ENRICHMENT GUIDE
WWW.FIRSTSTAGE.ORG
MARCH 25 – APRIL 14, 2011SCHOOL DATES
This project is supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Dear Teachers and Parents,
As part of our commitment to young people and educators in our community, First Stage
Children’s Theater provides families and school groups with opportunities to take part in programs
and performances designed to examine the different forms of bullying that occur in the school
community, while working further to promote respect and tolerance among classmates and teach
tactics in problem solving, positive conflict resolution, and overcoming obstacles. We are pleased
to have the opportunity to partner with your school district to aid in your anti-bullying efforts.
Enclosed in this enrichment guide is a range of materials and activities intended to help you
discover connections within the play through the curricula. It is our hope that you will use the
experience of attending the theater and seeing THE HUNDRED DRESSES with your students
as a teaching tool. As educators and parents, you know best the needs and abilities of your
students. Use this guide to best serve your children—pick and choose, or adapt, any of these
suggestions for discussions or activities. We encourage you to take advantage or the enclosed
student worksheets— please feel free to photocopy the sheets for your students, or the entire
guide for the benefit of other teachers.
Enjoy the show!
Julia MagnascoEducation Director(414)267-2971
Setting the Stagepreparing for the play
Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3About the Playwright . . . . . . . . .4About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . .4Recommended Reading . . . . . . . .5Pre-Show Questions . . . . . . . . . .5
For TeachersCurriculum connections before or after the play
SOCIAL STUDIESPolish Immigration to Americain the Early 1900s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61938: Life During the Great Depression, Leading up to World War II . . . . . . 7-8New Student Welcoming Plan . . . . .10
SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL WELLBEINGWhat Does Compassion Look Like . . .9The Peaceful Person . . . . . . . . . . . .12What Would You Do: Combating Bullying Situations . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
LANGUAGE ARTSThe Friendly Letter: Righting Wrongs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Curtain Call Post-Show Discussion Questions . . .14Who Said It? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Who Said It? (Answers) . . . . . . . . . .15
First Stage Policies• The use of recording equipment and cameras are not permitted during the performance.• Food, drink, candy and gum are not permitted during the performance.• Electronic devices are not permitted in the theater space.• Should a student become ill, suffer an injury or have another problem, please escort him or her out of the theater space.• In the unlikely event of a general emergency, the theater lights will go on and the stage manager will come on stage to inform the audience of the problem. Remain in your seats, visually locate the nearest exit and wait for the stage manager to guide your group from the theater.
Seating for people with disabilities: If you have special seating needs for any student(s) anddid not indicate your need when you ordered your tickets, please call our School SalesSpecialist at (414) 267-2962. Our knowledge of your needs will enable us to serve youbetter upon your arrival to the theater.
Inside the Guide A Note to Teachers and Parents
It is mid-September of 1938 in the small town of Boggins Heights, Connecticut and Peggy and her best friend are racing each other down the street. They taunt each other about Mr. Svenson coming to get them, a man that lives on the street that all the children fear. As they are playing, they hear the eerie sound of a wind instrument and blame it on a ghost that lives in Mr. Svenson’s house. They huddle together, enjoy-ing being scared, yet Maddie is not sure. Peggy tells Maddie of how her dad thinks Mr. Svenson is a crimi-nal and good for nothing. Maddie tries to defend him. Peggy races off to the bridge, leaving Maddie behind with the eerie noises, shutters banging, a creaky door. Peggy calls for her and, frightened, Maddie runs off to meet her. Just then, Wanda, a Polish immigrant holding a recorder, enters from the house watching Maddie leave.
One week later in the schoolyard fifth-grade classmates Willie, Jack, Peggy, Maddie and Cecile are playing. Willie is bragging about playing a prank on Mr. Svenson. They all listen attentively giggling at his antics. Willie then dares a reluctant Jack to steal his hat. Jack agrees and the boys shake on it. They run off. The girls begin to play four square. Wanda enters, unnoticed, and stands away from the kids by the wall. As the girls play and talk, Maddie is the only girl to notice Wanda, but she ignores her. The boys return, and as everyone rushes into the school, nobody takes notice to Wanda who is in plain view of all. She walks in the school alone.
