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Pre-Performance

Activities

Performance

Day

Activities

Post-Performance

Activities

Table of Contents

A guided journey through the opera

Pre-Performance Activities (40 minutes) pg. 3-6 Story, Themes, & Adaptations • Introduction to the story and themes, The Original Story, the Operatic Adaptation Listening Activity & The Composer • Musical numbers to know before you go

Performance-Day Activities (20-30 minutes) pg. 7 Elements, Expectations, & Engagement • About Opera’s Elements, Audience Expectations, and What to Look and Listen For

Post-Performance Activities (30+ minutes) pg. 8-9 Classroom Extensions • Reflections on the Performance; Exploring Bullying; Individual Project; Narrative Writing

Printable Worksheets & Rubrics pg. 10-17 • The Original Story, Plot & Summary, Listening, About the Opera, Writing Reflection,

Answer Keys, Grading Rubrics

Curriculum Standards Connections Detail pg. 18

for participating in Opera Carolina’s Opera Xpress program. Opera is a wonderful teaching tool that integrates every area of learning and curriculum, from history, language, math, and science, to 21st Century learning skills such as innovation,

materials in this teacher’s guide are designed to help you use the 50-minute opera production as a rich classroom resource, and the activities are aligned with Common Core Standards in order to provide meaningful connections between the production and your classroom goals. Every classroom is different, and we encourage you to adapt and edit the lessons to best fit the specific needs of your classroom.

Thank you!

Key Vocabulary folk tale stories passed down over time

moral the lesson of the story

oral tradition passing down stories by telling them, rather than writing them adaptation a story that takes the plot, main idea, and main characters of the original story and gives them a slightly new twist baritone a male voice that is low

soprano a female voice that is very high

trio three singers

finale the closing scene duet two singers aria an opera solo

ensemble a group of singers

Be sure to check out our new learning guide feature:

Activate with the Arts! These features use acting, movement, drawing, music, and more to help

students explore the content of the lesson.

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Pre-Performance

Story, Themes, & Adaptations,

Pre-Performance Teacher Preparation • Print Billy Goats Gruff Summary (optional), Summary Worksheet (optional), Listening Worksheet• Print or obtain hard copy of The Three Billy Goats Gruff. A printable version is available on page 10 of this

guide. Teachers may also wish to collaborate with the school librarian to obtain a hard copy of the story.• Cue up song excerpts for listening activity

Introduction to the main themes of the story (5 min)

Discuss the following questions as a whole group OR allow small groups of 3 or 4 to discuss, letting one or two groups share their answers between each set of questions:

• What is bullying?• Have you ever been bullied or watched someone else get bullied?• Have you ever acted like a bully?

Important Information to Share About Bullying!

Share the following with the whole group:

• Bullying = Danger: You MUSTtell an adult!

• Ignoring the bully helps you keepyour power, but you should neverignore the bullying.

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Three Billy Goats Gruff: The Original (10 min)

Read the following passage to introduce the story of The Three Billy Goats Gruff to the whole group:

Read the original story, Three Billy Goats Gruff as a whole group (choose your own book or use the story on page 10).

Discuss: • K-2: Discuss the following question with students: What is one lesson you could learn from

this story? Ask students to draw a picture to represent their answer.• 3-5: Split students into small groups of 3 or 4 to discuss and write their answer to the following

question: Describe one lesson you could learn from this story (there are lots of possibleanswers to this question!). Use at least one example from the text to support your answer.

Allow two or three of the small groups to share their answer with the whole group.

Pre-Performance: Continued

Three Billy Goats Gruff is an old folktale from Norway. A folk tale is a short story originally passed down by people telling the story out loud to

others, or oral tradition. Folk tales often teach a lesson, or moral.

Activate with the Arts: Act!

K-2:As the teacher reads the story aloud, allow the students to act out the following:

• “a great ugly troll, with eyes as big as saucers, and a nose as long as a poker.”• the smallest billy goat “trip trapping” over the bridge• the medium billy goat “trip trapping” over the bridge• the biggest billy goat making the bridge “creak and groan”• teachers may wish to allow students to experiment with tiny, medium, and

large voices, as well as a voice for the troll.

3-5:Split students into small groups of 5. Each student will take one of the following reading roles:

Narrator • Little Goat • Medium Goat • Big Goat • Troll Instead of reading the story as a whole group, allow students to read the story in their small groups and act out the parts as they read.

