Produced by Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia

Adapted, directed and designed

by Jim Morrow
Music by Steven Naylor
Narrated by Gordon Pinsent

January 16 – February 20, 2014

10:30am Student Matinee


Inside the Study Guide
Welcome Letter...………………......................2
2013-2014 Season at a Glance……………..3
Preparing for the Show…………………….4-6
Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia…......…….7
About the Performance…….........................7
About Eric Carle……………..................……8
Activities……………...........................………9
Academic Standards………………………..19
Illustration: The Very Hungry Caterpillar ©Eric Carle, 1969
PAGE 2
Welcome Teachers, Educators, and Parents:
We are so excited that you’re here for our 2013-
2014 season, Imagine That. It’s a season filled with
unlikely friendships, travels to space, uproarious
pantomime, black light puppetry, fairy tales of epic
proportions, and much more.
The Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia has
captivated audiences around the world with its
playful yet loyal adaptations of children’s literature,
striving in every production to develop literacy and
strengthen an appreciation for reading.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Eric Carle
Favorites has been on tour continuously since
1999. The innovative black light technique hides
puppeteers from view, bringing Eric Carle’s classic
characters to life and enchanting audiences. We
are delighted to invite you into the colorful world
of Eric Carle whose belief that “one must not
stay within the lines” echoes in all his enduring
characters.
As you know, research has shown that the early
years in a child’s life—when the human brain is
forming—represent a critically important window
of opportunity to develop a child’s full potential
and shape key academic, social, and cognitive
skills that determine a child’s success in school
and in life. The arts are a crucial tool for teaching
empathy, expanding imagination and introducing
ideas that challenge our thinking.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Eric Carle
Favorites, as with all the plays on our stage this
season, is a product of the imagination and hard
work of every actor, director, playwright, and
artist at CTC. We hope you, your students, and
your family will be transported to the worlds we
have created. We hope our plays spark dialogue
between friends, classmates and family members
and that everyone shares in the power of active
imagination.
See you at the theatre!
Warmly,
Nina Stultz
Nina Stultz
Student Matinee Coordinator
 2013- 2014 Student Matinee
Season at a Glance
Charlotte’s Web
September 25 – October 24, 2013
ASL/AD date October 2nd
Reading Level: Grades K+
UnitedHealth Group Stage

The Wong Kids in The Secret of the Space

Chupacabra Go!
October 23 – November 14, 2013
ASL/AD date October 23rd
Reading Level: Grades 3+
Cargill Stage

Cinderella
November 19 – December 20, 2013
ASL/AD date December 4th
Reading Level: All Ages
UnitedHealth Group Stage

Photo by: Pixel Dust Photography The Very Hungry Caterpillar

and Other Eric Carle Favorites
January 16 – February 20, 2014
Reserve Your Tickets Now! ASL/AD date January 29th
Reading Level: Preschool+
To reserve tickets to any of our 2013- UnitedHealth Group Stage
2014 Student Matinees please visit
The Scarecrow and His Servant
our website, childrenstheatre.org.
March 19 – April 3, 2014
Our school trips and tickets section ASL/AD date March 26th
contains all the information you need Reading Level: Grades 3+
including order forms, performance UnitedHealth Group Stage
run dates, price charts, and subsidy
Balloonacy
applications. March 25 – May 2, 2014
Reading Level: Preschool+
Questions? Contact Nina Stultz Cargill Stage
at 612.872.5166 or nstultz@
Shrek the Musical
childrenstheatre.org for more
April 29 – May 29, 2014
information. ASL/AD date May 7th
Reading Level: All Ages
For more information about any of our 10:30 UnitedHealth Group Stage
AM Student Matinees or to reserve tickets
please go to childrenstheatre.org/index.php/ Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat
education/school-trips-and-tickets or call May 27 – June 5, 2014
612.872.5166. Reading Level: Grades Pre-K+
Cargill Stage

