HOW TO USE THIS STUDY GUIDE
Book-It Repertory Theatre’s Arts and Education Program closely aligns its performances and learning materials with research-based reading instruction. The purpose of this study guide is to engage students in the Book-It Style®, literacy objectives, and hands-on activities that support the comprehension of Ada’s Violin
FIRST: READ THE BOOK
As part of Book-It’s touring package, your school has received a copy of the story that serves as a permanent resource for your library.
LITERACY OBJECTIVES ACTIVATING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE MAKING SELF-TO-TEXT CONNECTIONS VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT BUILDING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE REFLECTING & EVALUATING
SECOND: SELECT ACTIVITIES
Select one or all of the activities and adjust them to fit your students and classroom needs. Some activities are designed for teachers to lead students through an interactive process; directions and support materials are included for successful facilitation. Others are handouts for independent student work or to be used for whole-class instruction.
THEMES & CONCEPTS CLASS & STATUS FAMILY & COMMUNITY DYNAMICS RECYCLING & SUSTAINABILITY RESOURCEFULNESS PERSERVERANCE
THIRD: KEEP READING! Standards for the study guide and Performance: Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts*: R.CCR.1, R.CCR.2, R.CCR.3. R.CCR.4, R.CCR.6, RI.CCR.5, L.CCR.4 Washington EARLs in Theatre: 1.1, 1.4, 3.1, 4.3 *Exact standards depend upon grade level, reading the text, and instructional shifts to meet the Standard Study Guide Written and compiled by: Kelly Kitchens, Teaching Artist Study Guide Edited by: Annie DiMartino, Director of Education Study Guide formatted by: Jillian Johnson, Teaching Artist Spanish translation provided by: Angelica Duncan, Teaching Artist 2
An important note on the Book-It Style® The use of narrative, particularly third-person narrative, is a hallmark and founding principle of Book-It Repertory Theatre productions since the company’s inception in 1987. Book-It’s approach to narrative text on stage is known throughout theatre communities regionally and nationally as the Book-It Style®. Book-It adaptations provide an experience of the book unlike any other adapted work. By preserving the author’s original language, Book-It adaptations capture the essence of the novel’s original intent and tone, while celebrating the author’s unique voice. Actors in a Book-It Style production perform narrative lines in character with objectives and intentions as they would with any line of dialogue in a standard play. Narrative lines are delivered with motivation to other characters, as opposed to a detached delivery straight out to the audience as a narrator.
SCRIPT EXAMPLE: ADA Dando marcha artás hacia el vertedero, empinaban sus cargas para arriba, para arriba y (Backing into the landfill, they tipped their loads up and up and –)
GANCHERO 1 Ada Ríos creció en una ciudad hecha de basura. (Ada Rios grew up in a town made of trash.) GANCHERO 2 Every morning at dawn,
GANCHERO 1 ¡CRASH!
ADA Ada heard the first garbage trucks rumble and roll down the road
ADA La basura caía – (The trash came tumbling down –)
GANCHERO 2 To Cateura.
GANCHEROS 1 and 2 Fifteen hundred tons each day.
GANCHERO 1 Beep, beep, beep!
Book-It adapters will often divide descriptive narrative amongst several characters. This arrangement and editing process is a result of purposeful exploration and development over the last 29 years of the company’s artistic history, and overseen by Founding Co-Artistic Directors Jane Jones and Myra Platt. 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS ABOUT THE STORY & CHARACTERS
Story Synopsis ................................................................................. 5 Characters in the Story ....................................................................... 7 About the Author: Susan Hood .............................................................. 8 3 Questions for Susan Hood .................................................................. 9 About the Illustrator: Sally Wern Comport ............................................... 10
CONTEXT
Self-to-Text: Creative Solutions to Problems ............................................ 11 Recycling Concept Wheel ................................................................... 13 History of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay.......................................... 14
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
Emotion Orchestra ........................................................................... 16 Make Your Own Recycled Instrument ..................................................... 18 Spanish Word Search ........................................................................ 19 Additional Resources ........................................................................ 20
INTRODUCTION TO BOOK-IT REPERTORY THEATRE’S ARTS & EDUCATION PROGRAM:
Book-It’s Arts and Education Program is dedicated to inspiring people of all ages to read. We tour a diverse range of stories to schools, libraries, and community venues throughout Washington state, conduct long-term residencies in schools, offer teacher professional development for school staff, and present low-cost student matinées of our mainstage shows. What you will see and hear at a Book-It performance is literature spoken by the characters as if it were dialogue in a play—actors speak both the narration and the dialogue. Book-It takes the written word back to its roots—storytelling!
