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Play
Description:
This 25 minute musical play can be done as a
complete play, skits,
read-aloud, or you can just sing songs. The rush west is brought to life
through characters and song. No music or drama experience needed.
Grades 2-7.
- Why folks went west
- Daniel Boone
- The Louisiana Purchase
- Sacajawea with Louis and Clark
- The Trail of Tears
- The Oregon Trail
- California Gold Rush
- Farmers on the Prairie
- Transcontinental Railroad
- And of course, the exciting adventures of The
Delivery Girl,
who introduces them all.
The Incredible Westward Movement is a great complement to your
curriculum resources in elementary and middle school history. |
Teacher Reviews:
"It was fun! We loved the songs and the
best part was using our creativity to make the play come to life with props, constumes,
and actions. Performing was a great highlight in our year! I found the play a
great enrichment to our studies - Everyone was a part of a great play and felt terrific
about it. We always had something to do as a time filler -sing!"
---Amy Piazzola, Teacher, (1st-5th grade), Numa School,
Fallon, NZ
Read
More Teacher Reviews
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National Education Standards:
Fulfills National Arts
Standard 3 for Dance, 1 and 8 for music, and 2, 3,
and 5 for Theater.
Fulfills National History Standards 1
and 3 for grades K-4, Standards
1, 2 and 3 for grades 5-12, and 4 for 5-12.
Fulfills National Social Studies
Standards 1, 2, 3, and 5.
Casting:
Flexible casting from 11-40 students.
Use as many Explorers, Discovery Guys, etc. as desired;
one student can also play more than one role. Note that all
roles can be played by either boys or girls; see our comments
on page 35 of the Teacher's Guide .
Read the Script:
This
is the first one-third of the script:
CHARACTERS:
Delivery Girl(s)
Daniel Boone and Explorers
Porter
James Monroe
Thomas Jefferson
St. Louis Man
Corps of Discovery Guys
Sacajawea
Cherokee
Wagon Family
49ers
Prairie Children
Union Pacific Crew
Central Pacific Crew
Chorus (made up of all students not playing roles at the time)
(KIDS move quickly back and forth across the stage, entering and exiting.
THEY carry suitcases, dufflebags, etc.—in general they look like they’re
in a hurry and going some place. A DELIVERY GIRL enters with a
package. SHE tries to stop several people walking by, but they move
swiftly past.)
DELIVERY GIRL (to one person): Excuse me, I was wondering…
(to another person)
Pardon me, I’m looking for…
(to a third person)
Hey, do you know where I can find…
(looking frustrated, SHE stops and shouts very loudly to no one
in particular)
Has anybody here seen Daniel Boone?!
(EVERYONE stops and stares; people finally notice her)
PERSON #1: Daniel Boone? He’s been gone for weeks.
DELIVERY GIRL: But I’ve got a package for him, special delivery.
Here, listen.
(SHE shakes box very hard—rattling can be heard)
I think it’s cookies.
PERSON #2: Well he’s long gone by now.
DELIVERY GIRL: But where did he go?
PERSON #1: Where’d he go? Why he went where
EVERYBODY’S going.
DELIVERY GIRL: Where IS everybody going?
ENTIRE CLASS: West!
DELIVERY GIRL: West?
Song 1
CLASS (sings):
Now so many people are leaving town
The dust is thick as fog
STUDENTS #1 and #2:
There goes my boss, there goes Aunt Jane
STUDENT #3:
And hey there goes my dog!
STUDENT #4:
I’m trying to find a good place to farm
Where we can start anew
CLASS:
Now all the country’s westward bound
STUDENT #3:
My cat is packing too!
CLASS:
We’re going West
Going West
Can’t you see?
Destiny
Is manifest
’Cause everyone is going West.
STUDENT #5:
I look for adventure and space to roam
STUDENT #6:
I’m running from my debts
STUDENT #7:
I’m looking for a pot of gold
STUDENT #3:
I’m looking for my pets.
STUDENT #8:
Does anyone know the best place to go?
Or which route you should take?
STUDENT #9:
Has anybody checked a map?
