A Teacher`s Guide to Pushcart Player`s “Let Freedom Ring”

A Teacher’s Guide to
Pushcart Player’s “Let Freedom Ring”
Dear Educator,
As you make plans for your students to attend an upcoming presentation of the Arts for Youth program at the Lancaster
Performing Arts Center, we invite you to prepare your students by using this guide to assure that from beginning to end;
the experience is both memorable and educationally enriching.
The material in this guide is for you the teacher, and will assist you in preparing your students before the day of the
event, and extending the educational value to beyond the walls of the theatre. We provide activity and/or discussion
ideas, and other resources that will help to prepare your students to better understand and enjoy what they are about
to see, and to help them connect what they see on stage to their studies. We also encourage you to discuss important
aspects of the artistic experience, including audience etiquette.
We hope that your students find their imagination comes alive as lights shine, curtains open, and applause rings through
Lancaster Performing Arts Center. As importantly, we hope that this Curriculum Guide helps you to bring the arts alive in
your classroom!
Thank you for helping us to make a difference in the lives of our Antelope Valley youth.
Arts for Youth Program
Lancaster Performing Arts Center, City of Lancaster
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................ 2
Overview of the California Content Standards for Public Schools .......................................................................................... 3
Theatre Etiquette .................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Be a Theatre Critic ................................................................................................................................................................... 7
What’s Important to Know?.................................................................................................................................................... 7
Summary ................................................................................................................................................................................. 9
Play Your Part ........................................................................................................................................................................ 11
Words to Know ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Suggestions for Discussion .................................................................................................................................................... 13
Arts for Youth is the title for K-12 educational programs at Lancaster Performing Arts Center
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Our Arts for Youth program addresses and supports California Content Standards for K-12 education.
History: Grade 5
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5.2 Students trace the routes of early explorers and describe the early explorations of the Americas.
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5.3 Students describe the cooperation and conflict that existed among the American Indians and
between the Indian nations and the new settlers.
History: Grade 8
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8.1 Students understand the major events preceding the founding of the nation and relate their
significance to the development of American constitutional democracy.
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8.2 Students analyze the political principles underlying the U.S. Constitution and compare the
enumerated and implied powers of the federal government.
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8.3 Students understand the foundation of the American political system and the ways in which citizens
participate in it.
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8.4 Students analyze the aspirations and ideals of the people of the new nation.
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8.5 Students analyze U.S. foreign policy in the early Republic.
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8.6 Students analyze the divergent paths of the American people from 1800 to the mid-1800s and the
challenges they faced, with emphasis on the Northeast.
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8.7 Students analyze the divergent paths of the American people in the South from 1800 to the mid1800s and the challenges they faced.
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8.8 Students analyze the divergent paths of the American people in the West from 1800 to the mid1800s and the challenges they faced.
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8.9 Students analyze the early and steady attempts to abolish slavery and to realize the ideals of the
Declaration of Independence.
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8.10 Students analyze the multiple causes, key events, and complex consequences of the Civil War.
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8.11 Students analyze the character and lasting consequences of Reconstruction.
Let Freedom Ring
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8.12 Students analyze the transformation of the American economy and the chang-ing social and
political conditions in the United States in response to the Indus-trial Revolution.
History: Grade 11
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11.1 Students analyze the significant events in the founding of the nation and its attempts to realize the
philosophy of government described in the Declaration of Independence.
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11.2 Students analyze the relationship among the rise of industrialization, large-scale rural-to-urban
migration, and massive immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe.
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11.3 Students analyze the role religion played in the founding of America, its lasting moral, social, and
political impacts, and issues regarding religious liberty.
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11.10 Students analyze the development of federal civil rights and voting rights.
History: Grade 12
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12.1 Students explain the fundamental principles and moral values of American democracy as expressed
in the U.S. Constitution and other essential documents of American democracy.
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12.2 Students evaluate and take and defend positions on the scope and limits of rights and obligations
as democratic citizens, the relationships among them, and how they are secured.
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12.3 Students evaluate and take and defend positions on what the fundamental values and principles of
civil society are (i.e., the autonomous sphere of voluntary personal, social, and economic relations that
are not part of government), their interdependence, and the meaning and importance of those values
and principles for a free society.
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12.4 Students analyze the unique roles and responsibilities of the three branches of government as
established by the U.S. Constitution.
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12.5 Students summarize landmark U.S. Supreme Court interpretations of the Constitution and its
amendments.
