Engage. Educate. Entertain. A Christmas Carol

Curriculum aligned to the Florida Standards

Thursday, December 6, 2018

11:00 a.m.

The Mahaffey Theater at

The Duke Energy Center for the Arts

Kim Dennison Curriculum Research & Design

Directions to the

Mahaffey Theater

Take I-275 (south from Tampa, north from Bradenton/Sarasota) to exit 22 (I-175).

Follow Route I-175 (it will become

5th Avenue South) to 1st Street South.

The Mahaffey Theater will be in front of you. 1st Street South and 2nd Street South are

two-way streets.

Follow the directions given by the parking attendants.

Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts, Inc. is committed to supporting and presenting all genres of the Performing

Arts at The Mahaffey Theater and throughout the St. Petersburg, Florida area; funding arts education for school

children and providing its member patrons with unequaled services, entertainment, and cultural experiences.

How to Reach Us

Class Acts, Mahaffey Theater 400 1st Street South

St. Petersburg, FL 33701-4346 Attn: Class Acts/Perkins Elementary School

Pony Route #3

Phone: (727)892-5800

Fax: (727)892-5770

An electronic version of this guide can be found at stpeteclassacts.com.

This project is sponsored in part by the Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council of Arts

and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts. (Section 286.25, Florida Statutes)

About the Show

A Christmas Carol Book by Steve Perigard Music and lyrics by Paul Deiss

Based upon the famous classic by Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol is a heartwarming story of the transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge from a greedy, heartless miser to a generous, loving man. When the play opens, Scrooge is in his counting house in London. He is a “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!” Three ghostly visits – from the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future – leave an indelible impression on Ebenezer. Filled with love and the true spirit of the Christmas season, he begins to change his selfish ways and open his heart to those around him. Delight in this classic tale of Ebenezer, the ghosts, Bob Cratchet, and Tiny Tim. Virginia Rep on Tour brings them all to life on stage in this lively and heartwarming musical performance.

114 West Broad St. Richmond, VA 23220

http://va-rep.org/tour/

Bruce Miller,

Phil Whiteway,

Before the Show

Building Background 1. Have students develop and practice speaking and listening skills by listening to Charles

Dickens classic. You can read aloud book version or use the audio version below: http://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/schoolradio/subjects/english/a_christmas_carol

In students’ literacy notebooks, have them make the following graphic organizer to collect key details during the read aloud that lead them to think of character traits to describe the characters in the story.

2. Encourage students to learn about the author Charles Dickens at http://www.bbc.co.uk/

schools/primaryhistory/famouspeople/charles_dickens/. Use the same graphic organizer from above so students can collect key details about Charles Dickens. Point out that character traits can be used to describe characters in fiction and also real life people.

3. Display and read the following quote that was written by Charles Dickens which prefaces A

Christmas Carol: “I have endeavored in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me.” - Charles Dickens, preface to A Christmas Carol • Have students form collaborative groups. • Give each group a sheet of chart paper or 12x18 construction paper. • After hearing the story, learning about Charles Dickens, and reading the above quote, have

students discuss what his purpose was for writing A Christmas Carol. • Have students create a visual display of the group’s thinking.

What was life like back then? The following video can be used to build background knowledge about the setting of London in Dickens’ time. Make sure to preview all videos and images to determine what is appropriate for your grade level.

Street Life in London https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlNzeoyAokE

Character

Name

Actions Words Thoughts Character

Traits

Before the Show

Theater etiquette is an important part of attending a live stage production. So

that all patrons have an enjoyable experience at the theater, please share these

guidelines with your students prior to attending the performance. Remind

students to be respectful of the performers and other audience members by

engaging in responsible behavior.

• You agree to be on time. Theater is great! It's live! It happens in the moment. You can't

rewind it. You are an important part of the show and you need to be there from the very

beginning. The actors are there, so you need to be there, too. Arriving 20 minutes before

show time is the standard rule.

• You agree to use the restroom before the show starts to avoid getting up and disrupting

the performance while it's happening. Once a class is seated, you may visit the restroom in

small groups prior to show time. Young students must be escorted.

• You agree not to talk or whisper during the show. If you whisper to your friends during the

show, you disrupt those around you, and quite possibly the actors. And, you might

miss something!

• You agree to participate. This includes laughing at appropriate times, clapping in

appreciation for the things and actors you like, and doing other things when invited by the

actors to do so. It also means paying attention to what's going on by listening and

watching closely.

