Inside this guide:Before the PlayAbout: The Show, Author, Illustrator, and Playwright and Composer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Big Ideas and Vocabulary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Questions for Discussion and Curriculum Connections . .4

Activity: Fancy, Flashy, Frilly Synonyms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Introduce or review synonyms with students using vocabulary from Fancy Nancy. Worksheet included.

Activity: Sensational Self-Portraits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7Students create self-portraits in their fanciest or most fabu-lous attire.

Spotlight on Ballet! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9What’s all the fuss about Nancy’s ballet recital? Includes brief history, vocabulary, and background on this art form, includ-ing photos and video links.

Reading List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Provided by Multnomah County Library SchoolCorps.

Teacher Info & Important Dates Friday, March 21, 2014: Full balance due, last day to

reduce seats

Friday, May 9, 7 p.m.: Teacher preview

Length: 60 minutes

Location: Newmark Theatre

Based on the book by Jane O’Connor. Book and lyrics by Susan DiLallo. Music and lyrics by Danny Abosch. Directed by Stan Foote. Teacher resource guide by Allison Davis.

TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE

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About

The ShowNote: Fancy Nancy: The Musical is based on the book Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet.

Fancy Nancy is no ordinary little girl. She loves to dress up in fabulous outfits, host decadent tea parties, use big fancy words, and practice her French—all for the sake of turning the ordinary into the fantastically fancy!

Nancy and her pals Wanda, Rhonda, Bree, and Lionel are all thrilled to be dancing in an upcoming school ballet recital. Nancy is sure she will be cast as a shimmering mermaid. When Bree lands the coveted role and Nancy is cast as an ordinary tree, Nancy has to learn how to handle her jealousy and disap-pointment gracefully.

This production is chock full of vocabulary, important lessons about positive and not-so-positive emotions, and above all, musical numbers that make this field trip the fanciest event of the school year!

The AuthorJane O’Connor is the author of more than thirty books for children, including the Nina, Nina Ballerina stories, illustrated by DyAnne DiSalvo, and the Fancy Nancy picture book series. Ms. O’Connor lives with her family in New York City.

The IllustratorRobin Preiss Glasser has illustrated such bestsellers as America: A Patriotic Primer by Lynne Cheney, Daddy’s Girl by Garrison Keillor, and the Fancy Nancy picture books. She lives in Southern California with her family, puppy, and tiara collection.

The Playwright and ComposerSusan DiLallo (Book & Lyrics) is the recipient of the coveted Kleban Award. Her libretto for an original musical comedy, Iron Curtain, earned her a Jonathan Larson Award and was further developed during a residency at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. Her book and lyrics to another musical, Once Upon a Time in New Jersey, won both a Richard Rodgers Award and The Global Search for New Musicals Competition, Cardiff. Other credits include the Mattel/Clear Channel pro-duction of Barbie Live! In Fairytopia (book, lyrics); That’s Life(Outer Critics Circle nominee); Pinocchio, a Musical About Adoption (winner, KIDDstuff new play competition); and the revised libretto for the classic A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Danny Abosch (Music/Lyrics/Orchestrations) is the composer/lyricist of Placebo, a new musical that won the 2012 PMTP Development Award, including a fully produced workshop at the Pasadena Playhouse, directed by Ryan Scott Oliver. Placebo has also been workshopped at the University of Michigan, Oklahoma City University, Emerson College, and Pace University. Danny is also the composer/lyricist of Unwritten Rules, an original musical that placed in the Academy for New Musical Theatre’s 2008 Search for New Voices in American Musical Theatre.

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The Big Ideas• Adding a little extra color, music, vocabulary or fancy

flair is a great way to make your day special.

• Being fancy isn’t just for girls.

• Even when we try our hardest, we can’t always get what we want.

• It’s okay to feel jealous sometimes.

