Art Form: Theatre

Supplies Needed

-Math Curse book
-Paper and pencil

Vocabulary

Humor - the quality of being amusing or comical, inspiring delight and laughter, usually resulting from a surprise, a shift of meaning or the flipping of expectations

Irony - a situation which brings the exact opposite of what one would expect, often resulting in humor or amusement

Non-sequitur - (from the Latin for "not following") - an idea or comment that seems to have no reasonable connection to what came before it

Word Play - the clever and witty use of words, often involving double meanings, puns, or other devices that go beyond literal meanings to create humor

Instructions

1. Read the book. Who is the main character? What is happening when he begins to see everything as a math problem? Find several of your favorite pages of Math Curse.

2. Look for the ways Jon Scieszka (pronounced "SHESS-kah") and Lane Smith use to create humor. Note that each change in the setting usually starts out as a straightforward problem. Then the character sees other problems. Look for surprises, shifts in meaning, irony, non-sequiturs, and word play. How does the character react to each situation? What emotions is the character feeling when faced with a new problem or question?

3. Actors use their bodies, face, and voice to create characters. What voice would the character have? Would it have a high pitch or low pitch? Would it be fast or slow? How would it change as the character encounters the events of the day?

4. Now create facial expressions to go along with the events of the story. What would your face look like if you were surprised, angry, frustrated or happy? Try your different facial expressions to reflect the character in the book.

5. Reread some of the story, using the voice and facial expressions your used to create the character in the book. Reread the book out loud with rising emotion. Like the character in the book, start simple and calm, then become more frustrated, hysterical, or silly as you go.

Extensions

Draw a picture of a problem and solution in your life. Try to reflect the visual style
of the book in your illustration.

As you encounter humor, in talking with friends or in watching TV or films, look for
the humor techniques that the authors demonstrate in Math Curse.