Theaterworks USA’s

CHARLOTTE’S WEB

Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019 9:30 a.m./ 12:30 p.m.

Welcome Home!Join us for the 2018-19 Season as we

explore the themes of home, 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 home

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 (920) 730-3726 or

educationsales@foxcitiespac.com.

Welcome | 3

Standards | 4

About | 5

Lesson Plans | 6

In the Spotlight | 10

What’s Next | 11

My Journal | 12

Student Showcase | 14

Resource Room | 15

A note from our education series partner – Bemis

“The series provides a rich learning experience to thousands of students each year.

We hope that it enriches the growth of our young people and our community by

broadening our perspectives and increasing our passion for the arts.”

-Tim Fliss, SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer, Bemis Company

Community Partners

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When entering the Fox Cities Performing Arts

Center, remember to show respect for others by

waiting your turn and speaking quietly.

Remember that during the performance the live

performers can see and hear you. Even the

smallest sounds can be heard throughout the

theater, so it is best to remain quiet so everyone

can enjoy the performance.

Applause is the best way to express how much

you enjoyed the performance!

Important things to remember:

• Gum, beverages (including water bottles)

and food are not allowed in the theater for

Bemis Company Education Series

performances.

• 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. 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: foxcitiespac.com.

Questions about your show reservation? Contact our

education sales team at educationsales@foxcitiespac.com or

call (920) 730-3726.

ENJOY THE SHOW!

Be prepared to arrive early – You should plan on arriving to the

Center 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 Bemis Company 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 in advance 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.

To assist you in your planning, the key themes and the Wisconsin Academic Standards that are most

likely to connect with this performance are listed below.

KEY THEMES

• American Author

• Friendship

• Language

• PBIS

WISCONSIN ACADEMIC STANDARDS

AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND NATURAL RESOURCES

• AS1.a.1.e Identify domesticated animals used in production agriculture and pets by sights and

sounds.

• AS3.a.1.e Explain basic care of animals and how it affects their health.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

• Recount story, characters and determine the central message, lesson or moral.

• Compare and contrast the adventures or experiences of characters in the story.

• Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or

through other media.

MUSIC

• 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).

• SS.BH2: Wisconsin students will investigate and interpret interactions between individuals and groups

(sociology).

THEATER

• A.4.1 Attend a live theater performance and discuss the experience: explain what happened in the

play; identify and describe the characters; say what they liked and didn’t like; describe the scenery,

lighting, and/or costumes.

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Theaterworks USA is a New York based nonprofit theater that strives to inspire and empower children

with content that encourages a positive and inclusive world view. This company reaches diverse

audiences by traveling around the United States as well as to parts of Canada. With show content that

focuses on programing for Grades K-8, this company focuses on the 4 C’s of learning: creativity, critical

thinking, communication and collaboration.

Adaptation by Joseph Robinette

Based on the novel by E. B. White

Based on E.B. White’s loving story of the friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a little gray

spider named Charlotte, this story explores bravery, selfless love and the true meaning of friendship.

Students will be fascinated as these endearing farm animals plan a “miracle” to fool Farmer Zuckerman

into making “some pig” a home on the farm forever.

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FRIENDSHIP

OBJECTIVE

• Learn the true meaning of friendship and find examples of being a good friend.

MATERIALS

• Copies of the book “Charlotte’s Web”

• Student worksheet

• Writing materials

WARM UP

Invite students to give examples of the things friends do for one another and write these examples on a

whiteboard.

ACTIVITY

Who is a friend? Use this lesson to help students deepen their understanding of “Charlotte’s Web’s” central theme

of friendship by asking students to locate and discuss instances when people and animals displayed friendship

toward one another in the book.

Distribute copies of the novel and student worksheets. As a class, read “Charlotte’s Web” out loud then ask

students to find instances of people and animals doing things for one another as friends. Ask students to reflect on

why friendship is so important to the characters in “Charlotte’s Web”—and to us.

Look through the book “Charlotte’s Web”. Find examples of people or animals being good friends to others and

fill them in on the sheet provided (pg. 7). The first one has been done for you.

Adaptations: younger children can dictate one or two examples to older children, a classroom aide, or to you to

be transcribed onto the student worksheet. Students for whom English is a second language may benefit from

having several examples elicited from the class written down on the board. Other students may benefit from

completing the exercise in pairs, taking turns locating examples and summarizing them on the worksheet.

Divide the class into groups of four or five. Each group’s task is to choose one group member to play the role of a

new kid in class. The new kid’s challenge is to try to gain acceptance into the group. After the role-plays, discuss

with the class how it felt to be the new kid and how it felt to be part of the “in-group.” Discuss some of the

different ways of “breaking in” to a new group.

CLOSING DISCUSSION

Brainstorm ways kids can be more tolerant and accepting of each other. Write them on the board. Then have the

children work in small groups to create posters about accepting others. Display the posters in the classroom or

hallway.

Sources: www.walden.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/CW_EdGuide.pdf

www.goodcharacter.com/YCC/BeingFriends.html

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CREATIVE WRITING

OBJECTIVE

• Students will learn how descriptive words make stories clearer and more interesting.

MATERIALS

• Writing paper

• Pencils and erasers

WARM UP

• Have your students close their eyes and listen as you describe a familiar object in the classroom.

• Ask students to raise their hands if they think they know what the object is.

• Ask students to list the descriptive words that helped them identify the object.

• Would they have known the object if you had not used those words?

Want to learn more about farm animals after watching Charlotte’s Web?

