CATCATHAT

IN THE

THE

HAT

Dr. Seuss’

IN THE

THE

OCT 16-26 2014

PLAY & FINE ARTS GUIDEPlay Originally Produced by

the National Theatre of Great Britain Adapted & Originally Directed by Katie Mitchell

Based on the book by Dr. Seuss

Compiled by Meghan K. Griffith, Director of Education

www.roanokechildrenstheatre.org540-309-6802

Located Inside the Dumas Center of the Arts108 1st (Henry) Street NW Roanoke, VA 24016

WELCOME!

Dear Educator,

Like the Cat in the Hat says, “We can have lots of good fun that is funny!” We are thrilled to welcome you and your students to Roanoke Children’s Theatre’s DR. SEUSS’S THE CAT IN THE HAT. We want to make the show a wonderful experience for every student so we’ve created a Play and Fine Arts Guide to help students prepare for our show. You will find many SOL standards addressed by the components of this production as well as fun activities. Thank you for supporting Roanoke Children’s Theatre; together we can help foster creative learning with a lasting impact! Enjoy the show! -Meghan Griffith

Visiting the Theater:1. Our student matinees begin at 9:30AM & 11:30AM and are 45 minutes in length.2. Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before show time. If you are lost or are running late please call (540) 309-6802.3. Restroom visits are best made before leaving school or home. The play is 60 minutes in length with no intermission (a 10-minute Q&A session will follow the performance).4. The teacher or chaperone who arranged the visit should check in with an RCT representative before entering the theater.5. Turn off all cell phones before entering the theater.6. No cameras or recording devices may be used during the production. 7. Weather: If there is a weather related cancellation, your school will be notified promptly, and every attempt will be made to reschedule your field trip for the current show. If no reschedule can be made, your school will be credited and will be allowed to make-up the performance for one of our other shows this season.

Bus Information & DirectionsBuses may unload students right in front of the building on Henry Street then wait in the parking lot directly down the hill. Students enter the building through the main door and will be escorted from the lower lobby, up the stairs and into the theatre. There is also an elevator for accessibility.The Dumas Center is located at 108 Henry Street (1st St. NW) Roanoke, VA 24016.

Parking Information for Car Riders:There is a parking lot directly down the hill from The Dumas Center on Henry St.

THEATRE CORNER

Theatre is an art form that depends on both the artists and the audience. Every performance is affected by the audience—how people respond and act. When you are in the audience, theatre depends on YOU. Each time you come to the theatre, it is making a promise to join the world of the play. The artists promise to make a theatrical world for you to visit. This promise makes a play happen. When you are in the audience, the actors can SEE, HEAR and FEEL you. You can SEE, HEAR and FEEL them. Your laughter, attention, imagination and energy are important. Your response is a real part of the play. The truth is a play can be better because of YOU.

Key Terms:(SOLS: K:2.1.7, 2.6, 3.3,4.3, 5.4)Playwright: (n.) a person who writes a play Play: (n.) a story acted out with dialogue Dialogue: (n.) words spoken by the characters in a play Adapted: (v.) changed to fit a new use or situation (such as a story that was in a book being adapted to become a play)

Using the list above, fill in the correct word: Actors in a play speak words called __________ The person who writes a play is called a _____________. Often, a play is ____________ from a book or another source.

Creative Drama:Your class probably noticed how our production uses the words in Cat in the Hat to create the stage play. Now it’s time for you to make your own play! Select another Dr. Seuss book, and assign different pages to each student, or groups of students, to dramatize.

When all the groups have finished with their section, they can read them aloud for the class. If time and resources permit, they can even create simple props and costume pieces and perform for other classes, or for their parents!

READ THE BOOK!

Read the book to your class.(SOLS: K.8, 1.9, 1.10, 2.8, 2.7, 3.5, 4.3, 5.4)

Things to Think About:(SOLS: K.3, 4.1, 5.1)

Trust1. The Cat reassures the children that what he is doing is okay and that their mother won't mind...Would have you trusted the cat?2. When can you trust strangers? What if they're a teacher, or a policeman?3. How do you know that you can trust your friends?4. What is trust?

