This production of The Secret Garden is made possible by the City of Tampa Parks & Recreation Department and Friends of Tampa Recreation.

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1 EDUCATOR S GUIDE 1

2 A Note to Educators This Educator's Guide has been prepared by Meg Heimstead, Artistic Director of Creative Arts Theatre Company.

The questions, activities, and materials have all been prepared with the student audience in mind.

This production of The Secret Garden is made possible by the City of Tampa Parks & Recreation Department and Friends of Tampa Recreation.

2 2 A Note to Educators This Educator's Guide has been prepared by Meg Heimstead, Artistic Director of Creative Arts Theatre Company. The intent of this guide is to foster further exploration and research as the audience prepares for and then reflects on the performance of The Secret Garden. The questions, activities, and materials have all been prepared with the student audience in mind. Please feel free to use/copy any of the pages in this guide, as you reflect with your students on the play. This production of The Secret Garden is made possible by the City of Tampa Parks & Recreation Department and Friends of Tampa Recreation. About Creative Arts Theatre Company Creative Arts Theatre is the City of Tampa's resident, professional theatre company for young audiences. A staff of 5 professional artists create and perform innovative theatre experiences, inspired by classic and contemporary children s literature. Their mission is to encourage literacy throughout Hillsborough County through the magic of live performance. Each year, Creative Arts Theatre presents over 200 performances at community centers, libraries, and schools, reaching an audience of approximately 15,000 people annually. Over the past 50 years, they have performed for more than one million children and their families. Creative Arts Theatre Company is a proud member of Theatre for Young Audiences/USA. In addition, Creative Arts Theatre Company offers classes, camps, and workshops for children and adults throughout the year at the City's community centers. Topics include acting, improvisation, storytelling, and musical theatre. For more information, visit us on the web at

3 3 Table of Contents A Note to Educators...2 About Crea ve Arts Theatre Company....2 The Role of the Audience Tips for the Best Theatre Experience....4 Theatre Vocabulary....5 BEFORE THE PERFORMANCE The Secret Garden Synopsis...6 Major Themes Characters Frances Hodgson Burne The Author The Secret Garden Vocabulary Pre-Show Discussion Ques ons Other Pre-Show Ac vi es AFTER THE PERFORMANCE Post-Show Discussion Ques ons..11 Post-Show Ac vi es..11 CURRICULUM CONNECTION Language Arts Ac vi es...12 Write About It Visual Arts Ac vi es The Secret Garden Coloring Page A The Secret Garden Coloring Page B.14 Science Ac vi es.15 Create a Real Garden Lets Research! Social Studies Ac vi es Colonial India India and England Resources for More Informa on CPALM Standards Connected to this Guide....18

4 The Role of the Audience Educators, please read the following to your students before you travel to see the show. As an audience member, YOU have a very important role to play!

4 4 The Role of the Audience Educators, please read the following to your students before you travel to see the show. As an audience member, YOU have a very important role to play! Without you there would be no performance. You are an active collaborator in the live theatre experience, as your applause and laughter feed the actors vital energy and subtly makes each performance unique! Live theatre is very different than watching something on TV or at the movie theatre. When you watch TV at home you may leave the room or discuss what you are seeing with family and friends. As a member of the audience while attending a play, you must watch and listen carefully because: You need to concentrate on what the performers are saying or else you might miss something important. You can t rewind live theatre! The actors on stage can hear you and are affected by your behavior. Talking and moving around is very distracting for the actors and for those seated around you. Tips for the Best Theatre Experience Here are a few tips for the BEST possible experience at the theatre: Remain in your seat once the performance has begun. Keep your hands and feet to yourself. Don t talk to your neighbor during the show. You might miss something important! Applaud when you like a scene or at the end of the show. Laugh if something is funny. HAVE FUN!

