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The Velveteen Rabbit Study Guide
Created by: University of Denver Teaching Artist Class, Spring 2018,
Professor, Tam Frye
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Table of Contents Timeline of the Story Page 2
Author Fun Facts Page 3
Important History Page 3
Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts Page 3
Audience Roles and Responsibilities Page 5
Modern Dance Introduction Page 6
ODC Dance Information Page 7
Cleo Parker Robinson Dancers Page 8
Words to Know Page 9
Resources Page 11
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Timeline of The Velveteen Rabbit Need a reminder of our story? Here are some highlights that may come in handy!
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About the Author Margery Williams, and the top 5 things you should
know about her
1. She was born in England in 1881 and went to school in the US! 2. Her daughter illustrated some of her other books! 3. She wrote books for many genres including; Horror, Fiction, and autobiography the Velveteen Rabbit was her first children's book 4. She wrote her first book at 17! 5. Her father inspired her to write and he read to her when she was little!
Important History of the time Velveteen Rabbit was written in 1922
1900's The Scarlet Fever made many people very sick, and the cure for it (a medicine called penicillin, an antibiotic we still use today!) was not invented until 1928 by Alexander Fleming in England! How do you think this impacted the way people viewed Scarlet Fever? 1903 Women formed a group called "WSPU" to get women the right to vote! Margery Williams was a published author under her real name at the time, how do you think this matters for women’s rights? 1914 World War 1 began, and lasted four years until 1918. How do you think this affected the book?
Robert and Judi Newman Center for Performing Arts
The Robert and Judi Newman Center must be full title each time was founded in 2003
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on the University of Denver's Campus taking up 180,000 square feet! The Velveteen Rabbit will be seen in the June Swaner Gates Concert Hall,
the largest performance venue in the building with 977 seats and a double lift Orchestra Pit!
Now you try! What are some of your favorite books? Bring in
one to share with the class Make your own story using all pictures and no
words. Do you have a favorite genre for the books you
read? Make a list on all the books you know in this genre.
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Audience roles and responsibilities When you are a member of the audience there are a few things that are important to remember. You should enjoy the performance, and be as respectful as you can while you watch The Velveteen Rabbit! Remember, the performers on stage are real people and can see and hear everything you do. Here are some things to keep in mind:
1. Make sure you are in your seat 15 minutes before the show so they don’t start without you!
2. Be as quiet as you can while watching so show so you don’t distract your friends or the people on stage.
3. Make sure to sit in the seat like a grownup with your feet on the ground. 4. Keep your hands to yourself and eyes on the stage. You don’t want to
miss a thing! 5. This show is 45 minutes, so make sure to use the restroom beforehand. 6. If you have a phone or camera turn it off and enjoy the show!
Questions to think about while you’re watching!
1. How do the dancers use their bodies to tell a story? 2. What parts of the show made you feel happy or sad? 3. Which character is your favorite? 4. What similarities and differences did you see between the book and the
show? 5. How did the music make you feel? 6. What did the music add to the story?
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Modern Dance What Is It?
Modern dance is an expressive form of dance that usually tells a story. It was created in the early 20th century as a response to classical ballet. Recently, modern dance has included nondance elements such as film or speech.
What Does It Take?
Modern dancers have experience in multiple kinds of dance, such as classical ballet and jazz, and have been dancing for the majority of their lives. By the time they are professionals, the dancers have at least 100,000 hours of practice! Now You Try!
Can you use dance to tell the following stories? Getting dessert Playing and winning a game Doing homework
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ODC Dance
The Velveteen Rabbit performance you are going to see is brought to us by the ODC Dance Company. For over 40 years, ODC has been dedicated to inspire audiences, cultivate artists, engage community, and foster diversity and inclusion through dance!
ODC offers classes in a wide range of dance forms to people of all ages and abilities in an effort to nurture creative artists, appreciative audiences, and a healthy community. Where can I find the ODC?
ODC dancers are visiting the Robert and Judi Newman Center all the way from San Francisco, California! They are traveling 1,259 miles to share with us this whimsical and exciting show. Love this!