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The Billy Goats Gruff; The Opera Adaptation (15 min)

Read the following passage to the whole group to introduce the opera:

The same story can be told in lots of ways. Three Billy Goats Gruff is a famous story that has been passed down over hundreds of years. The Opera that we are going to see is an adaptation, or re-telling, of this story. An adaptation takes the plot, main idea, and main characters of the original story and gives them a slightly new twist.

Read the following summary of the opera aloud to the students:

Pre-Performance: Continued

Billy Goats Gruff Summary

Lucy, Ernesto, and Dandini are the three billy goats in our opera. They are on their way home from school and stop to play a game of hide and seek at the old wooden bridge. Osmin, another billy goat, does not have any friends because he tries to bully everyone. When he sees Lucy, Ernesto, and Dandini, he decides to spoil their fun by blocking the bridge so they can’t go home. He even steals Lucy’s doll and tosses it up in a tree.

The three billy goats try to make a plan to cross the bridge, but whether they march or tiptoe Osmin continues to block their path. Ernesto and Dandini go to tell a grownup about their troubles, but Lucy is determined to get her doll back. Osmin tries to hit her and in self-defense she pushes him off the bridge.

Osmin is embarrassed, but when Ernesto and Dandini come back, Lucy tells them that Osmin “decided to give the doll back” and that he promised from now on he would “play nicely and always consider the feelings of others.” In the end, Osmin apologizes for being a bully and all four of the billy goats play a game of hide and seek together.

Printable student copy available, page 10.

Plot and Summary Worksheet available, pg. 11

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Pre-Performance

Listening Activity (10 minutes) Distribute the Listening Worksheet and review the instructions with the students: Music tells the story in opera as much as the lyrics or dialogue. Circle your answers as you listen to each of the following songs. Then answer the questions that follow.

Play the following excerpts of the major pieces from the opera to illustrate the ways the music tells something about the characters or events. Teachers should share the notes about each song with the students as they play each song. Give students 30-45 seconds after each excerpt to answer the questions on their worksheet. Teachers may wish to let students share their answers with a partner.

Listening Excerpts & Notes

These excerpts are from the original operas this production is based on. If students are having difficulty in determining what the music feels like (on the worksheet), share the lyric –or libretto- hints below each excerpt.

1. Once Upon a Time: “Oh my Gosh, Golly Gee”Original source: “Tous les trois reunis” from The Daughter of the RegimentThis piece is a trio or a song written for three singers. In this trio, there are two sopranos, which is a high female voice, and one tenor, which is a high male voice.Libretto hint: Oh my gosh, golly gee/ Here we are, you and me/ I was never so happy and excited/ School is done for the day/ Hip hoorah! Hip hooray!

2. Osmin’s Scene: “I don’t do what grownups tell me to”Original source: “Alle fuhlteder Leibe Freuden” from The Magic FluteThis is an aria, or opera solo, for a baritone singer. A baritone is a male singer with a low voice. Libretto hint: I don’t do what grownups tell me to/ I don’t obey/ I don’t listen to the stuff that moms and dads and teachers say

3. Marching across the bridge: “March, March, March”Original source: "March, March, March" from The Abduction from the SergalioThis is another trio, or song written for three singers. Imagine the way characters on stage might move to this music.Libretto hint: We are tough/ We are rough/ We are the Billy Goats Gruff

4. Finale: “You Must Be Kind to Each and Everyone”Original source: "Nie werd ich deine Huld verkenne" from The Abduction from the SergalioThis trio is the finale of the opera, meaning it is the final song of the opera. In this case, the finale sums up the moral of the story, or what the audience is supposed to learn from watching the opera.

Libretto hint: Thank you all and everyone/ For this chance to have some fun

Activate with the Arts: Move!

While listening to each song excerpt, encourage students to move to the music. Depending on the size and needs of the classroom, teachers may wish to ask students to stay seated at their desks while moving their upper bodies or to stand up in one place to move their whole bodies. This activity is fun and highly engaging for students, and will help them to understand how music helps tell the story.

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While listening to each song excerpt, encourage students to move to the music. Depending on the

What to listen for/look for in the performance (5 min) Review the following terms from the previous lesson:

About the Opera (10 min)

Relay the following information to the students: Opera is a drama (play), that is sung! Opera uses many different art forms to tell stories.

Discuss the following questions as a whole group:

How could each of these art forms be used to help tell the story in an opera? Distribute the About the Opera worksheet to students and read the following directions: Fill in the boxes below to answer the following question: What are the differences between, a. an opera vs. a play; b. watching a live performance vs. a performance on tv? Teachers may allow students to work on this worksheet individually or with a partner.