In the classroom, the children’s teacher, Miss Mason, is continuing their social studies lesson. Cecile interrupts to ask Miss Mason about the drawing contest, something that all of the children are eagerly anticipating. Miss Mason explains the contest: the boys will draw motor boats, the girls dresses. Winners will be announced November 1 and they will receive a medal as a prize. Miss Mason continues the geography lesson, much to the dismay of the class. Students take turns reading aloud. It is Wanda’s turns and is clear that she is scared to read aloud. She reads with difficulty as Miss Mason kindly and gently helps her along. Willie continues reading next as Mr. Petronski, Wanda’s father enters the classroom. Wanda is embarrassed as her
father gives her the recorder she left at home. The kids giggle at the differ-ent sounding language. The children file out to go to the library. With all the kids gone, Wanda hugs her father and files out. Miss Mason stays back to compliment his son Jacob who has been helping out by cleaning the school.
At Maddie’s house, Maddie is stand-ing on a stool while her mother, Shelly, puts trim on a hand-me-down dress. Maddie asks her mom to hurry so that Peggy will not find out this secret. Just as Shelly cuts off the last thread, Peggy arrives. Peggy begins to talk about “ol’ man Svenson” and Shelly scolds her to mind their own
business and leave him alone. The girls leave for school.
Wanda and her brother, Jake enter the playground. She urges her brother to go ahead into the school; she wants to wait outside. Maddie and Peggy enter singing, passing by Wanda who is in her usual wall spot. Cecile enters wearing a beautiful crimson dress and is showered with compliments from her friends. No one acknowledges Wanda’s presence. As the girls talk about the pretty things they have, Wanda creeps quietly near the girls and softly reveal that she has a hundred dresses. This confuses the girls who begins to ask her questions in a very mean spirited way – they do not believe that the girl that wears the same dress everyday owns a hundred dresses. Peggy and Cecile burst into laugh-ter as Maddie looks away. Peggy continues to mock her and is joined by Cecile. Wanda at first enjoys the attention but soon realizes they are making fun of her. Maddie is some-how affected by this. The bell rings and kids file into school. Peggy and Maddie are the last ones in. Peggy suggests they ask her the next day about her dresses because it will be fun. They run into the school.
Two weeks later, Maddie is haunted by the “hundred dress-es game” that her friends play with Wanda. Shelly walks in on Maddie trying to write an essay for school. Maddie ques-tions her mother about the likelihood of someone having a hundred dresses. Shelley leaves, and leaves Maddie at the table. She tears out a piece of paper and begins to write a letter to Peggy asking her to stop the hundred dresses game. She drifts in a fantasy about standing up to Peggy
Setting the Stage: Synopsis
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and stopping the game. Her fantasy is interrupted when Shelly comes back and asks how her essay is going. Maddie is clearly still struggling with the importance of this situa-tion with Wanda.
On the playground, Peggy and the girls continue with their game; asking Wanda about her hundred dresses. Jack races in and says that he took the hat and the dog dish from Mr. Svenson. Peggy is outraged about the dog dish and demands he take it back. Willie enters, grabs the hat and plays keep away with it. Maddie eventually tosses it back to Jack. As Wanda slinks back to her wall spot, the kids (except Maddie) giggle and tease her. Jack tells the others he saw Wanda on Mr. Svenson’s porch. The bell rings and Jack and Cecile go inside. Peggy and Maddie are left with Wanda. Peggy continues asking about the dresses. Wanda waits for Maddie to say something, yet she says nothing. Maddie goes into the school, as Peggy follows she laughs as she smugly says, “Good bye, Wanda Pe-tron-ski.”
A week later in the classroom, the children are giving their reports. Peggy and Maddie burst in late. They sit down quickly in embarrassment. Maddie is distracted during the lesson and Miss Mason notices her lack of participation. Maddie is so focused on Wanda’s empty desk that she does not hear the recess bell. Miss Mason asks her help in hang-ing up the boy’s drawings. The room is soon transformed by all of the colorful drawings, particularly the hundred dresses. The students soon race back into the classroom and are mesmerized by the sight. Miss Mason enters and awards the winner of the contest, Wanda Petronski. While most students did one or two drawings, Wanda did a hun-dred. The kids genuinely applaud. Unfortunately, Wanda is not there to receive it. Jack receives the medal for his motor boat drawing. The girls look at Wanda’s drawings with genuine awe and admiration, pointing out their favor-ites. Willie returns to the classroom with a letter. The let-ter is from Wanda’s father, Mr. Petronski, and he explains that they are moving to the city where they will feel more welcomed. Miss Mason is upset and addresses the students about their thoughtlessness. The class sits quietly. Finally, Peggy suggests she and Maddie go to Wanda’s house to see if she’s still there.
