Pre-Show Activities

Australian Curriculum F-2

Activity

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Explore role and dramatic action in dramatic play, improvisation
and process drama (ACADRM027)

Use voice, facial expression, movement and space to imagine
and establish role and situation (ACADRM02)

Australian Curriculum 3 – 4

Activity

Hot seating. After discussing and reading a range of different fairy tales (see Literacy activities), ask students to become one of their favourite
characters and sit on a chair facing the class. Other students take it in turns to ask them questions, which the child must answer in character. You can model this by going first, and you can also vary the audience
size if your students need to build up confidence first.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Explore ideas and narrative structures through roles and situations
  and use empathy in their own improvisations and devised drama
  (ACADRM031)
• Use voice, body, movement and language to sustain role and relationships and create dramatic action with a sense of time and place (ACADRM032)

• Literacy
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability

Post-show Activities

Australian Curriculum F-2

Activity

Play review. Ask your students to become theatre critics and review Big Bad Wolf. Depending on age and ability, ask them to write words, sentences or draw pictures under the following headings. You can also find numerous templates online.

• Title
• Plot (what was the story about? What was your favourite part?)
• Characters (who were the characters? Who was your favourite?)
• Opinion (did you like the show? Why/why not?)
• Picture (draw a picture of your favourite part of the show)

Put your students into small, mixed ability groups. Ask them to create a short performance; a twisted fairy tale. They should take a well known story, but change something integral to the plot (e.g. Little Red Riding Hood is actually a wolf herself; Snow White is actually set on an asteroid etc.) Allow them at least 4 blocks of rehearsal time, of roughly 30 minutes each. Ask them to focus on rehearsing their play the same way each time, so that each person knows what to say and when. Make the focus on group work, building the skills they have in working as a team. Allow your students to perform their plays to a small audience. This could be just their own class. After each play, ask the audience to give them two stars and a wish, two things they liked about the performance, and one thing they wish could improve if they had more rehearsal time. Don’t worry if the plot is a bit strange, or if they forget their lines; at this age, the experience of performing for an audience and getting constructive feedback at the end is extremely worthwhile.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Respond to drama and consider where and why people make drama,
starting with Australian drama including drama of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Peoples (ACADRR030)

Explore role and dramatic action in dramatic play, improvisation and
process drama (ACADRM027)

Use voice, facial expression, movement and space to imagine and
establish role and situation (ACADRM028)

Present drama that communicates ideas, including stories from their
community, to an audience (ACADRM029)

Australian Curriculum 3 – 4

Activity

Play review. Ask your students to become theatre critics and review Big Bad Wolf. Depending on ability, ask them to write short phrases or full sentences, adding pictures to illustrate, under the following headings. You can also find numerous templates online.

• Title
• Plot (what was the story about? What was your favourite part?)
• Characters (who were the characters? Who was your favourite?)
• Opinion (did you like the show? Why/why not?)
• Purpose (what do you think the purpose of this play was? Why write it and put it on for audiences?)

Put your students into small, mixed ability groups. Ask them to create a short performance: a ‘twisted’ fairy-tale. They should take a well-known story, but change something integral to the plot (e.g. Little Red Riding Hood is actually a wolf herself; Snow White is actually set on an asteroid etc.) Allow them at least 4 blocks of rehearsal time, of roughly 30 minutes each. Ask them to focus on rehearsing their play the same way each time, so that each person knows what to say and when. Make the focus on group work, building the skills they have in working as a team.

You could choose to perform to a live audience, or film their performances and create short movies (iMovie on an iPad is extremely child-friendly).

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Identify intended purposes and meaning of drama, starting with
Australian drama, including drama of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Peoples, using the elements of drama to make comparisons
(ACADRR034)

Explore ideas and narrative structures through roles and situations and use empathy in their own improvisations and devised drama (ACADRM031)

Use voice, body, movement and language to sustain role and relationships and create dramatic action with a sense of time and place (ACADRM032)

Collect, access and present different types of data using simple software to create information and solve problems (ACTDIP009)

• Literacy
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability

Pre-show Activities

Australian Curriculum F-2

Activity

Fairy tales. Discuss traditional stories and a stories the students already know. Are there any common features that they all share? Discuss the use of a quest or problem in a story and explain the beginning, middle and end elements.