5 5 Theatre Vocabulary ACTOR CAST Any theatrical performer whose job it is to portray a character. The group of actors in a play. CENTER STAGE CHARACTER COSTUME DESIGNER DIRECTOR DOWNSTAGE HOUSE LIGHTING DESIGNER PLOT PROP SET SET DESIGNER SOUND DESIGNER STAGE CREW UPSTAGE The middle of the stage. Any person portrayed by an actor onstage. Characters may also be animals, and sometimes objects. The person who creates what actors wear in the performance. The person in charge of the entire production. The area at the front of the stage, closest to the audience. The area of the theatre where the audience sits. The person who creates the lighting for a play to simulate time of day, location, and mood. The story of the play. An object used by an actor in a scene. The background scenery for the show. The person who decides what the scenery, furniture, and props will look like for the play. The person who chooses music and/or sound effects like birds chirping, a phone ringing, or thunder. The people who change the scenery during a performance. The area at the back of the stage, furthest from the audience.

6 6 BEFORE THE PERFORMANCE The Secret Garden Synopsis Before your students see the performance, we suggest reading the synopsis out loud to the class (grades K-2) or having students take turns reading it (grades 3-5.) Set in Yorkshire, England in the early 1900 s, The Secret Garden traces the friendship of two lonely children, Mary Lennox and her cousin, Colin. After her parents death in a cholera epidemic, Mary travels from India to live in the wilds of Yorkshire with an uncle she has never met at the 600 year-old Misselthwaite Manor. At the opening of the play, Mary is a selfish and disagreeable child who has been dependent on servants, isn t used to dressing herself, and doesn t play. She is befriended by her maid, Martha, who introduces Mary to the gardens, the moors, and Martha s brother, Dickon. Gradually Mary becomes kinder and warm hearted. She learns to play by herself outdoors, and one day follows a friendly robin and discovers a forbidden garden at the manor. Ten years earlier, her uncle s beloved wife had died from a fall in this garden. The memories were so painful that Mr. Craven locked the garden and buried the key. With Dickon s help, she works secretly in the garden which has been sadly neglected. Mary s second discovery is her bed-ridden cousin Colin, a spoiled child who has been kept isolated in a wing of the manor all of his life. Mary s visits make him feel better, and he and Mary plot with Dickon for him to venture outside. Fresh air, exercise, friendship and their gardening project combine over time to transform Colin into a healthy young man. He is reunited with his astonished father, and the ending is, naturally, happily ever after. Major Themes Healing Personal Change Friendship Determination Love

7 Characters Mary Lennox A ten-year-old orphan and new resident at Misselthwaite Manor Archibald Craven Mary s uncle, the hunchbacked master of Misselthwaite Martha A local girl employed as a

7 7 Characters Mary Lennox A ten-year-old orphan and new resident at Misselthwaite Manor Archibald Craven Mary s uncle, the hunchbacked master of Misselthwaite Martha A local girl employed as a housemaid at the manor, Dickon s sister Dickon Martha s younger brother who has a special relationship with birds, animals and all things nature Ben Weatherstaff A craggy, old gardener who speaks his mind Collin Craven A ten-year-old English boy who is raised to believe that he is ill and will die before adulthood The Robin A musical messenger who befriends Mary

8 8 Frances Hodgson Burnett The Author Creative Arts Theatre Company s original production of The Secret Garden is based on the book of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett. First published in 1909, it is Burnett s most famous work and is considered to be a classic work of children s literature. Frances Hodgson Burnett was born in Manchester, England, on November 24, After Burnett s father s death in 1853, her mother ran the family s iron foundry until the American Civil War caused the business to fail. Destitute, the Hodgsons moved to Tennessee in 1865 to stay with relatives in a log cabin. In her teens Burnett had written stories and tales to help support the family and later claimed never to have written a manuscript that was not published. Her first widespread success came with That Lass o Lowrie s in 1877, a tale of the Lancashire coal mines. But it was the publication of Little Lord Fauntleroy, in 1886, that brought the author fame and wealth and established her character Cedric as the model for a generation of young boys. Sara Crewe was published in 1888, and the rags-to-riches story was so successful that Burnett revised, expanded, and republished it in 1905 as A Little Princess. The beloved The Secret Garden appeared four years later to enormous critical and popular acclaim. A prolific writer, Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote more than 40 novels and plays and dozens of short stories during her lifetime. She died in New York, on October 29, 1924.

