Air Play - PlayhouseSquare

Transcription

Air Play - PlayhouseSquare
Teacher Resource Guide:
Air Play
Before the Show
About the Performance
About the Creators and Performers
About the Director
About the Sculptor
What is Physical Theater?
Coming to the Theater
Pre-Show Activities
Incorporate the Arts into your Classroom!
I Can Read Informational Texts
Creative Possibilities
The Power of Wind
Post-Show Activities
Does Air Have Mass and Weight?
Balloon Air Pressure Magic
Balloon Activities Galore!
What Makes Shadows?
Critical Response Questions
Resources
The lessons and activities in this guide are driven by the
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts &
Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical
Subjects (2010) which help ensure that all students are
college and career ready in literacy no later than the end of high
school. The College and Career Readiness (CCR) Standards
in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language
define general, cross-disciplinary literacy expectations that
must be met for students to be prepared to enter college and
workforce training programs ready to succeed.
21st century skills of creativity, critical thinking and
collaboration are embedded in process of bringing
the page to the stage. Seeing live theater encourages
students to read, develop critical and creative thinking
and to be curious about the world around them.
This Teacher Resource Guide includes background
information, questions, and activities that can stand
alone or work as building blocks toward the creation of
a complete unit of classroom work.
“Their humor totally revolutionizes your thinking of clowning.” –White Tops (circus fan magazine)
This presentation is supported by the Arts Midwest Touring
Fund, a program of Arts Midwest that is funded by the National
Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the
Ohio Arts Council, the Crane Group and General Mills Foundation.
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ABOUT THE
PERFORMANCE
ABOUT THE
CREATORS
Air Play is a comic adventure on an epic scale. It’s an
innovative and spectacular new show for audiences of
all ages.
Christina Gelsone is a non-verbal comedian
Created by the Acrobuffos, the world famous comedic
duo from New York City, Seth Bloom and Christina
Gelsone, Air Play packs small, plays big and successfully
merges the high art of Daniel Wurtzel’s air sculptures
with the Acrobuffos’ crowd-pleasing comedy.
Flying umbrellas, larger-than-life balloons, kites that float
over the audience and the biggest snow globe you’ve
ever seen will make you gasp in wonder, laugh until it
hurts, and be touched by the friendship and affection
between a sister and brother on a life-changing and
surreal journey.
Anchored in Daniel Wurtzel’s extraordinary and groundbreaking air sculptures, the color palate and themes
of the show are inspired by the paintings of Joan Miro
and Wassily Kandinsky, and the sculptures of Willem de
Kooning.
Besides physically playing with air, the show spins the
radio dial creating an auditory “air play,” including
Balkan gypsy music, Nordic boys’ choirs, symphony
orchestras, Italian avant-garde, Appalachian ballads,
and more
Air Play is physical theater of sky-reaching scale with
myriad moments of sheer wonder.
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and an eager eater. World traveling has always been a part
of her career (she has performed in more than two dozen
countries), but it is still unknown whether she eats in order
to perform, or performs in order to eat. Once-upon-a-time a
professional ballet dancer, it wasn’t until she left her home
state of Texas for college in New Jersey and started rockclimbing that she found her muscular body was truly suited
for acrobatics – stunts, to be more accurate. In 2001, she
perfected the Human Tightrope, allowing her to hold men
of 300 pounds (136 kilos) on her stomach, or one jumproping woman.
It was while performing with Bond Street Theater, a
company that works in refugee camps and war-torn zones,
and traveling to interesting corners of the globe like Albania,
Kosovo and Afghanistan, that she found her other passion,
history. Her bookshelves continue to grow with non-fiction
at each new country. Often compelled to share factoids on
any subject, she co-founded Fool’s Academy, activating
school curriculum through clowning. In 2003, she was
working in Afghanistan and eating kabuli pilau with her
hands when she met Seth and found someone else crazy
enough to want to street-perform masks in a 16th century
style. It wasn’t until four years later that they finally lived
on the same continent, stood on each other’s shoulders,
and began eating their way around the world. Christina is
a graduate of Princeton University (‘96) and Dell’ Arte (‘98)
and is a former faculty member of Adelphi University. She
has performed in 28 countries.