Responsibility1. The Cat, with all of his games, made quite a mess in Sally and Sam's house...Is it okay that the Cat made a mess?2. Since the Cat cleaned up his mess, was it more okay that he made it?3. When is it okay to make a mess?4. Is it okay to make a mess in your house?5. Is it okay to make a mess if it isn't in your house?

Right VS. Wrong1. In the story, Sally and Sam had a very different view on what is right and wrong than the Cat did... Is it okay if the children were entertained by the Cat, even though what he was doing was dangerous?2. Is it okay to do things that are wrong to try and impress people?3. Is it more okay to do something wrong if it's fun? Why or why not?4. What makes something wrong?5. Who decides if something is wrong?

Lying1. At the end of the story, the reader is left to wonder if they would tell their mom what had happened...Would have you told your mother what happened? Why?2. Is it okay to lie to hide something that you've done wrong?3. If we lie and get away with it, can people still be hurt by what we've done?4. Should we tell the truth, even if no one would believe us?5. If you tell someone only part of what happened, is this lying?

Other Dr. Seuss Books to Read:The Cat in the Hat Comes Back

Hop on PopOne Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

Green Eggs and HamFox in Sox

Horton Hears a Who

DR. SEUSS FUN FACTS!

1. Theodor “Ted” Seuss Geisel, better known to the world as the beloved Dr. Seuss, was born in 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts.

2. His mother, Henrietta Seuss Geisel, had worked in her father’s bakery before marrying Ted’s father, often memorizing the names of the pies that were on special each day and “chanting” them to her customers—“Apple, mince, lemon – peach, apricot, pineapple – blueberry, coconut, custard and squash!” If Ted had difficulty getting to sleep, she would sing him her “pie-selling chants” and read bedtime stories to him with the same rhythm. As an adult, Ted credited his mother with both his ability and desire to create the rhymes for which he became so well known.

3. Ted’s father took a job as superintendent of city parks, which included the local zoo. There, young Ted spent many days drawing the animals and eventually developing his own unique style. Though Ted would later gain fame because of his unique artistic style, he never had an art lesson.

4. Dr. Seuss was not a doctor, although Ted did consider pursuing a Ph.D. in English. After graduating from Dartmouth, he went to Oxford University in London, where he studied literature. Though his Oxford notebooks include some notes on the lectures, they reveal a much greater love for doodling. One day after class, his classmate Helen Palmer (who would become his first wife) looked over at his notebook. “You’re crazy to be a professor. What you really want to do is draw,” she told him. “That’s a very fine flying cow!” Ted realized that Helen was right. He really did want to draw. So, he left higher education, returned to the U.S. and became a cartoonist.

5. As a magazine cartoonist, Ted began signing his work under the name of “Dr. Theophrastus Seuss.” (Theophrastus was the name of the toy stuffed dog he’d had since he was a little boy and that he kept with him all through his life.) He later shortened that to “Dr. Seuss.” And that’s how Ted Geisel became Dr. Seuss. He also has written books under the name Theo LeSieg—Geisel spelled backwards.

6. Even though most people pronounce his name Soose (like it rhymes with goose) the Seuss in his real middle name is pronounced Zoice (like it rhymes with voice).

7. Dr. Seuss worked as a writer and cartoonist at various magazines before being hired to draw ads for a pesticide company. He drew nasty looking bugs for 15 years.

8. It was when Dr. Seuss was returning to the U.S.

from a European vacation, by boat, that he wrote

his first children’s book. His boredom on the long

trip inspired him to write a poem to the rhythm

of the ship’s engine. The result was the book And

to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, which

was rejected, depending on the version of the

story he told, by either 20, 26, 27, 28, or 29

publishers. The book was finally published and

became a hit. But Dr. Seuss didn’t become a

household name until he wrote The Cat in the Hat

in 1957.

9. Geisel had no children of his own. When asked how he was able to write so well

for children when he didn’t have any he said, “You make ‘em, I amuse ‘em.”