9 9 The Secret Garden Vocabulary Here are some words from the play that students may not be familiar with: AYAH A native maid or nursemaid employed by Europeans in India. CHEEKY CONTRARY CORRIDOR CROSS A word used to describe someone who does something or says something sort of disrespectful and sometimes rude, but they do it in a clever or funny way. To do the opposite of what is expected or required. A gallery or passage connecting parts of a building; hallway. Angry and annoyed. MOOR RAJAH A broad area of open land, usually covered in low shrubs. An Indian king or prince. SCRAWNY Excessively thin or lean. TUPPENCE Old English currency, two pence. WICK WUTHERING English slang meaning alive. Wind blowing strongly with a roaring sound. Activity: Ask students to use each word in a sentence or have them pick three words and write a short paragraph inspired by those words. Students can also draw a picture, illustrating the definitions of the words.

10 Pre-Show Discussion Questions Ask students to make predictions about the play they are going to see. Based on the synopsis and character list, what do you think the set will look like?

10 10 Pre-Show Discussion Questions Ask students to make predictions about the play they are going to see. Based on the synopsis and character list, what do you think the set will look like? Do you think the show will be funny or serious? Will there be music? If so, how do you think it will sound? What do you think the characters will be wearing? What are you most looking forward to seeing? Activity: Now that we ve imagined the play let s take out some paper and crayons and draw what we think the play might look like! Other Pre-Show Activities Read the novel in class and discuss the themes and the characters. Look at Yorkshire on a map to know where the story takes place. Do some research on the types of clothes people wore in How are they similar to what we wear today? How are they different?

11 11 AFTER THE PERFORMANCE Post-Show Discussion Questions Hold a class discussion when you return from the show. Ask students the following questions and allow them the opportunity to write or draw pictures of their experience. What was the first thing you noticed when you walked into the theatre? Was it what you expected? If not, how was it different? Draw or write about what you remember about the set. Did the set look the way that you thought it would? What did you think of the costumes? Do you think that they fit the story? What things do you think the costume designer had to consider before creating the costumes? Was there music in the play? If so, how did it add to the performance? What did you think of it? What did you think of the actors? Do you think that they were able to bring the characters to life? Did you feel caught up in the story? Did anything surprise you? Why do you think one of the characters was a puppet? Would you do things another way? How would you stage this play? Which character did you relate to the most? Why? What words describe that character? What did the characters learn about themselves or the world in the play? Was there a moral or lesson? What was the story about? Describe the beginning, middle, and end. What was the climax of the story? Why? If you had to summarize the play in one sentence, what would it be? Post-Show Activities Draw a picture of the audience from the stage. How might things look from where the actors are standing? Write a letter to the cast, telling them what you thought of the performance. Our mailing address is on page 20. Which job would you like to try? Actor, director, lighting designer, sound designer, costume designer, set designer, or another role? What skills might you need to complete your job?

12 CURRICULUM CONNECTION Language Arts Activities The activities below are all creative writing exercises. Write About It!

Imagine you have just found a key. What could it be the key to? Decide what it unlocks and write about how you use it for the first time and what happens when you do.

Why do you think that is? Have each student create a poem, song, short story, or short skit about what friendship means to them and why they think it s important.

