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plays and activities for middle school

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Musical plays make teaching core curriculum subjects more effective . . .And Bad Wolf makes it easy, memorable and fun. 

We offer musical plays as a way to bring music, theater and art into all classrooms. Don’t worry... no musical or theatrical experience is required.

These easy musical activities can be done as complete plays, skits, read-aloud,or you can just sing the songs.  No matter how you teach it, it's guaranteed to enhance your curriculum!

Learn more about Bad Wolf Press.

LANGUAGE ARTS

America's Tallest Tales

AmerTallest.jpg (19106 bytes)      Grades 3-7  30 minutes

Paul Bunyan, with the help of Bess Call, the strong-armed, cattle-friendly heroine of the
Andirondacks, is crisscrossing America in search of his missing companion.  In the course
of their adventures Paul and Bess run into John Henry, Alfred Bulltop Stormalong, and a
host of other stars of America's Tallest Tales.

More information here

 

The Case of the Missing Paragraph
Bad Wolf's Guide to Composition

MisssingParagraph.jpg (155023 bytes)       Grades 3-7   35 minutes

It was a sweltering afternoon when she knocked on the door.  She was looking for a
detective.  Someone to find her paragraph.  It was missing.  She'd come to the right place:
The Expository Detective Agency.  It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.In our
new guide to writing techniques, students will have a great time working through the
mystery as they review the basic elements of narrative and expository composition.

More information here

 

Little Red Riding Hood
(A Fractured Version for Older Students)

little_red.jpg (18050 bytes)      Grades 2-6   25 minutes

Does your class find traditional folk tales a bit too, well, traditional?  Then our "fractured"
version of Little Red Riding Hood may be just what you're looking for!  The Wolf needs
some ketchup, Granny is a math whiz, and Little Red learns how to do the Acorn Dance with
an odd band of Squirrels.

More information here

 

Macbeth, The Musical Comedy

Macbeth.jpg (16275 bytes)      Grades 6-9   35 minutes

You've read the famous story of greed, guilt, and gore in Scotland - but do you know the
catchy tunes?  Our Macbeth, a tad confused, keeps spouting lines from Hamlet (much to the
annoynance of the other characters), Lady Macbeth is obsessed with dry-cleaning the castle
drapes, and King Duncan boasts that he invented plaid.

More information here

 

Pirates from Grammar Island

pirates.jpg (25245 bytes)      Grades 3-6   25 minutes

Pirates is a great way to energize your Language Arts curriculum.  Your students will love
instead of hate antonyms.  No more confusing or confounding synonyms.  How can they
ever fail again to identify interrogative sentences?  Pirates from Grammar Island will even
help them learn to capitalize things like, well, the titles of musical plays!

More information here

 

Shakespeare Unshackled
(or everything you wanted to know about Shakespeare but were afraid would
show up on the quiz)

Shakespeare.jpg (20747 bytes)      Grades 5-9+   35 minutes

Want a fun and funny musical introduction to the background of Shakespeare's plays?  This
show touches on many cool aspects of Elizabethan theater, and contains fractured scenes from
Othello, Romeo and Juliet, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.  Topics include: 
Shakespeare's life, the nature of theatrical productions (actors, staging, audience, especially
as regards to the Old Globe Theater), acting companies and patronage, Elizabethan and
Jacobean London, the language of the plays.

More information here

 

Theseus and the Minotaur

theseus.jpg (17961 bytes)      Grades 4-8   30 - 40 minutes

The Cretan Minotaur - half man, half bull - has been devouring so many Athenians that it's
getting impossible to organize a softball game.  Can the young prince Theseus, son of
Poseidon, save the day?  Theseus and the Minotaur has been developed to work closely
with your ancient history curriculum.

More information here

 

CHARACTER EDUCATION

Bullies Anonymous

bullies.jpg (21495 bytes)      Grades 3-7   30 minutes

It's the weekly meeting of Bullies Anonymous, and bullies (and ex-bullies) from all over are
sharing their stories.  Well, when they're not trying to bully their way out of it!   Between the
silly jokes, students will learn serious lessons about different kinds of bullying, what makes a
bully (and what happens to them), and how to deal with bullying at school.

More information here

 

Dude, Where's My Lungs?

