T H E A T E R

STUDY GUIDE INFORMATIONFOR

WILD SWAN THEATER’S PRODUCTION OF

UNDER THE AFRICAN SKY

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Table of Contents

About this Study Guide 3

About Wild Swan Theater 3

About the Play 4

About the Stories 4-5

About African Folk Tales 6-7

About Anansi 8

About Africa 9-10

About African Dance 11

About African Masks 12

Paper Plate Masks 13

Paper Mache Masks and Heads 14-15

About African Musical Instruments 16

African Foods: What is Cassava? 17

Discussion Questions 18

Classroom Activities 19

Suggested Bibliography and Web Resources 20

Connections to MDE Grade Level Content Expectations and Common Core Standards for Suggested Classroom Activities* 21-31

*A note on standards: Suggested Classroom Activities have the ability to meet Common Core and GLCE standards. Please review these standards before implementing the suggested classroom activities.

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ABOUT THIS STUDY GUIDE

The Under the African Sky Study Guide is an educational resource providing concrete learning experiences along with background and summary information to aid in understanding concepts of each production and Wild Swan Theater. We have provided Common Core Standards as well as Grade Level Content Expectations for each of the classroom activities in a separate section so that you can see how these lessons can become an integral part of your educational setting. The Study Guides follow a standard format so you can determine which parts best fit the needs of your classroom. Wild Swan Theater strives to ensure that each Study Guide contain current information and is helpful to you, so please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any suggestions at wildswan@wildswantheater.org. Thank you!

ABOUT WILD SWAN THEATER

MISSION STATEMENT:Wild Swan Theater is dedicated to producing professional theater of the highest artistic quality for

families and to making that theater accessible to everyone including low income, minority and disabled children through low ticket prices and innovative outreach programs.

HISTORY AND ACTIVITIES:Wild Swan Theater was founded in 1980. Since its inception, the company of professional, adult actors, dancers, musicians, visual artists, and American Sign Language interpreters has performed for hundreds of thousands of children. As well as many public performances in its home base of Ann Arbor, the company tours regularly to theaters, museums and public libraries as well as offering residencies and workshops at schools and hospitals serving disabled children statewide. This year the company will give 175 performances for an audience of over 50,000 children and their families.

Wild Swan's performance style, which incorporates storytelling and live action with puppets, masks, music and dance, has received critical acclaim as well as an enthusiastic following. The Detroit News has praised the work as "professional children's theater at its very best," and the Flint Museum of Art has described it as "superb theater that enhances life and its joys." Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village has called Wild Swan "one of the finest theaters for families in the nation."

Wild Swan has pioneered a number of audience accessibility measures for disabled individuals that are models in the state and have earned the praise of educators and health specialists across the country. All productions are performed in American Sign

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Language as well as spoken English with the signing completely integrated into the productions. Thus deaf children and adults not only have complete access to the productions but hearing children are exposed to this beautiful and poetic language. A program for blind individuals includes pre-performance backstage "touch tours". Participants have the opportunity to feel specially constructed props and masks, explore the set, and meet actors and hear the voices their characters will use. Audio-description, a simultaneous description of staging, lights, and costumes, transmitted electronically to participating audience members during pauses in the dialogue, permits audience members who are blind or visually impaired to have access to all the visual elements of the production. As a leader of disabled access in the state, Wild Swan has been a recipient of the Governor's Service Award in 1998 in the Arts in Service category and a grant recipient of Very Special Arts/Michigan for ten years.

Wild Swan has received major support from the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, the Arts Foundation of Michigan, the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Elizabeth Wight and Grayling funds of the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan, the Skillman Foundation, Newman's Own Inc., the Pistons Palace Foundation and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.

ABOUT THE PLAYUnder the African Sky is a delightful, humorous collection of well-known African tales including Why the Sky is Far Away, The Talking Vegetables, and Tug-of-Vine. The stories are performed through storytelling, acting, and drumming. Audiences will delight in the authentic instruments and music, including a balaphone, a djembe, and a talking drum.

ABOUT THE STORIES

Why the Sky is Far AwayThis story is over five hundred years old. It was first told in Bini, the language of

the Bini tribe of Nigeria, which has existed for more than eight hundred years. Today, the Bini people live in what is now the country of Nigeria, along with many other tribes. In Wild Swan’s own retelling of Mary-Jo Gerson’s version, the people in the village receive all of their food from the generous Sky, but when they begin to foolishly waste the food they are given, the Sky moves far away and the people must cultivate their own crops to eat.