PAGE 3

Theatre Vocabulary
Actor: A person who performs a role in the play.
Audience: The group of people that watch and
respond to the play.
Backstage: The area of the stage that cannot
be seen by the audience.
Blocking: The planned way actors move
on stage.
Cast: The group of actors who portray the roles
in the play.
Character: The role, or personality, the actor
portrays.
Costume: The clothes worn by the actors on stage.
Design: The creative process of developing and
implementing how the play will look and feel.
Costumes, lighting, sets, and make-up are all
designed.
Director: The person who oversees the entire
process of bringing the play to life on stage.
Minneapolis Public Schools
2nd Grade Program
Sponsored by
In partnership with Target and the Minneapolis
School District, Children’s Theatre Company
is providing all second grade students in the
Minneapolis Public School with a field trip to attend
a live theatre performance on our stage, at no cost
to families or schools.
As part of their commitment to give $1 billion for
education by the end of 2015, Target is partnering
with the Minneapolis Public School district to offer field
trips sponsored by Target to children in grades 2-5.
The field trips are tied to grade level curriculum and
are intended to give kids the opportunity to explore
the diverse cultural institutions our community has
to offer, like Children’s Theatre Company.

Photo: Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia

Dress Rehearsal: The final practice
performances when the play is done in full
costume and with all of the technical elements
(light, sound, effects) in place.
House: The area where the audience sits.
Performance: The live event shared by the cast
and the audience.
Play: A story written for the stage.
Playwright: A person who writes stories for
the stage. Life Lessons and Themes
Prop: Any item on the stage used (carried, Discover your own ideas about the themes
moved, manipulated) by the actors. of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other
Eric Carle Favorites. Here are some to get
Scene: A section of a play, also called an act.
you started:
Set: The physical environment that creates the
time, place, and mood of the play. • Healthy eating habits
• Self-control
Stage Manager: The person who coordinates • Self-esteem
all aspects of the play during production and • Self-expression
performance.

PAGE 4
The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Eric Carle Favorites Vocabulary
Black light – Invisible ultraviolet or infrared
radiation that lights florescent objects in
the dark.
Camouflage – Special coloring and patterns
that allow an animal or person to blend into
their surroundings for safety.
Caterpillar – The worm-like phase that makes
up a butterfly’s feeding and growth stage.
Cloud – A visible body of very fine water
droplets or ice particles floating in the
atmosphere.
Chameleon – A type of lizard characterized
by its ability to change color. Most change
from brown to green and back, but some
types of chameleons can change to almost
any color.
Dash – To run quickly.
Drift – To be carried along by currents of air
or water.
Before, During and After the Show
Check out these quick and easy ideas to help your students learn how to integrate the arts into their
classroom and beyond!
Before
Preparing your students
• Get a copy of the Eric Carle books featured in
the performance.
• Read the stories aloud in class and become
familiar with the characters and events.
• Discuss good audience behavior (look, listen,
sit quietly but laugh when it’s funny!), applaud
at the end.
During
Engaging your students
Encourage your students to…
• Look for how the characters are portrayed on
the stage. What do they look like? How do the
puppeteers bring them to life?
• Pay attention to life lessons and themes in
the play.
PAGE 5
Egg – Usually an oval-shaped, enclosed object
that contains the very first stage of life for an
animal. Birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and
insects hatch from eggs.
Huddle – To gather closely in a group.
Meadow – An open area of land covered in
grasses.
Metamorphosis – A change of the form and
physical appearance of an animal.
Ocean – Vast body of salt water that is home to
sharks, whales, fish and underwater creatures.
Puppetry – An art form in which objects, often
with human or animal characteristics are brought
to life by puppeteers.
Trail – To follow behind.
Water cycle – Sequence in which water is
recycled as it turns to water vapor, condenses into
clouds, and then falls back to earth as rain, sleet
or snow.
After
Reflecting with your students
Questions to ask your students:
• How is the play the same/different from
the books? (Note: look on page 6 for
sample)
• How did the puppeteers bring the
characters to life?
• Have you ever felt like you wanted to be
something other than you are, like the
chameleon?
Adaptation Explanation Focus Questions by Book

What is an Adaptation? Little Cloud is inspired

by its observations of
Eric Carle’s stories started out as books and the world. Explain the
were adapted into a play. To adapt means to idea of inspiration to
change or shift the original material so that your students. Ask them
it works in another format. For example, in to share times they
order to adapt The Very Hungry Caterpillar, have been inspired by
Little Cloud and The Mixed-Up Chameleon someone or something.
from books into a play for the stage, Mermaid Have they ever tried to
Theatre of Nova Scotia used a couple of do something new as a
different tools. result?
Narration: A person off-stage or pre-recorded
who communicates the story of the play in real In The Mixed-Up
time. Chameleon, the
chameleon wishes
Dialogue: When one or more characters are it could be like other
speaking aloud to each other. animals because it
Stage Directions: Stage directions are silent thinks they are more
text in the script that helps the creative team special. The chameleon
to set the scenes. Stage directions can tell the eventually realizes
creative team how the stage looks, how the that it likes being a
characters feel, and much more. chameleon. Encourage
students to think about
Music: Music can help convey the feelings of what makes each of them special. Have
the characters, foreshadow what will come next them share their ideas with one another as
in the play, and help move the story along. appropriate.