About Opera’s elements

Performance Expectations Discussion (5 min) Discuss the following questions as a whole group: • What does being a respectful audience member look like? • What does being a respectful audience member sound like? • What does being a respectful audience member feel like? • Why is it important to be a respectful audience member?

Performance Day

Elements, Expectations & Engagement

Teacher preparation: print About the Opera worksheet

Expectations

Music Lyrics

Dialogue Costumes

Sets

Music hint: think about when you watch a movie how the music lets you know what’s coming - loud, quiet, sad, happy, suspenseful, etc.

Aria trio

Baritone Soprano

tenor finale moral

Get engaged

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Post-Perfomance

Reflections on the performance Distribute Writing Reflection Worksheet and read the following directions to students:

1. What did you learn about opera that you didn’t know before?2. In the Opera Xpress performance of The Billy Goats Gruff, the billy goats have to decide how to deal

with a bully who is bothering them. They use a few different strategies. If the billy goats in the storycame to you for advice, what would you tell them to do and why?

Classroom extensions Teacher preparation: Print Writing Reflection worksheet

Exploring Bullying: Defining, Discussing, & Taking Perspectives

This set of activities utilizes movement, music, and visuals to explore the concepts of being a bully, getting bullied, and standing up to a bully in order to prevent and stop bullying in the school community. The activity is designed for Grades 3-5 but could be adapted for younger grades.

Define

Begin by sharing the following definition of bullying: Bullying is done on purpose to hurt, happens over and over, involves an imbalance of power, and is upsetting to the target.

Discuss

Display the following words on the board or smartboard: Words Actions Social Intimidation

Then discuss the following question as a whole group or in small student groups of 3 or 4: What are some examples of bullying with words, actions, or social intimidation? (examples: words - calling someone hurtful names; actions - pushing someone; social intimidation - moving tables to intentionally leave someone out at lunch)

Taking Perspectives

Share the following with the whole group: In this activity, we will call the person who gets bullied the target and the person doing the bullying, the bully. There will also be people who see the bullying happen, and we will call them bystanders.

(activity continues on next page)

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Addressing Bullying: Individual Project Share the following prompt with students:

Create something to address the issue of bullying. Your creation may be a song, a story, a video, a game, a piece of art, or anything else that you can share with others.

Teachers may wish to share this video as an example of something a real student created about the issue.

Depending on the needs and resources of the classroom, teachers are encouraged to help students share their creations with a wider audience through technology or social media.

Narrative Writing

Students may work individually or with a partner to answer the following prompt: The billy goats in the original story deal with the bully by letting the biggest, strongest billy goat scare away the troll under the bridge. In the opera adaptation, Lucy stands up to the bully while her friends go try to find an adult to tell. What do you think is the best way to put a stop to bullying? Write a story that teaches a lesson about how to deal with a bully. Your story should include a bully, someone who is getting bullied, and how that person and his or her friends help put a stop to the bullying. Your story may be an original, or you may wish to adapt a famous story, like the Three Billy Goats Gruff.

Note: Teachers may wish to supplement this activity with a mini-lesson on plot and story structure (rising action, climax, falling action, resolution).

Taking Perspectives, continued

For a more in-depth study of these perspectives, use the Weird book series books to explore the issue of bullying from the point of view of each role. Explore this link from author Erin Frankel.

Additional resources School Counseling by Heart – A blog providing wonderful resources for further exploring the issue of bullying through literature, art and technology.

Respect Ability Foundation - A Charlotte-based non-profit focused on anti-bullying and conflict resolution for students. They also offer a variety of school programs and resources.

Post-Performance: Continued

Activate with the Arts: Act!

• Split students into small groups of 5 or 6. Help students determine who will play the role of thebully, the target and the bystanders. *Teachers may wish to pre-determine these roles to ensurethat someone who is often a target in real life does not play the role of target in this activity.

• Give each student group the following prompt: Create a short skit that shows a target gettingbullied (remember that bullying can be with words, actions, or social intimidation). Your skit mayuse words or may only use silent motion. Your skit should also show the bystanders in the skitdoing one or more of the following: 1) Ignoring the bullying 2) Helping the target 3) Participatingin the bullying. *Remind students to carefully consider the constraints of their space and thesafety of their co-actors as they decide what they will act out.

• Allow each small group to perform their skit for the whole class.

• Provide the following prompt as an opportunity for individual written reflection: What role didyou play in the skit and what role do you think you most often play in real life? In what was wasyour skit realistic? In what ways was it different than real life?

