Jacob Study Guide - Young People`s Theatre

Oct. 2003–
Jan 2004
Artistic Director Allen MacInnis
Managing Director Nancy Coy
Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang
Written by Mordecai Richler
Direction by Allen MacInnis
Lyrics by Dennis Lee
Music by Phil Balsam
Additional Music & Lyrics by Jim Betts
Cast
Yanick Allwood
Bruce Dow
Isaiah Grant
Deann de Gruijter
Paul McQuillan
Edward Belanger
Arlene Duncan
Ryan Field
Ramona Gilmore-Darling
Jessica Greenberg
Suresh John
Yee Jee Tso
Illustration Vanessa Chong
Study Guide by Alison Scarlett
Creative Team
Set & Costume Designer
Lighting Designer
New Arrangements, Music
& Musical Direction:
Sound Designer
Choreographer
Stage Manager
Assistant Stage Manager
Apprentice Stage Manager
Jacob
Louis Loser/ Mr. Fox
Jacob
Mother/ Mrs. Fowl
Hooded Fang
Father/ Mr. Fish
Judge Rough
Noah/ O’Toole
Marfa
Emma/ Shapiro
Artie Octopus
Daniel
Michael Eagan
Lesley Wilkinson
Andrew Petrasiunas
Todd Charlton
Nicola Pantin
Maxwell T. Wilson
Robert Harding
Kinnon Elliot
Now available online: www.lktyp.ca
Visit us for more activities!
Supported by
LKTYP Educational Services Department 165 Front St East, Toronto, ON M5A 3Z4
T 416 947-1027
F 416 363-5136
E [email protected]
W www.lktyp.ca
THEATRE ETIQUETTE
As members of the audience, you play an important part in the success of a theatrical performance.
Students accustomed to watching television in their own homes and those who attend rock concerts and
movies are used to eating snacks, moving around, getting in and out of their seats or sharing comments
aloud during a show. Movies and TV shows are not affected by the audience. Please make clear to students that the rules are different at a live theatre performance.
We want you to laugh, cheer, clap and really enjoy your time at the theatre but there are a few rules that
need to be followed. Students’ behaviour is the responsibility of school staff and volunteers. LKTYP
staff cannot discipline your students but will insist on their removal if they disrupt other groups.
Please review the following theatre rules with your students prior to your LKTYP visit:
•
Food, drinks, candy & gum chewing are not permitted in the theatre. The LKTYP snack bar is
not open at school performances. NO PEANUTS or NUT products may be brought to our theatre as
so many children have severe life-threatening allergies.
•
No electronic devices are permitted in the theatre – they affect our sound system! e.g. Walkmans, radios, pagers, cell phones, etc. Students seen with such equipment will be asked to leave
them at the Box Office for pick-up after the show.
•
Photography and both audio or video recording during a performance is strictly prohibited
by Canadian Actors’ Equity regulations. Film or video cassettes will be confiscated by LKTYP
staff.
•
Please be considerate audience members! Talking, whispering, shuffling about in your seats or
rattling candy papers during a live performance are rude and disruptive behaviours that are disturbing for other audience members and distressing to the actors.
•
Please do not leave your seat and re-enter the theatre during the performance
Try to plan washroom visits before the show and during intermission.
•
Do not throw anything on to the stage or into the audience.
•
Students are not to permitted to leave the building during intermission unless accompanied by
a teacher or parent supervisor.
•
Be respectful of the LKTYP staff
They are available to ensure that ALL audience members have the best possible theatre experience.
•
Please report any disturbances or disruptive behaviour during the performance to an LKTYP
staff member.
Remember, your students are ambassadors of your school when you’re out on a
field trip! A hard-working cast of actors and a host of talented theatre artists, technicians
and craftspeople have worked hard to create an enjoyable and entertaining theatre experience for our school and family audiences. With your co-operation in following these guidelines, we are sure it will be just that!