The Talking VegetablesThe Talking Vegetables is a traditional story from the Dan people of northeastern

Liberia. Every Dan village has a community farm, and everyone works hard to make

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this farm a village treasure. When somebody in the village gets sick, friends pick vegetables from the farm for the family. When there is an important celebration, villagers harvest vegetables from the farm for everyone to enjoy. In this retelling by Wild Swan, based on the version by Won-Ldy Paye and Margaret H. Lippert, the Spider is lazy and selfish and does not want to help with the farm. The real fun for Spider begins when he goes to eat some of the vegetables that all of the other animals in the village worked so hard to grow. Dan parents and grandparents will often tell childrenthe tale of The Talking Vegetables to remind them that they are important members of their families and that their work is needed in order for the community to thrive.

Tug-of-Vine Wild Swan has created their own version of this trickster tale based on the retelling by Joanna Cole and Jill Karla Schwarz. In this story, a turtle claims to be friends with a hippo and an elephant. They both laugh at him because they are so different from him. So the turtle challenges each one of them to a tug-of-vine. By tricking the hippo and elephant with the help of his friend the bluebird, the turtle convinces them that he is equal to them in strength and becomes their friend.

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About African Folk Tales

There is a rich, fertile legacy of folklore from Africa. On this vast continent, folk tales and myths serve as a means of handing down traditions and customs from one generation to the next. The storytelling tradition has thrived for generations because of the absence of printed material. Folk tales prepare young people for life, as there are many lessons to be learned from the tales. Because of the history of this large continent, which includes the forceful transplanting of the people into slavery on other continents, many of the same folk tales exist in North America, South America, and the West Indies. These are told with little variation, for the tales were spread by word of mouth and were kept among the African population.

In the African folk tales, the stories reflect the culture where animals abound; consequently, the monkey, elephant, giraffe, lion, zebra, crocodile, and rhinoceros appear frequently along with a wide variety of birds such as the ostrich, the secretary bird, and the eagle. The animals and birds take on human characteristics of greed, jealousy, honesty, loneliness, etc. Through their behavior, many valuable lessons are learned. Also, the surroundings in which the tales take place reveal the vastness of the land and educate the reader about the climate, such as the dry season when it hasn't rained for several years, or the rainy season when the hills are slick with mud. The acacia trees swaying in a gentle breeze, muddy streams that are home to fish, hippos and crocodiles, moss covered rocks, and giant ant hills that serve as a "back scratcher" for huge elephants, give the reader a sense of the variety of life in this parched or lush land in this part of the world.

There are many thousands of proverbs from African folk tales. A single tribe may have as many as a thousand--or even several thousand--of their own. So there are proverbs in abundance from this continent. Many times, a proverb is spoken in a tale by a character, rather than being left for the end of the story. Some of the more familiar proverbs do not need a story context in order to figure out the meaning. For example, "Do not set the roof on fire and then go to bed"; "He who runs and hides in the bushes does not do it for nothing; if he is not doing the chasing, we know that something is chasing him"; and "Chicken says: We follow the one who has something."

Many stories are deliberately left without an ending. This leaves the ending wide open for audience discussion and participation. The ending of the tale would be determined by the group of people involved in the exercise. The ending, therefore, is flexible and might change depending upon who is participating.

Many of the folk tales have musical participation by the audience that adds to the tale. It is common for the audience to answer questions aloud, clap their hands in rhythm to

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word repetition (chorus), and join in the chorus. Some of the tales have a repetitive quality to them because the audience wants to enjoy the story and participate in the experience for as long as possible.

Language can be conveyed by drums. The Ashanti and other West African tribes, just by the rhythms and intervals in beating their drums by their fingers, the flat of their hand, or the thumb, can convey messages and be understood over long distances. Many different tones can be made by the pressure of the arm under which a drum is held. The stick for beating the drum came later. We still refer to a turkey leg as the "drum stick."

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About Anansi: The Trickster Spider

The Ashanti people, who live in what is now the country of Ghana, handed down the brilliant folktales about the trickster Anansi, the spider-man. (Similarly, the Ibo people told stories about the trickster turtle.) Anansi is a quick-witted and intelligent surviving the odds and tricking those around him. He personifies the quality of survival, which is admired by African people.

Anansi fills the role of storyteller hero or villain. He is great at disguises, omniscient but nonetheless willing to be chopped to prove a moral. He is something to everyone: his indestructibility, knowledge, and wit are an investment in hope. The stories are usually satirical and cynical. They never have a live-happily-ever-after kind of ending. Anansi’s devotees were always on the lookout for the unexpected; everywhere were challenges that must be faced.

West African stories of Anansi say that he is greedy and, being small and weak, he wins by cunning and cleverness, not strength. It is Anansi “who mek wasp sting, who mek dog belly come hollow, who mek donkey bray.”

Anansi takes many shapes; at times he seems to be a man and at other times he is an insect. What this represents for children is that even though the Anasi stories are filled with animal characters, their characteristics are so human-like that at many times when reading or listening to his stories one begins to feel as though the characters are the same people who are part of our lives and history. The effect of these stories on children is not only morally fulfilling, but pure enjoyment as well.