STUDENT #3:
Has someone seen my snake?
CLASS (screams): Aaach!
We’re going West
Going West
Can’t you see?
Destiny
Is manifest
’Cause everyone is going West
’Cause everyone is going West
’Cause everyone is going West.
(CLASS exits. DANIEL BOONE walks in, carrying an ax and wearing
his famous coonskin cap. He stops, looks all around, seems pleased and
stops for a moment. He takes off his cap and starts talking to it. At this
point a student can mark on the map the move west towards Louisville:
see page 34.)
DANIEL BOONE: Well, Betsy, it looks like we’ve finally found some
true wilderness. It’s getting’ so there just ain’t a decent spot that
isn’t all
clogged up with civilization. I think you and me can set up camp here and
find some peace and quiet.
DELIVERY GIRL (entering a few seconds later, excited): Daniel Boone!
Daniel Boone! I’ve been looking all over the Appalachians for you.
DANIEL (quickly putting cap back on; to DELIVERY GIRL): Who
are you?
DELIVERY GIRL: I’ve got a box for you.
DANIEL: How’d you find me? I’ve been tryin’ to avoid folks like you.
DELIVERY GIRL: I just followed your trail—you really ought to take
a bath.
DANIEL: I did. Just three months ago.
(Taking off cap and talking to it.)
Must be you, Betsy.
(Putting back on cap)
That does it. Time to move on—it’s getting crowded around here.
Song 2
Oh I discovered yesterday
There’s neighbors 50 miles away
It’s hard to breath, I’ve gotta flee
A man can’t get no privacy.
I find some place not on the map
To hunt some deer and set some traps
I turn around, what do I find?
A swarm of people right behind!
(At the word “SWARM,” several WILDERNESS EXPLORERS enter,
dressed just like DANIEL BOONE)
DANIEL:
Gotta get a move on
EXPLORERS (echo):
Gotta get a move on
DANIEL:
Gotta get a move on
EXPLORERS (echo):
Gotta get a move on
DANIEL:
Leave me be or else I just might snap.
Gotta get a move on
EXPLORERS (echo):
Gotta get a move on
DANIEL:
Gotta get a move on
EXPLORERS (echo):
Gotta get a move on
DANIEL:
It’s just me and my old coonskin cap.
Kentucky’s just too cramped for me
There’re hundreds now in Tennessee
And every time I settle down
Some folks decide to build a town!
(More EXPLORERS could enter here)
DANIEL: Gotta get a move on
EXPLORERS (echo): Gotta get a move on
DANIEL: Gotta get a move on
EXPLORERS (echo): Gotta get a move on
DANIEL: Leave me be or else I just might snap.
Gotta get a move on
EXPLORERS (echo): Gotta get a move on
DANIEL: Gotta get a move on
EXPLORERS (echo): Gotta get a move on
DANIEL: It’s just me and my old coonskin cap.
DANIEL and CHORUS:
Gotta get a move on
Gotta get a move on
Gotta get a move on
Gotta get a move on
DANIEL: Leave me be or else I just might snap.
Gotta get a move on
EXPLORERS (echo): Gotta get a move on
DANIEL: Gotta get a move on
EXPLORERS (echo): Gotta get a move on
DANIEL and CHORUS: It’s just me and my old coonskin cap.
(exit)
(We now see a DELIVERY GIRL walking up to a very fancy door.
SHE knocks. A PORTER answers.)
PORTER: Yes?
DELIVERY GIRL: I’ve got a package for James Monroe.
PORTER: I’m sorry, but he’s unavailable.
DELIVERY GIRL: Don’t tell me HE’s gone West too?
PORTER: No. Mr. Monroe is speaking with President Jefferson at the
moment. In secret. Big stuff. VERY big stuff. Hush, hush, very very secret.
DELIVERY GIRL: Can I listen in?
PORTER: Sure, come on in.
(MONROE and JEFFERSON enter, talking.)
MONROE: Mr. President, this is our chance. I think Napoleon will sell
us the Louisiana territory—all the land between the Mississippi and
the Rockies.