Create a story mountain for a story you have read together (The Three Little Pigs, Red Riding Hood etc.) Discuss the characters in fairy tales. Are there always good and evil characters? Which characters are your students’ favourites? Get them to create a poster of their favourite character; draw a picture of them and list the reasons why that character is their favourite.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Foundation Year
Respond to texts, identifying favourite stories, authors and
illustrators (ACELT1577)

Identify some features of texts including events and characters and
retell events from a text (ACELT1578)

Recognise some different types of literary texts and identify some
characteristic features of literary texts, for example beginnings and
endings of traditional texts and rhyme in poetry (ACELT1785)

Year 1

Discuss characters and events in a range of literary texts and share
personal responses to these texts, making connections with students’
own experiences (ACELT1582)

Discuss features of plot, character and setting in different types
of literature and explore some features of characters in different
texts (ACELT1584)

Year 2

Compare opinions about characters, events and settings in and
between texts (ACELT1589)

Identify aspects of different types of literary texts that entertain,
and give reasons for personal preferences (ACELT1590)

Discuss the characters and settings of different texts and
explore how language is used to present these features in different
ways (ACELT1591)

Australian Curriculum 3 – 4

Activity

Discuss fairy tales with your students. Which ones used to be their favourites? Have they ever read any different versions of a fairy-tale (e.g. Roald Dahl’s Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf)? How can setting play an important part in a story? Explore how to create a descriptive, captivating setting to start a story.

Get your students to write their own fairytale, or twisted fairytale. They should focus on creating a setting using all five of their senses to appeal to their audience. You could ask them to write their stories for a younger year level, and focus on the language that will make their story appeal to that age range.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Year 3

Discuss how language is used to describe the settings in texts, and
explore how the settings shape the events and influence the mood of
the narrative (ACELT1599)

Understand that paragraphs are a key organisational feature of written texts (ACELA1479)

Year 4

Understand how texts vary in complexity and technicality depending
on the approach to the topic, the purpose and the intended
audience(ACELA1490)

Listen for specific purposes and information, including instructions, and extend students’ own and others’ ideas in discussions (ACELY1666)

Discuss how authors and illustrators make stories exciting, moving and absorbing and hold readers’ interest by using various techniques, for example character development and plot tension (ACELT1605)

• Literacy
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability

Post-show Activities

Australian Curriculum F-2

Activity

Poetry. Discuss the love that Wolfy has for poetry. Discuss how Wolfy finds it easy to rhyme words, whereas Heidi Hood found it very tricky. Read a variety of books that use rhyme (e.g. books by authors such as Dr Seuss, Julia Donaldson, Lynley Dodd). Explore rhyming words with your class and create a chart of words that rhyme. Teach and rehearse a performance poem with your students (e.g. Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl or On the Ning Nang Nong). Perform to an audience when you are ready.

Using the theme of fairy tales, ask your students to create a short poem based on a story, or just one character from that story. They could work individually, or in pairs/small groups. You could choose to publish the poems in a class book, or use ICT skills to create a digital book or blog of your students’ work.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Foundation Year

Recognise some different types of literary texts and identify some
characteristic features of literary texts, for example beginnings and
endings of traditional texts and rhyme in poetry

Replicate the rhythms and sound patterns in stories, rhymes, songs and poems from a range of cultures (ACELT1579)

Retell familiar literary texts through performance, use of illustrations and images (ACELT1580)

Year 1

Listen to, recite and perform poems, chants, rhymes and songs,
imitating and inventing sound patterns including alliteration and
rhyme (ACELT1585)

Recreate texts imaginatively using drawing, writing, performance and digital forms of communication (ACELT1586)

Innovate on familiar texts by using similar characters, repetitive patterns or vocabulary (ACELT1832)

Year 2

Identify, reproduce and experiment with rhythmic, sound and word
patterns in poems, chants, rhymes and songs (ACELT1592)

Create events and characters using different media that develop key
events and characters from literary texts (ACELT1593)

Innovate on familiar texts by experimenting with character, setting or plot (ACELT1833)

Australian Curriculum 3 – 4

Activity

Poetry. Discuss the love that Wolfy has for poetry. Discuss how Wolfy finds it easy to rhyme words, whereas Heidi Hood found it very tricky. Read a variety of books that use rhyme (e.g. books by authors such as Dr Seuss, Julia Donaldson, Lynley Dodd). Explore rhyming words with your class and create a chart of words that rhyme. Teach and rehearse a performance poem with your students (e.g. Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl or On the Ning Nang Nong). Perform to an audience when you are ready.