MULBERRY LANE PETTING FARM

Located in Hilbert, Wisconsin, Mulberry Lane Petting Farm provides an ideal country learning

environment where people of all ages can interact and learn about farm animals through

“hands-on” group and self-guided tours. Each person is encouraged to have firsthand

experience by touching all of the animals. Touch, feed and experience these incredible

animals close up as they become your teachers. Visitors learn things they never knew about

farm animals including cows, pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, rabbits, geese, donkeys and more!

For more information about Mulberry Lane Petting Farm, visit www.mulberrylanefarmwi.com

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ACTIVITY

1. Discuss the importance of using descriptive words in written stories. Share some examples of how descriptive

words make stories clearer and more interesting. Ask students what descriptive words they could use to

identify an animal from Charlotte’s Web.

2. Write these descriptive words on the board or chart paper and talk about them. Which words are more

descriptive than others? Which words are less descriptive? Which words can be used to describe more than

one item in the list? Which words help clearly identify an item?

3. Ask students to think of common items and keep their ideas to themselves. Tell them that they will write a

descriptive paragraph about one item without writing the name of it. Each paragraph should be at least five

sentences and describe such details as the item’s appearance, how heavy it is, what it is used for, its color, and

where it is found. Students should not reveal the name of the item in their paragraphs. Explain that students

will read other students’ finished paragraphs to see if they can figure out the items based on the descriptive

words.

4. Give students time in class to write their paragraphs. Remind them to use as many descriptive words as they

can, without naming the item. Discuss the importance of using clear, complete sentences and following the

basic rules of writing.

5. When students have finished writing their paragraphs, have them switch them with a partner. Have the

partners read the paragraphs and try to identify the items described. What descriptive words did students

use? What words or phrases clearly described the item?

6. Ask volunteers who had trouble identifying an item to share the paragraph with the rest of the class. Talk

about ways these paragraphs could be improved. What descriptive words or phrases could be used to more

clearly identify the item?

CLOSING DISCUSSION

Once the paragraphs have been read and discussed, have the class summarize what they have learned about

descriptive words. Ask students to talk about the important role descriptive words play in making stories and other

writing clearer and more interesting to readers.

Source: www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/writing-strategies.cfm

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COMPARING AMERICAN AUTHORS

OBJECTIVE

• Help students explore other American authors and begin to compare different writing styles.

WARM UP

Discuss with students that E.B. White is an American author and share with them examples of books they may

have read by other American authors. A list of popular authors can be found at this link:

www.readingrockets.org/article/75-authorsillustrators-everyone-should-know. Help them begin to research

and make a list of at least 10 American authors. Introduce the concept that each author has a different writing

style and way that they like to tell their story.

ACTIVITY

Take your students to the school or public library and have them select a book they have not read from one of

the American authors on their list. Give them a deadline to finish reading their selected book.

As they begin to read their book, remind students to pay attention to the descriptive words used in the story

and how the story is told. Are there a lot of pictures? Who or which character is telling the story? Are there

certain words that are used often?

Once the books are read, have students write a short report about the book including:

• Title and author

• A summary of what happens in the story

• A list of the main characters with brief descriptions

• At least six descriptive words that were used

• How is this author’s style the same or different than E.B. White?

• Would you read more books by this author and why?

CLOSING DISCUSSION

Have the students partner up and share their reports.

E. B. White

E. B. White wrote over 17 books comprising of poetry,

essays and children’s stories. His most notable works for

children are “Charlotte’s Web”, “Stuart Little” and “Trumpet

of the Swan”. White was fascinated by farm animals and

admits that’s where much of his inspiration came from. The

story of “Charlotte’s Web” came to him while he was

watching a spider weave a web. He recalled being

impressed with how well and clever this spider must have

been to come up with such a design.

Source: www.scholastic.com/teachers/authors/e--b--white/

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 kindness, 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 Charlotte save the day for Wilbur?

•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?

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Before attending the performance write or draw a prediction about what you think will happen:

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After the performance write or draw about the following:

1. I learned…

2. I did not understand…

3. I would like to learn more about…

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What was a light bulb moment that your students had?

What was something new they learned? Was it anyone’s

first time to the Center? We would love for you to share!

After your class attends the show we would appreciate

photos, letters, posters, cards, etc.—be creative! This is to

help us share with our partners what your students are

learning.

The Center’s education programs are not possible without

the support of our Annual Partners and grant funders. They

enjoy learning about the schools and students that

participate in the education programs so we would

appreciate your help in telling the story.

Items may be sent via email to azinkgraf@foxcitiespac.com

or mailed/dropped off at:

Fox Cities Performing Arts Center

Attn: Andrea Zinkgraf

400 W. College Ave.

Appleton, WI 54911

Please note items will not be returned and will be shared

with our partners and/or displayed at the Center

Thank you for your help in sharing the great work you are

doing in the classroom with our partners!

Fox Cities Performing Arts CenterEducation Department

400 W. College Avenue • Appleton, WI 54911education@foxcitiespac.com • (920) 730-3726

BOOKS

If you enjoyed this story, try these books by E. B. White:

• “Stuart Little”

• “Trumpet of the Swan”

“Black Beauty” by Anna Sewell

“Mr. Popper’s Penguins” by Richard Atwater

WEBSITES

Scholastic Teachers-browse free teaching resources by grade

www.scholastic.com/teachers/home/

The Kennedy Center Arts Ege-arts integration lessons

http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org

LOCAL RESOURCES

Mulbery Lane Petting Farm

www.mulberrylanefarmwi.com

This educator resource guide is created as part of The Boldt Company Beyond the Stage Education Program.

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