(HE points it out on giant map)
JEFFERSON: What? That’s 800,000 square miles! I was thinking
perhaps we could buy just New Orleans, Florida, maybe get some of
those little chocolate thingies in the bargain.
MONROE: You mean truffles?
JEFFERSON: I LOVE those. And some toast. Nobody makes toast like
the French.
MONROE: But Mr. President—think of it. The Louisiana Purchase.
You’d double the size of the nation with one signature.
JEFFERSON: What about those truffles?
MONROE: Sure, we could get some them too!
Song 3
Let’s go to France and do some shopping
Let’s go to France and buy some stuff
Perfume, pastries, fancy clothes
The other folks can buy all those
We need land, we just can’t have enough!
CLASS: La la la la
JEFFERSON and MONROE:
Let’s go to France and do some shopping
Let’s go to France and eat some snails
When the escargot are escargone
Let’s buy the Rockies and beyond
I hear half the continent’s on sale!
It’s just three cents an acre
We’ve got that kind of dough
We’ll take 500 million
Please wrap ’em up to go.
JEFFERSON, MONROE, and CHORUS:
Let’s go to France and do some shopping
Let’s go to France and buy some land
JEFFERSON (shouted): And some truffles!
JEFFERSON, MONROE, and CHORUS:
The U.S. now is twice the size
That sure is one of our better buys
Let’s head west and get ourselves a tan.
La la la la
La la la la
La la la la land.
(ALL exit. DELIVERY GIRL has a package.)
DELIVERY GIRL (walking along, shouting): Meriwether Lewis,
Meriwether Lewis. I have a package here for Meriwether Lewis.
MAN (approaching): Excuse me, but you aren’t looking for Meriwether
Lewis, as in Lewis and Clark the explorers, are you?
DELIVERY GIRL: Yes I am. That’s why I’ve come to St. Louis.
MAN: But Lewis and Clark left a year ago, searching for the great
Northwest passage, the fabled water route from here to the Pacific.
DELIVERY GIRL: Nuts.
MAN: Excuse me?
DELIVERY GIRL: I’ve got a box full of nuts for Mr. Lewis. Pecans.
Cashews. They’re very good.
(Opening box, offering some to stranger)
Want one? I think there’re some left.
MAN: No thanks.
DELIVERY GIRL (Walking on, shouting): Meriwether Lewis.
Meriwether Lewis.
MAN: Didn’t you hear me? He’s long gone.
DELIVERY GIRL: I know. But I love saying the word Meriwether.
MAN: I wonder how those two men and their Corps of Discovery
are doing.
(CORPS OF DISCOVERY GUYS enter, looking pretty dirty and
beat-up, talking to SACAJAWEA, the Shoshone wife of one of
the guides)
CORPS GUY #1: Please, Sacajawea. You were born in these parts.
You can guide us through the Shoshone territory.
SACAJAWEA: But it has been many years since I lived with the Shoshone.
CORPS GUY #2: We need your help—I’m not sure Lewis and Clark
know what they’re doing.
Song 4
CORPS GUYS:
Looking for a northwest passage
Looking for the sea
Hoping that the hungry grizzlies
Aren’t looking for me.
Stumbling through a land uncharted
It’s no walk in the park
Getting lost in America…with Lewis and Clark.
SACAJAWEA:
Maybe I can recall the land of my childhood.
Maybe I can recall the land of my childhood.
CORPS GUYS:
Looking for a water highway
We’ve found lots of mud
Flees, tics, and immense mosquitoes
They’ve drained off our blood.
Seen so many wondrous creatures
We should have an ark
Getting lost in America…with Lewis and Clark.
SACAJAWEA:
Maybe I can recall the land of my childhood.
Maybe I can recall the land of my childhood.
CORPS GUYS:
Sacajawea please help us
Sacajawea lead the way
Sacajawea
It’s so good to see ya
Give us some help today.
SACAJAWEA:
I’ll help and we’ll find the passage
We will find the sea
Read maps and consult your compass
Then just follow me.
SACAJAWEA, CORPS GUYS, CHORUS:
Stumbling through a land uncharted
It’s no walk in the park
Getting lost in America…with Lewis and Clark.