ABOUT THE STUDY GUIDE
Use these highlighted areas
to relate
Jacob Two–
Two Meets the
Hooded Fang to
specific outcomes outlined
in the Ontario
Curriculum
This guide is meant to be used as a
starting point for discussions and to
encourage students to get the most
out of their theatre experience.
Teachers may use this guide to
enhance their classroom visit to
Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded
Fang, to deepen student
understanding about the play and the
production, and to achieve
expectations as outlined in The
Ontario Curriculum.
Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young
People continues to support the arts
education community through our
teacher guides, preview nights,
question and answer sessions and
workshops.
Visit our web site for costume
designs and more activities!
www.lktyp.ca
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Director…………………………………………………………………..
Interview with the Director………………………………………………...
The Playwright………………………………………………………………..
Notes from the Playwright……………………………………………
A Brief Biography of Mordecai Richler…………………………………..
Notes from the Designer…………………………………………………
The Elements of Design…………………………………………………
Costume Sketches……………………………………………………….
Novel Study Activities………………………………………………………
Plot Organizer………………………………………………
Notes from the Music Director………………………………………….
Music Activities ……………………………………………………………..
Sample Sheet Music………………………………………………
Math……………………………………………………………………
Science: Fog……………………………………………………………..
Child Power………………………………………………
A Day at Slimers’ Isle: Cumulative Activity……………………………..
Dreadful Diner…………………………………………………..
Nightmares………………………………………………..
Humour & Comedy……………………………………………………….
Riddles…………………………………………………..
Escape from Slimers’ Isle Maze…………………………………………..
Spelling & Grammar Activity……………………………………………….
Chemistry: Bath Bombs……………………………………………………
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1
THE DIRECTOR; ALLEN MACINNIS
Allen MacInnis comes to LKTYP with an extensive directing and teaching background, as
well as a proven dedication to community outreach and theatre's role in the lives of children.
Born and raised in Edmonton, Allen was a junior high school teacher and participated in the
creation of Catalyst Theatre for Social Change before he attended the Vancouver Playhouse Acting School in 1981. In the twenty-one years since he graduated from the Playhouse, he has directed new work, opera and musicals, contemporary theatre, classics, aboriginal theatre, and youth theatre at theatres across the country including Vancouver Playhouse, Alberta Theatre Projects, Globe Theatre, Shaw Festival, Centaur Theatre and Neptune Theatre among
many others. Throughout this time he has remained connected to theatre for children and youth as a director,
actor, and teacher. He spent five years as Curriculum Director of Artstrek, an innovative summer drama school
for teens in Alberta and he directed or acted in TYA productions for Carousel Theatre, Alberta Theatre Projects,
Persephone Theatre, and Catalyst Theatre. He also has extensive experience in the area of professional training for young actors. Currently, he is the Artistic Director of the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People in Toronto. MacInnis's teaching experience also extends across Canada, and he was a regular guest director/
teacher at the National Theatre School of Canada where he directed the graduating class of 2001 in George F.
Walker's Suburban Motel. In addition, MacInnis has provided consulting to several arts organizations, including Canadian Heritage, Manitoba Arts Council and Saskatchewan Playwrights Centre. The 2003-2004 Season
is the first full Season at LKTYP for MacInnis - one that will see him direct several shows, including this
production of Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang.
AN INTERVIEW WITH ALLEN MACINNIS
“This is a story about a boy who discovers his talents and eventually earns his place as a skilled member of his
family. Jacob has to face scary and dangerous situations and overcome them, and by doing it discovers HE CAN!
This is also a play that explores power. Children are inherently good, and tell the truth, but sometimes lack a
voice. Jacob, along with the other prisoners of Slimers’ Isle are placed in opposition to the beastly adults in their
world: those who have lost innocence, joy and the ability to play. Ultimately, goodness and truth triumph over
dullness and a lack of imagination.
The original story was set in London, England where Mordecai Richler was living at the time he wrote the book.
