Nashville Children’s Theatre
2010-11 Curriculum Guide
Sept 29 - Oct 15, 2010
Most enjoyed by Grade 5 and up
Nashville Children’s Theatre
25 Middleton St
Nashville, TN 37210
(615) 254-9103 Phone
www.nashvillechildrenstheatre.org
Dear Educators,
Nashville Children’s Theatre is thrilled to bring the critically-acclaimed book, Bud,
Not Buddy to the stage. We are also thrilled that you have chosen to join us for this show!
Included in this guide are opportunities to delve further into some of the themes and subjects
that the book explores. All standards referenced in this guide are for fifth grade.
Please also note that page 7 can be reproduced as a worksheet for your students.
See you at the theatre!
Julee Brooks
NCT Director of Education
Once you’ve been to NCT, please tell us about
your experience by completeing an Online Survey
Go to www.nashvillechildrenstheatre.org and click the “For Teachers” box.
Then follow the “Click here for a short online survey” link. Thanks!
You will find links to the websites listed in this study guide at www.nashvillechildrenstheatre.org. On the homepage,
visit the “For Teachers” section. Then using the top navigation bar, click “Curriculum Guides” and select “Bud, Not
Buddy”.
About Nashville Children’s Theatre
Nashville Children’s Theatre is an ensemble of professional artists who bring unique vision and compelling voice to the
creation of meaningful theatre for Nashville and Middle Tennessee audiences. We strive to make the imaginative celebration
of our hopes, struggles, and joys a vital part of the shared experience for young people, families, and our community.
The information and activities in this study guide were compiled and devised by Julee Brooks and Alicia Fuss.
Costume Renderings by Patricia Taber. Nashville Children's Theatre, July, 2010.
1
About the Author
Born in Flint, Michigan, Christopher Paul Curtis spent his first 13
years after high school on the assembly line of Flint’s historic Fisher
Body Plant #1. His job entailed hanging car doors, and it left him
with an aversion to getting into and out of large automobiles — particularly big Buicks.
Curtis’s writing — and his dedication to it — has been greatly influenced by his family members, particularly his wife, Kaysandra.
With grandfathers like Earl “Lefty” Lewis, a Negro Baseball League
pitcher, and 1930s bandleader Herman E. Curtis, Sr., of Herman
Curtis and the Dusky Devastators of the Depression, it is easy to
see why Christopher Paul Curtis was destined to become an entertainer.
Christopher Paul Curtis made an outstanding debut in children’s literature with The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963. His second
novel, Bud, Not Buddy, is the first book ever to receive both the
Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Author Award.
About the Story
It’s 1936, in Flint, Michigan. Times may be hard, and ten-year-old
Bud may be a motherless boy on the run, but Bud’s got a few things going for him:
1. He has his own suitcase filled with his own important, secret things.
2. He’s the author of Bud Caldwell’s Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar
Out of Yourself.
3. His momma never told him who his father was, but she left a clue: flyers of Herman E. Calloway and his
famous band, the Dusky Devastators of the Depression!!!!!
Bud’s got an idea that those flyers will lead him to his father. Once he decides to hit the road and find this mystery
man, nothing can stop him--not hunger, not fear, not vampires, not even Herman E. Calloway himself.
Courtesy of Random House: http://www.randomhouse.com/features/christopherpaulcurtis
ids
Jazz Books for K
n. Jazz.
Myers, Walter Dea
House, Inc. 2006.
New York: Holiday
rtuosa.
Fitzgerald, Vocal Vi
la
El
.
is
av
D
a
re
Pinkney, And
n, 2002.
Books for Childre
n
io
er
yp
H
:
rk
Yo
New
a Street.
Ellington Was Not
Readers,
Shange, Ntozake.
Books For Young
er
st
hu
Sc
d
an
on
New York: Sim
1983.
Also by Christopher Paul Curtis:
Elijah of Buxton.
New York: Scholastic Press, 2009.
Mr. Chickee’s Funny Money.
Random House, 2005.
Bucking the Sarge.
New York: Random House, 2004.
Watsons Go to Birmingham -- 1963.
New York: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 1995.
