, “mob” or “colony”.

10. Wombats are solitary animals and tend

to be shy.

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JACKIE FRENCH is an Australian author who has written over

200 books that have been translated into 36 different languages.

French’s vast body of work contains both fictional and nonfictional

accounts of the last 60,000 years of Australian history. French has

been writing for over 25 years and is one of the few writers to win

both literary and children’s choice awards. She was the Australian

National Children’s Laureate from 2014-2015.

French is a passionate advocate for children with learning

difficulties (as she has dyslexia) and wildlife conservation. She and

her husband live near the Deua wilderness area and most of their

property is a Conservation Refuge for the many rare and

endangered species in the area.

Source: www.jackiefrench.com/copy-of-awards

OBJECTIVE:Students will reflect upon their days and keep a diary creating their own narrative.

MATERIALS: • Lined paper

• Colored paper

• Colored utensils

• Yarn

• Three-hole punch

• “Diary of a Wombat” by Jackie French

ACTIVITY:• Guiding Question: What is a diary? What do we use diaries for?

• Explain that the story you are about to read is called “Diary of a Wombat” and it tells us what Mothball does every day.

• Start reading the book. For Monday, ask the students what Mothball did. Feel free to make a list on a board. (Do the

same for Tuesday.) On Wednesday, Mothball changes up her routine. Ask the students what different things Mothball

does on Wednesday. Ask if they do the same thing every day. Discuss with the students different things that could

happen (i.e. went out to dinner, doctor appointment, sport game, etc.)

• After reading the story, ask the students to talk to a partner about what they did yesterday and come up with three

different things. Ask the students to record those three things. Depending on their grade level, determine how detailed

you want the writing.

• Tell them that for the next few days you are going to record three different things that happened the day before.

• The last day give the students cut colored paper with holes punched along one side.

• Have the students copy their diary entries on the pages, also drawing pictures to go along with each day.

• Have the students include some blank pieces of paper at the back so they can keep writing in their diary.

• When they are finished, help the students tie yarn through the holes to create a book.

• Once your class is finished with the activity, let the students share in small groups different things from their diaries.

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Don’t let this experience end with the drop of the curtain. Keep the conversation

going with your students and reflect on the performance that you just attended.

Here are a few questions to get the conversation started!

• What did you learn about generosity or friendship from this performance?

• What was your favorite part of the performance?

• Which moment do you remember most from the performance? What was happening?

• How did Mothball cause trouble at the humans’ house?

• Describe the music you heard. How did the music add to the mood or help tell the story?

• If you were going to tell a friend about the performance, how would you describe it in one sentence?

• On the following page write or draw about something you learned or want to learn more about.

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Fox Cities Performing Arts Center • Education Department

400 W. College Avenue • Appleton, WI 54911

education@foxcitiespac.com • (920) 730-3726 10

This study guide was created for you by the education team as a part of The Boldt Company Beyond the

Stage education program. To download copies of this study guide or to find additional resources for this

performance or view past study guides please visit: www.foxcitiespac.com and click on the education tab.

BOOKSIf you enjoyed this story, try these books by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley:

• “Baby Wombat’s Week”

• “Wombat Goes to School”

• “The Hairy-Nosed Wombats Find a New Home” (with Sue DeGennaro)

And these other similar tales:

• “Edward the Emu” by Sheena Knowles

• “Memoirs of a Goldfish” by Devin Scillian

• “Who Sank the Boat?” by Pamela Allen

• “Possum Magic” by Mem Fox

WEBSITES• Jackie French’s Website: www.jackiefrench.com

• Monkey Baa Theatre Company: www.monkeybaa.com.au

• San Diego Zoo Animals and Plants – Wombats: https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/wombat

• Arts Edge Kennedy Center Arts Integration: http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org

• Fox Cities Performing Arts Center’s Social Story: https://foxcitiespac.com/education/schools-and-

educators/amcor-education-series/resources