Adapted from “Anancy Introduction” Marcia Davidson. <http://www.jamaicans.com/culture/anasi/anancy_intro.shtml>

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About AfricaThe continent of Africa is very large and is made up of over 50 separate countries. Each country is an individual nation, just like America, where we live. The stories in the production “Under the African Sky” come from the countries of Nigeria, Liberia, and Benin.

BENIN NIGERIA

LIBERIA

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LiberiaLocated on the west coast of Africa, Liberia is bordered by Guinea in the north, Ivory Coast to the east, Sierra Leone on the northwest and the Atlantic Ocean to the south and southwest.

There are three distinct geographical belts lying parallel to the coast. The low coastal belt is about 50 miles wide, with tidal creeks, shallow lagoons and mangrove marshes. The land then rises abruptly, forming a great belt of high forest with elevations of 600 to 1,000 feet. Inland is a plateau 1,500 to 2,000 feet above sea level, where the forest is dense. The Nimba Mountains, near the Guinea border, rise to 4,200 feet, and the Waulo Mountains to 4,500 feet. Of the six principal rivers, all of which are at right angles to the coast, and flow into the Atlantic Ocean, only the Cavally, which separates Liberia from the Ivory Coast, is navigable for more than a few miles. Sandbars obstruct the mouths of all rivers, making entrance hazardous.

NigeriaNigeria is situated at the extreme inner corner of the Gulf of Guinea on the west coast of Africa. It borders with Chad to the northeast, Cameroon to the east, Benin to the west, Niger to the northwest and by the Atlantic Ocean (Gulf of Guinea) to the south.

Along the entire coastline of Nigeria lies a belt of mangrove swamp forest from 10 to 60 miles in width, which is intersected by branches of the Niger Delta and innumerable other smaller rivers and creeks. Beyond the swamp forest is a zone, from 50 to 100 miles wide, of undulating tropical rain forest. The country then rises to a plateau at a general elevation of 2,000 ft but reaching 6,000 ft to the east, and the vegetation changes from woodland to savannah. In the extreme north, the country approaches the southern part of the Sahara.

BeninBenin is situated in West Africa on the northern coast of the Gulf of Guinea. It has land borders to the north by Niger, on the west by Togo, and on the northwest by Burkina Faso.

The coast has no natural harbors, river mouths or islands, due to access difficulty because of sandbanks. Behind the coastline is a network of lagoons, from that of Grand Popo on the Togo border (navigable at all seasons) and joined to Lake Aheme, to that of Porto-Novo on the east, in which flows Benin's longest river, the Oueme, navigable for some 125 miles of its total of 285 miles. Beside Oueme, the only other major river in the south is Couffo, which flows into Lake Aheme. The Mono, serving from Parahoue to Grand Pope, has the boundary with Togo and is navigable for 50 miles but subject to torrential floods in the rainy season.

Benin's northern rivers, the Mekrou, Alibory and Sota, which are tributaries of the Niger, and the Pandjari, a tributary of the Volta, are torrential and broken by rocks. North of the narrow belt of coastal sand is a region of lateritic clay, the main oil palm area, intersected by a marshy depression between Allada and Abomey that stretches east to the Nigerian frontier. North of the hills of Dassa, the height ranges from 200 to 500 feet, broken only by the Atakora Mountains (1,500 - 2,400 ft), stretching in a southwesterly direction into Togo.

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African DanceFrom the earliest history of African dance, it is known that dance played a very important role in the lives of the tribal people. Dances were used to ward off danger and to ask for prosperity, to express feelings and emotions and to celebrate ceremonies such as birth or marriage. It also played a major role in tribal religious rituals. As a part of the daily activities, dancing was a way to pass time and to enjoy and affirm life.

Unlike most other forms of dance, African dance features very few isolations, instead using the whole of the body. This dance genre is what is known as “polycentric”, or rather dictated by various rhythmic variations found in music. For this reason, African dance can easily be as varied as the wide variety of musical beats available to us today. For this reason, there are plenty of complex movements to be had, and many continue to be developed both within native tribes and outside of it throughout modern dance society.

Some argue that all dance styles come out of Africa, and there isn’t a single genre of movement that isn’t in some way credited to these ancient steps. Surely the soul is found in this sub-Saharan lifestyle, as African dance carries such a passion about it that no one could ever hope to duplicate unless they have been truly captured by the spirit of dance. African drum beats dictate the emotion of the dancers, and for this reason many have the same sort of self expression today in all styles of dance.

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MASKS

People in many cultures make and wear masks. They are used in ceremonies and dramas as well as for decorations. Sometimes masks cover the face of the wearer; other times they are worn on top of the head with the face showing. Masks are of figures important to the culture in which they are made: supernatural beings, animals, and the spirits of objects.