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12.10 Students formulate questions about and defend their analyses of tensions within our
constitutional democracy and the importance of maintaining a balance between the following concepts:
majority rule and individual rights; liberty and equality; state and national authority in a federal system;
civil disobedience and the rule of law; freedom of the press and the right to a fair trial; the relationship
of religion and government.
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VPA, Theatre: Grade 2
o 1.0 Artistic Perception
 Development of the Vocabulary of Theatre, 1.1 Use the vocabulary of theatre, such as plot
(beginning, middle, and end), scene, sets, conflict, script, and audience, to describe theatrical
experiences .
o 3.0 Historical and Cultural Context
 Role and Cultural Significance of Theatre, 3.1 Identify theatre and storytelling forms from
different cultures.
VPA, Theatre: Grade 5
o 3.0 Historical and Cultural Context
 Role and Cultural Significance of Theatre, 3.2 Interpret how theatre and storytelling forms (past
and present) of various cultural groups may reflect their beliefs and traditions.
Content standards adopted by the California State Board of Education. For more information, visit:
http://www.lpac.org/arts-for-youth.cfm
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Arrive on time
Plan for possible delays in travel and parking. Please arrive 30 minutes prior to show time.
Students: Leave recording devices of any kind at home or in your backpack at school
Video or audio recording and photography, including camera phones, are often prohibited by law and may
disrupt the performance. They are not permitted and are considered very rude to the others around you.
Teachers: Turn off or silence all personal electronics
Beeps, clicks, tones and buzzes and light pollution emanated by personal electronics such as watches, pagers,
Bluetooth devices, cell phones, etc. interrupt the performance and spoil the theatre experience.
Observe the instructions of ushers
The ushers are present to offer assistance, ensure rules are observed and provide guidance in the case of an
emergency evacuation. Please show them consideration. You will be asked to exit to the left of the theatre at
the end of the performance.
Be respectful
While entering and exiting the theatre: Put your hands in your pockets or behind your back. Talk very quietly.
Once seated: Do not talk. Keep your feet on the ground. Put your hands in your lap or fold your arms.
Abstain from eating or drinking inside the theatre
Crackling wrappers and containers and food messes in the auditorium are unwelcome. Food, candy, gum and
drinks should never be brought inside the theatre.
Avoid talking, waving and shouting during the performance
Laughing and applauding are encouraged at appropriate times. Shouting to actors/friends is disrespectful to
others. Save personal conversation for after the show.
If you must talk, please whisper very quietly.
Do not exit the auditorium during the performance except in the case of emergency
If you must leave, please wait for an appropriate break in the performance. Teachers, please arrive early enough
to escort students to the restroom prior to the start of the show.
Do not get onto the stage or place items on the edge of the stage
To ensure the safety and security of performers and audiences, this behavior is strictly prohibited unless expressly
permitted by a performer or staff member.
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Dispose of garbage in proper receptacles
Help preserve a pleasant environment by depositing all debris in appropriate receptacles.
Extend common courtesy and respect to your fellow audience members
Civility creates a comfortable and welcoming theatre experience for all.
Bring very small children only to age-appropriate performances
Small children easily become restless at programs intended for older children, and may cause distractions.
During the performance watch for:
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Facial expressions and actions
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Costumes
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Props
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Music and sound effects
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Vivid stories and word pictures
Let Freedom Ring is a spirited musical review that celebrates our nation’s birth and development. Its story, like a
colorful quilt, is a compilation of authentic folk songs and significant moments in history. Native Americans, pilgrims,
early settlers, pioneers and many other groups of immigrants over the centuries give Let Freedom Ring its rich texture
and brilliant hue. It is embroidered with humor and drama, and framed with the energy, determination, and courage of
those who helped shape our history.
Let Freedom Ring was written and originally presented in 1976 as a kind of birthday present to America in its
bicentennial year. Since then, it has enjoyed several revivals. Indeed, the telling of our nation’s story through folk songs
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and brief vignettes has proven universal in appeal and timeliness.
In examining America’s birth and development, Pushcart Players chose to focus on people — what they thought and
how they felt. The objective throughout Let Freedom Ring is to convey a sense of “what it was like” to be in that time
and place in history; a sense of the courage required to leave the familiar and explore the unknown; a sense of ordinary
people accomplishing extraordinary goals; and a sense of the legacy of immigrant groups coming to America since its
earliest beginnings to contribute to its democratic ideals. In the process of bringing history to life, Let Freedom Ring puts
human value issues squarely on the agenda in a way that even the youngest of students can grasp and think about.