Curriculum Key: H=Health, S=Science, MU=Music, SS=Social Studies, VA=Visual Arts
2
The World According to Bud
ACTIVITY: Thanks for the Advice, Bud!
Bud, not Buddy, developed his own words of advice that he calls Rules and Things. As a class, compile the
Rules and Things from the book (a few are quoted in the play). This activity will help you discuss them as a
class and determine how good the advice that Bud gives really is.
Clear the classroom into an open space. Designate one end of the room “I Agree” while the other end of the
room is “I Disagree.” The middle of the space can be “Maybe.” Read one of Bud’s Rules and Things, then ask
students to move to the area that best fits their feelings on the rule. Solicit comments on why they agreed or
not. Continue with other rules to determine how much wisdom your class sees in Bud’s advice.
Variation: Adding Snaps
As students offer why they made the choices to move around the room, other students may snap to show that
they agree with the comment. This also keeps from the same comment being repeated.
Discussion Questions: How did following his own advice serve Bud? Did any of his Rules and Things cause
him problems? How do you think he came to develop some of his Rules and Things?
Standards Addressed: H 1.1, 1.2, 1.3
ACTIVITY: What’s Their Story?
After finding the flyer with the famous bandleader Herman E. Calloway on it, Bud creates a story that Mr. Calloway is his father. Have students create narratives from clues they gather about people. In a busy place like a
park, museum or airport, have students observe people they’ve never met. Create a background and a story for
the person based on clues they observe. What is the person wearing and carrying? How fast are they walking
and where might they be going? What does their body language tell you about how their personality or how
they are feeling?
Standards Addressed: ELA 0501.3.1, 0501.3.2; TA: 1.1
ACTIVITY: Classroom Rules and Things
Have your class pen their own glossary of Rules and
Things in the style of Bud, Not Buddy. Divide the
class into small groups and have them write Rules
and Things For Success In Your Classroom. Or give
them areas to explore their own pearls of wisdom.
For example: school, family, food, traveling, etc.
Then compile the glossary and/or play “Thanks
for the Advice, Bud!” with your original Rules and
Things! Let them read their own rules and see who
agrees with them!
Standards Addressed: ELA 0501.2.2, 0501.2.4;
H 1.1, 1.2, 1.3
ACTIVITY: From Page to Stage
Make a Venn diagram that includes areas for
novel, film and theatre. Using the diagram,
have your class brainstorm ideas that illustrate the similarities and differences among
these forms. What tools does the theatre
use to tell the story? What advantages does
the exchange between author and reader
have? What would the same story told on
film and on stage have in common? How
would they be different?
Standards Addressed: ELA 0501.8.2,
0501.8.3, TA: 7.2
Curriculum Key: ELA=English Language Arts, H=Health, M=Math, MU=Music S=Science, TA=Theatre Arts
3
All That Jazz: The Music of Bud, Not Buddy
The Name’s The Game
When the bandmembers give Bud the nickname Sleepy LaBone, Bud knows he not only belongs to the band but
to this new family. Sleepy LaBone comes from his ability to sleep past noon and the fact that he is skinny as a
bone. The “La” is added because the French makes it “classy.” Below are a few jazz greats and the stories behind
their famous nicknames.
Louis Armstrong:
Satchmo
Called “Satchel Mouth” because
of his large mouth. “Satchmo” from
British fans hearing that incorrectly.
Gillespie:
John Birks
Dizzy
an style
the top showm
From his over
ge.
th on and offsta
and his antics bo
r:
Charlie Parke
d
ir
Bird or Yardb
” because
Dubbed “Yardbird
ic
he loved ch ken.
Eleanor Gough McK
ay:
Billie Holiday or Lady
Day
Holiday was her father ’s
last name;
Saxophonist Lester Youn
g
thought her very much a
lady.
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=1403&pg=5
ACTIVITY: Too Cool For School
Have your students create their own cool jazz personas – and maybe even band names! What about them
would inform these names? Have friends help, but remember jazz names are always endearing!
Extension: Create a flyer like the one Bud had for an upcoming Jazz concert for your band! Research jazz
posters of the era and use the style for inspiration!