The girls arrive at Wanda’s abandoned house. They are struck by the smallness of this basic one bedroom house. As they look around, Mr. Svenson surprises them in their quiet inquiry. Frightened, they try to run away, but Maddie slips and Mr. Svenson stands back from them. Peggy ques-tions him about the Petronski’s, but with an unintelligible grumble, the girls flee.
The following Saturday in the schoolyard, Maddie is remem-bering Wanda, standing by herself on the playground. Jack and Willie enter playing and teasing one another. When Peggy arrives, the two girls begin to write a letter to Wanda, telling her that she won the drawing contest and compli-menting her drawings. Maddie attempts to perfectly fold the letter before dropping it into the mailbox. The girls run off to meet their friends at the movie theatre.
As the movie begins, Maddie begins to imagine herself on the screen, giving a passionate speech about standing up for Wanda. Her reverie is interrupted by loud cartoon music. While Peggy is entertained by the cartoon, Maddie can’t stop thinking about Wanda.
Maddie becomes more anxious everyday she does not hear back from Wanda. She finally breaks down with her mother by her side and reveals the whole story to her. Maddie is worried that Wanda is too angry to write back and will never forgive them. As Shelly tries to comfort her, Maddie is overwhelmed by the fact that she didn’t do anything to help protect Wanda.
Jack is sneaking nervously around Mr. Svenson’s house. He hides as Maddie approaches. She and Jack have a bit of a standoff and Jacks leaves. Tentatively she creeps up to his porch and places a roled up piece of paper on his steps. Mr. Svenson appears and startles her. She apologizes that Jack took his hat and offers her drawing of his dog. They both remember the Petronski’s and share their mutual fondness for them. They sit together for a moment and then Maddie leaves.
Two weeks later in school, the class receives a letter from Wanda. Maddie becomes very still as Miss Mason reads the letter. In the letter, Wanda gives her drawings to the girls in the class. The boys begin to talk about another prank that they plan to pull on Mr. Svenson. As the others laugh, Maddie tries to stop them from making fun of him. Jack stays back as the others leave and gives Maddie back the dog dish he stole from Mr. Svenson.
Maddie and her mother enter, unbundling themselves from a cold walk. Maddie has just been telling Shelly about how Mr. Svenson is so nice. As Maddie sits down to do her homework, she drifts into another one of her daydreams. This time, Wanda is beautifully dressed and the girls are laughing and playing. Peggy enters carrying Maddie’s geog-raphy book. The girls take out the pictures that Wanda gave them and realize that the girls wearing the dresses look like them. Maddie still questions whether or not Wanda will ever forgive them.
Setting the Stage: Synopsis (Cont.)
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About the Playwright
About the Author
Taken from: http://www.dramaticpublishing.com/AuthorBio.php?titlelink=9920
Mary Hall SurfaceMary Hall Surface’s work has been featured at Seattle Children’s Theatre, Dallas
Children’s Theatre, Arizona’s Childsplay, Honolulu Theatre for Youth, as well as ten productions
at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. , in every region of the US, as well as in Ireland, France,
Peru, Germany, Italy and across Canada. An anthology of five of her plays, Most Valuable Player and
Four Other All-Star Plays for Middle and High School Audiences was published by Smith and Kraus.
She has been nominated for four Helen Hays Awards for Outstanding Direction -- for the Round House
Theatre’s TINTYPES (‘93), for TFA’s GRIMM TALES (‘00), SING DOWN THE MOON (‘01) and PERSEUS
BAYOU (‘02) (for which she recieved the award) and for the Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding
New Play for SING DOWN THE MOON, PERSEUS BAYOU and MISSISSIPPI PINOCCHIO (all three writ-
ten with composer David Maddox). A national leader in her field, she was the director of New Visions
2000: One Theatre World, a national festival of theatre for young people and families, co-produced
by the Kennedy Center and ASSITEJ/USA in May 2000. Her recent projects include A LIGHT IN THE
STORM, based on the book by Karen Hesse, which opened at the Kennedy Center in October 2001 and
THE ODYSSEY OF TELEMACA, her sixth collaboration with David Maddox, which premiered at
Theater of the First Amendment in June 2004.