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The Original Billy Goats Gruff Once upon a time there were three billy goats that were going up to the hillside to make themselves fat, and the

name of all three was "Gruff." On the way up was a bridge over a cascading stream they had to cross; and under the bridge lived a great ugly troll, with eyes as big as saucers, and a nose as long as a poker.

So first of all came the youngest Billy Goat Gruff to cross the bridge.

"Trip, trap, trip, trap! " went the bridge.

"Who's that tripping over my bridge?" roared the troll .

"Oh, it is only I, the tiniest Billy Goat Gruff, and I'm going up to the hillside to make myself fat," said the billy goat, with such a small voice.

"Now, I'm coming to gobble you up," said the troll.

"Oh, no! pray don't take me. I'm too little, that I am," said the billy goat. "Wait a bit till the second Billy Goat Gruff comes. He's much bigger."

"Well, be off with you," said the troll.

A little while after came the second Billy Goat Gruff to cross the bridge.

“Trip, trap, trip, trap, trip, trap,” went the bridge.

"Who's that tripping over my bridge?" roared the troll.

"Oh, it's the second Billy Goat Gruff , and I'm going up to the hillside to make myself fat," said the billy goat, who hadn't such a small voice.

"Now I'm coming to gobble you up," said the troll.

"Oh, no! Don't take me. Wait a little till the big Billy Goat Gruff comes. He's much bigger."

"Very well! Be off with you," said the troll.

But just then up came the big Billy Goat Gruff .

“Trip, trap, trip, trap, trip, trap!” went the bridge, for the billy goat was so heavy that the bridge creaked and groaned under him.

"Who's that tramping over my bridge?" roared the troll. "It's I! The big Billy Goat Gruff ," said the billy goat, who had an ugly hoarse voice of his own.

"Now I 'm coming to gobble you up," roared the troll.

"No, you're not!" said the biggest Billy Goat Gruff. "I am bigger than you and I could crush you into bits and bones." And when the troll saw how big the billy goat was, the troll let him pass and all three billy goats went to the hillside. They got so fat they could hardly walk home.

And if the fat hasn't fallen off, they're still fat; and so, Snip, snap, snout. This tale's told out. Adapted from: Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe, De tre bukkene Bruse som skulle gå til seters og gjøre seg fete, Norske Folkeeventyr, translated by George Webbe Dasent in Popular Tales from the Norse, 2nd edition (London: George Routledge and Sons, n.d.), no. 37, pp. 275-276. Translation revised by D. L. Ashliman.

Handout

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Plot: the main events of the story

Summarize: tell the story again using

fewer words Plot & summary

Worksheet

2. With a partner, fill in the blanks to put the events of the story in order.

1. ____ 4. ____

2. ____ 5. ____

3. ____ 6. ____

1. On your own, draw pictures to illustrate the plot of the story.

A. The three billy goats try to make a plan to cross the bridge.

B. Lucy, Ernesto, and Dandini decide to play hide and seek at the bridge.

C. Osmin and the three other billy goats all play hide and seek together.

3. On your own, write one or two sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

D. Osmin is embarrassed. E. Osmin blocks the bridge and take Lucy’s doll.

F. Lucy pushes Osmin off the bridge after he tries to hit her.

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Listening

Worksheet

Music tells the story in opera as much as the lyrics or dialogue. Circle your answers as you listen to each of the following songs. Then answer the questions that follow.

Song #1

The music makes you think that the characters in this scene are probably:

frightened having fun angry with someone

What about the song makes you think of this? ____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

Song #2

This music makes you think that the person singing this song is probably:

falling in love causing mischief going to bed

What about the music makes you think so? ____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

Song #3

This sounds like music for doing something:

boring romantic dangerous

What about the music makes you think so? ____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

Song #4

This song is the finale, or ending. This music makes you think the opera has a:

happy ending sad ending confusing ending

What about the music makes you think so? ____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

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About the opera

Worksheet

1.Who are some of the important people in the opera other than the singers? (Here are some hints!)

This group of people play the music: __________________________ This person conducts them: __________________________________ These people are a large group of singers that participate and help tell the story:

_________________________________________________________

2. Fill in the boxes below to answer the following question:

What are the differences between

a. an opera vs. a play b. watching a live performance vs. a performance on tv

Live performance

Performance on tv

opera play

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Writing reflection

Worksheet

2. In the Opera Xpress performance of The Billy Goats Gruff, the billy goats use a few different strategies to deal with a bully who is bothering them. If the billy goats in the story came to you for advice, what would you tell them to do and why?