Vocabulary from the playTiara

Exquisite

Glamorous

Wardrobe

Beret

Etiquette

Fuschia

Sapphire

Lavender

Brilliant

Gigantic

Ecstatic

Crumpets

Lagoon

‘Break a leg’

Carnivore

French VocabularySuivez moi: Follow me

Voila: Here you go

Si Vous Plait: Please, or ‘if you please’

Merci: Thank you

Excusez moi: Excuse me

Cherie: Dear

Mademoiselle: Miss

Bon Appetit: Enjoy your meal

Ocean CreaturesJellyfish

Starfish

Sailfish

Sea Anenome

Crab

Snail

Blowfish

Otter

Dolphin

Octopus

Coral

Tuna

Flounder

Lobster

Clown Fish

Mackerel

Mussel

Shark

Oyster

Sea Horse

Salmon

Angel Fish

Barracuda

“I am almost positive – “I am almost positive – “I am almost positive – that’s like 100% sure that’s like 100% sure that’s like 100% sure – that Madame Lucille – that Madame Lucille – that Madame Lucille will pick Bree and me will pick Bree and me will pick Bree and me to be mermaids.”to be mermaids.”to be mermaids.”

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Questions for Discussion and Curriculum Connections

Discussion Questions1. Do you like to dress up in fancy clothes or costumes?

Why or why not?

2. Why is Nancy so upset about the role she is given for the Mermaid Ballet?

3. Can you remember a time when you didn’t get what you wanted? How did you feel? What did you do?

4. What advice would you give Nancy after she learns that she’s been cast as a tree?

5. Nancy likes to learn ballet because she feels graceful and likes to perform for her family. Do you have a sport, an art, or special skill that you like to show others? What is it?

6. After Bree is chosen to replace Savanah as one of the mermaids, Nancy says “I liked it much better when neither of us got to be a mermaid.” Why do you think she feels this way?

7. In the play, Nancy and her friends are very excited to hear about the Mermaid Ballet and what parts they’ll be cast as. If you had to pick an ocean creature to portray in a ballet, what animal would you choose and why?

8. What lessons do you think Nancy has learned by the end of the play?

Curriculum ConnectionsScienceLife Sciences: Nancy’s school ballet recital is all about crea-tures that live in the sea. Look on page 3 for a list of creatures mentioned in the musical. In small groups or individually, have students investigate one of the animals on this list. What does it look like? Where does it live? What does it eat? What else does it need to survive? Create an under-the-sea learning center with books from your library and a place to display stu-dents’ findings!

Social SciencesGeography: Assign small groups of students a country from around the world. Explain to students that they will be researching manners, language, and polite customs of that country. Use student findings to create a map bulletin board with each country’s name, flag, language spoken, and facts that students have discovered using the Internet or your school library.

“I am much more than “I am much more than “I am much more than sad. Sad is too plain sad. Sad is too plain sad. Sad is too plain a word for how I feel.”a word for how I feel.”a word for how I feel.”

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Activity: Fancy, Flashy, Frilly Synonyms

OverviewThe Fancy Nancy series is a great tool for introducing or reviewing synonyms with your students. Use the included worksheet for synonym work and vocabulary review, and take your synonyms to the next level with a poetry extension.

Grade LevelK-2

StandardsLanguage Arts: Language: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Anchor 4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases.

1.L.4—2.L.4

Anchor 5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

K.L.5—2.L.5

Length30 minutes

MaterialsPrint the following OCT worksheets:

• Synonym Sheet (class set)

Copy of Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet (or another Fancy Nancy book)

Pencils

Activity Instructions1. Prep: Print class set of Synonym worksheets.

2. Prompt: Introduce or review synonyms with your stu-dents by reading a Fancy Nancy book to your students. Point out a moment when Nancy says that one word is a fancy word for another word. Words that have the same meaning, like these pairs, are called synonyms.

3. Pair Up: Distribute Synonym worksheets and allow time for students to match the synonyms to the correct sentences.

Extension: Synonym PoemsTake your synonym study to a poetic place with the following poem format:

• First line: An emotion word

• Second line: A list of three or four synonyms for that word

• Third line: One sentence describing a moment when you feel that feeling: ‘Happiness is when you find a shiny penny on the ground.’

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Synonyms Name _______________________________________________

Write a synonym for each underlined word in the space next to the sentence.

1. The mermaids went swimming in the lake. _______________________________________

2. Nancy’s parents cheered ‘good job’ at the ballet. ________________________________

3. I was surprised when the spider crawled on my leg. ______________________________

4. The beautiful sunset was very colorful. _________________________________________

5. My fanciest shirt has blue buttons. _____________________________________________

6. I am so excited to dance in the ballet recital! ____________________________________

7. We saw a play at the Newmark theater downtown. _______________________________

Word Bank

thrilled sapphire exquisite

lagoon startled bravo

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Activity: Sensational Self-Portraits

OverviewStudents create self-portraits based on their fanciest, most fabulous outfits, accessories, and settings. Use the included Portrait download to provide a fancy frame.