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Estes
Eleanor EstesEleanor Estes (May 9, 1906 – July 15, 1988) was an American children’s author. She was born in
West Haven, Connecticut as Eleanor Ruth Rosenfield. She worked as a children’s librarian in New Haven, Connecticut, and New York. Estes’ writing career began following a case of tuberculosis. Bedridden
while recovering, Estes began writing down some of her childhood memories, which would later turn into full-length children’s books.
Estes attended the Pratt Institute Library School. She married William McGreal and they lived in New Hampshire. She later taught at the University of New Hampshire Writer’s Conference.
Estes’ book Ginger Pye (1951) won the Newbery Medal, and three of her other books (The Middle Moffat, Rufus M., and The Hundred Dresses) were chosen as Newbery Honor books. She also received the
Certificate of Award for Outstanding Contribution to Children’s Literature and was nominated for the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award. By the time of her death at age 82, Estes had written 19 children’s books
and one novel for adults.
Her papers are at the University of Southern Mississippi and University of Minnesota.
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1. In the play, THE HUNDRED DRESSES, a new girl in school is the target of bullying. Why do you think she is picked on? Have you ever noticed a situation at school where someone is being bullied?
2. Wanda is a Polish immigrant that moves into a small town in Connecticut. What challenges do you think that she and her family have before them?
3. Have you ever been new to a school? How did you feel on your first day? What was difficult? Was it easy to meet people and make friends? Or, have you ever had a new student in your class? How did you react; did you welcome them or were did you see others welcome them?
4. The girls at Wanda’s school are constantly competing over who has the prettiest and the most dresses. Is there something (clothes, shoes, cell phones) at your school where students try to outdo each other? How does it affect their actions or the way they treat each other? Are there students that don’t get involved with these social pressures? Why do you think they choose not to compete with others?
5. The story, THE HUNDRED DRESSES, was published in 1944, yet the story is still relevant today. How do you think the play will appeal to a modern audience? What do you expect to see in the design (set, costumes, props)?
Pre-Show Questions
Recommended Reading• The Moffats by Eleanor Estes
• The Middle Moffat by Eleanor Estes
• Rufus M. by Eleanor Estes
• The Moffat Museum by Eleanor Estes
• Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes
• The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson
• A Grain of Rice by Helena Clare Pittman
• The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh
• The Light at Tern Rock by Julia L. Saue
• A Day’s Work by Eve Bunting
• Say Something by Peggy Moss
• Nobody Knew What to Do: A Story about Bullying by Becky Ray McCain
• My Secret Bully by Trudy Ludwig
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Polish Immigration to America in the Early 1900sSOCIAL STUDIES CLASSROOM INFORMATION
Taken from: Polish Immigration to America from the 1800s to 1980s http://www.suite101.
com/content/polish-immigration-to-america-from-the-1800s-to-1980s-a243912#ixzz1CkIVeBy3
L ike many Eastern Europeans in the 19th century, Polish people were also looking for a better way of life. In Poland in the 1800s, the quality of life was quite poor for the average Pole. Usually, they worked on farms, making a very small sum of money. Children were raised to take over the farm after their parents were too old to work or after they died. The dream of opportunity in America beckoned many Poles to this new nation.
The first wave of Polish immigrants to the U.S. was from the late nineteenth century to World War I. At this time, Poland was not yet a country. Instead, the area was split between Prussia, Austria and Russia. So U.S. immigration registered them from these three countries. At the same
time, Polish Jews immigrated to America as well, as Hitler and the German forces began invading Eastern European countries and eliminating the Jewish population.
Polish people immigrated to cities such as New York and Chicago. They lived in filthy conditions, for example, many immigrants inhabited the slums on the Lower East Side of Manhattan at the time. They became laborers and worked long hours for little pay. However, it was more pay than they made back in their native Poland.