10. Dr. Seuss’s birthday, March 2nd, has been chosen as Read Across America Day by

the National Education Association (NEA). Each year it’s a day for kids, students

and teachers to focus on reading and how important and entertaining it can be.

11. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 and three Academy Awards, Seuss was the

author and illustrator of 44 children’s books, some of which have been made into

animated television specials and films for children of all ages. Even after his death in

1991, Dr. Seuss continues to be the best-selling author of children’s books in the world.

Resources:Seussville – http://www.seussville.com/

Dr. Seuss National Memorial – http://www.catinthehat.org/ history.htm

Encyclopedia of World Biographies – http:// www.notablebiographies.com/

Kidzworld – http://www.kidzworld.com/article/4013-dr-seuss-biography

For a complete biography of Dr. Seuss, go to http:// www.seussville.com/#/author

Via the Seattle Children’s Theatre Resource Guide for Educators

DR. SEUSS FUN FACTS!

ACTIVITIES

Words, Words, Words!Cat in the Hat Vocabulary Words(SOLS: 2.12, 3.11, 4.8, 5.9)

“A lot of good tricks. I will show them to you. Your mother Will not mind at all if I do.”TRICKS – skills, like juggling and balancing MIND – care

“Now! Now! Have no fear. Have no fear!” said the cat.NOW! NOW! – calm down HAVE NO FEAR – don’t be afraid

They should not be here when you mother is not! Put them out!PUT THEM OUT! – make them leave

They are tame. Oh, so tame! TAME– harmless

So, as fast as I could, I went after my net. WENT AFTER– went to get

One phrase gets used in two slightly different ways:Then he got up on top With a tip of his hat. TIP OF HIS HAT– lifting his hat as a “hello” And then he was gone With a tip of his hat. TIP OF HIS HAT– lifting his hat as a “good-bye”

Rhyming WordsPlay the Cleaning Machine Game:When Cat cleans up his mess, he does so by picking up items off the floor that rhyme with each other! See if your students can go back and forth and name items to clean up that also rhyme!

How to play:You choose the first word. For example, “We pick up our pot.” Have students try to think of something that rhymes with “pot.” He or she might say, “We pick up our cot.”Then the student gets to pick the next word. He or she might say, “We pick up our brush.” Try to think of a word that rhymes with the one the student chooses. You might say, “We pick up our mush!” Here are some words from the book to get you started: cake, milk, strings, book, dish, fan, cup, and ship. Students in a classroom can play this in a circle.

ACTIVITIES

Make a Fun Cat in the Hat Snack!

Cat in the Hat Skewers

Materials Needed:

• Strawberries

• Bananas

• Lollipop Sticks

Instructions:

Slice strawberries and bananas and place them on

a lollipop stick, creating a pattern of red and white.

Resource: kitchenfunwithmythreesons.com

Cat in the Hat Cookies

Materials Needed:

• Round Crackers

• Marshmallows

• White Chocolate

• Red Icing

• Wax Paper

Instructions:

Place the white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and melt it. Stir until smooth. Start

off by dipping a round cracker in the white chocolate, tapping off any extra. Place it

on a piece of wax paper. Before the chocolate cools and hardens, place a marshmal-

low on the center of the cracker so it looks like a white top hat. Once the chocolate

cools and hardens, the marshmallow should stick.

Resource: familycrafts.about.com

ACTIVITIES

It’s All About the Math!(SOL’s: K.14, K.15, 2.23, 3.21, 3.22, 5.18)Take a poll. List the characters in the play. Ask your classmates to name their favorite character. Keep a tally. Using the number of students in your class record the poll as a bar graph titled, “Favorite Characters Seen in Cat in the Hat.”

Write a letter to the Cat in the Hat(SOLS: K:10,1:11,2:10,3:8)What did you think of Sally and her brother’s afternoon with the Cat in the Hat? Would you like the Cat to come to your house? Write a letter to the Cat in the Hat letting him know whether you would want him to come pay you a visit or not. What fun things would you like him to bring? What would you like to do with the Cat in the Hat while your mother was out?

Dear Cat in the Hat,

Sincerely, Your Friend,

ACTIVITIES

The Weather Was to Blame!The weather was obviously to blame for all the trouble the Cat in the Hat caused! If it wasn’t raining the children surely could have gone outside to play. Use this opportunity to discuss weather with your students. 1. After reading and watching Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat, ask students why the children couldn’t go outside and play. Why were Sally and her brother bored?2. Discuss how weather can change our plans and how we dress some days. Talk about different appropriate and inappropriate weather choices (clothing or activities). Example: Can we go sledding on a hot summer day? Should we wear a swim suit in winter? What should we wear instead? 3. Review the different kinds of weather and the different kinds of precipitation. Have students illustrate their favorite kind of weather. Example: Hot sunny day, Rainy day, Windy day.4. Talk about seasons and what weather usually occurs during the different seasons. 5. Create a graph about favorite seasons as a class. Make a pictograph or bar graph and share the results with other classes.6. Learn this fun poem about weather as a class or break students into groups and have them prepare a choral recitation of the poem (acting them out with movement and gesture).

Rain RainBy: James HörnerRain rain,falls on the street, mud in puddles,cleaning my feet.Thunder thunder, rumble and roar, close the windows, and lock the door.Clouds clouds, black and gray, heavy with water, to drop all day.

Cat in the Hat Arts and Craft:(SOLS: 1.1,1.4,1.5,1.7, 1.8, 2:1, 2:8,2:10,3:1,3:20,4:1,4:3,5:1, 5:6)

Cat in the Hat - HatMaterials Needed:Construction Paper (red and white)Poster BoardWhite GlueCellophane Tape or StaplerInstructions: Cut a red piece of construction paper into strips that are approximately 2" x 8 1/2". Cut a 2-inch strip from the poster board that is long enough to fit around your head. Also cut a hat shape out of the poster board.Glue the red strips onto the hat shape. Try to keep them evenly spaced. Let the glue dry.Staple or glue the center bottom of the hat onto the center of the poster board strip. Once the hat is attached to the band, staple or tape the ends of the band strip together to snuggly fit around your fore head.

Sun sun, is breaking through, clouds are moving, the rain stops too.Rainbow rainbow,across the sky, see-through colours,to tickle my eyes.

ACTIVITIES

COMING SOON!

Madeline’s ChristmasA holiday musical!Book and lyrics by Jennifer Kirby / Music by Shirley Mier"In an old house in Paris covered in vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines," begins the story of Madeline. The girls come down with the flu on their walk with Miss Clavel and wonder if they’ll be able to go home to their families for Christmas. With the arrival of a mysterious stranger, Madeline and the other girls get a holiday adventure beyond their wildest dreams.

Fancy Nancy: The MusicalBased on the popular book series!Books and Lyrics by: Susan DiLallo Music and Lyrics by: Danny Abosch Adapted from the books by Jane O’Connor Illustrations by Robin Preiss GlasserDon your glamorous attire and join us for the most elegant musical of the year! Nancy and her pals are dancing in a school recital! But when Bree lands the role of shimmering mermaid while Nancy’s an ordinary tree, Nancy realizes that “fancy” takes a dash of imagination!

Eat: It’s Not About FoodAn RCT4TEENS ProjectBy Linda DaughertyEAT dramatizes the dangerous and baffling world of eating disorders in girls and boys. Candidly exploring causes and warning signs, the play takes a hard look at the influences of society and the media on young people. A gutsy, arresting and daringly humorous play that leaves open the possibility of changing and perhaps saving lives.

RCT Residencies:3rd Grade: RCT Readers TheatreStudents will learn all about bringing a script to life by putting on a radio play!

4th Grade: JamestownStudents will stage a play while learning the fundamentals of play production and reinforcing their Virginia social studies curriculum.

Next “School’s Out Day!”:November 4th, 2014 For Ages: 5-14Time: 8:30-5:30PMCost: $40 (1 Day)School is out for just one day, and parents still have work…what to do? Come join us at the theatre!