Sometimes the wearing of a mask is very important in a culture. The wearer is transformed into the animal or spirit of the mask he or she wears. Not all people in a community may wear the masks of supernatural beings. Other times, masks are used for more lighthearted story telling or drama and the masked figures may be tricksters or clowns. It is not uncommon for ritual and drama to be mixed together.

Some types of masks include ones made of wood or metals, ones made by different groups of people in African tribes, and masks that are used for different cultural and traditional purposes in a tribe.

The kinds of masks that are made by a group of people as well as the way they are decorated help us to understand what is important in that culture. The masks of West Africa, which you will see in the play, are decorated with shells and raffia, materials that were available or could be traded for. In this production, the Sky is portrayed using a mask with cowry shells, which would have been found in Nigeria, where the story is set.

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PAPER PLATE MASKS

1. To give them a three-dimensional quality, the children cut two slits about 2" deep and 2" or 3" apart in the edge of the plate.

2. Overlapping the sides adjacent to each slit slightly and stapling them back together, forms a simple chin cup, which makes the mask fit nicely.

3. The child can locate and mark the position of his eyes and later, with the point of the scissors, make incisions for them. The teacher might illustrate methods by which the nose can be cut on the bottom and two sides and flapped out for an interesting three-dimensional quality, or how a hole might be cut in the center where the nose normally would be, or how other types of noses, such as a cone, pyramid, box, or simply a crumpled wad, can be developed from construction paper.

These first experiments in three-dimensional paper sculpture will lead to interesting improvisations for eyebrows, hair, cheeks, and ears. The teacher should encourage the children at this point to experiment with the paper in as many ways as possible and to develop the masks as a project in paper sculpture.

The child can ornament the edges of the paper with feathers, fur, cotton, or hair to get interesting effects from the type of mask he is making. Again, a scrap box with such things as raffia, yarns, shavings, and steel wool will be invaluable for suggesting new and different approaches to making masks. If these materials are not available, paint and crayons can suffice to make very interesting masks.

4. Finally, a rubber band can be stapled to each side and slipped around the child's head to hold the mask in place.

Whenever possible, the teacher ought to encourage children to be inventive by asking them to create a mood or a feeling, to make the mask look "mean" or look "sad" rather than to make it look "real."

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PAPER MACHE MASKS AND HEADS

Make a variety of masks and heads using paper mache techniques! Materials Needed:

Round Balloon Newspaper Paper Mache Paste Plastic Wrap Paint Instructions:Make sure you cover you work surface well. I usually set down wax paper or plastic wrap on top of the newspaper. This is a very messyproject!

Decide what size and shape of mask or head you want and choose the appropriatesized balloon. Blow up the balloon and tie it closed. Find a bowl or cup yourballoon can sit in while you work on it. Completely cover the cup or bowl withplastic wrap so the paper mache does not stick to it. Also cover the table or worksurface under the cup with the plastic wrap. Set your balloon in the cup or bowland set it aside.

Tear several newspaper pages into strips. You will want them 1 inch wide andabout 6 - 8 inches long. Set them aside.

Use a large bowl to prepare your paper mache paste (Pick a recipe here). Thepaste will be sticky! I would suggest using a bowl that is easy to soak and clean(glass perhaps) or even a disposable bowl. Now you are ready to start with thepaper mache!

Dip the newspaper strips into the glue and spread them onto the balloon.Completely cover the balloon, except for the area where it is sitting in the cup. Setaside and let this first layer dry.

Once the first layer is completely dry, use various supplies to make the facialfeatures on your balloon if desired. You can make a nose, ears, thick eye brows,lips, etc. Use cardboard, masking tape, foil, or other items shown on this supplylist. Use masking tape to hold everything in place.

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Add at least two more layers of paper mache to your balloon. Allow each layer todry completely before putting on the next layer. Once it is dry, pop the balloonand remove it through the opening left at the bottom (If you cannot get the balloonout, don't worry about it too much - no one will see it).

You can now paint and decorate your mask or face as desired. You can add hair using yarn, thin scraps of material, or anything else you desire.

To make a more realistic shaped face, make as above except use a double layerof tin foil instead of a balloon. Use your face as a mold. Have someone help yougently press the tin foil to your face to get a nice face mold. Wad up newspaperand put it inside the curved section of the foil mold and lay it on your worksurface. While applying the first layer of newspaper and paste, make sure not topress on your mold too hard or it will lose it shapes!

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About African Musical Instruments

Dejembe:The Dejembe is a goblet shaped, solid wood carved drum from West Africa. Originally an instrument of the Malinke people, it is now played by many ethnic groups. The top of the dejembe is covered with a shaved goat skin, which is made tight with ropes. It is traditionally hung by a strap over the drummer’s shoulders, and played with the hands.