OUR MISSION
To provide an interactive relationship between youth and literature through diverse theatrical productions and educational programs that promote the joy of reading, enhance student and teacher learning, and inspire the imagination. 4
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STORY SYNOPSIS
(by Luann Toth, School Library Journal)
“The world sends us garbage. We send back music!” – Favio Chávez Ada’s Violin tells the story of a real child growing up in an actual place— Cateura—a community of people who live and feed themselves by picking through the tons of trash generated by the capital city of Asunción, Paraguay, and salvaging items to recycle and sell. Ada’s Violin cuenta la historia de una chica real que vive in un lugar real Cateura- una comunidad de personas que vive de juntar basura generada en la capital de Paraguay, Asuncíon, y encontrando objetos para reciclar y vender. Despite her bleak surroundings, Ada Ríos liked to imagine each garbage truck was “a box of surprises. One never knew what might be inside.” When Ada was 11, a man named Favio Chávez started to hold music classes for the local young people. Since there weren’t enough instruments to go around and they were too precious for the kids to take them home to practice, the project seemed doomed to be short-lived. A pesar de su entorno poco prometedor, a Ada Ríos le gustaba imaginar que cada camión de basura era “una caja de sorpresas. Uno nunca sabía que podría haber adentro.” Cuando Ada tenía once años, un hombre llamado Favio Chávez empezó a dar clases de música para los jóvenes locales. Ya que no habían suficientes instrumentos para todos, y eran demasiado valiosos para que los chicos los lleven a sus casas para practicar, el proyecto parecía condenado. Watching the children play amid the rubble gave Señor Chávez an idea. He enlisted the help of the gancheros (recyclers), and they fashioned cellos from oil drums, flutes out of water pipes, and guitars from packing crates. Ver a los jóvenes jugar en la basura le dio al Señor Chavez una idea. Junto con la ayuda de los gancheros (recicladores), hicieron violonchelos con barriles de aceite, flautas con caños de agua, y guitarras con cajones de embalaje. 5
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STORY SYNOPSIS Ada chose a violin made from an old paint can, an aluminum baking tray, a fork, and pieces of wooden crates. Through hard work and long hours of practice over time, she and the rest of the ragtag crew of kids formed the Recycled Orchestra, and the rest is history, as they’ve grown and made a name for themselves internationally. Ada eligió un violin echo con una lata de pintura vieja, una bandeja de aluminio, un tenedor, y pedazos de cajones de madera. Con trabajo duro y muchas horas de practica, ella y el resto del grupo de jóvenes formaron La Orquesta de Instrumentos Reciclados, y el resto es historia, haciéndose conocidos internacionalmente. PRE-SHOW CLASSROOM DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (K-3): After reading the book or book synopsis in class, guide your students through these discussion prompts: Who is this story about? What are some descriptive words we can think of to describe Ada? Grandma Miriam? The Gancheros? Mr. Chávez? In the story, Ada really wants to play the violin but there aren’t enough instruments to go around for all the children. Have you ever wanted something but had no way to get it? How did that make you feel? How do you think Ada was feeling at the end of the book? How is that different from what she was feeling at the beginning of the book? What happened to make her feel that way? PRE-SHOW CLASSROOM DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (4-6) At the beginning of the book, we learn Ada’s family loves listening to and singing along to music on the radio. How does listening to music make you feel? Why do you think people love listening to and playing music? Do you recycle? Have you ever found a use for something someone else had thrown away? What did you do with it? What were some of the problems children in Ada’s community faced? What problems do children in your own community face? PRE-SHOW WRITING PROMPT In the story, Ada likes to imagine each garbage truck as “a box of surprises” that one never knew what might be inside. What does this mean to you? How do people normally think of trash? Have you ever found something special in an unexpected place? What is something that might seem worthless to someone else but you hold dear? 6