Grade LevelPK-2

StandardsArts: Create, Present, Perform

AR.03.CP.01 Create, present and perform works of art.

AR.03.CP.03 Express ideas, moods and feelings through the arts.

Length30 minutes or more

MaterialsPrint the following OCT worksheets included in this guide:

• Portrait sheets

Drawing supplies: crayons, colored pencils, markers, etc.

Activity Instructions1. Prep: Gather art supplies and print class set of Portrait

sheets.

2. Prompt: Fancy Nancy feels best when she’s dressed up in her fanciest clothes. What makes your students feel their best? What would they wear? Explain that students will be creating self-portraits of their best, fanciest, more fabulous selves (whatever that might look like, whether it’s a tuxedo, a tiara, or a turtle costume).

3. Portrait: Distribute portrait worksheets and art materials and allow time for portrait work to begin! If you have access to a mirror, encourage students to practice their fanciest facial expressions in it and draw what they see.

A self-portrait is a representa-tion of an artist that is drawn, painted, photographed or sculpted by the artist them-selves. Many famous artists are well-known for their self portraits, including Leonardo Da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh, and Frida Kahlo.

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Spotlight on Ballet!Nancy’s role in her ballet recital is very important to her. But what is ballet? What do dancers study? Share the following background with students before they see the play, or prac-tice reading comprehension skills by having students read independently or in small groups.

Brief HistoryBallet is a very old form of dance. It began in the 15th century in Italy as a light form of entertainment enjoyed by royalty. Later it was developed into its own art form by the French and Russians. The terms for ballet steps all come from the French language. Ultimately ballet became an internationally recog-nized and loved form of dance. Full-length story ballets such as Giselle, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake are part of any classical dance company’s repertory. The Nutcracker is a chil-dren’s favorite during the holiday season. Boys, girls, men and women all study ballet.

Ballet is very demanding, requiring years of training and an excellent sense of timing and feeling for music. Professional ballet dancers practice for several hours daily to stay in shape. Ballet schools are found in every city. Ballet training is not just for the aspiring ballet dancer. It also provides a base for learning modern dance, helps children appreciate music, and improves athletic ability for many sports.

Ballet TrainingTurnout and FlexibilityTurnout is essential to classi-cal ballet. Turnout is a rotation of the leg which comes from the hips, causing the knee and foot to turn outward, away from the center of the body. To warm up, ballet

dancers spend a great deal of time stretching in splits to open up their hips.

Basic Foot PositionsThe positions of the feet in ballet are a fundamental part of ballet exercise. There are five basic positions of the feet in modern-day classical ballet, known as the first through fifth positions. These five positions were defined by the dancing master Pierre Beauchamp in the late 17th century.

Third position is simply a relaxed fifth position. As a dancer develops turnout and hip strength, they can stand correctly in fifth position, which requires the toes to touch the heels.

Ballet BarreThe ballet barre consists of exercises done while holding onto a long hand rail for stabil-ity. (The hand rail itself is called the “barre.”)

The exercises begin simply with deep knee bends called “plies” from each of the five basic positions. Next, dancers often practice a series of quicker brushing steps called tendus to warm up the feet. Plies and tendus are just a few of the exercises dancers do at the barre.

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Spotlight on Ballet! cont.

Ballet Center MovementsIn the center of the room, ballet dancers work on movement combinations. An adagio is a series of slow, fluid movements with legs unfolding high into the air.

Next, dancers practice pirouettes – turning combinations. Advanced male dancers can easily rotate 4-5 times at once! Multiple pirouettes require great leg strength and a strong sense of balance. To keep from getting dizzy, dancers “spot” a particular point in front of them. The head rotates around quickly and back to that point with each turn.

Put It All Together—Choreography! Choreography is the art of making a dance by connecting various bal-let steps into patterns that reflect feeling for music. Many ballet stu-dents get their earliest dance experience by performing in the annual holiday production of The Nutcracker. In Portland, our major ballet company is called Oregon Ballet Theatre. In the video below, the very youngest dancers in the School of Oregon Ballet Theatre transform the simple steps they’ve learned in beginning classes into a dance.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7QzsmHn8Ik

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Reading List

Dressing Up/Fabulous Fashion and MannersNabeel’s New Pants – An Eid Tale by Fawzia Gilani-Williams. Now that the celebration of Eid is about to begin, Nabeel the shoemaker is persuaded by the shopkeeper to get new pants for himself, but the only pair available is too long.

Fashion Kitty by Cherise Mericle Harper. After a stack of fash-ion magazines falls on Kiki Kitty’s head while she is blowing out the candles on her birthday cake, Kiki turns into Fashion Kitty, a feline superhero who saves other kitties from fashion disaster.

Annie and Snowball and the Dress-up Birthday by Cynthia Rylant. Annie and her pet rabbit, Snowball, invite Henry and Mudge to a dress-up birthday party, but there is some confu-sion about what the guests are supposed to wear.

Ella Sarah Gets Dressed by Margaret Chodos-Irvine. Despite the advice of others in her family, Ella Sarah persists in wearing the striking and unusual outfit of her own choosing.

Polly’s Pink Pajamas by Vivian French. Polly loves her pink pajamas so much that she wears them day and night, but when Fred invites her to a party, she visits all of her friends to borrow the special clothes she thinks she will need.

Princess Grace by Mary Hoffman. Grace wants to participate in her community festival’s princess float, but first she must decide what sort of a princess she wants to be – from an African princess in kente cloth robes to a floaty pink fairy tale princess.

Clothes I Love to Wear by Cheryl Hudson Willis. A vivacious young girl tries on various clothes in an attic and enters a world of her imagination and personal creativity.

Louise the Big Cheese and the La-di-da Shoes by Elise Primavera. Louise’s mother will not allow her to get shiny black shoes with sparkles on them, but when her friend Fern gets a pair, Louise finds out just how impractical fancy shoes really are.

What We Wear – Dressing Up Around the World by Maya Ajmera. Uses colorful photographs to show the clothing and dress of children from places around the globe, including Peru, Uganda, and Sweden.

I Had a Favorite Dress by Boni Ashburn. A young girl loves her favorite dress, but when it gets worn, goes out of fashion, or she grows too big to fit, her mother fixes up her old favorite into something new.

Princess Bess Gets Dressed by Margery Cuyler. A fashionably dressed princess reveals her favorite clothes at the end of a busy day.

Zorro Gets An Outfit by Carter Goodrich. Zorro is embar-rassed at having to wear a fancy outfit to the park and Mister Bud is unable to cheer him up until a “cool” new dog arrives in his own fancy clothes and challenges the friends to a race.

My Princess Boy by Cheryl Kilodavis. A four-year-old boy loves dressing up in princess clothing. “This little boy loves the color pink, and sparkly things. Sometimes he wears dresses, and sometimes he wears jeans. He likes to wear his princess tiara, even when climbing trees. He’s a Princess Boy, and his family loves him exactly the way he is.

Ooh La La Polka-dot Boots by Ellen Olson-Brown. Illustrations and brief rhyming text sing the praises of polka-dot boots, which add panache to any outfit.

Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems. Wilbur, a naked mole rat who likes to wear clothes, is forced to go before the wise community elder, who surprises the other naked mole rats with his pronouncement.

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Reading List cont.

Overcoming DisappointmentThe Honest-to-Goodness Truth by Pat McKissack. After prom-ising never to lie, Libby learns that blurting out the whole truth can be lead to disappointments too.

No Fair Science Fair by Nancy Poydar. Otis finally comes up with the idea to build a bird feeder for the science fair, but he’s disappointed when no birds show up.

My Best Friend by Mary Ann Rodman. Six-year-old Lily has a best friend all picked out for play group day, but unfortunately the differences between first-graders and second-graders are sometimes very large

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems. When a bus driver takes a break from his route, Pigeon is disappointed that he can’t drive the bus.

“You always say “You always say “You always say that anyone can be that anyone can be that anyone can be fancy. There must fancy. There must fancy. There must be a way to be be a way to be be a way to be fancy, even as fancy, even as fancy, even as a tree.”a tree.”a tree.”