However, the script is set in an unnamed city in Canada. The decision was made to place the setting visually, in
old Fairmont/St. Urbain in Montreal: in the neighbourhood of Duddy Kravitz. This neighbourhood has massive
and imposing stone structures. Old stone affected the evolution of the set. Designer Michael Eagan has created a
world that transforms from a benevolent walled garden to a scary, gothic prison.
The music will be central to the production. There will be a youthful vitality to the music and dance, along the
line of what kids would see on Much Music. The music has been rearranged from earlier productions. Music
Director Andrew Petrasiunas will provide a score that travels from rap to gospel to doo-wop and more!
Another key decision in the planning process was hiring a multi-racial cast. I wanted Slimers’ prison to be
populated with kids of every colour. Practically speaking, because of the dual nature of the roles, this means that
we have a multi-racial family of five. Is this likely in the real world? Probably not. But it was more important
to reflect the faces of the contemporary world, the reality of every kid in the rest of the production.”
Every kid has the potential to be a hero in his own world, or as Jacob says…..“You too can be a two-two”!!
2
MORDECAI RICHLER, 1931-2001
=
Place of birth: Montreal, Quebec
Places of residence: London, England & Montreal, Quebec
Curriculum:
Biographies A prominent author, scriptwriter, and essayist, Mordecai Richler was born on January 27, 1931, in
Montreal. His grandfather, a rabbinical scholar, settled there after arriving in Canada in 1904. Richler's
father, Moses Isaac, worked as a scrap yard dealer when the family lived on St. Urbain Street (now famous because of Richler's St. Urbain's Horseman). Richler attended Sir George Williams University, and
then lived and wrote in England for many years.
Mordecai Richler was persuaded by his children, Daniel, Emma, Noah, Marfa, and Jacob, to write something for them. The result was Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang. This beloved children’s book
started as a bedtime tale for his youngest son and it went on to win two major children's book prizes in
1976. It has been translated into French, Finnish, German and Dutch, recorded, filmed, read on the radio,
and adapted as a musical. Homesick for "blizzards, hockey, smoked-meat sandwiches" and "the mountain lakes of his boyhood", Richler returned to Canada in 1972, dividing his time between Montreal and
Quebec's Eastern Townships.
Richler considered himself blessed that he loved the work he did while most people hate the
work they do.
Works by Mordecai Richler
Novels:
The Acrobat (1954)
Sonofa Smaller Hero (1955)
A Choice of Enemies (1957)
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
(1959)
The Incomparable Atuk (1963)
Cocksure (1968)
Governor General’s Award
St. Urbain’s Horseman (1971)
Governor General’s Award
Joshua Then and Now (1980)
Solomon Gursky was Here (1989)
Barney’s Version (1997)
Children’s Books:
Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded
Fang (1975)
Jacob Two-Two and the Dinosaur
(1987)
Autobiographical:
Home Sweet Home (1985)
Notes from the PlaywrightAs a rule I never stumble after my books or plays
with a suitcase full of explanations, good intentions or reasons why. A book or a play
either speaks for itself or it doesn’t. And if it
doesn’t nothing will help. So this note will be
necessarily brief.
Too many children’s books or plays
condescend to their audience or set out to
instruct kids, already overburdened with
rules and regulations in such pithy matters
as hygiene, racial tolerance, good manners
and how to choose a career. My play has
no such lofty moral purpose. Its intention is
frivolous. Naughty. It sets out to frighten- in
a “delicious” way! – and to entertain.
I wrote Jacob Two-Two Meets the
Hooded Fang in the first place, to amuse
my children, and of course I am pleased,
that over the years it seems to have
amused so many other children as well, first
as a book and later as a play. I hope you
have a good time at the play. I certainly had
a good time writing it.
Mordecai Richler
3
THE SET & COSTUME DESIGNS
MiCHAEL EAGAN’S NOTES:
Sets & Costumes
I was creating a visual nightmare. The set will open with the look of a sun-dappled park with a
sweet gazebo, based on Rochelle Park in
Montreal, and transform into an impenetrable horrifying prison, such as the Don Jail.