12 12 CURRICULUM CONNECTION Language Arts Activities The activities below are all creative writing exercises. Write About It! Write a journal entry as if you were Martha or Ben Weatherstaff: A Day in the Life of Misselthwaite Manor or Dickon: A Day on the Moor. Mary finds the key to unlock the garden. Imagine you have just found a key. What could it be the key to? Decide what it unlocks and write about how you use it for the first time and what happens when you do. In The Secret Garden, Colin wouldn t have become a happier person if it wasn t for his friendship with his cousin, Mary. Her friendship was very important to him. Why do you think that is? Have each student create a poem, song, short story, or short skit about what friendship means to them and why they think it s important. Visual Arts Activities Lets Make Art! Draw a picture of what the garden looks like before Mary discovers it (run down and bare) and then draw another picture of the garden after it is in full bloom (alive and cared for). Using one of the coloring sheets on page 13 & 14, color your own secret garden!

13 13

14 14

Clear off a table near a window with lots of sunlight and watch the garden grow! After the plants have grown a bit, transplant the class plants to a secret garden of their own.

15 15 Science Activities Create a Real Garden! Provide each student with a pot or cup, some soil, and a seed. Have each student write their name on the pot and then have them come up one at a time to use a small shovel to put soil into their pot. Show them how to plant the seed and then water it. Clear off a table near a window with lots of sunlight and watch the garden grow! After the plants have grown a bit, transplant the class plants to a secret garden of their own. Related Activities Ask the students to research the seeds they are planting. How much water will it need? How long does it take to grow? Will it produce any flowers or fruit? Do different plants need different types of soil to come alive? Have the students keep a journal recording the growth of the plant. Include drawings of how the plant looks through different stages of life. Write about what it s like to care for something. Lets Research! Mary meets a Robin Red Breast, a bird that is common in Northern England. What kind of birds live in Florida? Have students research and report on birds that live in Western Florida. What do they eat? Where do they make their nests? Related Activity Have students research and report on birds native to England and/or India. What do they eat? Where do they make their nests? What is the climate like where they live? How have they adapted to it? Are there any bird species that live in Florida and also in England or India?

16 Social Studies Activities Colonial India Mary finds herself very confused when she first arrives at the manor, and tells Martha that England is very different from India.

Older students might be asked to make comparisons to when America was also a British colony. India and England Mary grows up in colonial India to British parents before she moves to England.

16 16 Social Studies Activities Colonial India Mary finds herself very confused when she first arrives at the manor, and tells Martha that England is very different from India. Ask students to research India in the early 1900 s, when the story takes place. What did it mean to be a British colony? How were native people treated by the British? Older students might be asked to make comparisons to when America was also a British colony. India and England Mary grows up in colonial India to British parents before she moves to England. Divide the class into small groups. Have half of the groups research India and the other half research England (climates, vegetation, people, food, customs, language, etc.). Ask the groups to present the information they find to the class. Ask Based on this research, what changes will Mary experience living in England compared to India? How do you think the two climates would affect her day-to-day activities? What would she do in England versus what she would do in India? What new items of clothing would Mary need to bring with her to England?

17 17 Resources for More Information Books by Frances Hodgson Burnett The Secret Garden Sarah Crewe A Little Princess Little Lord Fauntleroy Books About Nature Ida B:...and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan In My World by Lois Ehlert Henry Hikes to Fitchburg by D.B. Johnson Books About Gardens Linnea in Monet s Garden by Christina Bjork The Chalk Box Kid by Clyde Robbert Bulla The Leaf Man and the Brave Good Bugs by William Joyce On-Line Resources Think Garden PBS Educational Series on Gardening National Geographic for Kids United Kingdom National Geographic for Kids India