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Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Studio Student dancers from Cleo Parker Robinson Dance are performing with
ODC for this incredible performance. In 1974, Cleo Parker Robinson founded a notforprofit Dance Organization that has transcended the its Denver roots to touch dancers around the globe!
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance (CPRD) has served over half a million K12 students in school districts throughout the Front Range. CPRD Education programs infuse arts into curriculum, and engages students through the magic of movement and creative expression. You can visit their website for more information! https://cleoparkerdance.org/
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Words To Know For classes reading the book before the performance, there’s some tricky terms throughout The Velveteen Rabbit after all, it was written almost 100 years ago! Here’s a list of vocab words that can help.
Velveteen: A cheap fabric meant to imitate velvet. "There once was a velveteen rabbit, and in the beginning he was really splendid." Sateen: A cotton fabric with a glossy surface, meant to imitate satin. "...and his ears were lined with pink sateen ." Holly: a plant with small white flowers and red berries. "...when he sat wedged in the top of the Boy's stocking, with a sprig of holly between his paws." Sawdust: Powder from chopped up wood. "...he thought they were all stuffed with sawdust like himself, and he understood that sawdust was quite outofdate and should never be mentioned in modern circles..." Shabby: in poor condition. "...the idea of growing shabby and losing his eyes and whiskers was rather sad." Brigands: a thief who robs people in the woods. "...and before he wandered off to pick flowers, or play at brigands among the trees..." Clockwork: a springpowered set of gears that can drive mechanical toys. "...the Rabbit stared hard to see which side the clockwork stuck out, for he knew that people who jump generally have something to wind them up." Scarlet Fever: an extreme branch of strep throat, which died out in the early 20th century. (First recorded in 167080) "Why, he looks just like my old Bunny that was lost when I had scarlet fever !" Bracken: a cluster or thicket of fern trees; an area overgrown with ferns and shrubs. “And while he was playing, two rabbits crept out from the bracken and peeped at him.”
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Fronds : a large, finely divided leaf, especially as applied to fern and palm trees. “All the forest was beautiful, and the fronds of the bracken shone like frosted silver.” Bygone: past; gone by; earlier; former. “Nearby he could see the thicket of raspberry canes, growing tall and close like a tropical jungle, in whose shadow he had played with the Boy on bygone mornings.” Queer: strange or odd from a conventional viewpoint. “They must have been very well made, for their seams didn't show at all, and they changed shape in a queer way when they moved; one minute they were long and thin and the next minute fat and bunchy, instead of always staying the same like he did.” Scarcely: barely; hardly; not quite. “At first he found it rather uncomfortable, for the Boy hugged him very tight, and sometimes he rolled over on him, and sometimes he pushed him so far under the pillow that the Rabbit could scarcely breathe.”
Now YOU Try!
Have the students bring in their favorite toy or stuffed animal, and do a Show &
Tell with the class!
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Resources Reading:
20 Fun Facts About Rabbits (All ages)
https://www.care2.com/causes/20fascinatingfactsaboutrabbits.html
Creating Costuming for the Velveteen Rabbit (All ages) : https://odcsf.wordpress.com/2014/11/24/costumingthevelveteenr
abbit/ Interviews and Articles on Classical Music of the United Kingdom
(Teachers)
https://bachtrack.com/allarticles Cleo Parker Robinson Dance:
ODC is using dancers from Cleo Parker Robinson’s child dance classes as
their performers in the production of Velveteen Rabbits (All ages)
https://cleoparkerdance.org/whoweare/ Contemporary Dance Study Guide and Activities (Teachers)
http://www.madeinbc.org/wpcontent/uploads/2015/05/MiBC_contemporary_dance_study_guide_2010.pdf
Margery Williams Biography (Teachers)
https://www.poemhunter.com/margerywilliams/biography/ Listen: More music by the composer, Benjamin Britten
“A Boy Was Born,” Benjamin Britten (All Ages) “Les Illuminations” Britten (All Ages) “Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings.” Britten (All Ages) “Peter Grimes” Britten
A Composition for an opera down by Britten (Grades 6+)
Watch:
ODC Dance Company Youtube Account (Teachers)
https://www.youtube.com/user/ODCSF