Standards Addressed: ELA 0501.4.1, 0501.4.2, 0501.7.1, 0501.7.2, 0501.7.3, 0501.7.4;
MU: 9.1, 9.2; VA: 1.1, 1.2, 2.3, 6.2
ACTIVITY: Leader of the Band
A defining element in jazz is often improvisation. Actors must be adept in the art of improvisation as well.
Together as a class, create a jazz machine to learn how a jazz ensemble works together and listens to one
another.
Have one student volunteer to be the base (or bass?). This person will begin with a musical phrase that they
can repeat over and over. For more fun, add a movement that indicates the instrument they are playing. The
next person adds on with a riff that complements the base. Then one by one, the jazz band grows into a real
jam session. Play around with conducting the band (louder, softer or faster, slower) for a rockin’ good time!
Standards Addressed: MU: 6.3, TA: 2.5, 2.6
CurriCuluM KeY: Pe=Physical education/lifetime Wellness, SS=Social Studies, VA=Visual Arts
4
Children of the Great Depression
Working class families bore the brunt of the suffering during the Great Depression. Children were by no means
immune to the pain.
• Thousands of schools had to close down because they lacked the money to stay open.
• About 3 million children between 7 and 17 had to leave school.
• 40% of young people from age 16 to 24 were neither in school nor working
• 20% of America’s children were hungry and without proper clothing.
• In some coal mining regions, 90% of children were malnourished.
• Families unable to pay the mortgage lost their homes and farms. Many were forced into “Hoovervilles.”
• About 250,000 young people were homeless in the early years of the Depression.
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt received many desperate letters from children during the Great Depression like the
one below.
Granette, Ark.
Nov. 6, 1936
Dear Mrs. Roosevelt
me of your old soiled
I am writing to you for so
I am a poor girl who
dresses if you have any. As
On account of dresses
has to stay out of school.
seventh grade but I
& slips and a coat. I am in the
ause I have no books
have to stay out of school bec
need of dresses & slips
or clothes to ware. I am in
have any soiled clothes
and a coat very bad. If you
I would be very glad to
that you don’t want to ware
let the news paper reget them. But please do not
way and I will keep it
porters get hold of this in any
will be no one else to
from geting out here so there
my name get out in the
get hold of it. But do not let
.
paper. I am thirteen years old
Yours Truly,
Miss L. H.
Gravette, Ark.
R #3
c/o A. H.
From the New Deal Network: http://newdeal.feri.org/eleanor/index.htm
ACTIVITY: This Just In!
Have students create newscasts that cover different aspects of or events from the Great Depression.
Or perhaps research and profile accounts of children during the era.
Standards Addressed: ELA: 0501.2.2, 0501.2.3, 0501.3.1, 0501.3.2, 0501.3.3, 0501.4.1, 0501.4.2,
0501.7.4; SS: 5.2.01, 5.5.08; TA: 2.1, 2.6
CurriCuluM KeY: elA=english language Arts, H=Health, M=Math, Mu=Music S=Science, TA=Theatre Arts
5
African-Americans and the Great Depression
The problems of the Great Depression affected virtually every group of Americans. No group was harder hit
than African Americans, however. By 1932, approximately half of black Americans were out of work. In some
Northern cities, whites called for blacks to be fired from any jobs as long as there were whites out of work. Racial
violence again became more common, especially in the South. Lynchings, which had declined to eight in 1932,
surged to 28 in 1933.
Although most African Americans traditionally voted Republican, the election of President Franklin Roosevelt
began to change voting patterns. Roosevelt entertained African-American visitors at the White House and was
known to have a number of black advisors. According to historian John Hope Franklin, many African Americans
were excited by the energy with which Roosevelt began tackling the problems of the Depression and gained “a
sense of belonging they had never experienced before” from his fireside chats.
Still, discrimination occurred in New Deal housing and employment projects, and President Roosevelt, for political reasons, did not back all of the legislation favored by such groups as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). When the U.S. entered World War II, labor leader A. Philip Randolph threatened to organize a march on Washington to protest job discrimination in the military and other defense-related
activities. In response, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802, stating that all persons, regardless of
race, creed, color, or national origin, would be allowed to participate fully in the defense of the United States.
Courtesy of the Leaning Page at the Library of Congress at
http://memory.loc.gov/learn///features/timeline/depwwii/race/race.html
ACTIVITY: Living History
Since the Stock Market crash that
caused the Great Depression happened over 80 years ago, it is now
more important than ever to collect
personal accounts of what it was like
to live through it while we still can.
Have students devise interview questions. Then have each student find
a friend or family member who remembers the Great Depression. Students may either present their findings with a report or dramatization
of the interview. Or, if technology
allows, students may create and edit
a sound or video recording of the interview to share with the class.
Standards
Addressed:
ELA:
0501.2.1,
0501.7.2;
SS: 5.1.03,
5.2.01, 5.5.08
Curriculum Key: PE=Physical Education/Lifetime Wellness, SS=Social Studies, VA=Visual Arts
6
Prices: Then and Now
During the Great Depression, prices hit rock bottom, people’s wages were extremely low, and unemployment was
extremely high. For each item in the chart below, research online or in store flyers to determine how much it costs
today. Also consider the wage chart below. How does a person’s wages and prices for common goods together
determine wealth?
Nashville Children’s Theatre - nashvillechildenstheatre.org
7
Away We Go: Bud’s Giant Journey
Riding The Rails
Bud traveled across the Midwest by hopping on a freight train. This was typical of teenagers in the Great Depression. Some had no place to go like Bud
and some were enticed by the romance of the open road. The experience is
told best by PBS’s The American Experience.
View their Riding the Rails at
http://video.pbs.org/video/1502653730/#.
ACTIVITY: Are We There Yet?
Bud’s journey to find Herman E. Calloway included traveling by many modes. Bud, ready to find his father
and get on with his life, was always interested to know how long each leg would take. Bud began in Flint,
MI and traveled to Grand Rapids, MI where Grand Calloway Station is.
Locate Flint, MI on a map. Have your class calculate the distance from Flint, MI to Grand Rapids, MI and
determine how long the trip would be today by:
Car
Foot
Train
Plane
Discussion Questions: How long did Bud’s trip take? What caused delays for him? What factors would
make the trip today faster?
Standards Addressed: M:0506.1.2, 0506.1.4, 0506.1.5; SS: 05.3.01
ACTIVITY: Bud’s Big, Big World
Bud’s quest for family takes him many places. For NCT’s production, Scenic Designer Erica Edmonson had to
make all of those locations appear on just one stage in one hour! To make sure that the set will work before it’s
built in real life, Erica makes a small, scale model to show the scenic elements.
Before the Show: Have your students design a set and make a model for the mythic journey Bud takes. A
scenic designer must consider the geographical place, the time period, the buildings (or terrain) where scenes
take place and the action of the scenes. A scenic designer also asks themselves what colors or feelings a play
evokes.
After the Show: What was the scenic design like for NCT’s production? What surprised you? What elements
did you expect to see? How did the set make you feel and add to the story? What choices did the designer do
to make those things happen?
Standards Addressed: TA: 3.1, 3.3
Curriculum Key: H=Health, M=Math, MU=Music S=Science, SS=Social Studies, TA=Theatre Arts
8
Dealing with Feelings
ACTIVITY: Learning to Cope
Bud and Herman both have serious things with which to cope. We can’t always control the events in our lives,
but we can often control how we respond to them. This activity helps students make successful decisions to
cope with difficult situations.
Write the word cope on the board, and ask the students to define it. Arrive at a definition along these lines: to
handle something successfully. Some of our strategies for coping are successful; others are not.
Explain the meanings of these terms, as described below:
• Positive coping strategy. This is a strategy that enables you to restore emotional balance; feel better about
yourself; is respectful of you, others, and property; and helps you to solve the problem.
• Negative coping strategy. This is a strategy that does not restore emotional balance; may be harmful to
yourself, others, or property; does not solve the problem, and may create additional problems.
• Neutral coping strategy. This is a strategy that is neither positive nor negative, but used to excess, could
be harmful.
• Time-out strategy. This is a strategy that helps you to calm down and restore emotional balance. It is only
temporary and must be used with another positive strategy in order to solve the problem.
Choose a strong feeling (for example, anger) and ask the students to share things they do or have seen others do
when they experience that feeling. Make a list.
After the students have generated a list of a dozen or so items, go down the list, asking the class to comment on
whether each action is a positive coping strategy, negative, neutral, or time-out. (In some cases, an action may
be either positive or negative depending on the circumstances.)
Discussion Questions: What causes people to use negative coping strategies? What can you do to try to always
use positive strategies? When is a time-out the right choice?
Standards Addressed: H 1.1, 8.1, 8.4
From Teachable Moment at http://www.teachablemoment.org/middle/copingstrategies.html.
ACTIVITY: Wish You Were Here
Herman kept all of his daughter’s things in her room in hopes
that she would return. When Bud tells Herman that his mother
has “passed,” Herman breaks down. Sometimes when people
leave us for whatever reason (death, moving away, etc.), being able to say goodbye can help. Have students write letters
to a friend, family member or pet who is gone or far away to
tell them that they are missed.
Standards Addressed: ELA 0501.3.1, 0501.3.2, 0501.3.3;
H: 6.4, 6.5
Curriculum Key: ELA=English Language Arts, MU=Music H=Health
9
A free
post-show talkback
is available to your class if
attending the 11:45 am performance!
NCT offers this opportunity to enhance your class’s
theatre experience, and to give your students a chance
to ask NCT actors about the play.
Simply call Lorna at 615-252-4662 and
let her know that you’d like
your class to stay after the show.
Reservations are required so
the staff and cast can be prepared.
Educator Preview:
Tuesday, Sept 28 at 6:30 pm
This FREE event includes a wine and cheese reception followed by a 45-minute workshop where
NCT staff demonstrate lessons designed to explore
some curricular connections of the production.
Reception begins at 5:00 pm, and the evening includes two tickets to the 6:30 pm performance.
Educators may purchase additional tickets for this
performance of Bud, Not Buddy at the school rate
of $7.00/person. The workshop is intended for
adults only.
To reserve your spot visit
http://nctedevents.eventbrite.com
Davis-Kidd Booksellers and NCT are partners in their Gives Back Program.
It’s easy to join this philanthropic program and by doing so you’ll receive
special discounts at Nashville’s best local bookstore.
Plus, with every purchase you make, Davis-Kidd makes a contribution to NCT.
We encourage you to join this GIVE BACK the next time you’re in their store!
10
Nashville Children’s Theatre’s
2010-11 Season
Sept 29 - Oct 15, 2010
Adapted for the stage by Reginald Andre’ Jackson from the Newbery Medal and
Coretta Scott King Award-winning novel by Christopher Paul Curtis
Grades 5 and up
Nov 3 - Dec 17, 2010
Music by Stephen Flaherty, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Book by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty
Co-conceived by Lynn Ahrens,
Stephen Flaherty and Eric Idle
Based on the works of Dr. Seuss
Grades Pre-K and up
Sponsored by
Jan 19 - Feb 4, 2011
By John Olive
Based on the Greek Epic Poem
by Apollonius of Rhodes
Grades 5 and up
Feb 23 - Apr 1, 2011
Adapted by Chad Henry from the book by
Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd
Grades Pre-K and up
Adapted from GOODNIGHT MOON. © 1947 by Harper &
Row. Text © renewed 1975 by Roberta Brown Rauch. Illustrations © renewed 1975 by Edith Hurd, Clement Hurd, John
Thacher Hurd and Geroge Hellyer, as Trustees of the Edith
& Clement Hurd 1982 Trust. Used by permission of HarperCollins Publishers. Adaptation by Chad Henry © 2006
Apr 20 - May 13, 2011
By Aurand Harris and
William Shakespeare
Grades 3 and up
NCT is proud to acknowledge the government agencies, foundations and business partners that provide leadership support:
Metro Nashville Arts Commission, The Shubert Foundation, Tennessee Arts Commission,
Nashville Parent Magazine, The Memorial Foundation, Comcast Spotlight and Target.