CHARACTERS IN OUR STORY ACTOR/PUPPETEER 1 ADA: a young girl 12—16 years old who lives in a town made of trash. She longs to play the violin but the town doesn’t have the resources for instruments. She has a big imagination and, like her family, she loves music. (Una chica joven de 12-16 años que vive en un pueblo hecho de basura. Ella suena con tocar el violin pero su pueblo no tiene los recursos para instrumentos. Ella tiene una gran imaginación y, como su familia, le encanta la música.) ACTOR/PUPPETEER 2 GANCHERO 1: A worker in the landfill who goes through the trash to find anything that could be recycled or sold. (Un trabajador en el vertedero que busca en la basura cualquier cosa que pueda reciclar or vender.) ABUELA MIRIAN: Ada’s Grandma who cares for Ada and Noélia when they are young. She loves to sing and always wanted to learn music. She signs her granddaughters up for Mr. Chávez’s music lessons without asking them. (La abuela de Ada que cuida a ella y a Noélia cuando eran jóvenes. A Abuela le encanta cantar y siempre quizo aprender música. Abuela enlista a sus nietas en las clases de música del Señor Chavez sin preguntarles.) NOÉLIA: Ada’s younger sister. Because there was no future outside the landfill, teenagers often turned to gangs; Ada worries what will happen to her when she grows up. (La hermana menor de Ada. Ya que no había un futuro afuera del vertedero, los adolescentes generalmente formaban pandillas; a Ada le preocupa lo que le va a pasar cuando crezca.) SEÑOR GÓMEZ: A Ganchero in the landfill and also a carpenter. He goes through the landfill to find things like oil drums and pipes that he makes into instruments. (Un ganchero del vertedero que también es carpintero. El busca en el vertedero para encontrar cosas como barriles de aceite y cańos para convertirlos en instrumentos.) ACTOR/PUPPETEER 3 GANCHERO 2: A worker in the landfill who goes through the trash to find anything that could be recycled or sold. (Un trabajador en el vertedero que busca en la basura cualquier cosa que pueda reciclar or vender.) PADRE: Ada’s father. During the day he works long, hard hours in the landfill as a ganchero. At night, he plays the radio and tells his daughters stories and songs of great musicians. (El padre de Ada. Durante el día trabaja largas horas, duras horas en el vertedero como un ganchero. Por la noche, el escucha la radio y le cuenta historias y canciones a sus hijas sobre grandes músicos.) FAVIO CHÁVEZ: An engineer sent to Cateura to teach safety practices to the gancheros. He was also a musician and decided to offer music lessons to keep the children out of trouble. Along with music, he teaches the children to respect themselves and others. (Un ingeniero que fue enviado a Cateura para enseńar practicas de seguridad a los gancheros. El también era un músico y decidió ofrecer clases de música para que los chicos no se metan en problemas. Con la música el también les enseńa a los chicos a respetarse a ellos mismos y a otros.) 7
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Susan Hood Susan’s first picture books were published in fall 2012, but she’s not a newcomer to children’s publishing. Before launching a fulltime writing career, Susan was the Children’s Content Director of Nick Jr. Magazine, where she edited original stories by the winners of the Caldecott Medal, the Coretta Scott King Book Award and the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award. Before that, Susan was a children’s book editor at Sesame Workshop, and a children’s magazine editor at Scholastic and Instructor Magazine for early childhood educators. While working as an editor, Susan wrote hundreds of children’s books for ages 1-8, including board books, concept books, interactive books, nonfiction and beginning readers. She has published books with Disney, Fisher Price, Penguin Putnam, Scholastic, Sesame Workshop and Simon & Schuster, among others. In addition to writing for children, she has written for parents and early childhood educators in The New York Times, Nickelodeon’s ParentsConnect, Sesame Street Parent’s Guide, Working Mother and more. Ada’s Violin was Susan's first nonfiction picture book—won the Bank Street Flora Steiglitz Straus Award for distinguished nonfiction; received the Christopher Medal; and was named an E.B. White Picture Book Award honoree. Susan lives with her family in coastal Connecticut, and enjoys spending the summer sailing with her husband along the coast of Maine. The Flora Stieglitz Straus Award was established in 1994 and named Flora Straus who led the committee for many years. The award is presented annually for a distinguished work of nonfiction which serves as an inspiration to young people. Flora Straus stood for the values of courage, hard work, truth and beauty, while adapting to a changing world. She believed that books about varying cultures enrich and help all children in their growth. She championed diverse opinions and points of view. She was a person of high principles, unfailing courtesy and deep understanding, and was an inspiration to all who had the privilege of knowing her.
