Book and Lyrics by Marcy Heisler

Music by Zina Goldrich

Adapted from the Junie B. Jones Series of books by Barbara Park

February 11 – April 8, 2016 This study guide is also available online at arvadacenter.org/education/study-guides

“Let our stage be your classroom.”

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Study Guide developed for the Education Division of the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities

by Becky Nelsen and Cyndi Branson

Additional Support provided by:

Enterprise Holdings Foundation, Wells Fargo Foundation,

Virginia W. Hill Foundation, Rollie R. Kelley Family Foundation,

Arvada Center Hospitality Volunteers,

Schlessman Family Foundation,

Linda and Terry Stevinson

Greetings and welcome to Junie B. Jones® The Musical Play for Young Audiences adapted from the books by Barbara Park

This study guide provides ideas for turning a day at the theatre into an interactive educational experience. It includes information about the plot, good audience behavior, important words to know about theatre and reproducible pages for helping students better understand the story. Ideas presented in this study guide provide excellent strategies for extending and developing vocabulary and comprehension in all content areas. We hope you find the activities transferable across your curriculum. In addition, the guide provides information and classroom connections. This guide will help prepare students for the performance and then facilitate reflection afterwards.

Table of Contents

Children’s Theatre and the Arts Day program are sponsored in part by:

Cover 1 Welcome 2 Audience 101 3 About the Books, Musical, & Author

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Online Resources 6 Vocabulary 7-10 Discussion Questions 11-12 Pre and Post Activities 13 Definition of Terms 14 Reproducibles 15-19

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Audience 101 As members of the audience, you play an important part in the success of a theatrical performance. Please help your students understand that the rules of attending a live theatre performance are different from watching television at home or a movie in a cinema. As it is a live performance, it cannot be stopped and restarted. Audience members should laugh, cheer, clap and really enjoy the performance, but there are a few rules that need to be followed. Please review the following theatre etiquette with your students prior to your visit:

• Food, drinks, candy and gum chewing are not permitted in the theatre.

• Do not talk, whisper, sing or hum during the performance unless

encouraged by the actors on stage.

• Keep feet on the floor, not on the seats.

• Performers appreciate enthusiastic applause, but not whistling or shouting.

• No photography or videotape recording of any kind.

• Please turn off all cell phones.

Theatre Words to Know Backstage - the part of a theatre which is not seen by the audience, including the dressing rooms, wings and the green room Blocking - the instructions that actors use to know exactly where they are supposed to be on stage at all times Box Office - the place that sells tickets to a performance Cast - the people who perform in a show Choreographer - the person who creates dances and arranges movements for a musical Control Booth - the place in a theatre from which all the sound and lights are controlled Crew - all the people who work together on a show except the cast Cue - signals that are given to both the actors, the crew, the musicians and any others working on a show Director - the person who provides the vision of how a show should be presented, who works with the actors on their roles, develops the blocking, and is in charge of the rehearsals Green Room - a place for the performers to relax while waiting to go on stage (it is not always painted green! ) Marking Out or Spike Mark - when the stage is marked with tape to show where furniture and props should be placed during the performance Props - all the items used in a play to tell the story not including the scenery or costumes, the short forms of "Properties" Rehearsal - the period of practice before the beginning of a show in which the actors and director work on the development of the show Sound Effects - the noises which are produced to accompany a scene in a show, usually produced by a machine but can be produced by actors off stage

Being part of the audience is a very important job. Enjoy the show!

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Adaptation based on the Junie B. Jones Series of Children’s Books Author: Barbara Park; book series ended when Barbara Park died of cancer in 2013 Illustrator: Denise Brunkus Publisher: Random House; first book was published in 1992; 20th anniversary of the series

was in 2012

Fiction Series 32 paperback series follows Junie B. Jones throughout her kindergarten and first grade

adventures; first 17 books follow Junie B. as a kindergartener and the last 15 books follow her as a first grader and also include a survival guide and a journal (Top Secret Personal Beeswax, a Journal by Junie B. Jones

Books were written over two decades and spent a total of 180 weeks on the New YorkTimes bestseller list

Kindergarten adventures include: Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business, Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth, Junie B. Jones Has a Monster Under Her Bed, and Junie B. Jones is a Graduation Girl. First grade adventures include: Junie B. Jones, First Grader (at last!), Junie B. Jones: Cheater Pants, Junie B. Jones: Boss of Lunch, Junie B., First Grader: Toothless Wonder, and Junie B. Jones: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells (P.S. So Does May).

Plot Summary of the Musical Junie B. Jones is the main character of the bestselling children’s book series by Barbara Park. The muscial is based on the bolded titles in the above section. Junie B. is a funny, precocious little girl who tells it like it is, as seen through the eyes of a six-year-old. Junie B. charms all those around her (most of the time), and during the musical the audience will get to know the loveable Junie B. Jones as she navigates first grade. The 32 song in the musical cover themes about friendship, family, love and support, and Junie B.’s resiliency, determination, and unique problem solving skills. Junie (she was named after the month of “Junie”) B. (stands for Beatrice) lives with her mother, daddy, baby brother Ollie, and her dog Tickle. The majority of the story takes place at Clarence Somebody Elementary School with her friends Lucille, May, Grace, Jose, Lennie, Herbert (Herb), and Sheldon. The musical begins with Junie B. opening the journal that her mother gave her as a gift where Junie B. writes down her “top secret personal beeswax” from each day in first grade. The journal provides Junie B. with a special place to reflect on her new discoveries about friendship and her new adventures in first grade which include: making new friends, handling struggles with classmates, getting new purple glasses so she can see and read better, getting a new lunch box, being the greeter in the lunchroom with Mrs. Gutzman, and learning to juggle for the kickball tournament halftime presentation.

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About the Author Barbara Park (1947-2013) is best known for her Junie B. Jones series. The series has sold over 60 million copies in North America alone and has been translated into multiple languages. Junie B. Jones books can be found in elementary school classrooms all across the world. Over the years, the series has spent over 180 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and was also consistently #1.

Before Barbara began her writing career, she studied to be a high school history and political science teacher. It was not long after she received her secondary education degree that she realized her calling was to become a writer. Barbara was voted “Wittiest” in her senior year of high school, so she decided to try writing humorous books. She has been described as every bit as funny and outrageous as her best-known character, thus Barbara shared a special connection with Junie B. Jones. Barbara said of the series, "I've never been sure whether Junie B.'s fans love her in spite of her imperfections . . . or because of them. But either way, she's gone out into the world and made more friends than I ever dreamed possible."

When asked about writing books for kids, Barbara explained: "There are those who believe that the value of a children’s book can be measured only in terms of the moral lessons it tries to impose or the perfect role models it offers. Personally, I happen to think that a book is of extraordinary value if it gives the reader nothing more than a smile or two. In fact, I happen to think that’s huge."

Barbara wrote over fifty books and she won more than forty children’s book awards, including several Children’s Choice awards. She wrote books for young readers through middle school aged children. Other books written by Barbara Park, in addition to her Junie B. Jones series, are shown below.

Barbara Park was born in Mount Holly, New Jersey and spent most of her adult life in Arizona. There she and her husband, Richard, raised their two sons and spent time with their two young grandsons. Mrs. Park died at the age of 66 following a seven-and-a-half year battle with ovarian cancer.

Children’s Books by Barbara Park

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Online Resources

There are many, many pins on Pinterest for activities related to the Junie B. Jones books.

Below are some additional links you may find useful:

http://juniebjones.comThis Educator's Guide includes Common Core Standards correlations.

www.scholastic.com Type in Junie B Jones for lesson plans related to the books

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/junie-jones-introduces-literacy-402.html There are excellent standards-based classroom lessons as well as pre & post classroom activities provided at the websites above. Check them out for additional opportunities that may help your students' theatre experience be even more meaningful.

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Vocabulary and Phrases used in the Musical As you prepare students for understanding the vocabulary, phrases and themes in this production, the following is suggested prior to attending the musical:

1) Read at least one Junie B. Jones book aloud to your class for better insight into her precociouspersonality, unique language, and her “shenanigans”.

2) Discuss the following: What did it feel like starting school for the first time? What did it feel likegoing from one grade level to another? What did you look forward to? What made you excited?What were you anxious about and/or what made you nervous? What turned out to be thesame…or different? Use realia, photos, videos, internet resources, and/or examples to helpstudents gain understanding of these terms which will be used throughout the musical.

Adventures – exciting activities; something new to explore, learn about, and be curious about

Allergic – a bad reaction to something a person eats or comes in contact with; Sheldon (one of Junie B.’s friends) is lactose intolerant and allergic to dairy products

Assignment – a job to be done; a task to be completed in school

Baloney – a kind of processed sandwich meat

Catalog – a book made by a store with pictures and descriptions of things that a person can buy

Cymbals – a musical, percussion instrument made of two round brass plates that are struck against each other to make a loud, brash sound

Development – one of the big words that Junie B. Jones uses to describe an unexpected situation

Graduation (Kindergarten Graduation) – a ceremony that celebrates completing a grade level in school; receiving a diploma of completion during a special ceremony

Hoagies – a kind of sandwich with meat and cheese

Hola – Hello in Spanish

Journal/Diary – a written, personal daily record of feelings, reflections, life events and news; a diary

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Vocabulary and Phrases used in the Musical (continued) Nitwit – a negative, sometimes mean way to describe a person who doesn’t get it nor understands

Top Secret Personal Beeswax (i.e. It’s none of your beeswax!) – a personal account of “business” (beeswax) – day-to-day feelings, reflections, and events that a person does not want to share with anyone necessarily; how Junie B. describes what she writes in her journal

Rhyme – repetition of similar sounding words with similar sounding endings; i.e. Lucille, Camille, Chenille all rhyme, but Junie B. Jones does NOT rhyme with those names

Madam – a formal way to address a woman

PBJ – abbreviation for Peanut butter (and) Jelly sandwich

Production – another word for a big show or presentation

P. U. Stinkle – how Junie B. Jones describes the smelly, stinky tuna noodle casserole served in the school lunchroom

Shenanigans – silly behavior that’s likely to cause problems; questionable antics that can get you into trouble

Show and Tell – students bring special items to school to show and tell their classmates about

Si! Me gusta helado! – Yes! I like ice cream!