Using the theme of fairy tales, ask your students to create a short poem based on a story, or just one character from that story. They could work individually, or in pairs/small groups. You could choose to publish the poems in a class book, or use ICT skills to create a digital book or blog of your students’ work.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Year 3

Create texts that adapt language features and patterns encountered
in literary texts, for example characterisation, rhyme, rhythm, mood,
music, sound effects and dialogue (ACELT1791)

Use software including word processing programs with growing speed and efficiency to construct and edit texts featuring visual, print and audio elements (ACELY1685)

Year 4

Understand, interpret and experiment with a range of devices and
deliberate word play in poetry and other literary texts, for example
nonsense words, spoonerisms, neologisms and puns (ACELT1606)

Use a range of software including word processing programs to
construct, edit and publish written text, and select, edit and place
visual, print and audio elements (ACELY1697)

• Literacy
• ICT capability
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability

Pre-show Activities

Australian Curriculum F-2

Activity

What makes a good friend? Have a discussion about friends; what qualities do we look for in a friend? What can we do to be a good friend? What things should we avoid doing?

Sitting in a circle, hold a ball of string or yarn. Explain that together you will make a web of friendship with the string. Holding on tight to one end, roll the ball to one person in the circle and at the same time, tell them something that they do that makes them a good friend. That person should then hold the string tight, and roll the ball to someone else whilst telling them something that makes them a good friend. If everyone keeps hold of their piece of string, you should end up with a web-like creation, filled with verbal compliments about each other.

ACTIVITY NOTE

You could record or write down the compliments to create a visual display at a later date.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Typically, by the end of Foundation Year, students:

• Explore relationships through play and group experiences
• Identify positive ways to initiate, join and interrupt conversations with adults and peers
• Listen to others’ ideas, and recognise that others may see things differently from them

Typically, by the end of Year 2, students:

• Explore relationships through play and group experiences
• Identify positive ways to initiate, join and interrupt conversations with adults and peers
• Listen to others’ ideas, and recognise that others may see things differently from them.

Activity

Open up a discussion about fears and dislikes. What are some things the group is afraid of? Are there many common fears? What can you do to make yourself feel better when you’re afraid (cuddle a teddy bear, put the lights on etc.)

Create a list of real fears vs imagined fears. A real fear is the perception of physical or emotional danger. Imagined fear is an unjustified fear, such as a phobia or fear of monsters and ghosts. Create a list of coping strategies to help students when they experience either of these fears.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Typically, by the end of Foundation Year, students:

• Identify a range of emotions and describe situations that may evoke these emotions
• Identify their likes and dislikes, needs and wants, and explore what influences these.
• Express their emotions constructively in interactions with others

Typically, by the end of Year 2, students:

• Compare their emotional responses with those of their peers
• Identify and describe personal interests, skills and achievements and explain how these contribute to family and school life
• Reflect on what they have learnt about themselves from a range of experiences at home and school

Australian Curriculum 3 – 4

Activity

What makes a good friend? Have a discussion about friends; what qualities do we look for in a friend? What can we do to be a good friend? What things should we avoid doing? How can we act when we disagree with someone?

Sitting in a circle, hold a ball of string or yarn. Explain that we are going
to make a ‘web of friendship’ with the string. Holding on tight to one end, roll the ball to one person in the circle and at the same time, tell them something that they do that makes them a good friend, or something that they do that contributes positively to the class community. That person should then hold the string tight, and roll the ball to someone else whilst telling them something that makes them a good friend. If everyone keeps hold of their piece of string, you should end up with a web-like creation, filled with verbal compliments about each other.

ACTIVITY NOTE

You could record or write down the compliments to create a visual display at a later date.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Typically, by the end of Year 4, students

• Discuss the value of diverse perspectives and describe a point of view that is different from their own
• Describe factors that contribute to positive relationships, including with people at school and in their community
• Describe characteristics of cooperative behavior and identify evidence of these in group activities

• Literacy
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding

Post-show Activities

Australian Curriculum 3 – 4

Activity

Ask your students to write down a word or a phrase that defines the word ‘unique’. Share and discuss their answers. What made Wolfy unique? Is it always fun being unique?

Ask your students to plan and deliver a short presentation on what it means to be unique. They could use personal examples as well as famous people, or characters from stories. They could do this work individually, or in pairs. They could create a poster or computer presentation (PowerPoint, Prezi etc.) to accompany their talk.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Typically, by the end of Year 4, students

• Discuss the value of diverse perspectives and describe a point of view that is different from their own
• Describe factors that contribute to positive relationships, including with people at school and in their community
• Describe characteristics of cooperative behaviour and identify evidence of these in group activities

• Literacy
• ICT capability
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability

Pre-show Activities

Australian Curriculum F-2

Activity

Discuss non-fiction books. What are their features, and how do they differ from fiction books?

Using books and online search engines, gather information about wolves. What do they eat? Where do they live? What do they look like, and what do their young look like? How are they different from domesticated dogs?

Create a class information book about wolves, adding to it as you go.