The Christopher Awards were created in 1949 by founder Father James Keller to celebrate writers, producers, directors, authors and illustrators whose work “affirms the highest values of the human spirit.” Their goal is to encourage men, women and children to pursue excellence in creative arenas that have the potential to influence a mass audience positively. Award winners encourage audiences to see the better side of human nature and motivate artists and the general public to use their best instincts on behalf of others.
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The E.B. White Awards were established in 2004 by the Association of Booksellers for Children to honor books that reflect the universal read-aloud standards that were created by the work of the author E. B. White in his classic books for children. In 2006, in recognition of the fact that reading aloud is a pleasure at any age, the award was expanded into two categories, Picture Books and Older Readers.
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3 Questions for Susan Hood: Q: Can you describe your writing process? Do you have any place that you prefer to write in? A: I don’t necessarily write every day, but I think about my books all the time—on walks and bike rides, out gardening, in the middle of the night. My husband is a teacher and gets up at 5:30 am; I get some of my best ideas in that pre-dawn hour when I’m half asleep. Once I get an idea, I write like a maniac and can go hours without stop. I like to write wherever I can sit in the sun and look out the window—at my kitchen counter, in our little library/den or in the summer on our screened porch. I save every revision (by date) and share my stories with a critique group I’ve been with since 2009. Q: What led you to write Ada's story and were you able to see the Orchestra perform live? A: Editor Christian Trimmer at Simon and Schuster deserves all the credit for the idea. He saw Bob Simon’s profile of the Recycled Orchestra on 60 Minutes and thought it would make an amazing picture book. He called my agent and asked if she could suggest an author. She recommended me and I’m forever grateful that she did. Q: In writing this story, what was most inspiring or even life changing for you? As you have shared Ada's story with students, what kind of reception has it received? A: Writing this book was life-changing. I try not to take things for granted, but let’s face it. I have clean running water and electricity at the flick of a wrist. There’s green grass outside my door. It sounds ridiculous to say, but my family and I don’t think twice about phone service, air-conditioned transportation, police, firefighters, public schools, and garbage collection. Or something as simple and life-changing as shoes. It was shocking to realize that 20,000 people live on a garbage dump, with kids running barefoot in toxic chemicals and polluted waters, while their parents make the equivalent of $2 a day working 14 hour-days in 100-degree heat. (And it’s even more shocking to realize that this is not an isolated case. The more research I did I found that people live on garbage dumps all over the world—in Mexico, India, the Philippines, and on and on.) It gets worse. The people of Cateura face a natural disaster every year when the river that runs through the town floods, causing hundreds of families to evacuate their tin shacks. What was a mountain of garbage becomes floating garbage. And yet, despite ALL of this, these people remain hopeful and dedicated to the art of making music for the world. Their story was inspiring in another way. I’ve always been an advocate of the arts, but their story vividly demonstrates the POWER of the arts. Music gave these aimless, forsaken kids with a sad past, a dangerous present, and a bleak future something to focus on, to strive toward, to hope for. For many, it was the only beauty in their lives. And now, it is a source of great pride that is helping to rebuild their lives and their community. Sharing their story has been a huge privilege. Kids are dumbfounded and adults are often teary. As am I!
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ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR: Sally Wern Comport Sally Wern Comport began her career as an artist at age 15, drawing furniture newspaper ads for her dad’s advertising agency. Since then, her prolific catalog of creative works span decades, applying visual problem solving to editorial concepts, corporate collateral, children’s publications, and commercial branding design. She has also translated her picture making skills to various large-scale public, private, and institutional artworks.