Major components to the set are classical
shapes, the use of perspective, vanishing
points and the technique of “ Trompe
l’Œil” (see definitions following) The set will
have a checkered floor to guide the eye.
This heightens the effect of perspective.
The set will use a mini-thrust to create
cut-aways at either side for the musicians.
There will be a scrim to create a dissolving
wall, and allow for our entrance from the
fairy tale world into the horrifying machine
world of Slimers’ Isle. There we will find 19th
century ironwork, complete with gears, fog
Drama:
Knowledge and a giant control panel that threatens to blow skyhigh.
of the
Elements
& Process
Costumes
The costumes are in two distinct camps: the warm, contemporary costumes of Jacob, his family
and the “real” world, versus the gothic, exaggerated costumes of the characters in the prison, in
tones of grey with accents of red.
The jailers’ costumes of Slimers’ Isle are extreme, reflecting the animal and amphibious characteristics that their name implies. Master Fish has elements of a lobster, Mistress Fowl sports a
chicken headdress, and Artie Octopus is a many-armed monstrosity. Notice the Mohawk-inspired
hair treatment of the grotesque characters. There is a hierarchy in the prison that is echoed in the
military costumes. Fish & Fowl have more status than Artie, and so on down the line until we
reach the lowly prisoners. While our prisoners sport prison garb, look closely and they may remind you of pyjamas.
Our story is set in Canada but the Jurors have an English look. Why English? Well this is a
dream, after all, and Jacob could pull images from anywhere in his subconscious to create this
nightmare world. The jurors will wear wigs, big jury robes, and identical over-sized round
glasses.
4
THE ELEMENTS OF DESIGN
Visual Art &
Drama:
Knowledge
of the
Elements
DESIGN DEFINITIONS:
Trompe l’Œil: From the French “to deceive the eye”. A style of painting that
gives an illusion of photographic reality.
Perspective: The technique of representing three-dimensional objects and
depth relationships on a two-dimensional surface.
Vanishing point: The point in linear perspective at which all imaginary lines of
perspective converge. The point at which a thing disappears or ceases to
exist.
Scrim: A transparent fabric used as a drop in the theatre to create special
effects of lights or atmosphere.
Visual Arts:
Knowledge
of the
Elements,
Technique,
Perspective
DESIGN ACTIVITIES:
Shading and Perspective: Place an inanimate object on a table in the center of the
room. Then set up a table lamp near the object. Have students place themselves in
different areas of the room around the object. Students can then draw the object as
they see it. Make sure that they include the shadow the object makes and how the
shading tones are different. Display the pictures around the class and discuss why
each picture is different from the next.
Texture: Have students draw objects of different texture. You can use sandpaper, a
feather, ice and dough. What kinds of techniques are used to give the 2-D drawing
the illusion of texture?
Depth: Have students bring in a shoe box and a picture from a landscape
calendar. Have students cut out the different images in the calendar and hang them
in the shoe box at different depths. This creates a three dimensional image. Encourage students to add elements to their landscape design (such a mock people) to add
the element of perspective. This is a great activity working on the elements of foreground, middle ground and background.
The set of Jacob Two-Two Meets the
Hooded Fang contains many linear elements that create vanishing point within
the design of the set. This creates the
illusion of horizons and architectural elements that seem to continue for longer
than they actually do. Have your students experiment with line angles to create horizons and vanishing points. It is
easiest to start with train tracks and
build up to larger structures afterwards.
5
COSTUME DESIGNS BY MICHEAL EAGAN FOR
JACOB TWO-TWO MEETS THE HOODED FANG
The Gothic Exaggerated costumes of the Characters who are part of Slimers’ Isle
The costumes of Slimers’ Isle reflect the nightmare that Jacob Two-Two is a part of. They are mostly
muted colors with red accents. Part of bringing a nightmare to life is the inclusion of the bizarre and surreal. Do you notice the elements of the costumes that tie them together? What do you think
Michael’s influences and inspirations were in designing the costumes for Slimers’ Isle?
The Costumes for Jacob Two-Two’s contemporary world
Guess who these designs are supposed to be. Do the costumes on stage look like
the ones on this page?
6
JACOB TWO-TWO MEETS THE HOODED FANG:
A NOVEL STUDY
Language
Arts
The play Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang follows the plot of the novel. It
is a fun story to read to your students or have them read as a novel study unit. The
following is a list of activities that can be used to strengthen your students’
understanding of the novel and allow for the exploration of their literary skills.
♦
Skill
Building,
Hand Eye
Motor Coordination.
Punctuation.
An effective reader is one who not only grasps the essential ideas communicated in a
piece of writing but who is able to use and apply these ideas later in new contexts.
Students must therefore develop the skills needed to process, absorb and analyze information and to think clearly, creatively and critically.
Taken from the Ontario Language Curriculum Guidelines
You can use passages from the novel to teach your students about punctuation using
pasta! Have students write out a small passage with no punctuation from Jacob
Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang on experience chart paper. Students can then
trade passages with a partner. Students should then insert the appropriate punctuation
using different kinds of pasta (elbow macaroni for quotation marks, linguini for exclamation marks etc.). As an extension to this activity, once the punctuation is correct glue
the pasta in place and display the sentences in order around the class.
Have students read a book review from the newspaper. Using the same styles as professional reviewers have students write reviews on the novel Jacob Two-Two Meets
the Hooded Fang.
Have students research Mordecai Richler and other famous Canadian authors. They
can then post the authors’ pictures and biographies on a wall of fame in the class or
around the school.
Biographies
In the novel, Mordecai Richler uses figurative language and exaggeration to add color
and create humour in his writing. Have your students pick out examples of figurative
language from the novel and then draw pictures of the literal meaning of the sentence.
Students may also choose to invent their own figurative language. “Ex “Jacob wept
buckets”
Have students take passages from the novel and create dramatic skits. This will give
them some insight as to the process Mordecai Richler went through to adapt his novel
into a play.
Vocabulary
Building
Construct a word wall in your classroom. While reading the novel, extract words that
students are unsure of. Each day a different student can research the meaning of the
word and post it on the wall. At the end of the week you can create word scrambles for
your students using the words collected.
7
JACOB TWO-TWO MEETS THE HOODED FANG
PLOT ORGANIZER
AUTHOR:
SETTINGS:
1.
2.
PRIMARY CHARACTERS:
3.
4.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN THEMES OF THE NOVEL:
SECONDARY CHARACTERS:
Preliminary illustration by Vanessa
Fill in the triangle with
the plot evolution– How
does one event lead to
another?
8
MUSIC
NOTES FROM MUSICAL DIRECTOR ANDREW PETRASIUNAS
Jacob Two-Two is a musical mystery tour through a wide variety of styles of music, and Andrew is your
tour guide! Andrew had the job of re-arranging the original score of Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded
Fang. He has expanded and enhanced the core styles of the original pieces creating greater contrasts between the numbers. In other words, the songs become REALLY Doo-wop or REALLY Gospel.
The score allows for the exploration of a multitude of musical genres . In order to prepare your class for
a musical listening experience at the theatre, play a selection of the following musical styles and identify
key features:
♦ Gospel
♦ Blues
♦ Rap
♦ Doo-wop
♦ Soft-shoe (i.e. Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly musicals such as Singing in the Rain)
♦ Pop (Avril Lavigne’s Sk8ter Boi)
♦ Classical (Fur Elise)
♦ Latin music (any tango or marenge)
♦ Kurt Weill (Three Penny Opera, Mac the Knife)
♦ Ballad (Les Miserables, Castle on a Cloud)
Following the production, list the names of the songs and see how many musical styles they can identify.
Child Power, I Love my Job, The Mean Machine, Take ‘im Away,
Leave it to Losers, Slimers’ Isle, Things Go Bump, Jacob’s Song.
Raps are talk songs. They are not sung; they are spoken. They have a very heavy
beat and a lot of rhyme. Behind the speaker of a rap, there might be original music,
"scratching" sounds, and parts of other peoples' songs. In Jacob Two-Two Meets The
Hooded Fang, Child Power is a rap song. Students can create their own rap songs based
on other events or themes that occur within the play. Tell the whole story of your topic in
rhyme. Most raps rhyme in 'couplets." That means lines rhyme two at a time. Lines one and
two rhyme with each other, but not with the other lines. Lines three and four rhyme with
each other, but not with the other lines, and so on.
You can create your very own Slimers’ Isle orchestra in your classroom! Create
found instruments in your classroom using re-used and recycled materials. Tin cans for the
percussion section, shoe box guitars, pvc pipe flutes etc. Create a Slimers’ Isle National Anthem. You can then perform the national anthem with the Slimers’ Isle Orchestra backing
you up.
The chant root is evident in the score of Jacob Two-Two Meets The Hooded Fang.
Students can create their own chants or build on the ones in the play. As a class you can
take the section of I Love My Job and divide it into manageable sections. From there students can work with the words and alter the tempo and rhythm of the chants. Encourage
your students to experiment with volume and intonation. At the end of the unit students can
perform their compositions for parents, peer or a community program (senior’s centre).
Section of I Love My Job
Gonna do what no other kid ever did any better.
Here I am, out alone. Not gonna get mashed potatoes,
No two pounds of firm red tomatoes.
Gonna do an errand on my own.
9
Knowledge of the
Elements, notation,
intonation and
tempo
SONG: I LOVE MY JOB
Music by Phil Balsam
Lyrics by Dennis Lee
Additional Music and Lyrics by Jim Betts
New Arrangements by Andrew Petrasiunas
10
MATH
“Why that’s easy. That’s easy. There are two times two times two times two ounces in a pound.”
Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang is a play that allows for a great deal of
exploration into the fun and exciting world of math. By using the elements of the
play in your math lessons students will have fun while they learn.
Math:
Measurement,
Chart
Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang makes reference to the
imperial measurement system throughout. This is because Mordecai Richler wrote
the play in England where they use the imperial system. Students can measure
objects and areas of the classroom and then create their own classroom conversion
charts.
When you have (metric)
Millimetres
Centimetres
Metres
Metres
Multiply by
0.04
0.4
3.3
1.1
To Obtain (imperial)
Inches
Inches
Feet
Yards
Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang is a great story for beginning a love for the
multiplication table and division. Have your students develop their own multiplication
problems. For example how old will Jacob be when he is 6 x 6 x 6? How old will Jacob be
when he is 7 x 7 x 7 divided by 7?
FOG: THE NUMBER ONE INDUSTRY ON SLIMERS’
ISLE
Science:
Changes in
matter,
Experiments,
Hypothesis
What is Fog? : The air contains water vapour, which is a gas. Water vapour is cooled
when warm air rises through the atmosphere. Cooling continues until the air reaches
the temperature known as the dew point. At this temperature we say the air is saturated: it cannot hold any more vapour. As a result, the water vapour condenses to
make tiny water droplets that form clouds. Usually clouds form well above the ground
but when they form at ground level we call them fog.
You can create fog in your classroom!
What you will need:
- 1 empty 2L pop bottle
- Hot water
- A few drops of rubbing alcohol
- Ice cubes
How to Make It:
-Fill the pop bottle 1/3 full of very hot water
-Add a few drops of rubbing alcohol
-Place a piece of ice over the top of the pop bottle. Voila! Your fog will start to develop
in a few moments.
Why does this work? When a mass of cold air bumps into a mass of warm humid air,
millions of tiny droplets of water are formed. That's fog!!
11
CHILD POWER!!
With the help of O’Toole and Shapiro, Jacob realizes just how much power he has. His two
friends allow him to come to understand that even though he is little he has a lot of power.
Child Power to the rescue!
Heroes,
SelfImage,
Community
O’Toole and Shapiro were mentors to Jacob. Have students start a school mentor
program. Students can assist a younger grade with homework, preparing for the buses at
the end of the day or even just be recess buddies.
Act out the trial of Jacob Two-Two after his escape from Slimers’ Isle. How is his
defense different? This trial should include all the members of his original trial.
Imagine that your class could create their very own branch of Child Power. What
sort of causes could they fight for? As a child power branch your class could perform noble activities around the school- Help clean up the playground or shelve books in the library.
Have students design their very own child power logo. Students could then paint
their logos on t-shirts to be worn when they are mentoring, etc.
Students can create their own child power chant. This can act as a sort of class
theme song and can be performed throughout the year.
Costume Designs of
O’Toole and Shapiro by Michael Eagan
12
A DAY ON SLIMERS’ ISLE
In small groups ask students to create tableaux depicting photos of Jacob’s
family. Create a scene from their daily lives and then freeze their reaction to finding
out Jacob is missing. Interview some of the children in role- How do they feel about
Jacob? How does it make them feel to realize he is missing?
Drama &
Dance
Continue this activity once Jacob is on Slimers’ Isle. In a large space (the gym)
have students freeze while you describe Slimers’ Isle. Tell the students to unfreeze
and slowly start to mime out their reactions to seeing Slimers’ Isle for the first time.
Encourage them to use their whole body and not to forget facial expressions. Have
students move in a variety of situations–through a deep bog, across a frozen lake,
through the fog. Encourage your students to use many levels as well: crawl
through the under-brush walk, on your tip toes so you don’t wake the alligators, etc.
Assign one student to be the Slimers’ Isle guard. The student stands with his/her
back to the class. When the guard can’t see the students they are free to move,
however if the guard catches students moving they are placed in “prison”.
Record the words “Slimers’ Isle was a damp and scary place” on experience chart
paper. Practice choral speaking these words. Model different ways of interpreting
the text;
· Whispering Very Quickly Echoing the descriptive words
With sound effects
With different volumes
Ask the students to write a brief interior monologue that would be going through
Jacob’s mind while on Slimers’ Isle. Then combine the monologue along with the
chant to create an interesting look at both fear and courage.
DREADFUL DINER
On his first morning in prison, Jacob hears the disgusting dishes that the children
are forced to eat on Slimers’ Isle.
Science:
Matter &
Materials
Students: imagine you are the chef of Slimers’ Isle. Create a menu for the Slimers’
Isle Restaurant. Decorate your menu with ghoulish pictures and don’t forget to include descriptions of the meals.
Choose one dish from your menu and create a recipe for it. Be sure to
include measurements and temperature recommendations. Compile
the recipes in a classroom recipe book.
Host a Dreadful Diner for another class. The students in your
class can create easy no bake dishes. The diner should have wait staff,
bus boys and a maitre d’. Encourage students to dress up for the
dreadful diner as monsters etc.
13
NIGHTMARES
Language
Arts
Give students the theme of nightmare and have them brainstorm all the
words that they associate with nightmares. Put the words on small strips
of paper and give one word to each student. Students must then write a
five line association poem where each line begins with their word.
Create a nightmare talk show. Choose one person to be the nightmare.
Encourage the “nightmare” to get in character. Select someone to be the
host. Have the students who are the audience members ask the nightmare questions about his life, why he scares children, etc.
On Slimers’ Isle, Mistress Fish and Master Fowl read scary stories over
the loud speakers to give the children nightmares. Have your students
write their own scary stories. Collect the stories and create a classroom
scary story book.
Students can create their own nightmare prisons. Out of shoe boxes and
string students can build a prison to hold their nightmares and bad
thoughts.
HUMOUR & COMEDY
Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang is a very funny play. The humour is
derived from a variety of sources and draws upon an array of theatrical and
performance styles.