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

1. What did you learn about opera that you did not know before?

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

Answer the following questions in complete sentences.

Plot and Summary Worksheet (20 points total) *Teachers may wish to use this worksheet as a grade. Grade picture boxes for accurate portrayal of the corresponding plot points.

1. On your own, draw pictures to illustrate the plot of the story. (6 points) (Boxes with the following headings beneath each box)

a. The three billy goats try to make a plan to cross the bridge. b. Lucy, Ernesto and Dandini decide to play hide and seek at the bridge. c. Osmin and the three other billy goats all play hide and seek together. d. Osmin is embarrassed. e. Osmin blocks the bridge and takes Lucy’s doll. f. Lucy pushes Osmin off the bridge after he tries to hit her.

2. With a partner, fill in the blanks to put the events of the story in order. (6 points)

1. B 2. E 3. A 4. F 5. D 6. C

3. On your own, write one or two sentences to summarize the story. (8 points) Example: Three billy goats encounter a bully who keeps them from crossing the bridge to get home. Together they find a way across the bridge and in the end, to make a friend out of the bully.

Listening Worksheet *If teachers wish to grade this worksheet, it should be used as a completion grade only.

Music tells the story in opera as much as the lyrics or dialogue. Circle your answers as you listen to each of the following songs. Then answer the questions that follow. Song #1: This music makes you think that the characters in this scene are probably:

frightened having fun angry with someone Song #2 :This music makes you think that the person singing this song is probably:

falling in love causing mischief going to bed Song #3: This sounds like music for doing something:

boring romantic dangerous Song #4: This is the finale, or final song. This music makes you think the opera has a:

happy ending sad ending confusing ending

Worksheet Answer Keys

About the Opera Worksheet

*This worksheet is intended to help students engage in the discussion and should not be graded. Teachers may wish to use the worksheet as a completion grade.

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Writing Reflection Worksheet Criterion Excellent Good Fair Poor

Student demonstrates use of analysis and valid reasoning in giving advice to the Billy Goats. 5 4 3 2

(CCSA.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.1)

Student conveys complex ideas clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of the Billy Goats

Gruff opera. (CCSA.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.2) 5 4 3 2

Student writing is clear and coherent writing and development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and

audience. (CCSA.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.4) 5 4 3 2

Student draws evidence from the opera and the original Three Billy Goats Gruff story to support his/her reflection.

(CCSA.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.9) 5 4 3 2

Group Skit Activity Criterion Excellent Good Fair Poor Student participated effectively and collaborated with diverse

partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. (CCSA.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1) 5 4 3 2

Group skit included a bully, a target, and bystanders. 5 4 3 2

Group skit showed bystanders ignoring, helping or participating in the bullying. 5 4 3 2

Individual writing clearly communicated student's reflection about bullying and the acting activity. (CCSA.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.4) 5 4 3 2

Grading Rubrics

Notes:

Writing Reflection Worksheet (20 points total)

Notes:

Group Skit Activity (20 points total)

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Individual Project Criterion Excellent Good Fair Poor Student created something that could be shared with others. 5 4 3 2

Student creation addresses the issue of bullying. 5 4 3 2

Student communicates his/her ideas about bullying effectively and

appropriately. (CCSA.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.4) 5 4 3 2

Student uses technology to produce, publish, and/or share creation with others. (CCSA.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.6) 5 4 3 2

Narrative Criterion Excellent Good Fair Poor

Narrative teaches a lesson about how to handle a bully. 5 4 3 2

Story includes a bully, a target, and a solution to the bullying problem.

5 4 3 2

Student narrative depicts real or imagined experiences using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event

sequence. (CCSA.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.3) 5 4 3 2

Student communicates his/her ideas about bullying effectively and appropriately. (CCSA.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.4) 5 4 3 2

Grading Rubrics

Addressing Bullying: Individual Project (20 points total)

Notes:

Notes:

Narrative Writing Activity (20 points total)

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The following additional standards are explored in the activities throughout the Billy Goats Gruff Learning Guide:

CCSA.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. CCSA.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

CCSA.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1 Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. CCSA.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2 Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas. CCSA.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.9 Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take. CCSA.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. CCSA.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others. CCSA.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.5 Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations. CCSA.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.L.6 Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering an unknown term important to comprehension or expression

Common Core Standards The following anchor standards provide a basis for all of our Learning Guide activities:

CCSA.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences CCSA.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1 Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. CCSA.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.2 Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

Connections