It’s finally field trip day! How are you getting to the theater? Do you have a long trip by bus or car? Take a look at these activities which can be completed by you and your students as you travel to downtown Portland.

Tea PartyOn your way to the theater, play this memory game. The first student says: I’m going to a tea party and I’m bringing apples (or appetizers or armadillos or any word that begins with A). The next student says: I’m going to a tea party and I’m bring-ing apples and blackberry biscuits (or another word that begins with B). Repeat the sequence with the whole group. Can students make it through the whole alphabet? What kinds of fancy or unusual items might they bring to a tea party?

Vocabulary CharadesPrint the included Fancy Nancy vocabulary words before your field trip and cut apart. Make sure you have one word per student (words may need to be repeated depending on the size of your class). Once you’re on the bus, give each student a vocabulary word. Their goal is to silently act out their word on the way to the theater for their seatmate, whose job is to guess the word. Once they’ve got it, switch roles. If you have time, you can also have students swap words with the students near them to play a second round.

Downtown Portland Scavenger HuntPrint copies of the downtown Portland scavenger hunt check-list and complete it on your bus ride, or if you have some walk-ing time before or after your visit to Oregon Children’s Theatre. Students can work in pairs or individually. When you’re back at school, talk with students about what they saw.

SW 1

oth

SW N

inth

SW P

ark

SW 6

th

SW 5

th

SW B

road

way

SW Madison

SW Main

SW Salmon

SW Jefferson

SW Columbia

SW Clay

SW Market

PORTLAND STREETCAR

PORTLAND STREETCAR

SW Mill

Winningstad Theatre1111 SW Broadway

Lost or running late? Call us at (503) 228-9571.

TeaCHer reSourCe GuiDe

On the way

mermaid ballet

tree tea party

shark curtsy

manners tiara

mansion ocean

graceful balance

oyster jealous

applause stage

parasol beret

feather boa polite

queen king

starfish crab

tutu rainbow

On The Way

Downtown Portland Scavenger HuntName and date ____________________________________

� A non-Oregon or Washington license plate

� The Portland sign

� A statue or sculpture

� Star shapes

� Two bridges—do you know their names?

� MAX or street car

� Pedestrian holding a cup of coffee

� An umbrella

� A food cart

� Skyscraper—can you count how many stories it has?

� A person wearing a suit

� Cyclist

� Street performer

� Pedicab (a bicycle that can carry passengers)

� Timbers jersey

� A person wearing a hat that’s not a baseball cap

� Water fountain

� Police officer

Bonus items!

� Mounted police

� Window washers

� OHSU tram

� Chess board

Teacher resource Guide

Af ter the Pl Ay

Questions about Fancy Nancy? Do any of your students have questions for an actor, crew mem-ber or designer from Fancy Nancy? Use the student playbill or download an electronic version from our website to find cast and crew names. Email questions to teachers@octc.org and your student’s question could be featured in an upcom-ing OCT blog post!

For behind-the-scenes photos, video, and more, visit our blog at www.octc.org/blog.

Letters to NancyStudents can practice writing friendly letters using one of the following:

1. Imagine that you are Nancy’s pen pal and that she’s just told you about getting cast as a tree and that she is very disappointed. Write a letter of advice to Nancy telling her what you think she should do.

2. Imagine that you are throwing a fancy party and writing a letter to Nancy inviting her to attend. Be sure to include the date and time, what you’ll be serving, fancy activities at the party, and any other details.

after the Play: What did you see?Download the After the Play worksheet on the next page and print a class set. Soon after seeing the play, ask students to complete the drawing and response portions of the sheet either in class or at home.

Write to oregon children’s TheatreWe love hearing student feedback and responses to our shows! Please feel free to share any letters from students with us:

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

Letters can also be emailed to teachers@octc.org.

Af ter the Pl Ay

What did you see? Name and date _________________________________

What did you see on stage? Recall a scene you remember and draw it in the space above. Include scenery, characters, and props.

Af ter the Pl Ay

What did you see? cont.

1. Describe what is happening in your drawing.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

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2. List two or three things you liked about the play.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

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3. If you were directing your own version of this play, what would you do differently?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

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4. Write one question you had about the play that you’d like to ask Oregon Children’s Theatre. Questions can be for actors, the director, a designer, etc.

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