• You agree to turn off all cell phones and other gadgets that may make noise during the

show.

• You agree not to take pictures or use recording devices of any kind during the show . The

material performed on stage is copyrighted material, and therefore protected under

copyright law from reproduction of any kind without written permission. In addition, the

Mahaffey Theater is a union house, and union rules prohibit the use of photography and

recording devices without prior consent.

• Finally, you agree to give the actors a full curtain call . A curtain call is the actors' final bow

at the end of the performance. It's your opportunity to show your appreciation for what

they've shared with you. Please wait until all the actors have taken their final bow before

exiting the theater. The ushers will assist you in finding the best route out of theater!

After the Show

Who and What? This learning engagement is for Kindergarten and 1st grade students.

Materials: story map, writing paper, crayons, markers

1. Work together to create a class story map of the play. Include characters, setting, and

events.

2. Have students work in partnerships to retell A Christmas Carol using the story map to guide

them. Encourage the use of temporal and transition words if possible.

3. Pass out writing paper to all students. They will need several sheets each.

4. Have students illustrate and write a retelling of A Christmas Carol.

SAMPLE STORY MAP

Characters

Setting

Beginning

Middle

End

After the Show

What a Character Character Trait Sort:

Materials: list of character traits, several sheets of chart paper or large construction paper, markers

1. Have students form collaborative groups.

2. Hand out the list of character traits below. Hand out chart paper/construction paper and markers.

3. Tell students that today they will be sorting the character traits into groups. Which character traits are similar? Have students sort and group the traits. Have students write the traits in the chart paper/construction paper.

4. Have students work together to come up with a defining word for this group of character traits and label the top of the paper with that word.

5. Hang the charts around the room so students can access them during writing and other character work.

Character Traits:

arrogant bold bored brave cautious

civil confident considerate cooperative courteous

disdainful determined eager envious exhausted

fair focused friendly frightened gentle

giddy giving glum greedy happy

helpful honest honorable humble inquisitive

jealous just kind lonely merry

mischievous miserable miserly modest negative

petty polite respectful rude sad

selfish selfless shy sneaky spiteful

stingy sympathetic tolerant thoughtful timid

tricky trustworthy unhappy unpleasant unwilling

This list of traits can be modified for your grade level.

After the Show

What a Character Materials: list of character traits from previous page, 12x18 construction paper—one per

student, markers, crayons, writer’s notebooks, writing paper

1. Pass out the list of character traits and one sheet of construction paper to each student.

2. Tell students they will be visualizing Ebenezer Scrooge twice today. Have students fold the

construction paper in half so each side is 9x6 (hamburger fold or folding on the short line

of symmetry). On the left side of the paper, students will sketch Ebenezer Scrooge at the

beginning of A Christmas Carol. On the right side, students will sketch Ebenezer Scrooge at

the end of A Christmas Carol.

3. Have students determine five character traits that describe Ebenezer at the beginning of A

Christmas Carol and write those on the left side of the paper. Then have students

determine five character traits that describe Ebenezer at the end of A Christmas Carol and

write those on the right side of the paper.

4. Have students write an informative essay about the change they saw in Ebenezer Scrooge

using the character traits on their papers. Students should introduce the topic, supply

reasons with evidence from the play, and end with a conclusion.

Florida Standards

LAFS.K.RL.1.3 With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story. LAFS.K.W.1.2 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic. LAFS.1.RL.1.3 Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details. LAFS.1.W.1.2 Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure. LAFS.2.RL.1.3 Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges. LAFS.2.W.1.2 Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section. LAFS.3.RL.1.2 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events. LAFS.3.W.1.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. LAFS.4.RL.1.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions). LAFS.4.W.1.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. LAFS.5.RL.1.3 Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact). LAFS.5.W.1.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. TH.K.C.2.1 Respond to a performance and share personal preferences about parts of the performance. TH.1.C.1.2 Draw a picture from a favorite story and share with the class why the scene was important to the story. TH.2.C.1.1 Describe a character in a story and tell why the character is important to the story. TH.3.O.2.2 Collaborate to create a collage to show the emotion(s) of a particular story or play. TH.4.O.2.1 Write a summary of dramatic events after reading or watching a play. TH.5.H.2.1 Recognize theatre works as a reflection of societal beliefs and values.

Visit www.cpalms.org for more information of the Florida Standards.