The second wave of immigration hit after World War II. The brutal war destroyed Poland and its population. Poland lost more citizens to the war than any other country, totaling six million victims. This second wave of Polish immigration was made up of political prisoners and dissidents and refugees from European camps. Many of these first generation immigrants took great pains to assimilate smoothly. They established them-selves as working class Americans with goals of moving upwards to the upper middle class. Poland was a distant memory.
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1938: Life During the Great Depression, Leading up to World War II
SOCIAL STUDIES/HISTORY CLASSROOM INFORMATIONTaken from: http://newdeal.feri.org/eleanor/er2a.htm, http://www.allabouthistory.org/life-during-the-great-depression.htm, http://www.thepeoplehistory.
com/1938.html, http://library.thinkquest.org/J002606/1930s.html, http://edhelper.com/ReadingComprehension_35_161.html
The Great DepressionThe decade of the 1930s saw the Great Depression in the United States and many other countries. During this decade large numbers of people lived in poverty, desperately in need of more food, clothing, and shelter. Unemployment rose from a shocking 5 million in 1930 to an almost unbelievable 13 million by the end of 1932. At the peak of the Depression, 25% of the nation’s workers -- one out of four -- were unemployed. No job meant no money to pay the mortgage or buy food and clothes for the family. For many people, life was a daily struggle. In 1930, 2.25 million boys and girls ages 10–18 worked in factories, canneries, mines, and on farms. Children left school to support their families.
Most characteristic of life during the Great Depression was the widening gap between the “haves” and “have-nots.” Yet even those who had jobs had a hard time. Some middle-class families managed to hold onto their homes by taking in boarders, bartering, and stretching every available dollar.
In 1938, following a number of years of success with the US economy a recession hit which caused unem-ployment to rise back to 19%.
How much things cost in 1938 • AverageCostofnewhouse:$3,900.00 • Averagewagesperyear:$1,730.00 • CostofagallonofGas:10cents • AverageCostforhouserent:$27.00permonth • AloafofBread:9cents • Alb.ofHamburgerMeat:13cents • AveragePricefornewcar:$763.00 • Blanket:$5.00 • LiptonsNoodleSoup:10Cents
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Schools in the 1930sIn the 1930s, not everybody went to school. Only those who were fortunate not to have to work or to help their parents were able to go to school. Elementary school generally included kindergarten through sixth grade and the school day went from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. with the kindergartners only going half-day. Everyone got to and from school, not by buses or cars, but by walking. At school the girls dressed in dresses or skirts with blouses. Boys dressed in shorts or knickers. Neither girls nor boys ever went in jeans! Subjects included math, English or spelling, art, civics and geography and sometimes sewing. Fieldtrips or any educational activities outside of the classroom generally did not happen in the elementary years.
Growing up in the 1930s—leisure activitiesTelevision was new at this time. The first TVs had one or two inch screens! They were very hard to see. Most peo-ple in the 1930s couldn’t buy a TV anyway. They were too poor.
Many children had to work. Newsboys sold papers. Other kids picked fruit on big farms. Some sold things door-to-door. Most kids gave their money to their parents. It was needed to buy food. Some kids could keep a little money to go to the movies. Then, a child’s ticket cost ten cents. Snow White wasthefirstcartoonmovieevermade.Itcameoutin1937andwasahugesuccess.The Wizard of Oz was another favorite. Radio was also new in the ‘30s. Many homes had radio sets. People listened to shows that were a little like books on tape. Actors read the parts. Sound effects made the stories exciting. The Lone Ranger was a very popular children’s show. The Green Hornet and The Shadow were also well-liked shows.
1938: Life During the Great Depression, Leading up to World War II
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What Does Compassion Look Like?SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL WELLBEING CLASSROOM ACTIVITY
Taken from: http://www.seedsofcompassion.net/why/curriculum/3-5%20Compassion%20Lessons.pdf
Activity1. Select five to eight images from magazines or the newspaper that show compassion in action. a. Examples: •Actsofkindnessandcaring. •Actsofhelpingothers. •Actsofempathy. •Actsofreachingouttoothers.
2. Guide class discussion about what they see and what all the images have in common. 3. Continue by engaging students in a discussion about compassion to determine their pre-existing knowledge on the subject. a. Add your own definition to the examples given below: •Compassionisanunderstandingofhowanotherpersonfeels. •Compassioniscaringaboutothers. •Compassionisshowingconcernthroughkindthoughts, words and actions. •Compassionishelpingandgiving. •Compassionis listeningandbeingpatient. •Compassionisaresponsetosuffering.
4. Next, ask students: Where do we see compassion in our school? What does it look like? Feel like? Sound like? a. Take two to three suggestions from students. Encourage them to describe acts of compassion in specific behavior terms. Examples: •Kids includingotherswhoare leftoutoftheirgameontheplayground. •Thenursehelpingahurtchild. •Theprincipalmakingsurethatanewstudentfeelswelcome. •Theteacherhelpingastudentatrecesswhoisstruggling.
5. Divide students into groups of three. Give groups 10 minutes to think of an example of “what compassion looks like.” Instruct each group to plan a way to share their example with the class by acting it out, writing a poem, describing it in words, drawing a picture, singing a song, etc.
6. Have groups share as time allows.
7. SetasidesomespaceonthebulletinboardwiththethemeofCompassion.Splitthebulletinboardinto three sections: a. What does compassion look like (behaviors)? b. What does compassion sound like (words)? c. What does compassion feel like (emotions)?
8. Encourage students to continue to add examples to the board. Encourage students to continue to notice acts of compassion and to add them to the class bulletin board.
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New Student Welcoming PlanSOCIAL STUDIES CLASSROOM ACTIVITY
Taken from: http://www.bu.edu/education/caec/files/elemlesson2.htm
Activity
Discuss with students the problems faced by Wanda as a new student in her school. Continue by asking the students what challenges they think new students may face in their school. If there are students in the class who once were the “new kid” at the school, allow them to share their challenges, if they are willing.
Share with students that together the class is going to create a New Student Welcoming Plan for the school to use whenever a new student comes to the school.
The plan should involve the formulation of an action strategy to ensure that any new students are immediately involved in school and classroom activities. Brainstorm with students what sorts of materials and/or activities should be included in the kit, such as an introductory letter, a classroom or school handbook, a student profile booklet, a class “our favorite things” list, etc.
Split the class into small groups and assign each group a different kit idea to create. Provide students with computer or internet access, if needed, and make school documents available for students to look at or gather information from. Assist groups as needed.
Once the original Kit is complete, help the students make copies of the materials. Students can then pass out the New Student Welcoming Plan kit to the other teachers and administrators at the school. As they pass them out, have the stu-dents share what is in the kit and explain to the teachers how they are intended to be used.
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The Friendly Letter: Righting WrongsLANGUAGE ARTS CLASSROOM ACTIVITYTaken from: http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/68936.aspx
ActivityAsk your students if they can think of someone they have hurt by words or actions. It could be a friend,
classmate, a parent or other family member. Then ask them to write a letter to this person using the friendly
letter format: date (upper right hand corner); greeting (two lines down from the date, left hand side,
Dear _______________,); body (indent paragraphs); closing (two lines down from body on right hand side);
your name (below the closing). The letter should imply an apology for their actions, and can also share
reasons why they respect or are grateful to have this person in their lives. Allow students to choose to mail
the letter or to simply keep it to themselves. If they do choose to send the letter, help them mail it by
providing envelopes and stamps.
Peggy and Maddie became concerned when Wanda did not come to school for a few days. They walked to Wanda’s house and discovered that it was empty. Remorse filled them because
they teased the girl so much. Maddie especially suffered because she just went along with the teasing even though she knew it was wrong. After a sleepless night, Maddie vowed that,
“I am never going to stand by and say nothing again.”
Peggy and Maddie decide to write a cheery letter to Wanda. They don’t apologize but it is implied in the letter. They mail it to her old address, asking that it be
forwarded to the new address.
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PLAYING FOR EMPATHY: These activities are intended to increase understanding and
awareness of empathy and inclusion.Musical Chairs: Use this old favorite to raise issues of inclusion and exclusion. First, play the traditional way. When the game is over, explain that you’d like to try a different version — this time the object is to make sure no one is excluded. If everyone has a place to sit, the group wins. If anyone is without a place to sit, the group loses. When playing, eliminate a chair, but not a child, every time the music stops. Students will need to figure out creative ways to pile everyone on one chair. Afterward, discuss the difference in the two experiences: How did it feel to sit on the sidelines? Have there been other times you’ve been on the sidelines while other children played? How did it feel? Can you think of other games you could redesign this way?