Balafon:The Balafon is a wooden-keyed xylophone from West Africa. Hollow gourds hang as resonators under this tradtional Malinke instrument. The frame is made of bamboo and wood, lasted together with strips of animal hide. The balafon keys are carefull tuned blocks of wood, struck with

rubber-tipped mallets. This instrument has evolved into many different styles and shapes throughout the continent of Africa.

Dununs:The family of bass drums from the Malinke culture is called dununs. They are also individually named Kenkeni-smallest, Sangban-medium and Dununba-largest. The dununs are hollow cylinder-shaped, hollow carved pieces of wood. They are strund with cow skin on each side and tensioned with rope. They often will have a small metal bell tied to its side. The dununs are struck with a wooden beater.

Information and pictures courtesy of Ryan Edwards

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African Food: What is Cassava?

Cassava (Manihot esculenta) originated in the Americas, and is a small shrub with a palmate leaf formation. Cassava belongs to the family of rubber plants with a white root stem and leaf stalk. Cassava produces bulky storage roots with a heavy concentration of carbohydrates, about 80 percent. The shoots grow into leaves that constitute a good vegetable rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals. New knowledge of the biochemistry of the crop has proved that the proteins embedded in the leaves are equal in quality to the protein in egg. Cassava leaves and roots, if properly processed, provide a balanced diet protecting millions of African children against malnutrition.

Because of its massive leaf production which drops to form organic matter thus recycling soil nutrients, cassava requires little or no fertilization and yet will maintain a steady production trend over a fairly long period of time in a continuous farming system. With its ability to suppress weeds, cassava as a crop is a friend of farmerswhose weeding operation is drastically reduced. Whereas other crops such as yam, maize, banana and plantain, cowpea or sorghum and millet are eco-regionally specific, cassava is probably the only crop whose production cuts across all ecological zones.

African Fruit

A great recipe for African fruit salad can be made from a mixture of mangos, bananas, and coconut. Have students create their own rhythmic chant for the food items like the characters in the production did!

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

-Why are folk tales important? How are they used to teach lessons?

-What did the villagers learn about being wasteful in Why the Sky is Far Away?

-What did Spider learn about being lazy and selfish in The Talking Vegetables?-Why are animals used in stories to explain the world?

-Turtle is smaller and weaker than the animals that he tricks. How does he outwit them without needing to be big and strong? Do you know other stories where someone small outwitted a bigger or stronger opponent?

-Are Turtle, Hippo, and Elephant all equal to one another? Why or why not?

-What does it mean to say that two people are equal?

-Do we have to be similar to be equal?

-Are your friends very similar to you? In what ways are your friends equal to you?

-Why do you think Elephant and Hippo laughed at the idea of being friends with Turtle?

-Can you think of any friends that you have who are very different than you?

-Can you think of a way that Turtle might be telling the truth when he says that he is equal in power and strength to Hippo and Elephant?

-What other stories, from other cultures as well as our own, have a trickster character?

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

1. Make masks (rod or half masks) as part of telling or performing a story.

2. There are a lot of different animals represented in the stories. Try moving like one of the animals (i.e. a turtle, an elephant, an ostrich) from the stories or other animals you think of on your own. Do they move quickly or slowly? Are they tall or low to the ground? Once you have a movement for your animal(s), try finding a “voice” for them

3. Ask the class to each memorize a short poem or story. Take turns reciting thepoem/story in as many different ways as possible. For example, one person could tell the poem boldly, another could sing the lines, etc.

4. Have one student tell a short story. Take turns re-telling the story and observe how the story changes with telling. Another variation may be telling the story adding as much color as possible. A narrates: "I walked down the street." B retells: "I walked down the golden street."

5. Pass around an object, such as a ruler or piece of cloth. Ask the students to imagine what else it might be. For example, a ruler might be a magic wand, or a balance beam, or a shovel, etc.

6. Listen to sounds made by instruments or objects in the classroom. Discuss how sounds suggest things that may be happening in the story, or can be used to inspire a story.

7. Make up a new ending for one of the stories. For example: What if elephant and hippo had figured out that turtle really wasn’t as strong as they were?

8. Grow a sweet potato by placing it in a bowl or glass of water. Use three toothpicks to hold it in place in the container, so that only about a fourth of it is immersed in the water.

9. Cook yams and taste. Discuss ways food helps us learn about a culture.

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SUGGESTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Why the Sky is Far Away, retold by Mary Joan Gerson. Little, Brown and Co., Boston.The Talking Vegetables, retold by Won-Ldy Paye and Margaret H. Lippert. Henry Holt & Co., New York. Tug-of-War, retold by Joanna Cole and Jill Karla Schwarz. First Anchor Books, New York.