The Very Hungry

Caterpillar opens
with a tiny caterpillar
emerging from an
egg. Discuss the life
cycle of the butterfly,
including the egg,
caterpillar, cocoon, and butterfly stages. Have
students talk about how they have changed
and how they will change as they continue to
grow. Are there things they can do now that
they couldn’t do when they were younger?
What can’t they do yet that they will be able to
do when they are older?

Source: eric-carle.com

PAGE 6
ABOUT THE COMPANY: MERMAID THEATRE OF NOVA SCOTIA

Founded in 1972, Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia is best known for unique stage
adaptations of children’s beloved literary classics. Using innovative puppetry,
striking scenic effects, evocative original music and gentle storytelling, Mermaid
Theatre has reached five million spectators in fifteen countries.

The choice of material is based on the belief that young people benefit greatly from
early exposure to literature, the arts and the power of imagination. The company’s
creative ambition is to produce work which is quality theatre – entertaining,
informative, and stimulating to all the senses – along with the goal of developing
literacy and generating enthusiasm for reading.

Extensive international engagements allow the company to play an important ambassadorial role for
Canada and for the province of Nova Scotia. Mermaid Theatre’s Institute of Puppetry Arts in Windsor,
Nova Scotia, was created to promote and enhance the art of puppetry in Canada and abroad. The
Institute offers puppetry instruction at both community and professional levels as well as workshops
offered in conjunction with Mermaid’s global touring schedule. In addition, Mermaid Theatre is
committed to providing dynamic outreach opportunities for the region’s adolescents through its
youth theatre program, The Mermaid Youtheatre.

ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE

The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Eric Carle Favorites is a stage
adaptation of three books by Eric Carle: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Little
Cloud and The Mixed-Up Chameleon. Black light staging techniques
illuminate stunning puppets and props while shrouding everything else
in darkness. A pre-recorded narrator reads the books as two performers,
dressed in black and invisible to the audience, manipulate large puppets.
Accompanied by a playful musical score, the vibrant puppets appear to
leap, float and fly, bringing Eric Carle’s beloved stories to life.

Little Cloud slips away from the rest of the clouds and transforms into all
the things it observes – a sheep, an airplane, a shark –but eventually, Little
Cloud rejoins the rest of the clouds as they all come together to make rain.
In The Mixed-Up Chameleon, a chameleon is bored with its life and
heads to the zoo to see what else is out there. Coveting the diverse and
Photo: Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia
interesting animals there, it wishes for bits and pieces of every one it
sees until it is so mixed up that it can’t even catch a fly when it gets hungry! Finally, the unhappy
chameleon wishes to be itself again.

In The Very Hungry Caterpillar, the audience watches the caterpillar emerge from its egg and
begin looking for food to satisfy its ravenous appetite. It turns out that preparing to transform into a
butterfly requires a lot of eating!

PAGE 7
About Eric Carle: Author & Illustrator

Eric Carle is an award-winning author and illustrator, born in Syracuse, New York in 1929. He
was educated in Germany and returned to the United States in 1952, where he found work as a
graphic designer for The New York Times and later at as the art director of an advertising agency
for many years. His illustrations for Bill Martin Jr.’s classic children’s book Brown Bear, Brown Bear,
What Do You See? distinguished Carle as a singular talent. His best-known work, The Very Hungry
Caterpillar, has been translated into more than twenty-five languages and sold over twelve million
copies. Since that story was published in 1969, Eric Carle has illustrated more than sixty books.

Source: deviantart.com

Eric Carle in his studio in Northampton, MA, 2012

PAGE 8
STORY STARTERS
Use these story starters to inspire you!

WRITE ALL ABOUT IT! CREATE IT! ACT IT OUT!