For Ada’s Violin, Comport used mixed media collages in which she plays with light and dark throughout to capture the look and feel of Cateura as well as Ada’s flights of imagination. For her work on this book, Comport has received many honors including the Christopher Award, the 2017 Flora Stieglitz Straus Award, and inclusion in The Society of Illustrator’s Original Art Show.
Sally Wern Comport currently operates Art at Large Inc. in Annapolis, Maryland, where she lives with her husband and two daughters.
RIGHT-IN-THE-TEXT QUESTIONS: 1. What inspired Susan to write Ada’s Violin? 2. Where did Susan say she likes to write her books? 3. What kind of illustrations did Sally Wern Comport use in Ada’s Violin? 4. What is one of the awards that Ada’s Violin has won?
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SELF-TO-TEXT CONNECTIONS: Creative Solutions to Solve Problems "People realize that we shouldn't throw away trash carelessly. Well, we shouldn't throw away people either." – Favio Chávez In order to create the Recycled Orchestra to help the community of Cateura, Favio Chávez had to solve several problems. Explain how he and others solved the following problems:
Problem
Solution
There were not enough instruments for the children. No habían suficientes instrumentos para los chicos.
It wasn’t safe for the children to have expensive instruments. No era seguro para los chicos tener valiosos instrumentos.
There were no classrooms. No habían aulas.
The children struggled as they learned to play their instruments. A los chicos les costaba aprender a tocar los instrumentos.
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SELF-TO-TEXT CONNECTIONS: Creative Solutions to Solve Problems Now think about your own life. What are ways you could create unexpected solutions to a problem? What are ways you could help others solve a problem they have? How have others helped you solve a problem? Write about or draw the answers to the following: A problem I have is ….
How I can solve it is….
Un problema que yo tengo…
Como puedo resolverlo es…
A problem my community has is….
A way I could help is…
Un problema que tiene mi comunidad es…
Una manera en la que puedo ayudar es…
A problem I once had was….
Someone helped me by….
Un problema que yo tuve una vez fue…
Alguien una vez me ayudó con…
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Recycling Concept Wheel To help you refine your understanding of the word recycle, complete a concept wheel about the Recycled Orchestra. Answer the following questions on the appropriate section of the wheel, using both words and illustrations. Then, in the blank sections of the wheel, come up with your own questions about the Recycled Orchestra and answer them using both words and illustrations.
What does recycle mean?
What did they recycle?
Where did this recycling take place?
Who recycles? What were the results of the recycling?
Why did they recycle?
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HISTORY OF THE RECYCLED ORCHESTRA OF PARAGUAY From Trash To Triumph: The Recycled Orchestra by Anastasia Tsioulcas When you think of an orchestra, you're probably picturing refined woodwinds, brass, and strings. But one ensemble I recently met is made up mostly of kids who play instruments made out of literal trash. This is the Recycled Orchestra from Cateura, Paraguay, and their group is the subject of a new documentary film. Cateura is not a town, really. It's a slum alongside a landfill, located not far from Paraguay's capital city, Asunción. Every day, about 3 million pounds of solid waste get dumped in Cateura. Many families eke out their existence by scavenging trash from the landfill to resell, and kids regularly get pulled out of school to help. During rainstorms, the landfill floods, and residents have to wade through contaminated water. "Really, to be honest with you," says 16-year-old violinist Noelia Rios, "there was practically nothing in Cateura. What there was most was drugs." Her violin, like many in the orchestra, is made out of cans, wooden spoons and bent forks. One of the ensemble's cellos uses an oil drum for its body. String pegs are created from detritus like old cooking utensils and even the heel of a worn-out women's shoe. Drum heads are made from old X-ray film, held in place with copious amounts of packing tape. Fifteenyear-old Tobias Armoa plays a saxophone made out of a drainpipe, melted copper, coins, spoon handles, cans and bottle caps. The Recycled Orchestra was founded 10 years ago by Favio Chavez. "I went to work in Cateura as an environmental engineer," Chavez says. "I saw that there were a lot of children there, and I had the idea to teach them music in my free time." Chavez' classes became so popular that they soon ran out of donated instruments. So he asked Nicolas Gomez, a talented carpenter in the community nicknamed "Cola," to make new instruments for his group — out of stuff from the landfill. Several years ago, the orchestra caught the attention of a team of filmmakers led by executive producer Alejandra Amarilla. She knew that most people outside Paraguay had no clue about her home country. So the team went looking for a story to tell. "It was mostly to be able to create awareness on children's issues," Amarilla says. "The uniqueness of the story that I ended up picking was that it contained a very strong emotional component, and very inspiring."