OTHER AFRICAN STORIES:Bimwili and the Zimwi: A Tale From Zanzibar, Verna Aardema; Dial Books For Young Readers, 1985The Lonely Lioness and the Ostrich Chicks: A Masai Tale, Verna Aardema; A.A. Knopf, Distributed by Random House, 1996Once Upon a Time Tales From Africa, Misoso; A.A. Knopf, Distributed by Random House, 1994Sungura and Leopard: A Swahili Trickster Tale, retold by Barbara Knutsen, First Avenue Editions, Minneapolis.

WEB RESOURCES:

http://www.heritageworks.org/

http://www.noteaccess.com/MATERIALS/MatMaskMaking.htm

http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/makingmasks/

http://dance.lovetoknow.com/African_Dance

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/folk-tales/resource/3716.html

http://www.worldbank.org/html/cgiar/newsletter/Mar96/4cas2.htm

http://www.africaguide.com/afmap.htm

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Under the African Sky: Common Core Standards and Grade Level Content Expectations for Suggested Classroom Activities (PreK-3rd)

Common Core StandardsActivity 1 Kindergarten:Speaking and Listening Standards 1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g. listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion).b. Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges.

Speaking and Listening Standards 2: Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.Speaking and Listening Standards 3: Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.Speaking and Listening Standards 4: Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.Speaking and Listening Standards 6: Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.Grade 1:Speaking and Listening Standards 1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).b. Build on others’ talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges.c. Ask questions to clear up any confusion about the topics and texts under discussion.

Speaking and Listening Standards 2: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.Speaking and Listening Standards 3: Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood.Speaking and Listening Standards 4: Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.Speaking and Listening Standards 5: Add drawings or other visual displays to

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descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.Speaking and Listening Standards 6: Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation.Grade 2:Speaking and Listening Standards 1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).b. Build on others’ talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others.c. Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion.

Speaking and Listening Standards 2: Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.Speaking and Listening Standards 3: Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue.Speaking and Listening Standards 4: Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.Speaking and Listening Standards 6: Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.Grade 3:Speaking and Listening Standards 1: 1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).c. Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others.d. Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.

Speaking and Listening Standards 2: Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.Speaking and Listening Standards 3: Ask and answer questions about information

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from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.Speaking and Listening Standards 4: Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.Speaking and Listening Standards 6: Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.

Activities 2, 5, 6, 9Kindergarten:Speaking and Listening Standards 1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g. listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion).b. Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges.

Speaking and Listening Standards 2: Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.Speaking and Listening Standards 3: Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.Grade 1:Speaking and Listening Standards 1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).b. Build on others’ talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges.c. Ask questions to clear up any confusion about the topics and texts underdiscussion.

Speaking and Listening Standards 2: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.Speaking and Listening Standards 3: Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood.Speaking and Listening Standards 1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).

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b. Build on others’ talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others.c. Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion.

Speaking and Listening Standards 2: Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.Speaking and Listening Standards 3: Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue.Grade 3:Speaking and Listening Standards 1: 1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).c. Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others.d. Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.

Speaking and Listening Standards 2: Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.Speaking and Listening Standards 3: Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.

Activities 3, 4, 7Kindergarten:Reading Standards for Literature 2: With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details.Speaking and Listening Standards 1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g. listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion).b. Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges.

Speaking and Listening Standards 2: Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.

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Speaking and Listening Standards 3: Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.Speaking and Listening Standards 4: Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.Speaking and Listening Standards 5: Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.Speaking and Listening Standards 6: Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.Grade 1:Reading Standards for Literature 2: Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.Speaking and Listening Standards 1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).b. Build on others’ talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges.c. Ask questions to clear up any confusion about the topics and texts under discussion.

Speaking and Listening Standards 2: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.Speaking and Listening Standards 3: Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood.Speaking and Listening Standards 4: Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.Speaking and Listening Standards 6: Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation.Grade 2:Reading Standards for Literature 2: Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.Speaking and Listening Standards 1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).b. Build on others’ talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others.c. Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and

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texts under discussion.Speaking and Listening Standards 2: Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.Speaking and Listening Standards 3: Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue.Speaking and Listening Standards 4: Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.Speaking and Listening Standards 6: Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.Grade 3:Reading Standards for Literature 2: Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.Speaking and Listening Standards 1: 1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).c. Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others.d. Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.

Speaking and Listening Standards 2: Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, includingvisually, quantitatively, and orally.Speaking and Listening Standards 3: Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.Speaking and Listening Standards 4: Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.Speaking and Listening Standards 6: Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.

Activity 8No Common Core Connections

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Grade Level Content ExpectationsActivities 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9Kindergarten:S.CN.00.01 Speaking Conventions: explore and use language to communicate with a

variety of audiences and for different purposes including problem-solving, explaining, looking for solutions, constructing relationships, and expressing courtesies.

S.CN.00.02 Speaking Conventions: speak clearly and audibly in complete, coherent sentences and use sound effects or illustrations for dramatic effect in narrative and informational presentations.

