Art Form: Theatre

Supplies Needed

The Smallest Spot of a Dot book

Index cards or small pieces of paper

Pencil

Vocabulary

Character - A person in a story or play, or an animal or object that has human qualities

Scene - A part of a play or story that happens in one place for a continuous stretch of time

Improvise - To make it up as you go; to act without a script

Dialogue - The lines and speeches spoken by the characters in a story or play

Perspective - A way of looking at or thinking about something

Resolution - A solution to the problem, an agreement or development that ends the conflict or disagreement

Instructions

1. After reading through the book, look back through the book and choose one of the illustrations showing two characters that contrast each other. Talk about how the characters are different.

2. With a partner (or alone, using two different voices to represent the different characters) act out the characters discussing what makes them different from each other. Be sure to speak as though you are the character.

3. Write down a few topics on index cards or small pieces of paper that the characters might have different perspectives about. Fold the pieces of paper and mix them up on a table or the floor. Choose one; open it and read it aloud.

4. Improvise a way for the characters to reach a resolution about the topic. Again, use dialogue, speaking as though you are the character. Think about how resolution doesn’t always mean agreeing--the two characters could agree to disagree! The resolution is up to you!

Extensions

Write out your improvisation as a scene, showing what the characters say back and forth.

Improvise (with a little planning) a commercial as one of the characters trying to convince a larger audience of their viewpoint, including several reasons and details.

Art Form: Theatre

Supplies Needed

The Smallest Spot of a Dot book

Paper and pencil

Vocabulary

Character - A person in a story or play, or an animal or object that has human qualities

Character Traits - The physical, intellectual, or emotional qualities that make a person or character unique

Facial Expressions - How actors use their faces to show emotions

Voice - An actor’s tool used to to convey character, emotion, and meaning

Compose - To put together; to create; to write out an idea for a scene

Instructions

1. Read the book, The Smallest Spot of a Dot, all the way through once.

2. Look back through the book and choose one character to investigate. Find that character on the different pages, and observe their actions and facial expressions. These will help you determine their character traits.

3. Write down “clues” that describe what you notice about your chosen character in the illustrations.

4. Using your notes, compose an introduction for the character – what would your character say about themselves when they first met someone?

5. Decide how your character would talk - would they speak loudly? Softly? Quickly? Slowly? What kinds of facial expressions would they use?

6. Read the introduction as the character, as if they were meeting someone new.

Extensions

Draw a picture of your character, copying one of the illustrations.

Around the character, draw symbols that show what you learned about them.

Art Form: Theatre

Supplies Needed

None

Vocabulary

Character - A person in a story or play, or an animal
or object that has human qualities

Respond - To answer, or say, or do something based
on what someone else says or does; something that
happens because of something else

Resolution - A solution to the problem; agreement
that ends the conflict or disagreement

Voice and body - Actor’s tools used to communicate
emotions, personality, and meaning

Role play - A form of acting where participants take
on the roles of specific characters

Instructions

1. After reading the story, choose your favorite character who finds shelter under the umbrella. Decide how your character walks or moves. Decide what your character’s voice sounds like.

2. Prepare for the activity by talking about ways that you can solve a problem, such as you and a friend wanting to play with the same toy. What can you do to solve the problem? Some ideas are share, take turns, etc.

3. Talk about how the characters in the book decided to solve the problem of all wanting to use the umbrella--they shared!

4. In the role play activity, pick a character already under the umbrella. Have a family member choose a different character who walks up to the umbrella, noticing the other character who is already there.

5. Have a conversation about joining the people under the the umbrella. Discuss similarities and differences of the characters under the umbrella and how they can share the umbrella. Continue taking turns in the conversation.

6. Finish the role play by coming to a resolution where both characters decide to
share the space under the umbrella.

Extensions

With the help of someone older, write out your conversation as a scene.

Draw and write the scene as a short comic strip with simple illustrations of the characters
including the resolution.

Art Form: Theatre

Supplies Needed

The Big Umbrella book

Something to use to become the umbrella, such as red construction paper (or other paper)

Marker(s)

Vocabulary

Illustrator - The person who creates pictures for a book

Character - A person in a story or play, or an animal or object that has human qualities

Act - To portray a character; to pretend to be or do something

Costume - Something an actor wears to become a character

Facial Expressions - How actors use their faces to show emotions

Instructions

1. Read The Big Umbrella. After reading, go back through the book and notice how the illustrator adds facial expressions to the umbrella to turn it into a character.

2. How do the expressions change at different points in the story?

3. Discuss what the Big Umbrella might be thinking as more characters come under it’s cover.

4. Decide what you think the Big Umbrella’s voice would sound like if it could talk. Would it be loud? Soft? Low? High? Would it speak quickly? Slowly?

5. Make a simple costume for the Big Umbrella using construction paper, plain paper, or other material safe to use. Shape it however you want to make the umbrella costume piece. Give it the facial expression that you want it to have by drawing the eyes, nose, and mouth of the Big Umbrella.

6. Put on your costume and act the part of the Big Umbrella, talking about what happened in the story, and how you (as the Big Umbrella) felt about it.

Extensions

Create a different costume and voice for the sun, and act out what the sun thinks looking down on the town and the Big Umbrella.

Find objects around the house to use as costume pieces for other characters in the story (for example, a heavy coat for the hairy creature with the briefcase)