Seth Bloom hand-builds the masks they
use in their shows. He grew up around the world, and his
frequent travels slowly etch their way into his masks. As a
teen he was an avid juggler, but now you will more likely
see his hereditary “gift” taught to him by his father in a
swimming pool – five streams of water spouting at one
time from his teeth. In 2003, his mother was working in
Afghanistan and met the founders of a children’s circus
who were looking for a circus coach. A few months
later, Seth was on his way, beginning an adventure that
continues to this day, creating performances with visual
theater that carry social messages to Afghan rural areas
that are often illiterate. To date, that circus organization
(Mobile Mini Circus for Children) has performed for
more than 1 million people in Afghanistan.
Seth, a graduate from Ringling Bros. Clown College, went
on to study Lecoq theater technique in London. With
fellow grads, Seth co-founded Split Knuckle Theater,
and the 5-star company is continually creating visually
arresting and original physical theater.
The Acrobuffos, however, took longer to make. Seth
originally met Christina his first year in Afghanistan, and
they knew immediately they wanted to work together.
Not many performers have a skill set of mask-playing,
street performing, clowning, juggling, and acrobatics.
Four years later, finally living on the same continent,
they started their first experiment, an attempt to find
out if half-mask comedy could be truly funny on the
street. Seth is a graduate of Wesleyan University (‘00),
Ringling (‘93), Dell’Arte (‘97,) LISPA (MFA ‘05) and has
performed in 22 countries.
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Seth Bloom and Christina Gelsone met at a circus in
Afghanistan, were engaged while street performing
in Scotland, and married in China. Since becoming
clown partners in 2006, they have created six shows
together, competed in international circus festivals,
performed in more than 18 countries, juggled on
Letterman, were featured in The New York Times,
and headlined at the Big Apple Circus. Seth (a
former professional juggler) graduated from 3
clown schools and Christina (a former professional
ballerina) graduated from only one – and Princeton.
They currently live in Harlem.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
ABOUT THE SCULPTOR
An award-winning theater director from Broadway, West
Hyler was associate director for Broadway’s Jersey Boys
and How the Grinch Stole Christmas and has directed at
theaters including Primary Stages, Ars Nova, Playwright’s
Horizons, York Theater Company, HERE Arts Center,
Actors Theater of Louisville, and the Colony Theater in
Los Angeles. West created Legendarium for Big Apple
Circus.
Daniel Wurtzel has created sculptures out of multiple
mediums since 1989. In 2009, his air flow piece “Magic
Carpet” went viral with more than 1.8 million views.
Since then, he has worked with Cirque du Soleil, Robert
Lepage, Julie Taymor, the Jonas Brothers, and the Latin
Grammy Awards to name only a few. He exhibits all over
the world, and creates new work in his studio in Brooklyn,
transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary.
“...hardly your average clown
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s..”. The New York Times
WHAT IS PHYSICAL THEATER?
Physical theater is a genre of theatrical performance
What is the Fourth Wall?
that pursues storytelling through primarily physical
means. Several performance traditions all describe
themselves as “physical theater,” but the unifying aspect
is a reliance on physical motion of the performers rather
than or combined with text to convey the story. In basic
sense, you talk through hand gestures, body language,
thought-track and many more physical features.
The Fourth Wall is a theatrical term for the imaginary
“wall” that exists between actors on stage and the
audience. Obviously, no such wall really exists, but to
keep up the illusion of theater, the actors pretend that
they cannot hear or see the audience and the audience
gets to enjoy the wonderful sensation of being a fly on
the wall. The same effect often occurs in movies; only the
fourth wall in that instance is a camera lens.
Dympha Callery suggests from her book Through the
Body: A Practical Guide to Physical Theatre that all
physical theater shares some common characteristics –
although each individual performance need not exhibit
all such characteristics to be defined as physical theater.
