Education Resources Produced by Sarah Stephenson and Heather Archer Contents (cid:131) Introduction (cid:131) Play synopsis (cid:131) Cast and production team (cid:131) Themes (cid:131) SEAL themes (cid:131) Interview with Asha Kahlon, director (cid:131) Photos of the set design (cid:131) Post show drama lesson (cid:131) Post show Primary resources (cid:131) Cross curricular ideas Welcome to the Elves and the Shoemakers Education Resources! The aim of this pack is to provide you with ideas for post show activities, and additional information that will directly support the play. We hope you find the pack helpful and a time-saving device in the world of lesson planning. With best wishes Sarah Stephenson, Playhouse Education Officer Heather Archer, KS1 classroom teacher, Bulwell St Mary’s C of E Primary & Nursery School Play Synopsis People always need shoes, but you can’t make them when you’re cold, hungry and down to your last piece of leather! What will the shoemakers do? At the dead of night, help arrives unexpectedly when the elves creep into the workshop… Cast and creative team Actors: Liz Jadav and Jack Faires Musician: Sophie Fishwick Stage manager: Ali Murray Director: Asha Kahlon Musical director: Matt Marks Design: Laura McEwen Themes • Secrets • Christmas • Looking after people • Poverty • Luck • Relationships The Elves and the Shoemakers masks Designed by Laura McEwen Design by Laura McEwen The Elves and the Shoemakers set Designed by Laura McEwen Interview with Asha Kahlon Director Why were you interested in directing this well-loved children’s story? I was born in India and came to England shortly before my 7th birthday. I did not speak English and one of the things that helped me learn were the Ladybird fairy tale books. I loved all the stories and would memorise them and I thought the drawings were beautiful. I particularly remember The Elves and the Shoemakers and though I haven’t seen the Ladybird book for many years I can clearly remember the pictures. Having the chance to direct the tale is basically an opportunity for me to go back to my childhood and that time of learning and discovery. Also I am a huge fan of Mike Kenny’s work. I have directed one of his scripts before and welcome the freedom he allows for you to be creative, challenging and entertaining. What are the challenges of directing a play for this age audience? I suppose the main challenge is not to underestimate the audience. Some of the children will be familiar with the story but others may not, and we need to make the show fun for all of them. You only have two actors but four characters. How is that going to work? The actors, Liz and Jack, will play all the parts in the play. They will have different costumes for the different characters and we will be creating ways of moving and speaking for each character. However there are still some challenges and we will have to weave some magic. Which section of the play are you most looking forward to directing and why? That would have to be the opening scene. This sets up the world of the play, the characters and the story. Getting this right makes the rest of the journey smoother for me as the director; for the actors, it makes their relationship with the story and the audience stronger. It’s crucial for the audience, too, as we need to grab their interest and attention. What should children in the audience look out for? I am really excited about the sound and music we are using in the show and the audience should listen out for the ways we create that. We will also be using some magic tricks and it would be interesting to see if the audience can work out how they are done. Post Show drama workshop (45 minutes) Mime – warm up game Passing an imaginary box around a circle (could be done in the form of pass the parcel with music!) Children take it in turns to imagine the parcel is a Christmas gift that has been left out for them by the Elves – but it’s not shoes! They mime taking the present out of the box and doing something with it to indicate what it is. The others in the group have to guess what it is. (7 mins) Mime – individual Mime being cold and hungry – like the old people in the story – then mime being happy and full, as they are after their good fortune. (3 mins) Elf dance – In pairs, create your own zany elf dance to some suitable music. (5 mins) Song – Below are the words to the Elf song. Create your own tune to go with this. You could layer this together with the elf dance. You could also add percussion, ‘knocking’ sounds as the Elves make the shoes, as the production does. (20 mins) Fred the needle (Thread the needle) Fred the needle Tie a little knot Push it in And pull it out And taka looka whatyou got. (Look at what you’ve got) Faster, Faster, Faster, Faster I’ll be first and you’ll be laster (You’ll be last) Faster, Faster, Faster, Rester (Faster, faster, faster, rest) You’ll be worst and I’ll be bester (You’ll be the worst and I’ll be the best) Boofy shooz Boofy, luvvy boofy shooz. Luvvy levva Arnwe clevva Bothem diffrnt Come togevva Puttem there Maka pair. Sun comes up Go bed now Night Night Day Day. Character work – Move around the room as the old couple would move, and then as the elves would move. Beat a drum for the class to change from one character to another. Freeze in individual or paired characters. Add a line you think that the character night say, or one you can remember from the play, in the voice you think the character would have. (5 mins) ‘Hot seat’ the Elves – The other children in the class ask them questions. Where do they come from? Have they helped anyone before? How did they learn to make such lovely shoes? Etc. (5 mins) Literacy Shoemakers poem. L.O. Poetry - Unit 1 Interpret a text by reading aloud with some variety in pace and emphasis. Provide individuals or pairs with a copy of the Shoemaker’s song and highlight the verse they are to read. Rehearse and perform to the class encourage them to think about their audience. L.O. Poetry - Unit 1 Explain the effect of patterns of language and repeated words and phrases. The poem can also be used as a whole class shared reading activity, to look at the use of language and pattern within the poem and its effect on rhythm. Children can highlight the rhyme within the poem and possibly think of their own alternatives. (Shoemaker’s poem. Resource) Elves translation book. L.O. Dictionary work will be ongoing throughout phase 3 of the Year 1 non-fiction unit 3, with the teacher demonstrating effective use of the dictionary. Children might enjoy creating their own elf translation dictionary. Look at placing the elf words into alphabetical order followed by the English version next to it. E.g. Bigguns - Big ones Cheerdup - Cheered up Dat - That Dis - This Levva - Leather Luvvy - Lovely Shup - Shut up Shooz - Shoes Smine - It’s mine Snot - It’s not Swarm - It’s warm Order moments in the story. L.O.Identify the main events and characters in stories and find specific information in simple texts Use the cbeebies website to support children’s retellings of the story. Children can then work in pairs with a selection of the pictures from the story to retell it to their partner, adding in as much interest and appropriate use of story language as they can. http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/stories/colour/elvesshoemaker.shtml?printable Interactive story L.O. Create short simple texts on paper and on screen that combine words with images and sounds. Children could design and make their own shoe shop setting and model characters out of plasticine. These could then be manoeuvred to tell various parts of the story, which can be photographed and placed together into an interactive book that the children can then add their own text to. Shoemakers’ rhyme Anyway That day We had a little shock Even before I opened the door People were queuing around the block In ran The gentleman Who’d been in the day before. I’m here again I’ve brought my friends And I’ve just got to have some more We sold both pairs His and hers And all we had was empty shelves Word, we found Had got around These shoes just seem to sell themselves I had to shout Sold out I’m sorry but we’ve got no more Come tomorrow Deep sorrow And then I had to close the door.