Lesson 4 - Experience
Reader’s Theatre
The Grown-Up Scoop
Books Alive! Student Entertainment (BASE) Reader’s Theatre is designed to engage participants in social emotional learning and apply lessons taught through reading and stories.
Creating Your Production
Together create your own version of The Rabbit Listened in its entirety or part. To help you through this process, follow these five steps:
1. Think about a journey you will take. Use VOICE/WORDS, to describe a plan, divided into three parts: a beginning, a middle, and an end. Just a sentence or two will do!
Where does your story begin? (Before or after the crash?)
Who will be the characters? (From Taylor to all eight animals-chicken, bear, elephant, hyena, ostrich, kangaroo, snake, rabbit-will you include all characters?)
What is the purpose of the animals? (Do the animals symbolize emotions or do they act as the conscience of Taylor? Did the author include them to help Taylor express feelings?)
2. Next, think about the BODY and the movement /music for the journey:
How can you express emotion through your bodies and faces? (Bend, squat, grimace, stand rigid, or curl up. Will you knock or throw things? Will you make animal sounds or movements?)
Can you think of a song that invokes emotions? (Ask students to share ideas about music in movies, how then can be used to create a sense of fear, sorrow, or happiness. Classical music often offers a non-verbal approach to expressing emotion through sound.)
3. Use your IMAGINATION, creating/collecting some props/costumes from around the house/classroom. Go back to your plan, the middle of your journey:
What building material will you have Taylor use? (Blocks, popsicle sticks, straws and connectors?)
How can you to turn yourselves into animals? (Face paint, felt, pipe cleaners, other fabrics? Can your acting reveal what kind of animal you are playing?)
4. Now FOCUS:
Considering the different events in the book, why do you think the author chose to simply title this book, The Rabbit Listened, and not something else? How can you and your children emphasize the importance of listening throughout your reader’s theater?
5. PRACTICE: run through your production in full costumes and using all your props.
Remind students that you might be nervous when you are “on stage.” Ask students what to do if you forget a line, say something wrong, or even burp on stage. Coming up with silly scenarios can help children imagine unidentified fears and strategies to overcome a bad case of stage fright.
Reflection: Modeling mistakes helps show kids that everyone messes up and assures them that they aren’t alone. Whether you mispronounce an animal’s name or knock over a prop, be sure to include some “accidental” mistakes during dress rehearsal. Then you can model moving right along, offering children a preview of what to do on the big day!
Perform!
You’ve created your play, now it’s time to perform it! When your group feels ready, invite an audience. Your audience could be family members, friends, other students/classes, or community members!