1. Imagine the adventures Little Cloud would have visiting your classroom. Write a list of things Little
Cloud could turn into, using the objects in your classroom as inspiration.
2. What does the title of The Mixed-Up Chameleon mean? Write about a time you felt mixed up
about who you are or who you want to be.
3. What would you eat if you could never get full? Write a story about eating all of your favorite foods
without ever getting full or sick. What would you eat on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday and what would you save for the weekend?
4. Do you think the chameleon will stay happy with itself or want to change again? Write a sequel to
Eric Carle’s story The Mixed-Up Chameleon.

We recommend…
Group Writing/Discussion for Grades K-2

THE FANTASTIC BINOMINAL

Have you ever wondered where Eric Carle got his ideas for crazy foods, cloud shapes and mixed-
up animal parts? This writing game – invented by another creative writer named Gianni Rodari – can
help you to tell your own mixed-up stories.
First, make three lists:
1. Animals that eat plants
2. Prepositions
• A preposition is a word that shows position. Think about a dog and his dog house: he
could be on top of the house, inside the house…
3. Places to climb
Next, choose one word from each list (like koala, behind, and tree fort).
Finally, decide which direction to connect the three words.
• Would you rather pick “the koala behind the tree fort,” or “the tree fort behind the koala”?

Academic Standards: Reading Benchmarks: Key Ideas & Details 2.1.1.1, 2.1.3.3, 2.1.4.4, 2.1.7.7; Craft & Structure 2.2.4.4, 2.2.6.6; Phonics & Word
Recognition 2.3.0.3; Writing Benchmarks: Text Types & Purposes 2.6.3.3, 3.6.3.3; Writing Process: Research to Build & Present Knowledge 2.6.8.8,
3.6.8.8; Speaking, Viewing, Listening and Media Literacy Benchmarks: Comprehension & Collaboration 2.8.1.1, 3.8.1.1; Presentation of Knowledge &
Ideas 2.8.4.4, 3.8.4.4, 2.8.6.6, 3.8.6.6

PAGE 9
 Story Line

This activity is a way to draw out your students’ personal

connections to a story and to teach them sequencing.

Photo: Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia

Once you’ve read a book or otherwise shared a tale with
your students, ask them, “What picture from the story is
still stuck in your head?” Some students, for instance, may
be picturing the caterpillar’s junk food spree. Others may
remember him emerging from his chrysalis as a beautiful
butterfly.

Once every student has an image in mind, send them to

tables or desks to draw the picture that’s in their head.
As they are doing this, assemble the “story line” on a
whiteboard, or even as a line of tape along the floor. This
continuous line should be long enough to fit every student’s picture in sequence.

When they are finished with their drawings, show them the line. The far left end is the
“beginning,” and the far right is the “end.” The middle, naturally, is the “middle” (you can adjust
the terms with your own sequencing language; “first, next, then, finally” is another common tool).
Students should be encouraged to place their images along the line in story order. Avoid the
impulse to dictate the order—allowing your students to negotiate the sequence for themselves
will deepen their mastery over the story and their connections to it.

Once the line is complete, your students can try picking out one image from each portion of
the line, and forming frozen scenes of those images with their bodies. Students can even be
encouraged to take on the shape of props and scenery!

Academic Standards: Reading Benchmarks: Key Ideas & Details 2.1.1.1, 2.1.3.3, 2.1.4.4, 2.1.7.7; Craft & Structure 2.1.5.5; Integration of Knowledge
& Ideas 2.1.7.7, 2.2.4.4, 2.2.6.6

PAGE 10
 Classroom Activities

7 Sentence Story
Eric Carle’s stories often come in steps. For instance, the caterpillar first eats one apple,
then two pears, then three plums, and so on. Write your own Carle-inspired story using these
sentence starters, step by step:
1. Once upon a time…
2. And every day…
3. Until one day…
4. And because of this…
5. And because of this…
6. Until finally…
7. And ever since that day…
Pass the paper to your neighbor after each step. Everybody in the group will get to write on
seven different stories, and when you get your story back, you can see what happened after
your “once upon a time”!

Animal 4 Corners

On a piece of paper, draw a picture of an animal you wish you could be. Then:
• At the top left corner, write the animal’s name.
• At the top right, write where the animal lives.
• In the bottom left corner, write one thing the animal is really good at.
• In the bottom right corner, write the name of that animal’s friend.
Write a story using your imagination about what you would do if you could turn into that animal
in your drawing.