S.CN.00.03 Speaking Conventions: present in standard American English if it is their first language.

S.CN.00.04 Speaking Conventions: understand, providing examples of how language differs from playground and classroom as a function of linguistic and cultural group membership.

S.DS.00.01 Speaking Discourse: engage in substantive conversations, remaining focused on subject matter, with interchanges beginning to build on prior responses in literature discussions, paired conversations, or other interactions.

S.DS.00.02 Speaking Discourse: briefly tell or retell about familiar experiences or interests focusing on basic story grammar or main ideas and key details.

S.DS.00.03 Speaking Discourse: respond to multiple text types by reflecting, making meaning, and making connections.

S.DS.00.04 Speaking Discourse: plan and deliver presentations using a descriptive informational organizational pattern providing several facts and details to make their point clearly and audibly.

L.CN.00.01 Listening and Viewing Conventions: understand and follow one- and two-step directions.

L.CN.00.02 Listening and Viewing Conventions: ask appropriate questions during a presentation or report.

L.CN.00.03 Listening and Viewing Conventions: listen to or view knowledgeably while demonstrating appropriate social skills of audience behaviors (e.g., eye contact, attentive, supportive) in small and large group settings; listen to each other, interact, and respond appropriately.

L.CN.00.04 Listening and Viewing Conventions: begin to evaluate messages they experience, learning to differentiate between sender and receiver.

L.RP.00.01 Listening and Viewing Response: listen to or view knowledgeably and discuss a variety of genre.

L.RP.00.03 Listening and Viewing Response: respond to multiple text types listened to or viewed knowledgeably, by discussing, drawing, and/or writing in order to reflect, make meaning, and make connections.

Grade 1:

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S.CN.01.01 Speaking Conventions: use common grammatical structures correctly when speaking including singular and plural nouns, singular possessive pronouns, simple contractions, and conjunctions to express relationships (e.g., because, if, after, and inflected endings).

S.CN.01.02 Speaking Conventions: explore and use language to communicate with a variety of audiences and for different purposes including making requests, solving problems, looking for solutions, constructing relationships, and expressing courtesies.

S.CN.01.03 Speaking Conventions: speak effectively maintaining appropriate posture, eye contact, and position using props such as photographs or illustrations in narrative and informational presentations.

S.CN.01.04 Speaking Conventions: present in standard American English if it is their first language.

S.CN.01.05 Speaking Conventions: understand, providing examples of how language differs from storybooks and classroom as a function of linguistic and cultural group membership.

S.DS.01.01 Speaking Discourse: engage in substantive conversations, remaining focused on subject matter, with interchanges beginning to build on prior responses in literature discussions, paired conversations, or other interactions.

S.DS.01.02 Speaking Discourse: tell or retell familiar stories (e.g., realistic fiction, fantasy, folktale), using a problem/solution pattern, appropriate story grammar, and proper sequence while maintaining appropriate posture and eye contact, using a prop for support.

S.DS.01.03 Speaking Discourse: respond to multiple text types by reflecting, making meaning, and making connections.

S.DS.01.04 Speaking Discourse: plan and deliver presentations using an informational organizational pattern (e.g., descriptive, enumerative, or sequential) providing several facts and details to make their point while maintaining appropriate posture and eye contact using a prop.

L.CN.01.01 Listening and Viewing Conventions: understand and follow two-step directions.

L.CN.01.02 Listening and Viewing Conventions: ask appropriate questions during a presentation or report.

L.CN.01.03 Listening and Viewing Conventions: listen to or view knowledgeably while demonstrating appropriate social skills of audience behaviors (e.g., eye contact, attentive, supportive) in small and large group settings; listen to the comments of a peer and respond on topic adding a connected idea.

L.CN.01.04 Listening and Viewing Conventions: understand how the source of the message affects the receiver’s response (student/student, student/teacher, student/parent).

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L.CN.01.05 Listening and Viewing Conventions: begin to evaluate messages they experience from a variety of media and differentiate between sender, receiver, and message.

L.RP.01.01 Listening and Viewing Response: listen to or view knowledgeably and discuss a variety of genre.

L.RP.01.03 Listening and Viewing Response: respond to multiple text types listened to or viewed knowledgeably, by discussing, drawing, and/or writing in order to reflect, make meaning, and make connections.

Grade 2:S.CN.02.01 Speaking Conventions: use common grammatical structures correctly

when speaking including subject/verb agreement, pronoun/noun agreement, nominative and objective case pronouns, and more complex conjunctions (e.g., although, instead of, so that).

S.CN.02.02 Speaking Conventions: explore and use language to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes including questions and answers, discussions, and social interactions.

S.CN.02.03 Speaking Conventions: speak effectively adopting appropriate tone of voice and intonation patterns in narrative and informational presentations.