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HISTORY OF THE RECYCLED ORCHESTRA OF PARAGUAY Four years ago, the film team made a short video for a Kickstarter campaign, hoping to raise $175,000 to make a full-length documentary. Not only did they raise the money — the video went viral. Since then, the Recycled Orchestra has performed for politicians, monarchs and Pope Francis. The group plays Mozart, Paraguayan folk music, even Frank Sinatra. And the young musicians have backed up artists like Stevie Wonder, Metallica and Megadeth. These days, kids from Cateura are flocking to join the orchestra. Ten-year-old Cinthia Servin, who plays the violin, says that she looked up to some of the older girls in the ensemble, and saw all the amazing opportunities they were having to travel well beyond Paraguay: "I wanted to play because it seemed like they liked what they were playing," she says, "and I wanted to visit other countries." But it hasn't been easy for the Recycled Orchestra to go from being a communitybased group to being the toast of international development folks and media around the world. "Nothing that happened to us was planned, of any of this," Chavez says. "We're still learning to deal with it, moment to moment." In the meantime, the ensemble has brought a lot of good to Cateura. Money the orchestra has generated from its international touring has funded the building of new, safer homes for several members of the group and their families — and the orchestra's lead instrument maker, Cola Gomez. Chavez says there's also been a bigger change. "What we have achieved," he says, "is that in the community, children are respected. And respect for the moment that they need to get an education. It's something sacred. Before, it wasn't like this. Before I gave music classes, the mom or dad would take the kid away by the hand because they had to go to work. Today, that's unthinkable, impossible for it to happen. And we've already achieved the most difficult thing, which is to change the community." Maybe it didn't have to be music that triggered such a fundamental shift. It could have been soccer, or chess, or theater, or some other activity. But Chavez says that the kids playing in the Recycled Orchestra are creating something gorgeous out of nothing. "To be a musician," he says, "you have to be responsible, persistent, tenacious, conscientious and sensitive. Without these values, you can't be a musician. But music has such a great power that it can't be just of the musicians. Music can transform society. " RIGHT IN THE TEXT QUESTIONS: 1. How many pounds of solid waste get dumped into Cateura each day? 2. What materials from the landfill did they use to make a violin? A drum? 3. What are 3 positive things the Recycled Orchestra brought to Cateura? 4. What are some traits a musician must have? 15
K-3 Activity
EMOTION ORCHESTRA Every member of an orchestra has to know their part, listen to each other, and watch the conductor. In this popular improvisation game in theater, students will practice listening and collaboration to create an “Emotion Orchestra�. It is safe for a teacher to use without any prerequisite knowledge. This activity is ideal for groups of 8 - 20 performers or students. Age does not matter too much; however, younger performers really need to pay attention for the drama exercise to be effective. HOW IT WORKS One person (the drama director or group leader or classroom teacher) serves as the "Orchestra Conductor." The performers sit or stand in rows or small groups, as though they were musicians in an orchestra. Instead of having a string section or a brass section, however, the conductor will create "emotion sections." For example: Two performers are designated as the "Sadness Section" Three performers comprise the "Joy Section" Two more make up the "Fear Section" One person can be the "Guilt Section" Another performer can be the "Confused Section" And the list of emotions could go on! DIRECTIONS Explain to the participants that each time the conductor points or gestures to a particular section, the performers will make noises that communicate their designated emotion. Encourage participants to avoid using words and come up instead with sounds that convey their given feeling. Provide this example: "If your group has the emotion "Annoyed," you might make the sound "Hmph!" Assign the participants to small groups and give each group an emotion. Give everyone a little planning time so that all group members agree on the sounds and noises they will make. (Note: Although voices are the main "instruments," the use of clapping and other body percussion sounds is definitely permitted.) Once all of the groups are ready, explain that when you as the conductor raise your hands high, that means that the volume should increase. Hands low means a decrease in the volume. The conductor of the emotion orchestra will bring sections in one at a time and also fade them out or use a closed hand gesture to indicate that a section should stop making noise. All of this requires the participants to watch the conductor closely 16
K-3 Activity
EMOTION ORCHESTRA CONDUCT THE EMOTION ORCHESTRA Before beginning, make sure that all your "musicians" are completely silent and focused on you. Warm them up by pointing to one section at a time, then add another and another, eventually building to a climactic frenzy if you wish. Bring your piece to a close by fading out one section at a time and ending with the sounds of only one emotion. Emphasize that every musician in the orchestra must be certain to pay attention to the conductor and follow the directions given by the pointing, raising of hands, lowering of hands, and fist clenches. This agreement to abide by the directions of the conductor is what makes all orchestras - even this kind - work. As the conductor, you may want to experiment with an established beat and get your emotion musicians to deliver their sounds while keeping the beat. You may also want to have one section keep a steady beat and other sections perform rhythmic sounds that work on top of that beat.
