Collection One Teacher's Guide - Perfection Learning

Drama for Reading and PerformanceTable of ContentsNovio BoyLesson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Assessment.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8The DancersLesson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Assessment.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12The Man in a CaseLesson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Assessment.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Nothing But the TruthLesson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Assessment.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20The Drummer and The Big Black BoxLesson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Assessment.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24I Never Saw Another ButterflyLesson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Assessment.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28The Love of Three OrangesLesson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Assessment.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32A Conversation with My DogsLesson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Assessment.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36This Is a TestLesson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Assessment.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40A Thousand CranesLesson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Assessment.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Drama for Reading and PerformanceTable of Contents (cont.)The Frog PrinceLesson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Assessment.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Back ThereLesson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Assessment.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Eye in the SkyLesson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Assessment.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Maggie MagalitaLesson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Assessment.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60The Effect of Gamma Rays onMan-in-the-Moon MarigoldsLesson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Assessment.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64City of GoldLesson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Assessment.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68ReproduciblesWho’s Who in Play Production. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Character Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70The Proscenium Stage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71The Thrust Stage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72The Arena Stage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73Costume Design Worksheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Costume Plot Worksheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Makeup Worksheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76Light or Sound Cue Sheet.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Set or Prop Planning Worksheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78Assessment Answer Key.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Novio BoyBefore ReadingPlot SummaryRudy, a ninth grader, confidesto his best friend Alexthat he likes an eleventhgrader named Patricia. Hehas asked her out for alunch date at Steaks,Steaks, y Mas Steaks. Heneeds advice on how tobehave and money to payfor the meal. Rudy getsadvice and loans fromfriends and family. In themeantime, Patricia has herhair done at a local beautysalon. By chance, her stylistis Rudy’s mother, whooffers advice and worriesaloud that she is losing herson. Rudy meets Patriciafor lunch and sees that hisUncle Juan is workingthere as a musician. ThenRudy discovers that moreof his family and friendsare there, including hismother. Nevertheless, thedate is a success. As theplay ends, Rudy preparesto sell some prized childhoodpossessions in orderto pay off his loans.The Play as Literature: CharacterizationExplain to students that ancient plays often included stock characters,which stood for attitudes, emotions, and principles, such as goodand evil. Most plays today feature complex realistic characters, whomwe expect to act as real people do in real life. They have hopes andfears, good qualities and bad. Sometimes, one character may evenexhibit opposing traits, depending on the circumstances.To help students get an idea of what a complex character might belike, write on the chalkboard a list of traits (e.g., bashful, outgoing,selfish, generous, suspicious, easygoing, happy, proud, fearful). Askstudents to write down the traits that they have shown at some timein their lives. (Students will probably list many of the traits you havewritten, as well as others.) Then ask them to place an asterisk nextto the traits they show most often. Point out that the differencesbetween people—and characters—begin to emerge in the itemsthey chose to asterisk.The Play as Theatre: The SetExplain to the students that the set includes the total environment inwhich the characters find themselves. In a theatrical set, the backgroundis called the scenery. Large items and pieces of furniture thatare essential to the set are called set pieces, and these are built bythe set crew. Small, portable items that characters use are calledprops. Props are treated differently from the set.War m up!If time permits, follow up on this activity byinviting students to role-play the meetingsdiscussed, as well as others between enemies, strangers, andacquaintances of various ages. Allow the class to brainstorm a historyfor each pair of actors before they role-play their meeting.Novio Boy by Gary Soto 5

After ReadingNovio BoyResponding to the Play1. Students’ answers will vary, but should reflect a knowledge of detailsin the scene and an understanding of the characters.2. The characters in the play are largely realistic, in that their motivationsare logical and understandable, and their concerns are normal for theirages and circumstances. Nevertheless, some students may feel that thecharacters are either flat or “too good to be true.”3. Alex, Rudy’s mother, Estela, Uncle Juan, and Alicia all care aboutRudy and/or Patricia, and all seem capable of giving at least somegood advice. Rudy also gives good advice—to the old man. The valueof each character’s advice is limited by his or her particular concerns.4. Answers will vary, but should reflect an understanding of the scenechosen.5. The following elements would probably be essential. Scene 1: twolawn chairs; Scene 2: sofa, magazine; Scene 3: weights, jump rope,squeeze bottle; Scene 4: studio pieces, such as wheeled chair andtable; Scene 5: beauty-shop chair, hair dryer; Scene 6: apple display;Scene 7: four tables with chairs, stool. Suggest that students allow forplaces where each character can sit, stand, walk, and perform theactions required by the play.For Further Discussion1. Who in this play do you think gives the best advice about love?Who gives the worst? (Answers will vary.)2. Patricia says she likes Rudy because he is honest. Do you think she iscorrect or not? Use examples from the play to support your answer.(Students may focus on Rudy’s denial of his relatives at the restaurant,or they may focus on his confessions regarding GI Joe and his bicyclelicense.)3. Do you think Patricia will go out with Rudy again? Why or why not?(Students may focus on Patricia’s kiss and compliment, or they mayfocus on the fact that she caught him in a lie and that she left therestaurant alone.)Creating and Performing1. Remind students that Mama Rosa and El Gato have distinct radio personalities.El Gato tries to be macho and cool; Mama Rosa is mysticaland folksy. Direct them to develop answers that fit those personalities.2. Possibilites include: be yourself, ask about her likes and dislikes, bepolite, keep a sense of humor, be honest, etc.3. To help students develop specificity in their moments, ask them tothink about the image each character wants to present to the world.You may want to provide prompts such as the following.• How would this character hold his or her head?• What would the character do with his or her hands?• What shoes is the character wearing?6 Novio Boy by Gary Soto

Presenting the PlayFor Reading• Before reading, ask for a show of handsfrom students who know or are studyingSpanish. Go through the text and haveSpanish-speaking students read aloud theSpanish words and phrases. Invite volunteersto give English definitions orequivalents for the Spanish in the play.Challenge the class as a whole to try outthe Spanish pronunciations.• Remind students that the characters in thiscontemporary play are meant to be lifelikeand realistic. Encourage students to imaginethemselves in the roles of Rudy and Patricia.Ask them to think about their own familymembers and friends who could stand in forUncle Juan, Mama Rosa, Estela, El Gato,Alex, Alicia, and even the waiter.• Note that the conflicts in this play are mild,but they still move the action forward. Askstudents to jot down each of the conflictsthey encounter as they read. (Students willprobably note a conflict between Rudy andhis mother, a conflict between his love ofchildhood toys and his desire to go out on adate, among others.)For Performance• Remind the students that this play hasseven scenes and that each scene takesplace in a different setting. Explain thatscenery and set pieces can be expensiveto buy or time-consuming to make. In addition,long scene changes interrupt the flowof a play and keep audience members fromgetting involved. As a result, many contemporaryset designers create sets by placinga few key pieces on a bare stage. For example,a length of fence can suggest a backyard.Encourage students to think about and discusssimple scenery or set pieces thatcould define each scene in this play.• Point out to the students that each setting inthe play provides information about the circumstances,habits, and personality of oneor more characters. For example, Alexhangs out with Rudy in his backyard andhelps him out with a sale in his front yard.Clearly, Alex is a close, personal friend.Encourage students to identify each character’s“place” or “places” and explain whatthose settings tell about the characters.AsidesMusicIn his own production notesfor the play, Soto remindsperformers that they mustnot use copyrighted musicor borrow from popular songs.He suggests using eitheroriginal music or music in thepublic domain. He also offersthe following ideas:• In Scene 3, Uncle Juan’ssong should be sung with acountry western twang, probablyemploying G, A, and Dchords.• In scene 4, the song shouldbe sung with either a rap ora ranchera beat.WritingReferences to Fresno,California, may be changed tolocal references. References towell-known people and placesalso may be changed for localappeal.CostumesTo accomplish the change inEstela’s hair color, hide a wigin the hair dryer. Direct theactor playing Estela to pull thewig on secretly, as she pretendsto check her hair fordryness.Novio Boy by Gary Soto 7

AssessmentNovio BoyName________________________________________ReadingBased on what you know about the characters, match each quote to the person who said it.a. Rudy d. Rudy’s Mother g. Mama Rosa j. Waiterb. Alex e. Uncle Juan h. Estelac. Patricia f. El Gato i. Old Man_________ 1. Just level with her. Tell her you’re sorry you look like you do._________ 2. A Chicano hippie, lo mejor, the best._________ 3. You got to stop your nonsense. It’s about time you got a regular job._________ 4. Dance? No, I’m too full. Those crackers filled me up._________ 5. What is love but some spring in your legs and a combination plate from ElPollo Loco?_________ 6. I ain’t got an attitude! How come everyone thinks I got an attitude?_________ 7. I like him because he’s honest._________ 8. You don’t have to please me. It’s the boss. She expects you to bring in acrowd._________ 9. Now, about potions. I recommend a simple one._________ 10. To be frank, I’m just a boring guy.WritingWrite lyrics for a song, in English or Spanish, that Juan can sing at Steaks, Steaks, y MasSteaks. If you wish, compose the music, as well.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________PerformanceChoose one of the following activities to perform.• Sing and/or play the song you composed in the writing section of this assessment page.• Imagine you are a disc jockey on a radio talk show. Write your own questions from callersand perform a show in which you read the questions and answer them using your radiopersonality.• Perform a phone monologue in which Patricia describes her date with Rudy.8 Novio Boy by Gary Soto© Perfection Learning ® Corporation