The Tight Hands Game: This game gives children a metaphor for discussing inclusion and exclusion. Begin by explaining that the class will act as if it is excluding someone. Have students hold hands in a circle. One child volunteer, the outsider, tries to get into the circle through spaces between people, while everyone else tries to keep him or her out. Caution children to be gentle when blocking the outsider. When the outsid-er gets into the circle, stop the game and ask for another volunteer. As a variation you can have two or three outsiders at one time. After playing several rounds, ask: What did it feel like to be an outsider? Did anyone want to let the outsiders inside the circle? Did you let them slip in? Why or why not? Have you ever felt like an outsider in school? When?
Books That Bind: There are many children’s books that address the pain of exclusion and the benefits of inclusion. For younger children, try Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow, 1991) and Oliver Button Is a SissybyTomiedePaola(HarcourtBrace,1979).ThethemesareexploredforolderchildreninThe Hundred DressesbyEleanorEstes(HarcourtBrace,1974)andThank You, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Eleanora Tate (Bantam, 1992). For your own reading, Vivian Gussin Paley’s You Can’t Say You Can’t Play (Harvard University Press, 1992) is a thought-provoking account of a teacher’s attempt to deal with exclusion in her classroom.
The Peaceful PersonSOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL WELLBEING CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
Taken from: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4113&FullBreadCrumb=%3Ca+href%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww2.scholastic.com%2Fbrowse%2Fsearch%2F%3FNtx%3Dmode%2Bmatchallpartial%26_N%3Dfff%26Ntk%3DSCHL30_SI%26query%3Dhundred%2520dresses%26Nr%3DOR%28Resource_Type%3ALesson%2520Plan%2CResource_Type%3AInformal%2520Lesson%2520Article%2CResource_Type%3AUnit%2
520Plan%29%26N%3D0%26Ntt%3Dhundred%2Bdresses%22+class%3D%22endecaAll%22%3EAll+Results%3C%2Fa%3E
To help students understand what makes a peaceable person, have a volunteer lie down on a 4-by-7-footsheetofmuralpaperandaskclassmatestotracehisorherbody.Thenasktheclasswhat
behaviors, attitudes, and actions they think contribute to a climate of caring in the classroom. Have students take turns writing these positive attributes inside the outline of the peaceable person. As the students write down their thoughts, ask them to give examples of what they mean by
helpful, courteous, and so on.
Now have the group write outside of the outline all of the negative behaviors, attitudes, and actions that they don’t want as part of the class. Finally, ask students if they can agree to use the attributes of the peaceable person to guide their behavior. Post the peaceable person as a visual contract for you and your students. Whenever a positive or negative behavior occurs, students
can point it out on the outline.
Editor’s Note: The previous activity is adapted from Youth Leadership inAction by Project Adventure.
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What Would You Do: Combating Bullying Situations
STUDENT WORKSHEETTaken from: http://www2.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/h/Hundred%20Dresses_What%20Would%20They%20Do.pdf
Directions:
Read the scenario below and decide what you would do if you were in the situation. A new kid has moved to your school. Chris is shy and keeps to herself. Many of the other kids in school think she is snobby because she doesn’t talk to anyone. You are having a birthday party and you are thinking of inviting her because you don’t want anyone to feel left out. However, some of your friends said they won’t come if you invite the new kid. What do you do?
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What do you think Maddie from The Hundred Dresses could have done if she had been in this situation and Wanda was the new kid?
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Bullying occurs in classrooms, on playgrounds and in homes all over the world—and bullying is harmful to not only the victims, but also those who witness the bullying actions. Bullying makes us feel helpless and fearful.
Many times people who are bullied are often singled out because of a perceived difference between them and others, whether because of appearance (size, weight, or clothes), intellect, or, increasingly, ethnic or religious affiliation and sexual orientation.