This study guide provides an overview of the material covered in Let Freedom Ring. It also offers ideas for discussion
and projects that enhance the theatre experience and further illuminate the historical events included in the
presentation. Points for discussion are intended to invite thought, creativity and personalization rather than “right” or
“wrong” answers. We hope that you will tailor the suggestions to suit your needs and present them in an uncritical
framework in your classroom or home.
We look forward to sharing Pushcart Player’s view of the rich and diverse heritage that lets freedom ring for all of us in
America.
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Let Freedom Ring begins with the beginning of time, moving quickly to the arrival of the first “settlers” from Asia. With
the passage of approximately 30,000 years (in under five minutes!), Let Freedom Ring introduces a new group of settlers
who arrive on the Eastern shores in 1620 after a long and arduous journey from England. Among the new immigrants
are four main characters — Sam, Sarah, Jenny and Jim — who transcend time, distance and circumstance, leading us
chronologically and geographically through two centuries of American history. Their journey through the landscape of
America includes whistle stops along the way to witness early encounters with Native
Americans, disputes with Mother England, The Boston Tea Party, The American
Revolution, westward expansion, The Underground Railroad, Civil War, California Gold
Rush, and Industrialization.
Let Freedom Ring's finale is a spirited medley of international songs that celebrate the
new wave of immigration at the turn of this century. The familiar melodies provide an overview of America’s multicultural history and a musical salute to the many ethnic groups that contribute to the unique texture and rich character
of our great nation.
Folk songs included in Let Freedom Ring are:
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The international medley includes excerpts from:
Simple Gifts
Yankee Doodle (England)
When I First Came To This Land
Frère Jacques (France)
Revolutionary Tea
Bobo Waro (Africa)
Riflemen at Bennington
Suliram (Asia)
Kansas Emigrant
Jig (Ireland)
Pat Works on the Railway
Santa Lucia (Italy)
Banks of the Sacramento
Moscow Nights (Eastern Europe)
Follow the Drinkin’ Gourd
Mexican Hat Dance (Latin America)
Two Brothers
Wonderful America (Scandinavia)
Union Maid
This Land is Your Land (America)
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Frère Jacques (Brother John) Lyrics
Frère Jacques
Brother John
Chanson enfantine
Children's Song
(French)
(English)
Frère Jacques,
Are you sleeping?
Frère Jacques,
Are you sleeping?
Dormez-vous?
Brother John,
Dormez-vous?
Brother John?
Sonnez les matines.
Morning bells are ringing.
Sonnez les matines.
Morning bells are ringing.
Ding, ding, dong.
Ding, dong, ding.
Ding, ding, dong.
Ding, dong, ding.
For this and more international folk songs, visit www.mamalisa.com
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You have an important role to play; it wouldn’t be a play without you! Your part is to pretend the play is real. Part of this
includes accepting certain theatre ways, or conventions:
1. Actors tell the story with words (dialogue), actions (blocking), and songs.
2. Actors may sing songs that tell about the story or their feelings.
3. Actors may speak to the audience.
4. An actor may play several different characters (doubling) by changing their voice, costume or posture.
5. Places are suggested by panels on the set, and by props.
How to play your part:
A play is different from television or a movie. The actors are right in front of you and can see your reactions, feel your
attention, and hear your laughter and applause. Watch and listen carefully to understand the story. The story is told by
the actors and comes to life through your imagination.
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Abolitionism: A movement that wanted to get rid of slavery in Europe and the Americas.
Freedom: The absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action; not being owned or controlled by anyone
else.
Heritage: The legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past
generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations.
Human Rights: The idea that people should have rights just because they are human beings. These rights are seen as
universal, which means they are meant for everyone, no matter what.
Immigrant: People who move out of their country to move to another country or region to live there.
Independence: Not having to depend on anyone or anything else; a country gets its independence when it is no longer
part of another country. Sometimes countries get their independence in a war.
Industrialization: A process that occurs in societies as manufacturing becomes more important than farming. Using
better technology, it becomes possible to produce more goods in a shorter amount of time.
Native American: Person who lived in North America, Central America, South America, or the Caribbean Islands when
Europeans arrived. The ancestors of the Native Americans are generally considered by scientists to have entered the
Americas from Asia by way of the Bering Strait sometime during the late glacial epoch (from 2 million to 11 thousand
years ago when large sheets of ice called glaciers covered the northern hemisphere of the Earth).