VARIATIONS ON THE THEME City Soundscape. What sounds do you hear in a city? Ask participants to come up with a list of sounds like horns honking, subway doors closing, construction noises, footsteps rushing, brakes screeching, etc. and then assign one city sound per section and conduct a city soundscape orchestra in the same way as described above for Emotion Orchestra. Other Soundscapes or Orchestra Ideas. The country or a rural area, a summer night, the beach, the mountains, an amusement park, a school, a wedding....
GOALS OF THE ACTIVITY The "Orchestras" described above give participants practice in working together productively, following directions, following a leader, and warming up their voices. After each "performance," it's fun to discuss the effect of the creative combinations of sounds on both participants and listeners.
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CREATE YOUR OWN RECYCLED INSTRUMENT “The world sends us garbage. We send back music!” – Favio Chávez Ada’s Violin is a story about resourcefulness and perseverance; it reminds readers of all ages that treasure can be found in expected places and that change can happen when you use some creativity and determination. The community of Cateura works together to transform garbage from the landfill into instruments for the Recycled Orchestra. As a complimentary activity to reading Ada’s Violin, transform recycled items into an instrument like a child from Cateura might play. This project is a good opportunity to repurpose everyday items you may already have on hand and also promotes storytelling and play long after the project is finished. Materials Recycled box (A shoebox, cracker box, tea box… whatever you have on hand) Recycled tin cans (a soup can, a can of beans, dry paint cans; avoid soda cans) Recycled plastic containers (tupperware, plastic bottles, etc) Recycled paper towel or toilet paper rolls String (shoes strings, yarn, fishing line, etc) Popsicle Sticks Rubber Bands Balloons Bobby Pins Straws Construction paper or card stock scraps Scissors Glue stick Markers The best way to organize this project with kids is to leave the recycled boxes, cans, strings, scissors, glue, markers, and so forth out on a table and let them create an instrument of their own imagination.
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4-6 Activity
SPANISH WORD SEARCH Find the Spanish words for musical instruments
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Ada’s Violin Study Guide Sources: http://www.susanhoodbooks.com/home http://www.susanhoodbooks.com/sites/default/files/Adas_Violin_CG.pdf http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com/kid-lit-frenzy/2016/6/1/nonfiction-picture-bookwednesday-adas-violin http://resource.scholastic.com.au/resourcefiles/ Teacher_Notes/8471704_57356.pdf https://www.thoughtco.com/warm-up-activity-emotion-orchestra-2713010 http://www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2016/09/14/493794763/fromtrash-to-triumph-the-recycled-orchestra http://www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2012/12/19/167539764/thelandfill-harmonic-an-orchestra-built-from-trash http://resource.scholastic.com.au/resourcefiles/ Teacher_Notes/8471704_57356.pdf https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Young-Persons-Guide-to-the-Orchestra LandfillHarmonicMovie.com Learn more about the Recycled Orchestra by watching the 60 Minutes video “The Recyclers: From Trash Comes Triumph” at YouTube.com/Watch?v=YxUuKthY1dQ
Book-It Repertory Theatre would like to thank the following Arts & Education Program Supporters
Norcliffe Foundation
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