Her research into the training or “work” of physical
theater artists cites an amalgamation of numerous
elements adopted as a means to further inform the
theatrical research/production. These elements include:
Devised origins, rather than originated from a pre-
Although most modern drama usually shies away from
acknowledging the audience (with the possible exception
of holding for laughs), the fourth wall was frequently
broken in Elizabethan and Restoration drama. Actors
in Shakespeare’s day would run through the audience
(often chasing other actors onto the stage), make various
asides and jokes to the audience personally and usually
at the expense of the other actors on stage, and even
sit in the audience members’ laps or ask them to hold a
crucial prop in an attempt to hide it.
existing script
Emphasis on the actor as creator rather than the actor
as interpreter
A collaborative working process
A somatic practice: Approaches or techniques that
work the entire body
Pre-show questions for your students
What types of shows have you seen live? Did
dance and visual art as well as theater
the people on stage talk to you (talk about how
performers can break the “fourth wall”)? If they
did, how did that feel as an audience member?
Challenging the traditional, proscenium arch, and
This show will have no talking in Air Play, but
Inter-disciplinary origins – it crosses between music,
the traditional performer/audience relationship (also
known as “breaking the fourth wall”)
the performers may include you in the show.
How do you think they will do that?
Encouraging audience participation
Make a list of some good behaviors if a
It can mean anything that is done physically through
a performance
performer comes up to you in the audience.
Depending on the age of your students, explain
what collaborating means.
Have you collaborated with friends or peers?
What was the project? What was the result? Did
you enjoy collaborating?
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Coming to the Theater
Playhouse Square is an exciting field trip destination! As
the country’s largest performing arts center outside of New
York, the not-for-profit Playhouse Square attracts more
than one million guests to 1,000+ performances and events
each year. Playhouse Square thus acts as a catalyst for
economic growth and vitality within the region. When you
visit, be sure to note the GE Chandelier, the world’s largest
outdoor chandelier, and the retro Playhouse Square sign
with its 9-foot-tall letters!
As audience members, you and your students play a vital
role in the success of the performances. You are part of a
community that creates the theater experience. For many
students, this may be their first time viewing a live theater
production. We encourage teachers to discuss some of the
differences between coming to the theater and watching
a television show, attending a sporting event or viewing
a movie at the cinema. Here are a few points to start the
discussion:
Students are led into the theater and seated by an usher.
heaters are built to magnify sound. Even the slightest
T
whisper can be heard throughout the theater. Remember
that not only can those around you hear you; the
performers can too.
ppropriate responses such as laughing or applauding
A
are appreciated. Pay attention to the artists on stage; they
will let you know what is appropriate.
There is no food, drink or gum permitted in the theater.
hotography and videotaping of performances is not
P
permitted.
hen the houselights dim, the performance is about to
W
begin. Please turn your attention toward the stage.
fter the performance, you will be dismissed by bus
A
number. Check around your seat to make sure you have
all of your personal belongings.
r
An exciting destination fo
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field trips an
d more!
Pre-Show Activ
ities
Incorporate the Arts into Your Classroom!
You don’t need to be an artist, musician or actor to give
your students a chance to express their creativity in your
class. These guidelines will help you integrate the arts
into your practice:
P
lay instrumental music in the background as students
read or find an upbeat song to play as they enter your
class. Consider sharing your favorites while growing up
– a blast from the past!
W
ould your student’s favorite song lyrics stand alone
as poetry? Have them use the lyrics in a spoken word
presentation.
H
ave students clarify thoughts, ideas and feelings by
drawing and labeling. Art is particularly powerful when
it allows students to communicate learning when they
cannot express it through writing.
I Can Read Informational Texts
College and Career Readiness Anchor
Standards
Determine central ideas or themes of a text
and analyze their development; summarize
the key supporting details and ideas.
RI.K.2, RI.1.2, RI.2.2, RI.3.2, RI.4.2, RI.5.2
Interpret words and phrases as they are
used in a text, including determining
technical, connotative, and figurative
meanings, and analyze how specific word
choices shape meaning or tone.
RI.K.4, RI.1.4, RI.2.4, RI.3.4, RI.4.4, RI.5.4
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Materials
Read Aloud – Everything Has
a Shadow Except Ants is a
book that takes the reader
through a project on shadows.
By Reggio Children – ISBN:
978-88-87960-19-8
Graphic Organizer – I Can
Read Informational Texts
After reading the story aloud
to the class, have students
respond to the selection using
the graphic organizer on the
following page.
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Caption:
_________________
___________________
________
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
My opinion about this topic:
_________________
_________________
___________________
_________________
___________________
_________________
_________________
Illustration
_________________
1 Key Idea
___________________
___________________
___________________
By (name) :_____________________
The Most Interesting
Thing I Learned
_____________________
3.
2.
1.
Three Facts
Title:_____________________________
I can read informational texts.
I Can Read Informational Texts
Creative Possibil
ities
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences
or events using effective technique, well-chosen details
and well-structured event sequences.
W.K.3, W.1.3, W.2.3, W.3.3, W.4.3, W.5.3
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.
SL.K.1, SL.1.1, SL.2.1, SL.3.1, SL.4.1, SL.5.1
Present information, findings, and supporting evidence
such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and
the organization, development, and style are appropriate
to task, purpose, and audience.
SL.K.4, SL.1.4, SL.2.4, SL.3.4, SL.3.4, SL.4.4, SL.5.4
Children are completely at home with symbolic play…a
balloon can become a lollipop or a rocket ship, a paper
bag can transform into a parachute, a shadow can
become a friend. Drawing upon the simple possibilities of
found objects, children can invent and explore through
creative play.
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Exploration Activities:
C
ollect a box full of interesting objects and invite groups
of children to use objects from the box to create a story.
Invite children to do a performance using specific
objects, e.g. chairs and cushions, string and paper or
building blocks.
H
ave students form groups of 3-6 and create tableaus.
A tableau is an interlude during a scene when all the
performers on stage freeze in position and then resume
action as before.
T
ableau 1 – represent the group meeting as strangers
T
ableau 2 – represent the group getting to know each
other
T
ableau 3 – represent getting to like each other
T
ableau 4 – represent that the group has become
good friends
The Power of Wind
GRADE BAND THEME: OBSERVATIONS
ENVIRONMENT
Earth and Space Science (ESS)
Topic: Daily and Seasonal Changes
OF
THE
Content Statement (K): Weather changes are longterm and short-term (Air is a nonliving substance that
surrounds Earth and wind is air that is moving).
Content Statement (2): The atmosphere is made up of air.
Wind, even if it is your breath, can be very powerful. Sailboats have a large piece of material that is blown by the wind to
make the boat move. Try this experiment. Make a pinwheel, then use your breath to blow the wheels around.
Supplies needed:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
P
aper, any color, size of square to the right.
Scissors.
C
rayons or markers to decorate the paper.
P
ush Pin.
P
encil with an eraser.
Y
our breath.
Directions:
1. T
race the square to the right o a piece of paper.
2. B
e sure to put the lines, dot, and numbers in the
same places, on your square.
3. C
olor both sides of the paper.
4. C
ut along the 4 DARK diagonal lines.
5. B
end the 1st numbered corner to the center
dot.
6. B
end the 2nd numbered corner on top of the
first.
7. B
end the 3rd numbered corner on top of the
second.
8. Bend the 4th number corner on top of the third.
9. C
arefully insert a push pin through all the papers
in the center, holding them together.
10. Insert the pinwheel and the push pins into the
eraser on the top of the pencil.
11. Gently blow towards the push pin and watch
the pinwheel go around, demonstrating the
power of your wind (or breath)!
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Post-Show Activ
ities
Science Inquiry and Applications
During the years of Pre-K to Grade 4, all students must
develop the ability to:
O
bserve and ask questions about the natural
environment
P
lan and conduct simple investigations
E
mploy simple equipment and tools to gather data and
extend the senses
U
se appropriate mathematics with data to construct
reasonable explanations
C
ommunicate about observations, investigations and
explanations
R
eview and ask questions about the observations and
explanations of others
During the years of Grades 5 through 8, all students
must have developed the ability to:
Identify questions that can be answered through
scientific investigations
D
esign and conduct a scientific investigation
U
se appropriate mathematics, tools and techniques to
gather data and information
A
nalyze and interpret data
D
evelop descriptions, models, explanations and
predictions
T
hink critically and logically to connect evidence and
explanations
R
ecognize and analyze alternative explanations and
predictions
C
ommunicate scientific procedures and explanations
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Does Air Have Mass and Weight?
GRADE BAND THEME: OBSERVATIONS OF THE
ENVIRONMENT
Earth and Space Science (ESS)
Topic: Daily and Seasonal Changes
Content Statement (K): Weather changes are longterm and short-term (Air is a nonliving substance that
surrounds Earth and wind is air that is moving).
Content Statement (2): The atmosphere is made up of air.
Physical Science (PS)
Content Statement (2): Forces change the motion of an
object.
Content Statement (3): All objects and substances in the
natural world are composed of matter.
Materials:
6
balloons (same size and shape)
7
pieces of string about 8 inches in length
M
arker
R
uler
T
ape
T
able
Air is all around us. Because air is mostly invisible,
many young children mistakenly assume it has no mass
or weight. Air is made up of different gases, including
nitrogen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, oxygen, and
others. All of these gases are composed of particles, or
molecules. In this investigation, balloons filled with air are
compared to show that air does have mass and weight.
Terms, Concepts, and Questions to Start Background
Research
Mass: the size or amount of something compared to its
weight
Weight: heaviness; the amount something weighs
Inflate: to fill with air
Research Questions
D
oes air have weight?
D
oes air have mass?
W
hat inflates a balloon?
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1. G
ather the necessary materials.
2. To show that air has mass, have an adult help inflate
the balloons to six different sizes.
3. T
he mass of the air causes the balloons to inflate.
4. Tie off the end of each balloon and then tie a piece of
string to the end of each balloon.
5. Using the marker, label the balloons A, B, C, D, E,
and F.
6. Predict which balloon is the heaviest. Record your
prediction.
7. Tie one end of a piece of string to the center of the
ruler. Tape the other end of the string to a table so that
the ruler hangs freely below. Be sure that the ruler
balances straight across when it is hanging. Move the
string to make adjustments.
8. Compare the weight of the balloons by tying different
combinations of balloons to the ends of the ruler
exactly one inch from the end. The balloon that tips
the ruler down weighs more than the other balloon.
Record the data.
Balloon Air Pressure Magic
Warning all grown-ups: get your sense of humor ready
for this science experiment, which demonstrates
fundamental physics of air pressure. You can do this in a
lab, of course, or with technical worksheets, but we love
this goofy “magic” trick requiring a curious kid, a helpful
grown-up... and an audience, too, if you dare.
Materials:
T
wo (2) plastic drink bottles, 1–2 liters in size
C
lean and dry Latex balloons
P
in or tack
What You Do:
1. Behind the scenes, begin with one plastic drink
bottle and the tack. Without showing anyone in your
potential audience, press the tack into the plastic to
make a small hole in the bottom of the bottle. Widen
it so that your hole ends up about ???? of an inch
across...if it’s a little bigger, that’s okay too.
2. N
ow you’ll need two volunteers – preferably one who’s
a kid and one who’s a big, burly teen or adult. Give the
big guy the bottle without a hole, and give the kid the
bottle with the hole. Now have each volunteer place
a balloon inside the neck of the bottle and stretch the
opening of the balloon over the top of the bottle, so
that the opening is covered completely.
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3. O
n the count of three, challenge the two volunteers
to blow up their balloons. Get ready for some fun: the
little kid’s balloon should inflate just fine, making an
attractive decoration inside the bottle. But the other
one will just not inflate! 4. F
or a little extra fun, invite another volunteer to try,
using a different balloon. You can also offer the bottle
with the hole in it, but sneakily hold your finger over
the hole...if you do that, the other balloon won’t inflate
either!
What’s Going On?
When we blow up balloons, we move air into a compressed
space and inflate the latex. But when the balloon is placed
inside the bottle, and there’s no way for the bottle’s air to
escape, the pressure inside the bottle is greater than the
pressure that occurs from blowing on the balloon. As a
result, the balloon just won’t blow up. When there’s a hole
at the bottom, however, the compressed air can escape,
and the balloon can expand. It’s good science...and for
an elementary school kid, it’s also some magical fun.
© Copyright 2006-2012 Education.com All Rights Reserved.
Balloon Activites Galore!
Balloons – in one form or another – have fascinated
human beings for centuries. Ask students to guess who
invented the modern balloon and when it was invented
(Answer: In the mid-1800s by Michael Faraday).
However, it wasn’t until 1931 that there was mass
production of modern-day blow-up-by-yourself colored
latex balloons.
To learn more about balloon history, go to: http://www.
wilderdom.com/games/descriptions/gamesballoons.
html – Balloon Industry Links
Balloon Inflation
Each student blows up a balloon. Balloons work best
for games at about 85% of inflation capacity. Keen
participants often over-inflate which leads to higher
burstage. Less confident participants may underinflate. You can turn the ideal inflation into a game
and demonstration. Show the ideal inflation and walk
around coaching children. 85% inflation also allows a
handy distance for tying a thumb-knot in the neck of
the balloon. Some students may need a hand to tie
the balloon off. Encourage cooperation among students
rather than doing it yourself.
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Balloon Juggle and Sort
Challenge students to keep all balloons (1+ per person)
in the air. This gets the class moving and cooperating.
Once they’ve got the hang of it, make it harder by adding
in more balloons or placing restrictions e.g., no hands
to keep balloons up. Ask students to keep juggling the
balloons while sorting them into colors (works best with
large groups).
Balloon Frantic
You will need two or three inflated balloons per student
and a stopwatch for this activity. Each child has a balloon,
with the rest in a nearby pile. Everyone begins bouncing
their balloons in the air. Every five seconds, another
balloon is added. See how long the group can keep
the balloons bouncing before receiving six penalties. A
penalty is announced loudly (to create excitement!) by the
leader when a balloon hits the floor, or once on the floor, if
is not got back into play within five seconds. The leader
keeps a cumulative score by shouting out “one”, “two”,
etc. When the leader gets to “six”, time is stopped. After
some discussion, the group tries to improve its record
with another attempt.
What Makes Shadows?
Students learn about shadows as they observe and draw
the shadow of a classmate. In the extension activity,
students observe and discuss shadows changing over
time.
Objectives:
1. M
ake accurate drawings of a classmate’s shadow.
2. N
ote position of the sun in the sky.
3. Be able to identify a connection between the direction
of the shadow and location of the sun.
4. O
bserve changes in shadows over time.
5. Develop an elementary understanding of the Earth’s
motion.
Getting Started
1. T
urn on the lamp, turn off the overhead lights, and
ask students to observe the student’s shadow being
cast in the classroom. Ask them where the light
source is and where the shadow is cast.
2. Explain that the sun is similar to the light and discuss
the location of the shadow.
3. Demonstrate how to trace the shadow by following
the outline of the student’s shadow with your finger.
4. Explain that each student will use chalk to trace
the outline of his or her partner’s shadow on the
playground.
5. Tell students that after the tracing is complete, they
can use pencils to draw their partner, his or her
shadow, and the location of the sun on their work
sheets.
6. Remind students NEVER to look directly at the sun.
After students have drawn on their work sheets they
can add more detail in the classroom with crayons.
7. You may find it useful to print out a sample of a
student work sheet to show your students.
Outdoor Hands-On Activity
1. R
emind students again, NEVER to look directly at the
sun, but to concentrate on the shadows.
2. In pairs, students spread out over the playground.
Distribute chalk.
3. Ask students to position themselves to make shadows.
4. Begin tracing by outlining partner’s shoes – this is
especially important if doing the extension activity in
this lesson.
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5. A
s students complete the shadow tracing with chalk
on the playground surface, distribute the work sheet.
6. Make sure that each student gets the opportunity to
create a shadow and also document the shadow of a
classmate.
Extension Activity: Changing Shadows
1. T
wo or three hours after students have completed their
first shadow tracings, explain that they will go outside
again to observe their partner’s shadow and make
tracings of what they see.
2. Ask students to predict if the second shadows will be
the same as or different from the first shadows they
drew.
3. Ask for a show of hands and take a tally of students’
predictions.
4. Return to the playground and ask students to find their
shadows. Distribute chalk. Remind students again,
NEVER to look directly at the sun, but to concentrate
on the shadows.
5. Have students reposition themselves in their original
locations, using their shoe outlines as a guide.
6. Ask students to complete the second shadow tracing.
7. If time allows, redistribute student work sheets and
have students add the second shadow.
8. The following questions can guide a discussion of
what students observed:
Did anything change in your tracings? What looks
different?
How many of your shadows moved? Tally raised
hands. Review the tally taken in the morning and
see how many students predicted correctly.
What do you think made the shadows move? How
can you explain that?
Did the sun move? Did we move? (Of course, we
moved! Explain to students that shadows move as a
result of the Earth’s motion.)
Ask students what else they have learned and
want to add to their KWL chart (Knowledge/Want
to Know/Learned). Place any new questions on the
chart and check if any previous questions can now
be answered!
Critical Response Questions
Students develop their comprehension when they reflect
upon what they wondered, noticed and felt. Ignite a
classroom discussion with the following critical response
questions:
1. W
hat is the main idea of Air Play?
2. W
hat do you think the relationship is between the two
characters is in the show?
7. W
hat did it look like the characters were doing with the
yellow helium balloons?
8. W
hat did the big piece of white fabric remind you
of? Is what you thought was going to come out of the
suitcase? If not, what did you think what going to come
out of the suitcase?
9. W
hat kind of adventure would these two characters
have if they were in our classroom?
3. What is the setting of this show? How do you know?
4. What was your favorite part of the show? Why?
10. If you could ask one of the characters three questions,
what would your questions be? Who would you ask?
Why did you pick that character?
5. What was your least favorite part of the show? Why?
6. If you could be a third character in the show, who
would you be and why?
Critical
Thinking
16
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RESOURCES
Books
Ada, Alma. Friend frog. Orlando: Harcourt, (2000).
Adams, Elizabeth and Banis, Budd. Me and my shadows:
shadow puppet fun for kids of all ages. Science and
Humanities Press, (2000).
Asch, Frank. Moon Bear’s Shadow. New York: Aladdin,
(1999).
Briggs, Brian (Author, Illustrator). Everything Goes: In
the Air. Balzer & Bray Publishing, (2012).
Paolille, Paul and Brewer, Dan. Silver Seeds. New York:
Penguin, (2001).
Bulla, Clyde Robert. What Makes a Shadow? New York:
Scholastic Inc., 1994.
Callery, Dymphna. Through the Body A Practical Guide
to Physical Theatre, Nick Hern Books Publishing,
Imported, (2001).
Chorao, Kay. Shadow Night. New York: Penguin, (2001).
Crews, Nina. One Hot Summer Day. New York:
Greenwillow Books, (1995).
Hoban, T. My Shadow. Boston: David R. Godine, (1990).
Mayer, B. Shadow Games: A book of hand and puppet
shadows. Klutz, Inc., (1995).
Narahashi, Keiko. I Have a Friend. New York: Simon and
Schuester, (1987).
Paul, Ann. Shadows Are About. New York: Scholastic,
(1996).
Everything Has a Shadow Except Ants, Reggio Children
Publications. ISBN: 978-88-87960-19-8
Seuss, Dr. The Shape of Me and other Stuff. New York:
Random House, (1973).
17
playhousesquare.org/eduresources
Swinburn, Stephen. Guess Whose Shadow. Boyds Mills,
Pa: Boyds Mills, (1999).
Wilhelm, H. I Love my Shadow! (Hello reader level 1).
New York: Scholastic, (2002).
Websites
http://www.acrobuffos.com/
http://www.airplayshow.com/
http://www.danielwurtzel.com/
http://dymphnacallery.co.uk/
http://www.pantomimes-mimes.com/
http://www.westhyler.com/
Apps
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