suggested activities for “the ugly...
TRANSCRIPT
SuggestedActivitiesfor“TheUglyDuckling”
fromPattiAustin’schildren’salbum
MightyMusicalFairyTales
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PattiAustinEnterprisesandLet’sRoar,LLCaresopleasedtosharewitheducators,parentsandchildrenthevaluesexpressedinthisnewmusicaladaptationof“TheUglyDuckling.”ThesongcomesfromMs.Austin’sJirstchildren’sproject,MightyMusicalFairyTales.
Believingthatchildrenareourfuture,Grammy-WinnersPattiAustin,TaroMeyerandTaro’sdaughter,actressAriMeyers,musicalizedandupdatedclassicfairytalesandinfusedthemwithvaluesthatcontributetoakinder,wisersociety;valuessuchastolerance,sharingandhonesty.
Inthespiritofinclusion,themusicalstylesrangefromrap,R&B,popandjazz.Theresultisentertaining,upliftingandeducational.Childrenlovedancing,singingandactingalongwiththecontemporary,musicalstories;learningwhileplaying!
Thisnewversionof“TheUglyDuckling”deliversapowerfulanti-bullyingmessage.Bullyinghasbecomeanalltoofrequentissueinourchildren’slives.Researchshowsthatthebestwaytocombatbullyingistopromoteempathyandunderstanding.
Inthisfreshinterpretationofthestory,U.G.,TheUglyDuckling,Jindshappinessattheendofhisjourneynotbecausehebecomesthemostbeautifulswan,butbecausehisfamilycomestoaccepteachotherandrespecttheirdifferences!“Bullying”isreplacedby“Inclusion”andthestoryendswithajoyfulcelebrationofloveandacceptance.
MusicandArtcanprovidechildrenwithan“experiential”involvementwithouttheirhavingtoactuallyexperiencethesituationdescribed.Thiscanhelpthemunderstandandempathize.Tohelpfacilitatethatexperiencewith“TheUglyDuckling”songandbook,NassauCountyMuseumofArt-ManagerofSchoolPrograms,Ms.RebeccaHirschwerk,developedthefollowingactivities,someofwhichuseVisualThinkingStrategies,aresearchedbasedmethodofgeneratingopen-endedconversationsaboutaworkofartusingthreebasicquestions:
What’sgoingoninthispicture?Whatdoyouseetomakeyousaythat?WhatelsecanyouJindinthepicture?
Beforebeginningtheseactivities,thestudentsshouldbefamiliarwiththebook,knowwhattheword‘siblings’means,whothesiblingsareintheimages,andwhichcharacterisTheUglyDuckling.
Remindstudentsthattherearenowronganswers!Weallseethingsdifferently.Thisisanopportunitytodeveloptrustwithourfriendsandrespectfordifferentopinions.
Wesincerelyhopethatthebook,songandtheseactivitiesopenthepathtoempathyandacceptance.Andremember:
HAVE FUN!!!
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INTRODUCTION:
Questionsregardinglookingatthepicturesandbullying:
SETA:ForTeachersandParents.
PAGE2—“BULLYING“
Questions/Discussion:
HowdoestheTheUglyDucklingfeelinthispicture?
Howcanyoutell?
Whyishefeelinglikethat?
Howarehissiblingstreatinghim?
Whyaretheytreatinghimthatway?
Whatdoyouseetomakeyousaythat?
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“bullying”
PAGE3—“WHISPERING”
Questions/Discussion:
Haveyoueverwhispered?
Whydopeoplewhisper?
Whenisitokaytowhisper?
Whenisitnotokaytowhisper?
Activity:Makealistofwhenit’sagoodideatowhisperandwhenitisn’t.
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“whispering”
PAGE20—“BOYandGIRLHELPTHEUGLYDUCKLING”
Questions/Discussion:
Wherearethey?