Dude.jpg (16234 bytes)     Grades 4-9   20 minutes

We're proud to present an anti-smoking musical play that takes a Bad Wolfian approach
(you know---fun songs, silly dialogue, bad jokes) to a serious topic. The show is designed to
raise questions for discussion that can help lead students to make wise choices.Dude,
Where's My Lungs?
uses information from a variety of research and advocacy groups,
including the American Cancer Society and the University of California, Irvine,
Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center.

More information here

 

HISTORY AND SOCIAL STUDIES

  Hatshepsut, Queen of Denial

 

                                   Grades 4-8  30 minutes

It's early in the New Kingdom and something strange is happening in the land of
the Nile. Egypt has a female pharaoh!

Our new show follows Hatshepsut through her two decades as pharoah, culminating
in the building of her magnificent mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri )and the mysterious
efforts after her death to remove her from Egyptian records).

No mummy's curse here, just a great opportunity for students to unwrap the nature
of Egyptian art and architecure, trade, family life, the role of women, and the nature of kingship.

Writte specifically to align with 6th grade social studies standards, Hatshepsut promises
to bring the dead to life in your classroom.

More information here

 

13 Colonies
A musical Play for Kids about Early American History, (sort of)


13.jpg (16944 bytes)        Grades 3-8  30 minutes

Hosted by George and Martha Washington, our musical review of early American History
covers the period from before the arrival of the Europeans through the signing of the Bill of
Rights.  This is the show that will have your kids eating American History for breakfast.

More information here

 

The American Revolution: 1763 - 1789

am_rev.jpg (17934 bytes)      Grades 3-8   40-50 minutes

Betsy Ross  a bit prone to exaggeration  tells her grandkids how the colonies became a
nation.  From the French and Indian War to the election of George Washington as the first
president.  The American Revolution gives students the chance to sing their way through the
most exciting period in our nation's formation.

More information here

 

California Missions And More!

calif_missions.jpg (20376 bytes)      Grades 2-6   25 minutes

We're in Hollywood, watching the filming of the next great epic movie, California Missions.
The director will spare no expense she wants a life-size mission built out of sugar cubes.
In this "show within a show," students take the audience on a tour of early California up
to statehood.

More information here

 

Gold Dust or Bust

gold_dust.jpg (11318 bytes)      Grades 2-6   30 minutes

Our musical review presents the highlights of the great stampede of forty-niners to the
California goldfields.  From Sutter's Mill to Mad Mule Gulch, Sacramento to Fiddletown,
the land's gone nuts with Gold Fever.  So whether you set your wagon on the Overland
Trail, sail around Cape Horn, or wade across the swamps of Panama, Gold Dust or Bust
is designed to fit directly into your U.S. and California history curriculum.

More information here

 

Great Americans of the Twentieth Century

great_american.jpg (60200 bytes)      Grades 3-8   30 minutes

It's the greatest awards show ever seen on TV, for the greatest Americans of the 20th century! 
Statesmen, artists, athletes, musicians, scientists, and many more are honored in a prime-time
presentation (complete with commercials).  Students are introduced to many of the major
figures in modern American history in a fun and tuneful show.

More information here

 

The Incredible Westward Movement

Westward.jpg (18559 bytes)      Grades 2-7   25 minutes

Delivery boys and girls race across the country trying to deliver packages to Americans who
keep "movin' West."  We meet familiar friends (e.g. Daniel Boone, Lewis and Clark and
Sacagawea) and make new ones (e.g. 49ers, Prairie Children).  Your unit on the
Westward movement will come to life as never before.

More information here

 

The Texans: Birth of the Lone Star State

texans.jpg (16164 bytes)      Grades 2-6   25 minutes

Our review of early Texas history covers from the arrival of the European explorers through
annexation in 1845.  Stephen Austin, Sam Houston, Susannah Dickerson, and Jose Antonio
Navarro are just some of the colorful characters in this amazing story.  From Moses Austin's
Promised Land to the rise of cotton and cattle, The Texans is a tuneful exploration of the
birth of the 28th state.

More information here

 

The U.S. Constitution:  Revivor Philadelphia

us_const.jpg (19272 bytes)      Grades 4-8  35 minutes

Watch the exciting hit reality show, Revivor as it takes on its most challenging venue yet:
Philadelphia.  The contestants are the actual writers and framers of the Constitution, duking
it out to be the last Founding Father standing.  After doing this play, your students will have
learned just about everything there is to know about the Constitution!

More information here

 

"U.S. Geography"
An Extraterrestrial Safari through States, Capitals, and Natural Features

us_geog.jpg (16193 bytes)      Grades 2-6   35 minutes

Aliens have decided to settle down in the United States but where's the best place to make
their home?  They take a grand tour through the land, learning about the major geographical
features that influenced exploration. U.S. Geography is a great complement to the study of
U.S. history, geography, the Westward movement, immigration, and aliens.

More information here

 

U.S. Presidents: Washington to Lincoln

Presidents.jpg (15569 bytes)      Grades 3-8   35 minutes

A fifth-grade class is visiting a museum of American history, and boy are they in for a surprise:
the actual presidents are there to greet them!  U.S. Presidents introduces students to the first
sixteen presidents of the country, from George Washington to Abraham Lincoln.

More information here

 

SCIENCE

The Environmental Show
(Stuff You Can Do to Help the Environment)

environmental.jpg (151135 bytes)      Grades 3-6   35 minutes

It's the night before the rock band's last-chance gig---and their old tour bus has broken
down. As they set up a sloppy camp, strange creatures emerge from the woods. Did we
say strange? Enchanted is more like it: plastic bottles, banana skins, light bulbs, and even
a rusted SUV come to life, and they can sing! They've got some great advice for the
rockers on how to change their behavior, save the band, and help the environment.

The Environmental Show teaches students simple things they can do to cut down on
pollution, save water, use less energy, and avoid the landfill.

More information here

Geology ROCKS!

geology.jpg (18245 bytes)      Grades 2-6  25 minutes

Professor Rock as vanished, and it's up to his geology students to find him.  With a little help
from Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, hey set out to find their beloved teacher.   Students
sing about the layers of earth, erosion, plate tectonics, the rock cycle, and energy sources.
Geology ROCKS! is designed specifically to supplement the study of the composition and
changing nature of the earth.

More information here

It's Electrifying!

electrifying.jpg (22920 bytes)      Grades 2-6   30 minutes

This is Bad Wolf's shocking story about the nature and uses of electricity.  From the
production of sparks by rubbing amber, through Leiden jars and voltaic piles, to
electromagnets and television, our show takes students through important moments of
discovery and application of electricity.

More information here

 

Name That Internal Organ!
The Bad Wolf Guide to the Human Body

InternalOrgan.jpg (24307 bytes)      Grades 4-7   35 minutes

Respiration.  Blood circulation.   Digestion. The topics virtually cry out for a musical comedy.
And that's why there's Bad wolf. You're just in time to witness the annual induction ceremony
at the internal Organ Hall of Fame.  Who will be elected this year?  The liver?   Lungs?  (The
Spleen is a crowd favorite).  Name That Internal Organ! is a terrific complement to your
life science curriculum.

More information here

 

The Oceanography Show
Tide Pool Condos

tidepool.jpg (22334 bytes)      Grades 3-7   25 minutes

Study one of the earth's natural habitats.   Tide Pool Condos tells the story of Elizabeth, who
wants to destroy some tide pools so she can erect luxury condominiums.  Poseidon, Greek
god of the sea, has other ideas.  To settle the dispute, the two of them set out to visit the
wonders of the ocean.  This show works beautifully with your ocean-study curriculum.

More information here

 

MATH

Mastering Math
A Sherlock Holmes Problem Solving Mystery

math.jpg (18475 bytes)     Grades 2-6   30 minutes

Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson return to help us learn techniques of mathematical
problem solving.  This is his first case - ever - and he gets a lot of help in learning how to
problem solve.  By the time he solves the crime, he's learned how to use six basic techniques
for solving the math problems he's been faced with:  guess and check, draw a picture, draw
a chart, look for a pattern, work backwards, and act it out. This is a great show for reviewing
ways to set up and answer word problems.

More information here

 

HOLIDAYS

The Turkeys Go On Strike

turkeys.jpg (46152 bytes)   Grades 2-6    20 minutes

At last – a classroom holiday show with dancing cranberries! Thanksgiving is in danger
of being cancelled because of some extremely dissatisfied poultry. While negotiations go
on around the clock  – an event covered by TV reporters and influenced by ambitious
members of the Squash family – students learn about he historical origins and the real
meaning of the holiday.

More information here