(This concludes the first one-
third of the script.)
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pardon
anew
manifest destiny
roam
flee
truffle
escargot
acre
loom
sown
“anchors aweigh”
breeches
sodbuster
turf |
Historical
Terms
Appalachians
Napoleon
Mississippi
River
Rockies
The Louisiana
Purchase
Northwest
Passage
Shoshone
Cherokee
Trail of Tears
prairie schooner |
Willamette Valley
Cape
Horn
Donner
Party
transcontinental railroad
the golden spike
Vocabulary
From Stage Directions
dufflebag
swift
particular
coonskin |
More Teacher Reviews:
"It was truly incredible! I read about the
IWM in your booklet and got some of the
first scripts hot off the press. It fit in so well with our curriculum and the boys
absolutely loved it. Parents told us again and again that it was the best kids' play
they had ever seen. We loved the songs and the script. It was great how the play
had so many parts, allowing all of the kids to have significant (and our case multiple)
rolls to play. Everyone was a star!"
--- Kim Iorillo, Teacher (3rd grade), Brunswick School,
Greenwich, CT
"Great! The easy-to-follow script, catchy songs, and added humor make the
production a delight for all (students, teachers, and parents!)"
--- Lisa Boothe, Teacher (3rd/5th grade), Carl Hankey
School, Mission Viejo, CA
"The Incredible Westward Movement is a great
history program, with easy scenes
and lots of characters. What a way to learn and remember history. You can't get
the songs out of your head. Personalities shine through music: everyone gets a
chance to be on stage."
---Jane Bishop, Teacher (4th grade), Broadwater School,
Helena, MT
"There were many big parts and enough for
everyone, but no 'star' parts. The music
was wonderful! The students loved it. The whole process was a great
learning experience."
---Robin Twombley, Teacher (K-6th grades), Roxbury
Village School, Roxbury, VT
"The music is catchy, so the kids never forgot the lyrics. They learned key
concepts
while having fun. I can't wait until the next one! I teach the kids in the
gifted
program in my system. Some love to be center-stage while others have no desire
to perform solo. These plays allow me to give them opportunities to participate at
a level at which each chld is comfortable."
---Shelia Cain, Teacher, (1st-2nd grade, Gifted and
Talented), Petham Elementary, Petham, GA
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Are Two of You Planning to Put
the Play on Together?
If you ask us, we always suggest having just one class put on a play. We
think each kid is
more involved, and we think it's easier for you to deal with a smaller number of students.
But lots of teachers disagree with us.
They've been happily doing the
plays together for years.
In fact, Amy Anderson, the teacher who does four musicals a year
(and she talks about this on our home page) thinks two classes
together is the way to go.
Then what do I need to purchase? Think
of a musical play like a library book.
Only one teacher may "check out" (i.e. put on) the play at a time. If another
teacher wants
to produce the music play that you purchased in a separate production and at a
later date,
you may loan out your original plan and student copies.
Your "library" needs two copies of the play for two teachers to
put on the play at the
same time. If a teacher wants her class to put on the play with your class,
she needs
to buy her own copy of the play. For three or more teachers to produce a play together,
purchase three copies for your "library" and Bad Wolf extends a Site License for all the
teachers and classes at your school.
But why can't I just make extra copies
of the play? If copies are made for
a class other than the purchasing teacher's, it's an infringement of U.S.
copyright law.
Yikes! Bad Wolf likes to toe the line where Uncle Sam is concerned, so we offer a
discount on the purchase of multiple copies of the play.
If you are 2 teachers putting on the
play together................................$60
* Includes 2 copies of the book and CD (save
almost $20 off of buying
them separately) so each of you has a CD and
book to work with.
* Free bonus: We'll throw in our famed
"Earthworms on Parade" CD. Y'know,
that's the one with the six goofiest songs
about earthworms ever written
($9.95 value.)
* Includes the right to reproduce the
script for the students in both of
your individual classes.
Questions?
Call or email Ron Fink at (888) 827-8661
or ron@badwolfpress.com
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