Academic Standards: Reading Benchmarks: Key Ideas & Details 2.1.1.1, 2.1.3.3, 2.1.4.4, 2.1.7.7; Craft & Structure 2.2.4.4, 2.2.6.6; Phonics & Word
Recognition 2.3.0.3; Writing Benchmarks: Text Types & Purposes 2.6.3.3, 3.6.3.3; Writing Process: Research to Build & Present Knowledge 2.6.8.8,
3.6.8.8; Speaking, Viewing, Listening and Media Literacy Benchmarks: Comprehension & Collaboration 2.8.1.1, 3.8.1.1; Presentation of Knowledge &
Ideas 2.8.4.4, 3.8.4.4, 2.8.6.6, 3.8.6.6

PAGE 11
 Shadow Puppets

In The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Eric Carle Favorites, the world of Mr. Carle’s books is
brought to life with puppets and light. You can make your own puppets using objects found at
home or in the classroom.

• Cut out shapes from construction or other thick paper. You could draw the shapes first, or
just cut as you go!

• Attach your shapes to sticks (popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, straws, pencils) with a bit of
tape. This will be your handle.

• Now you need to find a screen. This could be an old bed sheet, a length of butcher paper, or
even a wall or smart board.

• Shine a light, such as a lamp or flashlight, onto your screen. By dancing the paper shapes in
front of the light, you will create a projected puppet show!

More Ideas: Experiment with adding music to your puppet show – play some tunes and let the
puppets dance to the beat! You could also connect to the Mixed-Up Chameleon by making
different body part puppets – actors can join their puppets together to make their own mixed-up
creations!

Academic Standards: Theatre Arts: Artistic Foundation 0.1.1.4.1; Artistic Process: Create or Make 0.2.1.4.1; 0.2.1.4.2; Perform and Present: 0.3.1.4.2

PAGE 12
 The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Name_________________________________ Date________________

The Very Hungry Caterpillar eats his way through a lot of different foods throughout the week.
Can you count the number of items that the caterpillar ate each day and solve the word
problems below?

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

WORD PROBLEMS:

1. What’s the total amount of food the caterpillar ate on Monday and Wednesday?

2. How many more pieces of food did the caterpillar eat on Saturday than he did on Tuesday?

Academic Standards: Language Arts 2.8.1.1.c., 2.8.2.2., 2.10.6.6.; Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 2.1.7.7, 2.1.9.9; Phonics and Word
Recognition 2.3.03

PAGE 13
 Cloud Formations

Name_________________________________ Date________________

Did you know that there are many different types of clouds and each has its own name and
definition? Read the definitions and identify the cloud-type in the pictures below.
• Cirrus clouds are the high, thin, wispy clouds that you can see through.
• Stratus clouds are the thick, mid-level clouds that coat the sky like a sheet.
• Cumulus clouds are the puffy fair weather clouds that we see on sunny days.

Make Your Own: Using construction paper, white paint, cotton balls and glue, make your own
cirrus, stratus and cumulus clouds.

Academic Standards: Reading Benchmarks: Key Ideas & Details 2.2.3.3; Writing Benchmarks: Text Types & Purposes 2.6.7.7; Speaking, Viewing,
Listening and Media Literacy Benchmarks: Media Literacy 2.8.8.; Visual Arts, Artistic Process: Create or Make: 0.2.1.5.1

PAGE 14
 Opposites

Name_________________________________ Date________________

The Mixed-Up Chameleon wants to be everything but what it is! Write the opposites or antonyms
next to the words below.

Slow

Strong

Small

Happy

Far

Hide

ANTONYMS:
Sad
Reveal
Fast
Weak
Near
Big

Academic Standards: Reading Benchmarks: Key Ideas & Details 2.1.1.1, 2.1.3.3, 2.1.4.4, 2.1.7.7; Craft & Structure 2.2.4.4, 2.2.6.6; Phonics & Word
Recognition 2.3.0.3

PAGE 15
 Alphabet Lists

Caterpillar Lunches Chameleon Body Parts

Make a list of foods that the Very Hungry Make a list of interesting animals that the
Caterpillar might eat: mixed-up chameleon could copy:

• Apples, apricots, almonds… • Ape, antelope, anteater, beetle, bear,

• Bananas, butter, bread… boa constrictor…
• Use your lists to write a story about the • Make another list of body parts:
Very Hungry Caterpillar! • Arms, antlers, ankles, brow, brain,
biceps…
“On Monday, the caterpillar ate 1 apple, 2 • Mix and match your lists in a story about
apricots, and 3 almonds. On Tuesday, he ate the mixed-up chameleon!
4 bananas, 5 butter pats, and 6 pieces of
bread.” “The chameleon had the arms of a bear and
the brow of a beetle.”
Can you do the math from your story? How
much food did the caterpillar eat in all? Can you draw a picture of your creation?

Make a Shape with Your Body

The chameleon can change his color and shape to match the things he sees. Can you make
your body change shape to match the things you see in the room?
• How can your body look like a chair? A pencil? A stapler? A plant?
• How can your body change from a chair to a pencil in slow motion?

Photo: Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia

Academic Standards: Theatre Arts: Artistic Foundation 0.1.1.4.1; Artistic Process: Create or Make 0.2.1.4.1; 0.2.1.4.2; Perform and Present: 0.3.1.4.2

PAGE 16
 Just Like Eric Carle: Collage

A collage is an artistic technique of mixing different pieces or materials together to make a

single image. Eric Carle uses collage to create his illustrations. You can make art just like Eric
Carle with the following materials:

• White tissue paper

• Paint

• Paint brushes (various sizes)

• Items that create texture: carpet, burlap, sponge, stamps, etc

• Poster board

Think of a picture you’d like to make. Will it be of a person, place or thing? Keep that picture in
your head as you create different colored and textured tissue paper for your collage.

Paint the tissue paper the color of your choice. Then add texture to your tissue paper using the
materials provided by your teacher. You can also use your fingers and the handles of your paint
brushes to create lines and shapes in the color. Create as many different colors of tissue paper
as you’ll need for your final picture.

Cut the different sheets of tissue paper into the shapes of your picture. For example, if you’re
making a fox and if you have black and red tissue paper, cut the black tissue paper into circles
for eyes and the red tissue paper into body parts: tail, legs, head, torso, feet, paws.

Assemble your tissue paper pieces on the poster board to create your final picture. You’ve made
a collage illustration, just like Eric Carle!

Illustration: The Very Hungry Caterpillar ©Eric Carle, 1969

Academic Standards: Visual Arts: Artistic Process, Create or Make: 0.2.1.5.1, 4.2.1.5.1

PAGE 17
 Online Resources
The Official Eric Carle Website: www.eric-carle.com/
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art: www.carlemuseum.org/
The Children’s Butterfly Site: www.kidsbutterfly.org
YouTube:
Get to Know Eric Carle (with examples of his artistic technique): http://youtu.be/rphgLYcBXV0
Weather Wiz Kids: www.weatherwizkids.com/
Information about all types of weather. Section on clouds includes FAQs, pictures and descriptions
of cloud types, and links to activities.
Web Weather for Kids: eo.ucar.edu/webweather/index.html
Information on types of clouds, how clouds form, and how clouds impact weather events.
Environmental Protection Agency:
water.epa.gov/learn/kids/drinkingwater/gamesandactivies.cfm
EPA site for students about water and the water cycle. Links to a water cycle diagram, an animated
water cycle representation, and directions for creating your own water cycle demonstration in the
classroom.
National Geographic Kids:
video.nationalgeographic.com/video/kids/animals-pets-kids/reptiles-kids/chameleon-babies-kids/
Video on baby chameleons.

Books
Carle, Eric. The Very Hungry Caterpillar. New York: Philomel Books, c1994.
Carle, Eric. Little Cloud. New York: Philomel, c1998.
Carle, Eric. The Mixed-Up Chameleon. New York: Harper Festival, c1998

Acknowledgements
Bardavon Theater: http://www.bardavon.org/assets/files/BardavonCommonCoreLittleCloud.pdf
Photo: Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia

PAGE 18
 Academic Standards
Academic Standards Statement

Children’s Theatre Company’s school programs provide quality learning experiences for your
students. Our Teachers’ Guides provide a variety of lesson plans and educational activities which
are grounded in best practices for literacy and arts education and are strategically aligned with the
Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards.

The Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards identify the knowledge and skills that are to be mastered
by all students by the end of a grade level and guide educators in the design of curricula. Individual
Children’s Theatre Company school programs will address standards for children Kindergarten
through eighth grade in the following learning areas:

Language Arts
Reading
Mathematics
Social Studies
Visual and Theater Arts

The following English Language Arts and Arts content standards can be experienced by attending
any school matinee and using the Teachers’ Guide. Additional information on how specific lesson
plans align with the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards can be found within the following
Learning Activities.

Language Arts

Reading Benchmarks: Literature K-5

Key Ideas and Details: 0.1.1.1; 1.1.1.1; 2.1.1.1; 0.1.2.2; 1.1.2.2; 2.1.2.2; 0.1.3.3; 1.1.3.3; 2.1.3.3;
3.1.2.2; 4.1.2.2; 5.1.2.2; 3.1.3.3; 4.1.3.3; 5.1.3.3
Craft and Structure: 0.1.6.6; 1.1.6.6; 2.1.6.6; 3.1.5.5; 4.1.5.5; 5.1.5.5; 3.1.6.6; 4.1.6.6; 5.1.6.6
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: 0.1.7.7; 1.1.7.7; 2.1.7.7; 0.1.9.9; 1.1.9.9; 2.1.9.9; 3.1.7.7;
4.1.7.7; 5.1.7.7

Reading Benchmarks: Foundational Skills K-5

Phonics and Word Recognition: 0.3.0.3; 1.3.0.3; 2.3.03; 3.3.0.3; 4.3.0.3; 5.3.0.3

Writing Benchmarks K-5

Text Types and Purposes: 0.6.3.3; 1.6.3.3; 2.6.3.3; 3.6.3.3; 4.6.3.3; 5.6.3.3
Production and Distribution of Writing: 0.6.5.5; 1.6.5.5; 2.6.5.5; 3.6.4.4; 4.6.4.4; 5.6.4.4;
3.6.5.5; 4.6.5.5
Research to Build and Present Knowledge: 0.6.7.7; 1.6.7.7; 2.6.7.7; 0.6.8.8; 1.6.8.8; 2.6.8.8;
3.6.7.7; 4.6.7.7; 5.6.7.7; 4.6.9.9; 5.6.9.9

Speaking, Viewing, Listening, and Media Literacy Benchmarks K-5

Comprehension and Collaboration: 0.8.1.1; 1.8.1.1; 2.8.1.1; 0.8.2.2; 1.8.2.2; 2.8.2.2; 0.8.3.3;
1.8.3.3; 2.8.3.3; 3.8.1.1; 4.8.1.1; 5.8.1.1; 3.8.2.2; 4.8.2.2; 5.8.2.2
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas: 0.8.4.4; 1.8.4.4; 2.8.4.4; 0.8.5.5; 1.8.5.5; 2.8.5.5;
3.8.4.4; 4.8.4.4; 5.8.4.4

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Arts
Theater Arts K-3
Artistic Foundations: 0.1.1.4.1
Artistic Process: Create or Make: 0.2.1.4.1;
0.2.1.4.2
Artist Process Perform and Present: 0.3.1.4.2
Artist Process Respond and Critique: 0.4.1.4.1
Visual Arts K-3
Artistic Process: Create or Make: 0.2.1.5.1
Theater Arts 4-5
Artistic Foundations: 4.1.1.4.2; 4.1.2.4.1;
4.1.3.4.2
Artistic Process: Create or Make: 4.2.1.4.1
Artist Process Perform and Present: 4.3.1.4.1
Artist Process Respond and Critique: 4.4.1.4.1;
Visual Arts 4-5
Artistic Process: Create or Make: 4.2.1.5.1
Don’t Miss...
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Coding System
Each anchor standard has a benchmark
identified by a four-digit code.
For example, in the code 5.2.8.8—
The 5 refers to grade five;
The 2 refers to the substrand, Reading
Standards for Informational Text K-5;
The first 8 refers to the eighth CCR anchor
standard, Delineate and evaluate the argument
and specific claims in a text, including the
validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance
and sufficiency of the evidence;
The second 8 refers to the benchmark for that
standard, Explain how an author uses reasons
and evidence to support particular points in a
text, identifying which reasons and evidence
support which point(s).
For additional information:
http://education.state.mn.us
March 19 -
April 3, 2014