Tax: Money that people have to pay to their country, state, or city.
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New Settlers in a New Land
About 30,000 years ago, the first people, later to be known as Native Americans, came over a land bridge from Asia,
following the buffalo because these animals provided food and clothing for survival.
What do you think it would be like to have to move continuously from place to place for your food and clothing?
Why do you think some of the hunters and their families remained in North America?
Around 1620, more travelers came to the new land — this time by boat from Europe and Africa. They came for
freedom, opportunity, adventure and the promise of a better life for themselves and their children.
Discuss what you think is meant by freedom in America.
What do you think is meant by opportunity or the promise of a better life?
Can you think of some places in the world today where freedom or opportunity do not exist? Discuss the
situation as you know it or imagine it to be in these countries?
Imagine living at a time when there were no cars, planes, phones or other modern means of travel and
communication. What do you think it felt like to travel for months in a cramped boat to an unknown place?
What would make you willing to risk such a journey to a new land? Write a poem or story about these thoughts.
When the new settlers and the Native Americans met for the first time, there was tension. But when the Native
Americans helped the settlers know more about the land and how to survive in their new surroundings, they became
friends.
Why do you think the Native Americans and new settlers were frightened at first? What were some of the
differences between them? Similarities?
What do you think it would have been like for the new settlers in their new land without the help of the Native
Americans? Draw a picture or write a short story or play about what you imagine it was like the first time the
Native Americans and Pilgrims met.
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The Struggle for Independence
Over a period of about 100 years, new settlers continued to come to the new land. Many came from England and were
known as colonists. “Mother England,” as she was often called, controlled the colonists, telling them what they could
and could not do and what taxes they had to pay.
Why do you think the colonists felt they had the right to decide things for themselves?
How do you think Mother England felt when the colonists refused to obey her laws?
When it became clear that the colonists were not complying with Mother England’s demands, she sent soldiers to the
new land to be sure the colonists would obey her laws.
Why do you think the colonists were alarmed and angry to see British (English) soldiers in their towns? How do
you think you would feel if you saw soldiers from another country stationed in your town, for the purpose of
telling you what you can and cannot do?
Divide the class into groups for role playing — each group containing some colonists, some British officers and
soldiers. Create a setting and situation in which the British representatives make demands in the name of King
George (or Mother England) and the colonists take a stand against the demands. Have groups share the
outcomes by reporting or performing their docu-drama for the rest of the class.
Westward Expansion
After America won her independence from England, some people moved westward
because they heard that the American government was offering free land to those willing
to develop it. The pioneers moving west in our play sing a song from that era.
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The lyrics are:
"We cross the prairies as of old,
The pilgrims crossed the sea;
To make the west, as they the east,
The homestead of the free.”
What do you think were the hopes of the people moving west to claim free land?
What are some of the differences between moving west nearly two hundred years ago, and moving west today?
Imagine that you and your family are moving west on a wagon train and, because there isn’t much space, you
can take only five of your favorite things with you. What would you take? Why did you choose those five items?
Write a letter to a friend telling him or her all about the adventures — good and bad — you are having on your
journey westward.
The Native Americans, observing the westward expansion of new settlers say, “Can they do that? Just come and take
over the land? We’ve always lived here. Where are we going to go? Can they do that?”
History has given us the answer to her question, but if we could re-write history, what are some other possible
solutions to Native American and second American use of the land?
Write a short story or play dramatizing an event you have read
about in a history, social studies or library book that took place
between Native Americans and second Americans moving
westward.
The railroad, built primarily by hardworking immigrant groups, was
an important step in helping our country develop and grow.
In what ways do you think the railroad made things better for the
United States?
What do you think were some of the drawbacks to having a railroad cut across the countryside?
What do you think were some of the problems that made it difficult to build a railroad from one end of the
country to the other?
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Slavery, the Abolitionist Movement and the Civil War
Over time, the railroad, clipper ships and other means of transportation made it possible to get from the east to west.
Many people “rushed” to the west for the promise of gold. Some were successful, but most were disappointed. At the
same time, however, political, economic and human rights issues were dividing the nation in the east. The characters in
our play become concerned that “not everyone in America is free. Black people in the South are slaves and have no
rights at all.”
What do you think life would be like if you were not free because you were “owned” by someone else? Write a
poem or short story from this perspective, giving it the title, “If I Were Free . . .”