S.CN.02.04 Speaking Conventions: present in standard American English if it is their first language.

S.CN.02.05 Speaking Conventions: understand, providing examples of how language differs from school and home as a function of linguistic and cultural group membership.

S.DS.02.01 Speaking Discourse: engage in substantive conversations, remaining focused on subject matter, with interchanges beginning to build on prior responses in literature discussions, paired conversations, or other interactions.

S.DS.02.02 Speaking Discourse: tell or retell stories (e.g., fantasy, legends, drama), using story grammar (e.g., elaborated information about characters, characters’ actions and motivations, plot, and setting as related to plot), while maintaining appropriate intonation and tone of voice.

S.DS.02.03 Speaking Discourse: respond to multiple text types by reflecting, making connections, taking a position, and/or showing understanding.

S.DS.02.04 Speaking Discourse: plan and deliver presentations using an informational organizational pattern (e.g., descriptive, cause/effect, compare/contrast) providing supportive facts and details to make their point, reflecting the source of information, while maintaining appropriate intonation and tone of voice using a prop.

L.CN.02.02 Listening and Viewing Conventions: ask appropriate questions during a presentation or report.

L.CN.02.03 Listening and Viewing Conventions: listen to or view knowledgeably while demonstrating appropriate social skills of audience behaviors (e.g., eye

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contact, attentive, supportive) in small and large group settings; listen to the comments of peers and respond on topic adding a connected idea.

L.CN.02.04 Listening and Viewing Conventions: understand how the source of the message affects the receiver’s response (student/student, student/teacher, student/parent).

L.RP.02.01 Listening and Viewing Response: listen to or view knowledgeably and discuss a variety of genre.

L.RP.02.03 Listening and Viewing Response: respond to multiple text types listened to or viewed knowledgeably, by discussing, illustrating, and/or writing in order to reflect, make connections, take a position, and/or show understanding.

Grade 3:S.CN.03.01 Speaking Conventions: use common grammatical structures correctly

when speaking including time relationships, verb tenses, and causal and temporal relationships.

S.CN.03.02 Speaking Conventions: adjust their use of language to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes including gathering information, making requests, discussing, classroom presentations, and playground interactions.

S.CN.03.03 Speaking Conventions: speak effectively emphasizing key words and varied pace for effect in narrative and informational presentations.

S.CN.03.04 Speaking Conventions: present in standard American English if it is their first language.

S.CN.03.05 Speaking Conventions: understand, providing examples of how language differs from school and home as a function of linguistic and cultural group membership.

S.DS.03.01 Speaking Discourse: engage in interactive, extended discourse to socially construct meaning in book clubs, literature circles, partnerships, or other conversation protocols.

S.DS.03.02 Speaking Discourse: discuss narratives (e.g., folktales, fables, realistic fiction), conveying the story grammar (e.g., characters’ thoughts and motivation, setting, plot, story level theme) and explain why the story is worthwhile and how it is relevant to the storyteller or the audience.

S.DS.03.03 Speaking Discourse: respond to multiple text types by reflecting, making connections, taking a position, and/or showing understanding.

S.DS.03.04 Speaking Discourse: plan and deliver presentations using an effective informational organizational pattern (e.g., descriptive, problem/solution, cause/effect); supportive facts and details reflecting a variety of resources; and varying the pace for effect.

L.CN.03.01 Listening and Viewing Conventions: ask appropriate questions during a presentation or report.

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L.CN.03.02 Listening and Viewing Conventions: listen to or view knowledgeably while demonstrating appropriate social skills of audience behaviors (e.g., eye contact, attentive, supportive) in small and large group settings.

L.RP.03.01 Listening and Viewing Response: listen to or view knowledgeably and discuss a variety of genre and compare their responses to those of their peers

L.RP.03.03 Listening and Viewing Response: respond to multiple text types listened to or viewed knowledgeably, by discussing, illustrating, and/or writing in order to reflect, make connections, take a position, and/or show understanding.

L.RP.03.04 Listening and Viewing Response: combine skills to reveal strengthening literacy (e.g., viewing then analyzing orally, listening then summarizing orally).

L.RP.03.05 Listening and Viewing Response: respond to and retell what a speaker said, paraphrasing and explaining the main idea, and then extend their response by connecting and relating it to personal experiences.

Activity 8Kindergarten:S.IP.00.13 Science Inquiry Process: Plan and conduct simple investigations.L.OL.00.11 Life Science Organization of Living Things: Identify that living things have basic needs.Grade 1:S.IP.01.13 Science Inquiry Process: Plan and conduct simple investigations.Grade 2:S.IP.02.13 Science Inquiry Process: Plan and conduct simple investigations.L.OL.02.14 Life Science Organization of Living Things: Identify the needs of plants.Grade 3:S.IP.03.13 Science Inquiry Process: Plan and conduct simple investigations.