Whatdoyouthinkishappeninginthispicture? WhydoyouthinktheboyandgirlhelpedTheUglyDuckling?
Activity:MakealistdescribinghowTheUglyDucklingisfeelinginthispicture.
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“boy and a girl help the ugly duckling”
PAGE24—“REFLECTION”
Questions/Discussion:
Whatdoes“reJlection”mean? WhyisTheUglyDucklingsurprisedathisreJlection? Doeshisfacelooksurprised?Happy?
Activity:MirroringFacesChildAndGrownUp
Childslowlystartstomakeaface(funny,sad,angry,etc.)
Grownupcopieschild’sfacesotheyaremirroringeachother.
TrymakingafaceofallthedifferentemotionsTheUglyDucklingisfeelinginthisbook.
Noticewhathappenstoyoureyesandyourmoutheachtime.
Whichfacefeelsthenicest?Whichfacefeelsthemeanest?
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“reflection”
PAGE29—“FAMILY”
HowareTheUglyDucklingandhissiblingsdifferentfromeachother?
Howaretheythesame?
Howareyoudifferentfromsomeoneinyourfamily?
Howareyouthesame?
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“family”
SETBForTeachers*
GradeK-2
Activity:WordAssociation:
Givestudentsindividualwordsandaskthemtoplacethemnexttotheillustrationthatthey feelmatchestheword.Alternatively,teacherscansaythewordandaskthestudentsto matchittoanimage.(Teacherscanaddtheirown!):
Sad Happy Cold Nice Family Helping Quiet Loud Proud
Activity:Drama:TableauVivant(LivingPicture):
Insmallgroupsaskstudentstochooseoneimageandsetupalivingpicture–withthe childrenposingasthepicture-andthinkabouthowitfeelstobeinthatpose.Askstudents whoareposingasthesiblings:Howdoyoufeelinthisposition?Doyoufeelnice?Mean? Angry?DothesamefortheUglyDuckling.(HavestudentstaketurnsbeingtheUgly Duckling).
Activity:Drama;Posing:
Askstudentsto“strikeapose”basedonthefeelingsandactionsdescribedinthebook.They canalsochooseotherwordsaswellhatdescribehelpingandbullying.Dotheseoneafter anotherinquicksuccession.Forexample:
Mean Helpful Hugging Crying Hiding Proud Sad Whispering
Activity: Language Development:
Choose a picture to discuss. Create a chart with the following columns:
As the class fills in the chart, notice how the characters are feeling, what they are doing and what is in the picture. Choose a different image and see what the characters are feeling and doing.
Ask students to describe what they are looking at as they answer.
Grade2
Activity:FindaPicture:
Givestudentsindividualphrasesandhavethemplacethephrasenexttothepicturethat matchesthephrase.
• apicturethatyouwouldliketobein.• apicturethatremindsyouofsomethinginyourownlife.• apictureyouthinkisstrong.• apicturethatmakesyouhappy.• apicturethatmakesyousad.
Activity:Drama:Upstander/Bystander:
Upstanderisapersonwhohelpswhensomeoneisbeingbulliedorstandsupfor themselveswhensomeoneisbeingmeanorhurtingthem.
Bystanderissomeonewhoseesthebullyingbutdoesn’thelp.
Brainstormalistofwayswecanhelpotherpeople:
• Howhaveyoumadesomeonefeelbetter?• Howdidsomeonemakeyoufeelbetter?
Insmallgroups,havestudentschooseoneactionfromthelistandcreateashortskitabout helping—Upstander
Askthemtodotheskitagain,butthistimehavethestudentsbeunhelpfulinsteadof helpful—Bystander
DiscussthedifferencesbetweentheUpstanderandtheBystander.
*WhiletheactivitiesaboveinSetBaresuggestionsforeducators,theycaneasilybe adaptedbyparentsandsupportersathome.
NOUNS: FEELINGS: ACTIONS:
Character in the picture Expressed by character What is he or she doing?