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Saving Humpty Dumpty!
Engage creative thinking skills and spark the imagination with the use a new twist on a familiar story in this idea for a classroom theater production!
Grade Level: 3-6
Story Preview: Two young computer whizzes help doctors in a race against time to save Humpty Dumpty!
Roles: Narrators 1 and 2, twins Carol and Christopher Megabyte, Mr. and Mrs. Megabyte, Dr. Menditwell, King Prosperous, Bob Blab, Suzy Speaks
Can Humpty Dumpty Be Saved?
Grade Level: 3-6
Story Preview: Two young computer whizzes help doctors in a race against time to save Humpty Dumpty!
Roles: Narrators 1 and 2, twins Carol and Christopher Megabyte, Mr. and Mrs. Megabyte, Dr. Menditwell, King Prosperous, Bob Blab, Suzy Speaks
Setting: Present day in a kingdom in a faraway land.
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Theme: Nursery Rhymes
Vocabulary:
- anchorperson: a reporter who leads a television news program
- beloved: much loved, favorite
- critical: dangerous, extreme, serious
- exclusive: single, restricted
- isolate: set apart from others
- perch: a place where something sits or rests
- proclaim: announce, state to the public
- shatterproof: unbreakable, strong
- skeptical: doubting or questioning
- whiz kids: gifted, talented young people
Props: (Optional) desk and/or smock for doctor; classroom computer for the twins; paper crown for the king; piece of paper to symbolize a check or a bag to represent money for the king; toy microphone for reporter; student-drawn or teacher-selected printed picture of Humpty Dumpty
Follow-Up Questions:
- What do the names Carol and Chris Megabyte, Dr. Menditwell, King Prosperous, Bob Blab, and Suzy Speaks tell about those characters in the play?
- How much money does King Prosperous offer to anyone who can help the doctors?
- How does Carol describe the pieces of Humpty Dumpty's broken shell?
- Why is Dr. Menditwell amazed by Carol and Chris's work?
- How long did Humpty Dumpty's surgery take?
- How do you think a rebuilt Humpty Dumpty would look? Draw a picture to illustrate your idea.
Follow-Up Activity:
Invite students to compare and contrast the classic Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme and this play. Organize students into small groups to create charts noting the similarities and differences between each version. Then ask each group to write another stanza for the Humpty Dumpty rhyme based on the action in the play. When completed, ask groups to read their completed rhymes to the class. You might want to compile students' rhymes into a booklet for the classroom library
Additional Notes:
Education World's Summer BOOK-TIVITY #6 tells about the book Whatever Happened to Humpty Dumpty? by David Greenberg. This source provides humorous sequels to Humpty Dumpy and other popular nursery rhymes. Scroll down the page for the description of this book.
The book Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll from Dover Publications is an abbreviated version of this classic tale for students in grades 3 to 5. Humpty Dumpty is one of the characters in the story.
Click here for a printable script.
Article by Lois Lewis
Education World®
Copyright © 2005 Education World
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Looking Forward
To Monday Morning
Halloween Fun
SECRET GHOST
Prior to Halloween, send out to colleagues a notice about the "Secret Ghost" activity you are planning. This notice will help you determine those who will be interested in participating. The following poem might accompany the notice. Change the days of the week in italic type as needed so that the final revealing takes place on Halloween day. For example, in the poem below, Halloween day is on a Tuesday.
Halloween is almost here
So let's set out to spread some cheer.
On Wednesday, start with a card
Now surely, that won't be too hard.
On Thursday, brighten up the room
A decoration should lift the gloom.
On Friday, bring a little treat
Something edible and fun to eat.
On Monday, there's a pumpkin theme
Pretty simple, it would seem.
On Tuesday, bring a scary witch
To complete your task without a glitch.
At half-past-three we'll end the fun
By trying to guess the guilty one.
Can you pick the Ghost who has been concealed?
On Tuesday, all will be revealed.Contributed by by Jeri Rohl, Van Buren Intermediate School District, Lawrence, Michigan
Once you have determined who will participate, each participant writes her/his name on a pumpkin-shaped piece of paper and places it into a plastic pumpkin container. Then each participant draws a name from the pumpkin and becomes that person's Secret Ghost. During the week before Halloween, participants secretly give small items to the person whose name they drew according to the plan described in the poem above and the list below:
Monday: a card
Tuesday: a decoration
Wednesday: something edible
Thursday: a pumpkin-themed gift
Friday: a witch-themed gift
The Secret Ghost might leave gifts in the recipient's mailbox, on his/her desk, or pinned to a classroom bulletin board. Or the Secret Ghost might have the gift delivered by another person.
At the end of the week, assemble all participants so they can guess the identity of their Secret Ghost and see if their guesses are correct as they personally give the last gift of the week.
STOCKING UP ON SWEET REWARDS
Food makes great rewards for staff members. And immediately after Halloween is a great time to buy candy on sale. Stock up on some of the candy items below and when the time is right, attach an appreciative saying to the candy and give them at staff meetings, put them on staff members' desks, or drop them in teachers' mailboxes. Some examples of candy rewards include
Starbursts -- You are bursting with enthusiasm!
Peppermint Pattie -- Get students to have the sensation of learning!
M & Ms -- You are Marvelous and Motivated!
Red Hots -- Our staff is "Red Hot!"
Hershey Hugs -- Huge Undertaking -- Great Success!
GRIN AND SHARE IT
One Halloween, a trick-or-treater came to my door dressed as Rocky, complete with satin shorts and boxing gloves.
Soon after I gave him some goodies, he returned once more.
"Aren't you the same Rocky who left my doorstep a few minutes ago?" I asked.
"Yes," he replied, "but now I'm the sequel. I'll be back five more times tonight."
Find more smiles, chuckles, and grins in my books Laugh Lines for Educators and Grin and Share It!
Drive your staff happy!
Diane
Education World®
Copyright © 2008 Education World
Peanuts Comic Strip
Click for a PDF (portable document format) printable version of this Every-Day Edit activity.
Scroll down or click for work sheet text and answer key.
Click for our archive of Every-Day Edit activities from previous weeks.
Click for Ideas for Using Every-Day Edit in the classroom.
Activity Key
Uncorrected Text
From the first day the peanuts comic strip appear in newspapers, the antics of Charlie Brown and his dog, snoopy had readers in stitches. Created by Charles M Schulz, the strip first appeared in October 1950. Other Peanuts characters included Linus Lucy, and Sally. In the strip, when ever things went rong, Charlie's response was, Good grief!" When Schulz died in February 2000 many wondered if Charlie would ever kick the football.
Answer Key
From the first day the Peanuts comic strip appeared in newspapers, the antics of Charlie Brown and his dog, Snoopy, had readers in stitches. Created by Charles M. Schulz, the strip first appeared in October 1950. Other Peanuts characters included Linus, Lucy, and Sally. In the strip, whenever things went wrong, Charlie's response was, "Good grief!" When Schulz died in February 2000, many wondered if Charlie would ever kick the football.
Note: Some students might choose to remove the comma after the word dog, so the sentence would read...
From the first day the Peanuts comic strip appeared in newspapers, the antics of Charlie Brown and his dog Snoopy had readers in stitches.
That would not be incorrect.
Copyright © Education World
Subject: Reading
Grade: 3
Lesson Objective: To read an excerpt from Trumpet of the Swans and discuss how it relates to the life cycle of swans.
Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.1- Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
Materials:
Printable Student Handout Worksheet
The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White chapter 1 excerpt- http://www.exodusbooks.com/Samples/Harper/1315Sample.pdf (to read aloud and, if possible, one per student)
Starter:
Say:
What do you know about the life cycle of swans? (Allow the students to answer.)
Main:
Say:
Today we are going to be talking about swans and their life cycle. First, we are going to read part of the book, The Trumpet of the Swan.
This book is by E.B. White, who was also the author of Charlotte’s Web.
While I read part of chapter 1 to you, I would like you to be thinking about the setting of the story and what experiences the character has in those settings. (Read the excerpt)
What was your feeling while you were listening to the part of the story? (Allow the students to answer)
I am going to give you a worksheet that has questions about the excerpt that I read to you. I will also be giving you a copy of the excerpt so that you can read it to yourself.
After you have finished reading the excerpt again and doing the worksheet, we will talk about your answers.
Does anyone have any questions?
Feedback:
Say:
Who would like to share your answers? (Allow the students to share.)
Related lessons:
Emergency Sub Plan: Life Cycle - Writing - Lesson Objective: To write the rest of the story based on the chapter read from The Trumpet of the Swan
Emergency Sub Plan: Life Cycle - Science - Lesson Objective: To learn about the life cycle of trumpeter swans and then answer questions about the life cycle
Emergency Sub Plan: Life Cycle - Math - Lesson Objective: To use multiplication and division to solve word problems
Emergency Sub Plans Complete Library
Written by Kimberly Greacen, Education World® Contributing Writer
Kimberly is an educator with extensive experience in curriculum writing and developing instructional materials to align with Common Core State Standards and Bloom's Taxonomy.
Copyright© 2019 Education World
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