Three Billy Goats Gruff and Other Tales - Center for Puppetry Arts

IN YOUR LIFE. OFF YOUR MIND.
Center for Puppetry Arts ®
Study Guide
A Note from the
Education Department
Dear Educator,
Feb 23 - Mar 7, 2010
Performances Tuesday - Sunday
Call 404.873.3391 to book your group
Education Program supported in part by:
THE HEARST
FOUNDATION, INC.
Courtesy of Loyd Artists
®
Welcome to the Center for Puppetry Arts and this
production of The Three Billy Goats Gruff and Other
Tales adapted and performed by Hobey Ford’s
Golden Rod Puppets of Weaverville, NC. Founded
in 1978, the Center is a cherished cultural and
educational resource in Atlanta. We value your
patronage and are delighted that you have chosen
us as a teaching resource. Your students are in for
a big treat!
This study guide was designed to enhance student
learning before and after your visit to the Center
for Puppetry Arts. The Three Billy Goats Gruff and
Other Tales is a showcase of folktales from around
the world. This carefully crafted shadow puppet
show is the perfect accompaniment to a thematic
unit on fantasy, folk and fairy tales, children’s
literature or shared global culture.
All three areas of programming at the Center
for Puppetry Arts (performance, puppetmaking
workshops and Museum) meet Georgia
Performance Standards (GPS) and Georgia Bright
from the Start Pre-K Program Standards. To access
the GA Performance Standards that have been
correlated to each programming area according to
grade level, click the links below:
Atlanta Foundation • Equifax Foundation • Georgia Health Foundation •
Georgia Power Foundation, Inc. • Herman Miller Foundation •
Livingston Foundation, Inc. • Pittulloch Foundation
2009-10 Season supported in part by:
Three Billy Goats Gruff and Other Tales, P-K & K
Three Billy Goats Gruff and Other Tales, Grade 1
Three Billy Goats Gruff and Other Tales, Grade 2
Three Billy Goats Gruff and Other Tales, Grade 3
Three Billy Goats Gruff and Other Tales, Grade 4
Three Billy Goats Gruff and Other Tales, Grade 5
Three Billy Goats Gruff and Other Tales, Grade 6
To access a complete list of GA Performance
Standards for all grades and subjects, please visit
http://www.georgiastandards.org/.
Family Series sponsored in part by:
Thank you for choosing the Center for Puppetry
Arts for your study trip. We hope that your
students’ experience here will live on in their
memories for many years to come.
Puppets: The Power of
Wonder sponsored by:
Official Hotel
Partner:
Official IT
Partner:
Official Catering
Partner:
Sincerely,
Alan Louis
Director of Museum and Education Programs

