STUDY GUIDEGRADES K-2 ASSEMBLY

For more information on this production, including Crosswalk of Common Core Instructional Shifts and a downloadable

Activity Page, please visit our website:www.MGReducation.com

Merry-Go-Round PlayhouseLisa Chase, Artistic Director • Erin Katzker, Educational Theatre Manager

17 William St. • 2nd Floor Auburn, New York 13021 Phone: (315) 255-1305 Fax (315) 252-3815

Email: youthmgr@merry-go-round.comwww.MGReducation.com

Additional Resources Websites www.charactercounts.org/program-overview/six-pillars/ — Information about Character Counts, a program to help instill a positive learning environment for students and a “culture of kindness,” making schools a safe environment for students to learn. www.dramaticpublishing.com/AuthorBio.php?titlelink=9660 – Information about the author, Kathryn Schultz Miller, and her other published plays.

Books with Similar Themes Andreae, Giles. Giraffes Can’t Dance. Gardners Books. 2001.

Saltzberg, Barney. Beautiful Oops! Workman Publishing Company. 2010.

Student Learning Objectives - I Think I Can 60 minute performance Students Will Be Able To (SWBAT): • Identify examples of character attributes, such as caring and trustworthiness • Differentiate between kind behaviors and unkind behaviors • Practice proper audience etiquette • Evaluate character attributes of the characters in the play by applying principles of character education • Create elements of the show, such as the sea, wind, and ensemble roles

NYS Learning Standards met with I Think I Can The Arts • Standard 1: Creating, Performing and Participating in the Arts • Standard 2: Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources • Standard 3: Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art • Standard 4: Understanding the Cultural Dimensions and Contributions of the Arts English Language Arts • Standard 1: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding • Standard 2: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression • Standard 3: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation • Standard 4: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction

Activities Pre-Performance 1. I Think I Can is a story of how a young girl named Becky conquers her fears and learns to believe in herself. At the beginning of the play, Becky doesn’t think she can do anything, because she doesn’t realize she has great qualities that will help her accomplish anything she puts her mind to. Think about your great qualities. Describe yourself using the letters in your first name as the first letters in each of your great qualities. For example, Becky‘s List of Great Qualities might be: Brave, Enthusiastic, Caring, Kind, and Youthful.

2. In our story, Becky tries several new things that are hard for her at first. Think about a time you did something that was difficult for you. Draw three pictures of that situation: 1) the beginning, 2) the middle, and 3) the end of the story. Using your pictures as a guide, tell your classmates the story. Make sure you tell them where you were, what you were doing, and how it ended up!

Post-Performance 1. Becky spends most of the story trying to decide what she wants to be when she grows up. What is your dream job, and why? Draw a picture of yourself doing this job. Remember, just like Becky, it’s okay if you don’t know what you want to be yet! Just draw a picture of a job you might like to try one day!

2. Professor, Becky’s house cat, also serves as her personal advisor, helping her with difficult homework assignments and giving her encouragement and confidence. Do you know anyone like Professor, who encourages you to always try your best? Write a letter to this person thanking them for their advice and encouragement. Include what you would say to this person if they needed you to help boost their confidence.

3. In our story, Becky is elected President of the World! What would you do if you were President of the World? Work with a classmate to create a world with you as the President. What is this world called? What holidays do people celebrate? What would kids learn in school? When would people go to bed? What would people eat? Present to your class about what a typical day would be like in your world. You can draw pictures, make a collage, write a story—whatever you want! Be creative!

By Kathryn Schultz Miller & Barry MillerMusic by Bruce Bowden

Summary: Tomorrow, nine-year-old Becky Watkins has to stand in front of her entire class and give a speech about what she wants to be when she grows up. But Becky has a problem: she has an acute case of “I-don’t-think-I-can-do-it-itis.” Becky’s lack of confidence leads her to believe she will never be good at anything, so she can’t possibly go to school the next day and give the speech—especially in front of the mean kids, Bobby McDonald and Ellen Peters, who will surely laugh at her.

Luckily, Professor, Becky’s house cat and personal advisor, has a plan to help Becky develop her self-confidence. With the help of Professor’s singing assistants, Bugsy and Schmuggles, Becky and the audience are lead on a magical adventure to discover exciting occupations. Becky tries her hand at being a Fire Chief, a Zookeeper, and is even elected President of the World! Students are fully engaged in the production, creating sound effects, answering questions, and helping Becky cure her “I-don’t-think-I-can-do-it-itis.” Becky, Professor, Bugsy, and Schmuggles sing and dance their way through this interactive performance that is sure to remedy any cases of “I-don’t-think-I-can-do-it-itis” onstage and off!