In The Hundred Dresses, Wanda Petronski is teased by some of the girls in her class because she has a funny name and wears the same blue dress to school every day. Although some of the other kids witness this bul-lying, they don’t say anything to stop it because they are scared they might become the next victim. Wanda continues getting teased until one day she is gone. Once Wanda is gone, Maddie feels terrible that she did not do anything to stop the bullying and make things better for Wanda.
The definition of courage is: The ability to face and endure what is dangerous, difficult, or painful; the habit of overcoming fears by facing them rather than avoiding them. A classical definition of courage is knowing what is to be feared and what is not to be feared. Consider how courage is related to bullying. What fears must be overcome to stop bullying actions from occurring?
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1. Wanda said that she had a hundred dresses in her closet. Was she lying? Why or why not?
2. The kids constantly heckled Mr. Svenson amongst each other. Why was he a target of their pranks? Was anything they said about him true? How do you think these actions affected him?
3. Maddie tried to get the girls to stop playing “the hundred dresses game” at school. Why do you think Maddie didn’t take a more active role in stopping it?
4. Did Peggy and Maddie do the right thing by writing the friendly letter to Wanda? Did the girls offer an apology? Why did Maddie feel so sad still after sending it to Wanda?
5. At the end of the play, Maddie vowed never to stand by and do nothing. Do you think most people stand by and do nothing? Think of a time when you noticed someone being teased. What did you do? What did the people around you do? What could you do in order to stand up for someone.
Post-Show Questions
1. Maddie picked the music. It’s by Chopin.
2. Willie Bounce, I have eyes in the back of my head.
3. My father says he’s good for nothing. That’s as good as being a criminal.
4. He didn’t have a chance. I lit out of there faster than you can say Dick Tracy.
5. Bet you my new Buck Rogers comic book that I’ll come back with that hat.
6. Our president knows that while these are hard times, we must not be fearful. We must believe in our nation- a land of freedom and opportunity.
7. Heworkhard.Weworkhard.
8. When can I get a real new dress? Not a hand-me-down.
9. You children mind your own business and let Mr. Svenson mind his.
10. Suit yourself. Kick the mud off your shoes before you come in. I sweep the floors remember?
11. I got a hundred dresses.
12. Then please, Princess Wanda of the Hundred Dresses, do go ahead of us into our humble school.
13. I risk my life taking Old Man Svenson’s hat and he’s not here!
14. I can’t wait till Friday to find out who wins!
15. Congratulations. May you always set your sites as high as a skyscraper.
16. It looks like real lace. How’d she do that?
17. IsliddownBarleyHillwhenIwasagirl.Didyouhavefun?
18. We’ll slap yellow paint all over his steps and be out there before he knows what hit him.
19. I never did anything.
20. Wanda liked my cat.
Who Said It?
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Who Said It? Answers
1. Maddie picked the music. It’s by Chopin. CECILE
2. Willie Bounce, I have eyes in the back of my head. MISS MASON
3. My father says he’s good for nothing. That’s as good as being a criminal. PEGGY
4. He didn’t have a chance. I lit out of there faster than you can say Dick Tracy. WILLIE
5. Bet you my new Buck Rogers comic book that I’ll come back with that hat. JACK
6. Our president knows that while these are hard times, we must not be fearful. We must believe in our nation- a land of
freedom and opportunity. MISS MASON
7. Heworkhard.Weworkhard.MR.PETRONSKI
8. When can I get a real new dress? Not a hand-me-down. MADDIE
9. You children mind your own business and let Mr. Svenson mind his. SHELLY
10. Suit yourself. Kick the mud off your shoes before you come in. I sweep the floors remember? JAKE
11. I got a hundred dresses. WANDA
12. Then please, Princess Wanda of the Hundred Dresses, do go ahead of us into our humble school. PEGGY
13. I risk my life taking Old Man Svenson’s hat and he’s not here! JACK
14. I can’t wait till Friday to find out who wins! CECILE
15. Congratulations. May you always set your sites as high as a skyscraper. MISS MASON
16. It looks like real lace. How’d she do that? PEGGY
17. IsliddownBarleyHillwhenIwasagirl.Didyouhavefun?SHELLY
18. We’ll slap yellow paint all over his steps and be out there before he knows what hit him. WILLIE
19. I never did anything. MADDIE
20. Wanda liked my cat. MR. SVENSON
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