About the Artist
Winner of puppetry’s highest honor, the UNIMA Citation of Excellence, and recipient of three Jim Henson
Foundation grants, Hobey Ford is known for excellence in puppetry performance and craft.
Hobey’s intricate shadow puppetry work and creation of the original rod puppets, the “Foamies,” have
earned him a place on stages across the world. Hobey’s performances incorporate a variety of puppetry
styles including Bunraku, rod, marionette, “Foamies,” and shadow puppetry. Hobey adapts folktales from
various cultures for many of his performances, always adding a special “Golden Rod” twist. He uses his
own voice to create characters and sound effects, tell stories, and sing. He conducts teacher workshops in
puppetry in conjunction with The Kennedy Center’s Partnership in Education Program.
Style of Puppetry
The folktales in this production are told through shadow puppetry which has roots in Asian countries
like Indonesia and China. Traditionally, flat or two-dimensional puppets were performed against a semitransparent
screen by the light of an oil lamp. The audience watched the shadows on the other side of the
screen. Today, shadow puppetry is performed in many ways and in many lands.
Synopsis
This shadow puppetry production brings together three folktales through Hobey Ford’s unique presentational
style combining stunning puppetry, storytelling and topical educational themes. The stories include
The Rainbow Bridge, El Coqui, and The Three Billy Goats Gruff, with a finale of his Peepers Puppet, which turn
the bare hand into a myriad of creatures and his famous beautifully-carved foam animal creatures which
he calls the “Foamies.” His productions touch on themes across the curriculum with an emphasis on his
art form.
The Rainbow Bridge is a Native American folktale of the Chumash people who inhabited the southern
coastal regions of California. The tale recalls the origins of the Chumash on Santa Cruz Island. The
people received the gift of fire and with it the means to develop and flourish until they became overcrowded
and were forced to migrate to the mainland on a rainbow bridge. The tale also tells of the
ones who didn’t make it cross, but fell into the sea to become dolphins.
El Coqui is a Puerto Rican folktale about how the little tree frog got his song. The animals of the lush rain
forest had become lazy on their island paradise until a race was set which forced the animals to
get in shape. Being so small, Little Coqui worked extra hard and his efforts led him to win the race.
He was rewarded with his famous song: “coqui, coqui, coqui.” El Coqui is the official mascot of Puerto
Rico.
The Three Billy Goats Gruff revisits the classic tale from Norway with humor and issues of the day. When
the long winter has finally come to an end, the Three Billy Goats Gruff have exhausted the resources of
their meadow and must migrate to the upper meadows. To do this they must cross a bridge where a
Troll stands guard to prevent their passage. They use the ploy of the original tale by sending the smallest
first and begging the Troll to let them pass as progressively larger goats will soon be along providing
an even bigger meal. From there, all goes haywire as Little Billy Goat turns the story on its ear with a
surprise ending, for something has gone totally wrong in the environs of the upper pasture and while
Big Billy Goat and the Troll are busy fighting it out, Little Billy Goat sounds the alarm that all is not well
and that they should redirect their energies to preserve their world.
© 2010 Center for Puppetry Arts ® . All Rights Reserved.
2

• Currell, David. Shadow Puppets & Shadow Play. Crowood Press, 2008.
• Edgson, Alison. Three Billy Goats Gruff. Child’s Play International, Ltd., 2005.
• Ekstrand, Florence. Norwegian Trolls and Other Tales. Welcome Press, 1990.
• Galdone, Paul. The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Sandpiper, 2008.
• Gibson, Karen Bush. The Chumash Indians: Seafarers of the Pacific Coast (American Indian Nations Series).
Capstone Press, 2003.
• Hall, Stacy Elizabeth. The Legend of Katama: The Creation Story of Dolphins. Island Moon Press, 2004.
• Hamilton, Virginia. In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World. Sandpiper, 1991.
• Lee, Alfonso Silva. Coqui Y Sus Amigos/Coqui and His Friends: Los Animales De Puerto Rico/the Animals of Puerto Rico
(Spanish Edition). Pangaea (Bilingual Edition), 2000.
• Matthews, Rodney. The Usborne Book of Greek and Norse Legends. E.D.C. Publishing, 1987.
• McCaughrean, Geraldine. Silver Myths and Legends of the World: 50 of the Best Stories Ever. Dolphin Paperbacks, 2003.
• Mohr, Nicholasa and Antonio Martorell. The Song of El Coqui and Other Tales from Puerto Rico. Viking Juvenile, 1995.
• Simons, Jamie and Scott. Why Dolphins Call: A Story of Dionysus. Sliver Press, 1991.
• Sproul, Barbara C. Primal Myths: Creation Myths Around the World. HarperOne, 1979.
• Undset, Sigrid. True and Untrue (and Other Norse Tales). Alfred A. Knopf, 1962.
• Wisniewski, David and Donna. Worlds of Shadow: Teaching with Shadow Puppetry. Teacher Ideas Press, 1996.
• Wood, Audrey. The Rainbow Bridge. Voyager Books, 2000.
Bibliography
© 2010 Center for Puppetry Arts ® . All Rights Reserved.
3

http://www.hobeyford.com/
Visit puppeteer Hobey Ford online.
Internet Resources
http://oaks.nvg.org/norwegian-folktales.html
Read a selection of Norwegian folktales online at this informative site.
http://www.sbnature.org/research/anthro/chumash/index.htm
Learn about the Chumash people at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History online.
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0122e.html
Explore variations of The Three Billy Goats Gruff in a comprehensive online folktales database.
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/shadowpuppets/artsedge.html
Explore Playing with Shadows: An Introduction to Shadow Puppetry brought to you by the John F. Kennedy Center’s
ArtsEdge program.
http://www.sagecraft.com/puppetry/definitions/shadow.html
Visit The Puppetry Homepage to get tips on creating your own shadow puppet shows.
http://www.dolphins.org/
Visit the Dolphin Research Center in the Florida Keys online.
http://www.topuertorico.org/coqui.shtml
Visit this site to learn about el coqui (little frog), the official mascot of Puerto Rico.
El coqui (little frog)
Dolphin
© 2010 Center for Puppetry Arts ® . All Rights Reserved.
4

P-K & K: Cooking with Goat’s Milk
Learning Activities
Georgia Bright from the Start Pre-K Content Standards covered: Mathematical Development, MD
5 b (Uses mathematical language to describe experiences involving measurement); Scientific Development,
SD 1 c (Uses language to describe observation), SD 1 f (Predicts what will happen next based on previous
experiences). Georgia Performance Standards covered: Kindergarten, Science, Characteristics of
Science, SKCS4 b; Mathematics, Measurement, MKM1 d.
Objective: Students will describe where goat’s milk comes from and participate in a simple cooking activity
using goat’s milk.
Materials: (This will vary. Please see recipes below).
Procedure:
1. After attending a performance of The Three Billy Goats Gruff and Other Tales at the Center for Puppetry
Arts, ask students to name products that might come from a goat (milk, cheese, yogurt, meat, mohair/
cashmere) and how people use these products. In which countries are goats important resources?
Why? (Goats can thrive in mountainous and dry areas where other animals - such as cows - would not
be able to live).
2. Lead students in a cooking activity using one of the recipes below. Explain why measuring ingredients
is important to the end result. Ask students to predict what will happen next as each ingredient is
added to the recipe.
Cajeta (Mexican Caramel Candy)
3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 quarts goat’s milk
¼ teaspoon baking soda
Dissolve baking soda and cornstarch into 1 cup milk. Stir well to dissolve any lumps. Add rest of
milk and add sugar. Bring mixture to boil, stirring constantly while cooking. Cook until the mixture
is thick and looks like caramel sauce. Pour into jars, cool, and refrigerate. This makes a great topping
for ice cream and makes a delicious apple dip!
Goat’s Milk Ice Cream
4 cups goat’s milk
1 cup sugar
1 envelope unsweetened Kool-Aid® powdered drink mix
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Cover and place in a freezer for 4 hours or
until partially frozen. Remove from freezer and beat until large particles are fine to almost creamy.
Return to freezer for one hour. Serve.
© 2010 Center for Puppetry Arts ® . All Rights Reserved.
5

Creamy Goat’s Milk Fudge
2 cups sugar
2 ½ squares baking chocolate
1 cup goat’s milk
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Learning Activities
In a sauce pan, mix sugar, baking chocolate, goat’s milk and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring
constantly. Bring to 236°F on a candy thermometer, or until a few drops dribbled into cold
water can be formed into a soft ball. Remove from heat. Add vanilla, butter, and if desired, nuts.
Beat until thick and creamy. Pour into a buttered dish and when cool, cut into squares.
Goat’s Milk Chocolate Pudding
2 2/3 cups of fresh goat’s milk
¾ cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
4 egg yolks
2 tbs. cornstarch
1 tbs. butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
In a medium saucepan combine sugar, cocoa, and cornstarch. Stir in goat’s milk. Cook and stir over
medium heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for several more minutes. Remove
from heat. Gradually stir about 1 cup of the hot mixture into beaten egg yolks (note: use a wire
whisk and beat briskly or else lumps will form). Return all of the egg mixture to the saucepan and
beat briskly with a wire whisk and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat. Cook and stir for 2 more
minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Pour pudding into a bowl or 4 individual
serving cups. Chill until ready to serve.
Assessment: After a few weeks have passed, ask students to recall their cooking activity. Can they
remember the steps of the recipe in order?
6

Learning Activities
1st & 2nd Grade: Super Synonyms and Awesome Antonyms Match-Up
Georgia Performance Standards covered: Grade 1, English/Language Arts, Vocabulary, ELAR15 b, c;
Grade 2, English/Language Arts, Vocabulary, ELA2R3 b.
Objective: Students will visit a website to play a game to uncover matching pairs of word cards containing
synonyms and antonyms. Then, students will record all of their matching words on paper organized under
the headings “synonyms” and “antonyms.”
Materials: Computers with Internet access, paper, pencils.
Procedure:
1. Have students go to http://www.quia.com/cc/44798.html to play an online concentration game
to match word cards containing synonyms (words with similar meanings).
2. Each time they successfully match a pair of words with similar meanings, they should record both
words on a sheet of paper under the heading “synonyms.”
3. When they have successfully matched all of the synonyms, have them go to http://www.quia.com/
cc/44806.html and play the same game for antonyms (words with opposite meanings).
4. Each time they successfully match a pair of words with similar meanings, they should record both
words on a sheet of paper under the heading “antonyms.”
5. When all students have completed the activity, review the word lists that they have compiled
together as a class.
Assessment: Collect word lists and check for completion. Quiz students on the words from both
lists after two months time to test for retention.
Synonyms
Antonyms
© 2010 Center for Puppetry Arts ® . All Rights Reserved.
7

Learning Activities
3rd & 4th Grade: Norwegian Folktales and Myths
Georgia Performance Standards covered: Grade 3, English Language Arts and Reading, Writing, ELA3W1
a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n; Grade 4, English/Language Arts, Writing, ELA4W1 a, b, c, d; ELA4W2 (Response to
Literature) a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h.
Objective: Students will identify common characteristics of Norwegian folktales and create their own stories
including elements common to Norwegian folklore.
Materials: Sample Norwegian folktales like The Three Billy Goats Gruff and East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
Computers with word processing software or paper and pencils.
Procedure:
1. Discuss the definition of a folktale with your students:
folktale – an imaginative story passed from generation to generation expressed in
fantastic or symbolic terms. Folktales are based on human experience but feature
supernatural or extraordinary elements.
2. Locate Norway on a world map.
3. On the chalk board or chart paper, make a list of elements commonly found in Norwegian folklore:
• Stock characters include a king or queen, a princess or prince, three brothers or three trolls, giants,
or talking animals such as great white bears (as in East of the Sun, West of the Moon), wolves, foxes,
chickens, cats, goats or dragons.
• Many stories explain the origin of the feature of some animal (e.g. why bears have short tails).
• Use of repetition to emphasize what is important.
• Recurring use of the number “three” (trouble that is escalated each time until the third time around
when it is resolved).
• Use of supernatural items like cloaks of invisibility, enchanted swords, tablecloths that bring forth
food when they are laid or a salt mill at the bottom of the ocean.
• A long journey.
• Good rewarded; evil punished.
• A happy ending.
4. Have students write their own folktales using the criteria listed above. Make sure they have thought
about literary elements and techniques such as plot, setting, theme, characters, characterization, conflict,
figurative language, and point of view.
5. Edit and revise stories. Share stories with the class.
Assessment: Check students’ work for spelling, punctuation and grammar. Do their stories have a clear
beginning, middle and end? Do their versions contain the core elements that would place their stories under
the Norwegian folktale category? Save stories for English Language Arts & Reading portfolios.
© 2010 Center for Puppetry Arts ® . All Rights Reserved.
8

Learning Activities
5th & 6th Grade: The Science of Rainbows: A Word Search Puzzle
Georgia Performance Standards covered: Grade 5, English/Language Arts, Reading, ELA5R3 a, b, c, d, e, f;
Grade 6, English/Language Arts, Reading, ELA6R2 a, b, c, d.
Objective: Students will read a paragraph about what causes rainbows to form and complete a word search
puzzle featuring vocabulary words from the reading.
Materials: Copies of word search puzzle handouts, pens, pencils, or highlighters.
Procedure:
1. Have students read the a paragraph about what causes rainbows to form at the bottom of the word
search puzzle paying special attention to the words in bold face. Discuss the meaning of any unfamiliar
words.
2. After they have read the paragraph, ask them to locate the 17 bolded words in the puzzle. Students
should circle or highlight each word as they find it. Words are hidden vertically, horizontally, diagonally,
and backward.
Assessment: Check student handouts for completion, comprehension and retention of information.
Remediate content from paragraph if necessary.
Center for Puppetry Arts ® is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization and is supported in part by contributions from corporations,
foundations, government agencies, and individuals. Major funding for the Center is provided by the Fulton
County Board of Commissioners under the guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council. Major support is provided
by the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs. This program is supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts
(GCA) through the appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly. GCA is a Partner Agency of the National
Endowment for the Arts. The Center is a Member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG) and the Atlanta Coalition
of Performing Arts. The Center also serves as headquarters of UNIMA-USA, the American branch of Union
Internationale de la Marionnette, the international puppetry organization.
9

Name__________________________________ Date________________
The Science of Rainbows Word Search Puzzle
Directions: Read the paragraph below, then search the puzzle for the 17 vocabulary words that appear in bold.
Circle or highlight each word that you find. Words are hidden vertically, horizontally, diagonally, forward,
and backward.
p c l k f v d h s s l f d t r
s u t n e n o p m o c e e a x
m r i v n i l a c m t a n f d
u v e q o i x a q c n n t t e
e e v t t b t a e g q g e e t
s d v t n i s l l a y l r r c
e p i y o e f e l x l e s n a
j n o n s e p a r a t e d o r
g x s r r t r n d v c i l o f
s t a a d g t y d g e k h n e
r r r a i n b o w s r r x q r
o y k s u d i w j p i c s e y
l v i o l e t a h n d q p q z
o b m a o a m u r t c e p s s
c a z y e t i s o p p o e u r
Rainbows are caused by the splitting of white sunlight into its component colors by raindrops. When
raindrops are present in the air, most light is either reflected off of the drops or goes right through them.
If the light enters at certain angles, the light enters the drop and is then reflected inside. As it enters
the drop, the light is bent, or refracted, and split into a rainbow of colors. This is because each color
of light gets bent by a slightly different amount, and then exits the drop. Entering and exiting the drop,
the component colors are separated. Different colors are refracted (bent) a different amount. Red is
refracted the least, and violet the most. And so, the colors are separated into a spectrum, or rainbow.
You see red light come from a raindrop because that drop is at just the correct angle (about 42 degrees).
Blue light comes from another raindrop at a slightly different angle. All the raindrops that are at a
certain angle between your eye and the sun form a circle in the sky - that is why the rainbow is curved.
A rainbow is always directly opposite the sun from the observer. This explains why rainbows are only
seen when the sun is low in the sky, usually in the late afternoon. The rainbow’s location will appear
different for observers at different locations, but it is always directly opposite the sun.
© 2010 Center for Puppetry Arts ® . All Rights Reserved.
10

®
Study Guide Feedback Form
The following questions are intended for teachers and group leaders
who make use of the Center for Puppetry Arts’ study guides.
1. In what grade are your students?
2. Which show did you see? When?
3. Was this your first time at the Center?
4. Was this the first time you used a Center Study Guide?
5. Did you download/use the guide before or after your field trip?
6. Did you find the bibliography useful? If so, how?
7. Did you find the list of online resources useful? If so, how?
8. Did you reproduce the grade-appropriate activity sheet for your class?
9. Additional information and/or comments:
Please fax back to the Center for Puppetry Arts at 404.873.9907.
Your feedback will help us to better meet your needs. Thank you for your help!
1404 Spring Street, NW at 18th • Atlanta, Georgia USA 30309-2820
Ticket Sales: 404.873.3391 • Administrative: 404.873.3089 • www.puppet.org • info@puppet.org
Headquarters of UNIMA-USA • Member of Atlanta Coalition of Performing Arts and Theatre Communications Group
Text by Alan Louis • Design by Melissa Hayes
© Center for Puppetry Arts ® Education Department, February 2010.