Meet The Characters: Becky Watkins: Becky is a nine-year-old girl with a serious case of “I-don’t-think-I-can-do-it-itis.” Becky is smart and kind, but has very little confidence in herself. She will need the help of her friends, Professor, Bugsy, and Schmuggles, as well as the audience, if she is to deliver a speech to her whole class about what she wants to be when she grows up.

Professor: Becky’s house cat and personal advisor, who has the unique ability to stop time and transport Becky to different locations. Professor holds a PhD from Cambridge Catnip College in Child Psychology, Magicology, and I-think-I-can-ism and has made it a personal mission to cure Becky’s “I-don’t-think-I-can-do-it-itis.”

Bugsy and Schmuggles: Professor’s two assistants. While very goofy and occasionally misguided, Bugsy and Schmuggles are lovable characters who believe in Becky from the beginning and work very hard to help increase her self-confidence. They interact with the audience at different points during the show and assist Professor by portraying several different characters in the story. During the play, Bugsy portrays a table, Fireman Beesley, an animal in the zoo, and Bobby McDonald. Schmuggles portrays a mirror, Mrs. Willoughby, an animal in the zoo, and Ellen Peters.

Use Of Music In This ProductionUsually, when Merry-Go-Round comes to your school, you see a play, which is a piece of theatre that primarily uses dialogue to tell the story. I Think I Can is a musical, meaning we will use song and dance, as well as talking, to help tell the story. The songs you will hear are called: “You Can be an Astronaut,” “What Makes a Hippopotamus Smile,” “If I’m Elected,” and the title number, “I Think I Can.” Students should feel free to sing and dance along from their seats—we are happy to have everyone help us make a musical!

Pillars of Good Character in this Performance

As Becky learns what it’s like to have different jobs, she realizes that being a grown-up and having a job means taking on more responsibility. As President of the World, Becky has a lot of responsibility, but she knows she can do anything if she has confidence in herself!

Even though Bobby McDonald and Ellen Peters laugh at Becky and are mean to her, she is never mean to them. Becky always uses the Golden Rule and respects others and their feelings.

Becky gives a speech and sings a song about what she will do if she is elected President of the World. In her speech, Becky promises to be a fair President, keeping piggy banks filled with money and serving an ice cream treat once a week!

Professor cares a lot about Becky and wants her to be happy with who she is and what she does. Professor, Bugsy, and Schmuggles help Becky discover that she can do and be anything she wants if she sets her mind to it.

When we exhibit good citizenship, we contribute positively to our community. At the beginning of the story, Becky doesn’t think she can contribute anything, but she learns by the end that she can be a good citizen just by being herself and being confident!

When Becky runs for President of the World, Schmuggles and Bugsy tell us she will do all sorts of things as President, like make comic books free and ban arithmetic. Becky scolds them for lying and proclaims she will be a trustworthy President and never make promises she can’t keep.

Find your self-confidence!Confidence is the feeling or belief that you can do something well. When we meet Becky, she doesn’t have a lot of confidence, because she doesn’t believe in herself. Ask your students if they can think of a time when they were nervous to try something, because they didn’t know if they would be able to do it. What helped them in these situations? During the performance, Becky will need the audience’s help boosting her confidence. How might we convince Becky to have confidence and believe in herself?

Glossary Peculiar: strange, odd, unusual. “Peculiar creatures, don’t you agree?”

Felis Domesticus: the scientific name for a house cat. “You see, I am a Felis Domesticus, what the uneducated call a house cat.”

Psychology: the study of the mind and behavior. “What did I study there? The arts of child psychology…”

Humility: not thinking you are better than other people. “…as for your shyness, that is not such a bad trait. It shows that you have humility and honesty.”

Disposition: your mood or the way you tend to behave. “…you really don’t look much different from most other little girls. Except for that frown and pouting disposition.”

Wits: the ability to think in a way that is clever or funny. “I can see this isn’t exactly going to be a battle of the wits.”

Theory: An idea that is possibly true, but is not yet proven to be true. “My educated guess and my professional theory is this: The stakes simply were not high enough.”

Prestigious: respected and admired due to being very important. “I had something a little more prestigious in mind. We’re going to make our little Becky Watkins…President of the World!”

Responsibility

Fairness

Caring

Citizenship

Respect

Trustworthiness