-Have students brainstorm what they found funny. Then create a chart dividing
the humorous moments into a variety of categories i.e.-slapstick, wit, physical.
Language
Arts:
Humour,
Biographies,
Research
Skills
-Much of the Hooded Fang’s comedy comes from his physical comedy. Have students research and report on some of the innovators in the field of physical
comedy i.e. Charlie Chaplin, The Three Stooges, Jim Carrey.
Jacob tricks the Hooded Fang using riddles. See if your students can
figure out the riddles below. You can even give your class a riddle a
day!
-What kind of house weighs the least?
A LIGHTHOUSE
-I cannot be felt, seen or touched; Yet I can be found in everybody; My exis-
tence is always in debate; Yet I have my own style of music. What Am I?
SOUL MUSIC
-I soar without wings, I see without eyes. I've traveled the universe to and fro.
I've conquered the world, yet I've never been anywhere but home. Who am I?
I’M YOUR IMAGINATION
-
14
ESCAPE FROM SLIMERS’ ISLE
Help Shapiro and O’Toole rescue Jacob Two-Two and the other children trapped on Slimers’ Isle.
START
HERE
Hooray!
You’re
done!
15
Here is the letter that Jacob wrote to Child Power. In
this letter there are 62 spelling and grammar mistakes!
Help Jacob correct the letter so it can get to Child Power
headquarters in time.
TOP SEKRUT
To: Child Powir
Attenshun: Intrepid Shapiro. Fearlus O’Toole
FOR YUR EYEZ ONLY!!
Hi Fearlus! Greatings Intrepid!
Bad noos. The supersonik bleeper was stolin from me by one Mr. Fox, whooz now in
Toronto on a sekrut mishin doing sabotage in toy shops. Track down Mr. Fox and he can leed
you to us in the hiddin childrenz prisin. But pleaz remembr to dress warmley,
becauz to get hear you must travle by car, trane, bus, canoo, helikopter, ox-cart,
rikshaw, stiltz, dingy, skiz, kayak, submerine, fliing baloon, camil, dogsled, rolerscates, glyder, and
motorcicle.
Something else. Bring weapns. With all do respeckt, you will need them. Signle yur arrival by
poizining the crocodials in the waters that surrownd the prisin. Then remembre not too attack
until too o’clock by witch time, with the help of yur friends, I will have rendred the Slimers
helplus.
Yors trooly,
JACOB TWO- TWO
PS I hope in my absinz you have remembird to feed my hampstar,
Mr. Harper.
PPS. Huri! Huri!
16
Scary Slimers’ Isle Bath Bombs
Your Students can explore the fun in chemistry by making scary Slimers’ Isle bath bombs!
You will need:
• 2 tbsp citric acid , 2 tbsp cornstarch, 1/4 C baking soda, 1/4 tsp peppermint extract, 3 tbsp vegetable oil,
mixing bowl, waxed paper, small plastic bugs.
Mix all dry ingredients (citric acid, cornstarch, baking soda) in the bowl. In a different bowl or a small cup, mix
the vegetable oil, fragrance, and coloring together. Slowly incorporate the oil mixture into the dry ingredients.
Mix well. As students are hand forming the bath bombs have them place the plastic insects into the middle.
Place 1" balls of the mixture on waxed paper. They will be semi-hard within 2-3 hours, but allow 24-48 hours for
them to fully dry before storing them.
When students use the bath bombs not only will they explode in their bath water but a scary visitor from Slimers’
Isle will come creeping out!
PLAYING AN ACTIVE ROLE
We applaud the support of our partners and sponsors whose
generosity
ensures the artistic integrity of Lorraine Kimsa
Theatre for Young People
Season Educational Partners
Season Media Partners
City Parent Magazine
Today’s Parent
Toronto Families
Government and Foundation Partners
Histor!ca Foundation of Canada
Educational Services Department
Phone: 416 947-1027
Fax: 416 363-5136
Email: [email protected]
Web site: www.lktyp.ca