18 18 CPALM Standards Connected to this Guide Standards Connected to Performance: TH.K.C.2.1 Respond to a performance and share personal preferences about parts of the performance. TH.1.C.2.2 Iden fy elements of an effec ve performance. TH.2.O.2.1 Re-tell what happened in the beginning, middle, and end of a story a er viewing a play. TH.3.S.1.1 Demonstrate effec ve audience e que e and construc ve cri cism for a live performance. TH.4.S.1.3 Use theatre terms to evaluate a live performance and discuss the quali es that directly impacted the audience's response to the produc on. TH.5.O.1.3 Evaluate how an actor s or designer s choices about a character affect the audience s understanding of a play. Standards Connected to Theatre E que e: TH.K.S.1.1 Demonstrate appropriate audience behavior at a live performance. TH.1.S.1.1 Exhibit appropriate audience e que e and response. TH.2.S.1.1 Exhibit the behavior necessary to establish audience e que e, response, and construc ve cri cism. TH.3.S.1.1 Demonstrate effec ve audience e que e and construc ve cri cism for a live performance. TH.4.S.1.1 Exhibit proper audience e que e, give construc ve cri cism, and defend personal responses. TH.5.S.1.1 Describe the difference in responsibili es between being an audience member at live or recorded performances. Standards Connected to English Language Arts: LAFS.K12.W.1.3 Write narra ves to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effec ve technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. LAFS.K12.W.3.9 Draw evidence from literary or informa onal texts to support analysis, reflec on, and research. LAFS.K.RL.1.3 With promp ng and support, iden fy characters, se ngs, and major events in a story. LAFS.1.SL.1.2 Ask and answer ques ons about key details in a text read aloud or informa on presented orally or through other media.

19 19 LAFS.2.W.1.3 Write narra ves in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe ac ons, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure. LAFS.3.RL.1.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, mo va ons, or feelings) and explain how their ac ons contribute to the sequence of events. LAFS.3.RL.2.5 Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when wri ng or speaking about a text, using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe how each successive part builds on earlier sec ons. LAFS.4.RL.1.3 Describe in depth a character, se ng, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character s thoughts, words, or ac ons). LAFS.5.W.2.4 Produce clear and coherent wri ng in which the development and organiza on are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. Standards Connected to Science: SC.K.N.1.2 Make observa ons of the natural world and know that they are descriptors collected using the five senses. SC.1.N.1.3 Keep records as appropriate - such as pictorial and wri en records - of inves ga ons conducted. SC.2.L.16.1 Observe and describe major stages in the life cycles of plants and animals, including beans and bu erflies. SC.3.L.14.2 Inves gate and describe how plants respond to s muli (heat, light, gravity), such as the way plant stems grow toward light and their roots grow downward in response to gravity. SC.35.CS-CP.1.3 Iden fy, research, and collect a data set on a topic, issue, problem, or ques on using age-appropriate technologies. SC.5.L.15.1 Describe how, when the environment changes, differences between individuals allow some plants and animals to survive and reproduce while others die or move to new loca ons. Standards Connected to Social Studies: SS.4.A.3.7 Iden fy na ons (Spain, France, England) that controlled Florida before it became a United States territory. SS.4.FL.1.1 People have many different types of jobs from which to choose. Iden fy different jobs requiring people to have different skills. SS.5.A.1.1 Use primary and secondary sources to understand history. SS.5.A.4.1 Iden fy the economic, poli cal and socio-cultural mo va on for colonial se lement.

20 20 Standards Connected to Visual Art: VA.K.O.2.1 Generate ideas and images for artworks based on memory, imagina on, and experiences. VA.1.O.2.1 Create imagery and symbols to express thoughts and feelings. VA.2.C.1.1 Use the art-making process to communicate personal interests and self-expression. VA.3.C.2.1 Assess personal artworks for completeness and success in mee ng intended objec ves. We d Love to Hear from You! Creative Arts Theatre Company 3402 W. Columbus Drive Tampa, FL 33607

EDUCATOR S GUIDE Produced with permission from Plays for Young Audiences.

1 EDUCATOR S GUIDE Produced with permission from Plays for Young Audiences. 2 Table of Contents A Note to Educators....3 About Creative Arts Theatre Company....3 The Role of the Audience.....4 Tips for