Specs – another name for the kind of glasses that a person wears to make his/her vision better

Spectacular – amazing, outstanding, and fantastic

Tension – stress; upset because you feel overwhelmed

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade – make the best of a bad (“sour”) situation by using great problem solving and looking at the problem in a positive way

Whole new ball of wax – an idiom or saying that means a completely new or changed situation

Frayer Model

Use any of the vocabulary words in a Frayer model as modeled below:

Have groups of students complete a Frayer model (template included in the Reproducibles section), for different vocabulary words and let students teach each other about their word.

Definition (in own words) Picture

Examples Non-examples shenanigans

silly behavior that will probably get you in trouble

-spying on people -throwing sponges in the toilet -kicking watering cans

-following the rules

-doing my homework

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Vocabulary Sentence Frame

After reading the book, insert a vocabulary word into the first blank in this sentence frame and have students work together to complete the frame and draw a picture as modeled below.

An assignment is a job that (is/has/does) to be done at school or for homework.

(Template included in Reproducibles Section)

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Discussion Questions to Get at the Heart of the Story

Ask comprehension questions before, during, and after reading a Junie B. Jones story aloud. Encourage children to ask their own questions during classroom discussions or while sharing with a partner. Ask children for evidence from the story/musical to support their answers.

• Retelling – Literal1. Who is the main character of the story?2. What does the “B.” stand for?3. What is the setting of the story?4. When does this story take place?5. How old is Junie B. Jones?6. Who are some of the other important characters in the story?

• Predictive1. Junie B. Jones often gets herself into sticky situations with her friends at

school. Based on the title of this book, what situation do you think Junie B.might find herself in during this story?

2. Stop at various places in the book. Ask: ‘What do you think will happennext?”

3. Stop at various places in the book: Ask: “How do you think Junie B. handledthat situation? Would you have done things the same way she did? Why orwhy not?”

Discussion Questions to Get at the Heart of the Story (continued)

• Main Idea1. What does Barbara Park want you to learn from reading this story?2. Junie B. Jones often worries about what her friends and classmates will

think and say about the things that happen to her. Does this ever happento you the way it happens to her? Why do you think she worries about it somuch?

3. Junie B. Jones gets into trouble sometimes for the things she says and theway she says them because she often hurts people’s feelings. Why do youthink she does this? What have you learned from Junie B. when she triesto make things better?

4. Junie B. Jones’ mother and daddy love her very much, and they often haveto teach her lessons about her behavior. How do you best learn lessonsabout your behavior and how to treat others? What can you teach Junie B.Jones about kind, tolerant, and responsible ways to act?

5. Do you think Junie B. Jones is a nice person? Why or why not?6. When Junie B. Jones is in first grade she keeps a journal. Have you every

kept a journal? If so, how did you use it and how did it help you?

• Inferential1. Do you think Junie B. Jones acts like most first-graders? Why or why not?2. Why do you think the author portrays Junie B. Jones in this way?3. What do you think will happen to Junie B. Jones when she gets into second

grade?4. Would you describe Junie B. Jones as respectful or disrespectful? Why?5. Would you like to have Junie B. as your friend? Why or why not?6. Who do you know that would like this book?

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Pre-Performance and Post-Performance Classroom Adventures

• Have students complete a Venn Diagram or a Double Bubble Map* (included inthe Reproducibles section) to compare and contrast the following: RespectfulBehavior and Disrespectful Behavior; Funny Things to Say and Hurtful Things toSay; Kind Behavior and Unkind Behavior; Tolerance (Being Understanding) andGetting Annoyed; Fair and Unfair; Caring Behavior and Uncaring Behavior;Honest Behavior and Dishonest Behavior. This activity can be used to thenprompt a discussion about how the two are different, in what ways they could besimilar, and how contrasting the two helps us better understand our ownbehavior.

• After reading the book and attending the play, have students complete a VennDiagram or a Double Bubble Map* (included in the Reproducibles section) tocompare and contrast a Junie B. Jones book and the musical. After studentshave completed their comparison, have them decide if they are more similar ormore different.

• A major theme in the Junie B. Jones stories is friendship. As a class, brainstormimportant attributes of a good friend. What makes a good friend? Make a listand use for the following activities:

Write a newspaper ad seeking a good friend. Make a wanted poster Write a Friendship Cinquain* about a good friend Write a commercial advertising for a good friend.

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Definition of Instructional Terms

*Double Bubble Map – you can use the template provided in the reproducibles sectionbut it’s actually better if students draw the map themselves so they can add as many bubbles as they need instead of just filling in the ones that are provided.

*Friendship CinquainLine 1: Person’s name Line 2: 2 adjectives describing that person Line 3: 3 action words describing that person Line 4: 4 words about friendship Line 5: Nickname or noun

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Classroom Reproducibles

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Double Bubble Map

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Definition (in own words) Picture

Examples Non-examples

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Compare and Contrast

Book Play

Both

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A is a ___________that (is/has/does)

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