ACTIVITY NOTE

See post-performance note on what to add after seeing the show.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Foundation Year

Living things have basic needs, including food and water (ACSSU002)

Share observations and ideas (ACSIS012)

Year 1

Living things have a variety of external features (ACSSU017)

Living things live in different places where their needs are met (ACSSU211)

Represent and communicate observations and ideas in a variety of ways (ACSIS029)

Year 2

Living things grow, change and have offspring similar to themselves (ACSSU030)

Represent and communicate observations and ideas in a variety of ways (ACSIS042)

Australian Curriculum 3 – 4

Activity

Discuss non-fiction books. What are their features, and how do they
differ from fiction books?

Using books and online search engines, gather information about wolves. What do they eat? Where do they live? What do they look like, and what do their young look like? How are they different from domesticated dogs?

Explore the life cycle and food chains of wolves. Watch this video
about the re-introduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park in the US. Create a class information book about wolves, adding to it as you go.

ACTIVITY NOTE

See post-performance note on what to add after seeing the show.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Year 3

Living things can be grouped on the basis of observable features and
can be distinguished from non-living things (ACSSU044)

Represent and communicate observations, ideas and findings using
formal and informal representations (ACSIS060)

Year 4

Living things have life cycles (ACSSU072)

Living things depend on each other and the environment to survive (ACSSU073)

Represent and communicate observations, ideas and findings using formal and informal representations (ACSIS071)

• Literacy
• ICT capability
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding

Post-show Activities

Australian Curriculum F-2

Activity

Revisit non-fiction books and their features. Add a page for Wolfy to the class info book, describing his differences to a typical wolf. Students could draw their own versions of Wolfy to add to the book.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Foundation Year

Living things have basic needs, including food and water (ACSSU002)

Share observations and ideas (ACSIS012)

Year 1

Living things have a variety of external features (ACSSU017)

Living things live in different places where their needs are
met (ACSSU211)

Represent and communicate observations and ideas in a variety of ways (ACSIS029)

Year 2

Living things grow, change and have offspring similar to
themselves (ACSSU030)

Represent and communicate observations and ideas in a variety of ways (ACSIS042)

Australian Curriculum 3 – 4

Activity

Re-visit non-fiction books and their features. Add a page for Wolfy to the class info book, describing his differences to a ‘typical’ wolf. Students could draw their own versions of Wolfy to add to the book.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Year 3

Living things can be grouped on the basis of observable features and
can be distinguished from non-living things (ACSSU044)

Represent and communicate observations, ideas and findings using
formal and informal representations (ACSIS060)

Year 4

Living things have life cycles (ACSSU072)

Living things depend on each other and the environment to survive
(ACSSU073)

Represent and communicate observations, ideas and findings using
formal and informal representations (ACSIS071)

• Literacy
• ICT capability
• Personal and social capability

Post-Show Activities

Australian Curriculum F-2

Activity

Staying safe. Open a discussion about the things we do to keep ourselves safe in public. What rules do we need to follow? Talk about going on an excursion, and how we know which people we can trust if we get lost
(police, people in uniforms with name badges at a museum etc.)

Ask your students if they would like a lolly and offer them one from a bag. See how they react. Now ask them to imagine that you are a stranger, or even worse: a wolf! How would they react? Why do we have rules about strangers (stranger danger)? How do these help keep us safe?

Role play a few situations where one student plays a child in need of
help and a few other students play roles such as a policeman, a stranger, and a teacher. Encourage discussions about what the child should do in each situation.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Foundation Year

Identify people and demonstrate protective behaviours and other
actions that help keep themselves safe and healthy (ACPPS003)

Years 1 – 2

Practise strategies they can use when they feel uncomfortable, unsafe
or need help with a task, problem or situation (ACPPS017)

• Literacy
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding

Post-show Activities

Australian Curriculum 3 – 4

Activity

Puppet making. Discuss the use of puppets in Big Bad Wolf. Explain to your students that they will be putting on a short puppet show to a younger year level based on friendship. Ask your students to design and create their own puppets, thinking about how to make them appealing to younger children. They will also need to think about how they wish to manipulate the puppets. They should then write and perform their play, and then evaluate their puppets afterwards.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Critique needs or opportunities for designing and explore and test
a variety of materials, components, tools and equipment and the
techniques needed to produce designed solutions (ACTDEP014)

Generate, develop, and communicate design ideas and decisions using appropriate technical terms and graphical representation techniques
(ACTDEP015)

Select and use materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques and use safe work practices to make designed solutions (ACTDEP016)

Plan a sequence of production steps when making designed solutions

• Literacy
• Numeracy
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability