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Test-Taking Strategies

Test-Taking Strategies, our third play of the 2012-13 school season, was set to arrive at the end of February. But to help out a teacher who needs it sooner, we decided to crank out the creativity a little earlier in the new year! We’re working hard on it now and will be shipping in about four weeks, at the beginning of February.

We really think you’ll enjoy this fun 20-minute play. Those of you who aren’t “allowed” to do plays might get the go-ahead with this one, since the show is test-related and will help improve student scores. But the material will be helpful to all students, even those in schools that already encourage creativity and music in the classroom.

Here’s the setup: Through an inter-species exchange program, four magical creatures arrive in their new classroom — only to learn that they have a TEST the next day! What will they do? They don’t have tests back in their world! Never fear, though, for the students and some special visitors will teach them all they need to know about test preparedness.

Here’s the curriculum we cover:

• Invest in your health: eat healthy foods, wear comfortable clothes, and get a good night’s sleep
• Come to class every day, listen and focus, be prepared by bringing the right materials
• General test strategies: Read the whole question, look for key words, answer the questions you know first and come back to the harder ones, check your work
• Strategies for multiple-choice questions: answer every question, try out every answer, eliminate answers that you know are wrong
• Suggestions for dealing with test anxiety: breathe, think positive, count to ten, take a break
• An important reminder that “you are not your score”!

Pre-Order Test-Taking Strategies Now

As always, you can get the multi-play discount by ordering this play along with any other. We’ll ship the other one now and then ship Test-Taking Strategies as soon as it becomes available.

Happy New Year! We hope you had a much-deserved restful break.

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European Explorers in the New World

We’re thrilled to announce our latest play!

We’ve had a blast writing European Explorers in the New World. While we have quite a few history and social studies plays for the upper grades, this one adds some wonderful world curriculum to our catalog. Very similar to The American Revolution in its level of difficulty, this is a longer show packed with curriculum, great historical characters (and some invented ones), funny dialogue, and catchy songs. It’s perfect for upper-level elementary kids as well as middle-schoolers. Here’s the setup:

The Best News Show Ever team, led by anchorwoman Isabelle Scurvy, has discovered a flood of people sailing away from Europe for uncharted destinations. Why are they leaving? What are they hoping to find? To get the answers, our scrappy reporters will track down Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, Jacques Cartier and John Cabot, Vasco Nunez de Balboa, Montezuma and Atahualpa, soldiers of De Soto and Coronado, Ferdinand Magellan and Francis Drake, and the British colonists who settled Virginia. And don’t forget Leif Ericson, who’s on a mission to remind us that the history books don’t always play fair.

Would people risk life and limb to get their hands on spices? Could germs really destroy entire civilizations? Were there really Seven Cities of Gold in North America? Count on the Best News Show Ever team to bring you the full scoop on this developing story, complete with exciting interviews, entertainment, weather, and sports!

Key Concepts

European Explorers mentions and reinforces the following curriculum:

• Leif Ericson: Norse exploration and temporary settlement c.1000.
• Prince Henry the Navigator: Portuguese exploration of Western Africa to spread Christianity, create new maps, and discover a trade route to the East (fall of Constantinople in 1453; Vasco de Gama)
• Christopher Columbus: his four voyages and mistaken identifications (the Reconquista; the Line of Demarcation)
• Amerigo Vespucci: his exploration of the coast of Brazil and the new continent(s) named after him (Pedro Cabral)
• John Cabot and Jacques Cartier: the search for a Northwest Passage (importance of spices for food preservation and preparation)
• Vasco Nunez de Balboa: the challenge of crossing Panama to encounter the Mar del Sur (later called the Pacific)
• Montezuma (Aztecs) and Atahualpa (Incas): conquistadors, gold, and disease (Cortes in Mexico and Pizzaro in Peru)
• Vasques de Coronado and Hernando de Soto: the search for gold and attempts at colonization in the interior of present-day U.S. (La Salle; Champlain; Seven Cities of Gold)
• Ferdinand Magellan and Francis Drake: circumnavigation of the globe
• British colonization of Virginia: Roanoke, Jamestown, Plymouth (Walter Raleigh)

Common Core and Other National Standards

History/Social Studies

• National History Standards 5 and 7 for K-4th
• National US History Standards, Eras 1, 2, and 4, for 5th-12th
• National World History Standard, Era 6, for 5th-12th
• National Social Studies Standards 1, 2, 3, 5, 6

Language Arts

• Common Core Reading Standards for Literature: 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th
• Common Core Reading Standards: Foundational Skills:
  • 3rd, 4th, 5th: Phonics and Word Recognition, Fluency
• Common Core Speaking and Listening Standards: Comprehension and Collaboration – 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th
• Common Core Language Standards: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use -3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th
• Common Core Standard 10: Range, Quality & Complexity:
  • Range of Text Types for K-5th
  • Range of Text Types for 6th-12th

Fine Arts

• National Music Standards 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8 for K-4th, Standard 1 for 5th-8th
• National Theater Standards 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8 for K-4th, Standards 2 and 6 for 5th-8th
• National Dance Standards 1 and 2 for K-4th

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The Tale of the Chinese Zodiac

Our fall 2012 play is hot off the press! (And this is important to note, since the Chinese did invent movable type!)

This fun multicultural folk tale reveals how twelve special animals got their places in the Chinese zodiac. It’s long ago in ancient China and the Jade Emperor has a great idea: he’ll set up a race across the river, and the first twelve animals to cross the finish line will represent the years in the Chinese zodiac. Will the Dog and the Pig ever make it across? Why is the Horse so annoyed at the Snake? How did the Rabbit arrive before the Dragon? Can the Rat really be the winner? And why is the Cat all wet?

The Tale of the Chinese Zodiac is a great complement to your curriculum resources in elementary school language arts. Students will act out the folk origins of the Chinese zodiac as they learn some light curriculum about Chinese culture and contributions:

• The Zodiac: what it is, what animals are in it and why
• Animal symbolism (e.g. significance of the dragon, pig, dog, snake, rat, panda, tiger, etc.)
• The Jade Emperor and his Guardian Lions
• Topography: Yellow River (and the Hung-He Valley), China Sea, Yellow Sea, Himalayan Mountains, Taklamakan and Gobi Deserts
• The Seven Necessities of Life: rice, tea, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, firewood
• Yin and yang
• Confucius
• The Great Wall
• Chinese inventions and discoveries: crossbow, horse harness, paper money, wallpaper, pasta, tofu, tea, ink, compass, kite, silk, porcelain, paper, wheelbarrow, collapsible umbrella, bristle toothbrush, moveable type, ice cream, rice cooking, fishing reel, gunpowder

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Pre-Order Our New Plays Now and Save

You can now purchase any of our new plays for the 2012-2013 season!

You can pre-order all of these plays in order to get a multi-play discount ($30/play) or save on shipping costs. For example, you can order one of the new plays along with any play that’s currently in stock. We’ll give you the discount, ship the available play now, and ship the new play as soon as it comes in.

The Tale of the Chinese Zodiac (grades 1-5) will ship the last week of August (in two weeks!).

It’s long ago in ancient China and the Jade Emperor has a great idea: he’ll set up a race across the river, and the first twelve animals to cross the finish line will represent the years in the Chinese zodiac. Will the Dog and the Pig ever make it across? Why is the Horse so annoyed at the Snake? And why is the Cat all wet? This fun multicultural folk tale also incorporates some light curriculum about Chinese culture.

European Explorers in the New World (grades 3-7) will ship in late November.

There must be something in the water, because people everywhere are setting out to explore the great unknown. Whether they’re after precious metals, silk, spices, new territory, or just plain adventure, these daring explorers are on the move! European Explorers focuses on the Age of Exploration: its motives, challenges, and consequences (especially to the indigenous peoples of the New World).

Test-Taking Strategies (grades 2-6) will ship in February 2013.

This short play will get your kids focused and ready for their standardized tests. They’ll learn about healthy behaviors, good study habits, and strategies for solving multiple-choice questions. And of course they’ll learn some tips for handling stress and anxiety (maybe we’ll even throw in a few for you, too!).

We hope you enjoy our latest offerings!

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Announcing New Plays for 2012-2013 Season

I’m here, finally, to announce our upcoming plays! To get the scoop, check out the video below.

Watch Thrilling Video Now

Here’s to the next school year!

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American Symbols

Our spring play is American Symbols. Because very similar curriculum is taught for younger and older children, we’re doing something a little wild with this show. In the same book/CD set you’ll get two different versions of the play, one for very young kids (K-1) and one for older kids (2-4). The first one has six songs and only a very basic plot. The second one has nine songs and is a regular Bad Wolf show, complete with charming jokes and dialogue. In addition to the Bad Wolf original compositions, both shows feature two traditional songs, “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” and “You’re a Grand Old Flag.” For those who have been asking for a patriotic show, this is the one you want!