A group of people, the Abolitionists, began working to do away with slavery. They developed a secret route for slaves to
escape to freedom in the North called “the underground railroad.” They could only travel at night, and spoke in code
language about the paths to follow and routes to take.
Why do you think it was necessary to be secretive about the escape
route?
If you believed, as the Abolitionists did, that “All men are created
equal,” but lived in a time when slavery existed, do you think you
might have joined the Abolitionists and worked on the “underground
railroad?” What are some other things that you might have tried or
suggested to help do away with slavery?
Soon after President Lincoln was elected, the northern states and the southern states formed their own armies and
went to war. The South was fighting for states’ rights while the north was fighting to preserve the union.
Which army do you think you would have joined if you had to choose? Was it a difficult choice? Why?
Discuss some alternatives to war that might have been employed to settle the differences between the north
and the south.
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Industrialization and the New Wave of Immigration
After the North won the Civil War, slavery ended and industry began to develop throughout the country, especially in
larger cities. This was good for a majority of people because there were many jobs and the economy of our nation was
booming. But the work was very hard, the hours long and the pay for most workers was hardly enough to live on. Soon,
workers banded together and formed a group — a Union — to demand better working conditions and certain rights.
•
Why do you think the workers formed a group to demand their rights, rather than just complain to the boss?
Can you think of other events in America’s history when people got together to achieve a human rights goal?
•
Imagine that you are a reporter for your local newspaper. Interview the leader of the Union and the owner of
the factory. Now write an article based on what you imagine they might have said in response to your questions.
According to the play, “many different people came and continue to come from many different countries. They make
America a rich and diverse nation.” They came and continue to come, as people have since the first colony was founded
in 1607, for freedom, opportunity and a better life for themselves and their children.
•
Why, in your opinion, are freedom and opportunity so precious that people would leave family, friends, and all
that is familiar to come to a strange land with a different language and new customs in search of these values?
•
Interview someone you know who was not born in this country. Some questions you might ask are: Where were
you born? How long have you been here? What made you (or your family) decide to come to America? What are
some differences between life here and life in your native country? What are your hopes for your children and
grandchildren? Write an article for a classroom magazine. If each student contributes an article or drawing, you
might want to combine them, “publish” the collection and distribute it for other classes to read.
•
Create an International Festival, either within your classroom or for the entire grade level or school. Have
students dress in costumes representative of their heritage. Have them bring in sample foods, artwork, music,
instruments, crafts and other items for a display on the rich diversity within the class and/or within your school
community. Contrast this colorful variety with the boredom that everyone being exactly alike would create.
•
Why do you think it is important to know about and have pride in our heritage? Why do you think it is important
to know about and respect the heritage of others?
•
Create a patchwork quilt entitled “Heritage” by having each student create a picture or design representing the
part of the world from which he/she or his/her ancestors came. This can be done with fabric or by drawing on
squares of paper and making a paper reproduction of a quilt.
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This Land Belongs to You and Me
Here are some lyrics from a folk song that talks about freedom:
Freedom doesn’t come like a bird on the wing.
Doesn’t come down like summer rain.
Pass it on to your children.
You’ve got to work for it.
Every generation’s got to win it again!
•
In your own words, what do you think these lyrics are saying?
•
Can you think of parts of the play where people had to struggle, over and over again, to preserve freedom and
human rights? Why is this possible in America, but not in many other countries in the world we live in? What can
each of us do to “work for [freedom]. . . to win it again?”
Here are some lyrics from a folk song written about America in 1944 by Woodie Guthrie:
“This land is your land, this land is my land . . . this land was made for you and me.”
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What do you think Woodie Guthrie had in mind when he wrote that song? Who do you think is “you” and who is
“me?”
•
What do you think each of us can do to be sure that America continues to be “a land for you and a land for me?”
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Write a short story or poem, or draw a picture about what America means to you.
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Pushcart is a member of Actors' Equity
Association, ArtPride, Arts Council of
the Morris Area, New Jersey Theatre
Alliance, Producer's League of Theatre
for Young Audiences.
Copyright - Pushcart Players - 2008
This study guide for “Let Freedom
Ring” was originally created by
Pushcart, and was extended by
Lancaster Performing Arts Center
Staff.
Other resources consulted:
(Contents of links on the World Wide Web change
continuously. It is advisable that teachers review
all links before introducing them to students.)
www.mamalisa.com
www.merriam-webster.com
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