Key Concepts
Biomes refers to and reinforces students’ familiarity
with the following aspects of the elementary science standards:
- Individual biomes: deserts, oceans,
tundra, forests, grasslands, and wetlands (fresh water)
- Habitat and species adaptation: different plants and animals inhabit
different kinds of environments and have external features that help them
survive and reproduce
- Food chains and competition for resources in an ecosystem
- Decomposers (recycling matter from dead plants and animals)
Biomes is a great
complement to your life science curriculum and a fabulous way for students to learn about animal and
plant habitats. And, like all of our plays, this show can be used to improve reading, vocabulary, reading comprehension, performance and music skills, class camaraderie and teamwork, and numerous social skills (read about it!) -- all while enabling students to be part of a truly fun and creative experience they will never forget!
Publication Information
Author: Ron Fink (Composer) and John Heath (Book and Lyrics)
ISBN: 978-1-886588-52-3
© 2011 Bad Wolf Press, LLC
Song Samples
Full Song List
1. The Right Biome
2. Go Find Your Place
3. Close to Shore
4. Forests
5. You Want to Be Grass?
6. Nothing Rhymes with Tundra
7. Food Chain
8. Fungi Are Your Friends
9. Adapted to the Desert
10. The Right Biome (reprise)
Casting
Flexible casting:
From 11-40 students. Use as many Starfish, Macaws, etc. in each scene as desired. One student can easily play several roles if needed, and individual roles can be doubled up. Note that all roles can be played by either boys or girls.
CHARACTERS:
ZOO KEEPER
KINGSNAKE
HERCULES BEETLE
AFRICAN ELEPHANT
LEOPARD GECKOS
STARFISH
MACAWS
GRASS
POLAR BEARS
ALLIGATORS
MUSHROOMS
CACTI
and a CHORUS composed of all students who are not playing
roles on stage at the time.
Script
This is the first one-third of the script:
(Alarm rings. KINGSNAKE, ELEPHANT, and BEETLE run
onto stage. THEY scurry around, then the KINGSNAKE
yells to the other two):
KINGSNAKE: Freeze! Here comes the zoo keeper!
(THEY freeze in silly positions. ZOO KEEPER runs in, looks
all around but can’t find them.)
ZOO KEEPER (after looking around the stage, to audience): Some animals
have
escaped from the zoo! Keep your eye out. They’re very good at
hiding—especially that elephant.
(HE exits. The THREE animals unfreeze, and then run off
the other direction.)
Song 1 -
Listen now!
CLASS:
Once there were some critters
So tired of the zoo
They want back to nature
But do not have a clue.
What habitat would suit them?
What spot would be their niche?
What could they adapt to?
What place would scratch their itch?
So one dark night
They all took flight
To find a brand new home
Who could have guessed
They’re on a quest
To find the right biome.
Biome
The right biome
They’ll search day and night
Biome
The right biome
We hope they can sight the right biome.
It could be a desert
That’s hot and very dry
It could be a grassland
With grass that’s four feet high.
It could be fresh water
In which you’d like to jump
It could be a forest
As long as it’s not Gump.
(ALL pause and shrug)
Yeah it could be
Some salty sea
There’s lots of life in there
They may go forth
Far to the north
To tundra cold and bare.
Biome
The right biome
They’ll search day and night
Biome
The right biome
We hope they can sight the right biome.
The right biome.
The right biome.
(KINGSNAKE, BEETLE, and
ELEPHANT (= THE TRIO)
enter, with two LEOPARD
GECKOS right behind.)
BEETLE: Great job knocking over that fence, Elephant.
ELEPHANT: I did that?
KINGSNAKE: I thought elephants never forget.
ELEPHANT: Oh yeah. I forgot.
KINGSNAKE: Okay, Beetle, what do we do now?
BEETLE: I don’t know, Kingsnake. I guess we just settle down.
Maybe buy a
condo.
LEOPARD GECKO #1: You can’t do that!
ELEPHANT: Who are you?
LEOPARD GECKO #2: We’re Leopard Geckos. Remember? We escaped
with you.
ELEPHANT: We ESCAPED?
KINGSNAKE (to GECKO): What do you mean, we can’t settle down
here?
LEOPARD GECKO #1: You have to find your right biome.
BEETLE: Biome?
LEOPARD GECKO #1: Sure! The right habitat for your species—what
you’re
adapted to.
LEOPARD GECKO #2: Take us Geckos. We’re adapted to the deserts
of central
Asia.
LEOPARD GECKO #1: And we’ve adapted a great way to escape desert
predators—when someone grabs my tail, it falls right off so I can escape. Then it grows back later!
LEOPARD GECKO #2: You need to find the right biome for each of you.
Song 2 -
Listen now!
LEOPARD GECKOS:
Go find your
Go find your
Find your place.
Animals and plants adapt
Go find your place
If they don’t then they get zapped
Go find your place.
Camels can drink once a week
Because it’s dry
Put a penguin in their place
And kiss that bird goodbye.
Kiss that bird goodbye.
GECKOS and CHORUS:
Go find your
Go find your
Find your place.
GECKOS: You and where you live are linked
CHORUS: Go find your place
GECKOS: Either that or go extinct
CHORUS: Go find your place.
GECKOS:
Arctic foxes’ fur turns white
To match the snow
Put them on the forest floor
And suddenly they glow.
Suddenly they glow.
GECKOS and CHORUS:
Go find your
Go find your
Find your place.
Go find your
Go find your
Find your place.
LEOPARD GECKO #1: Good bye! We’re off to our biome.
LEOPARD GECKO #2: Good luck finding YOUR habitat!
(THEY exit.)
KINGSNAKE: We’d better get moving.
ELEPHANT: Where are we going?
KINGSNAKE: You heard the Gecko.
ELEPHANT: We’re buying insurance?
BEETLE: Come on. The ocean is right over there. Maybe that’s
where we
belong.
(THEY trudge across stage. STARFISH enter from other
side. THE TRIO trudge back across stage and see the
STARFISH.)
BEETLE: Hey look in that tide pool. Who are you?
STARFISH #1: We’re starfish, also called sea stars.
STARFISH #2: We live in the marine biome.
STARFISH #3: It’s the largest ecosystem.
KINGSNAKE: You think any of US belong here?
(STARFISH look them over very carefully.)
STARFISH #1: I don’t think so. At least not here in the tide
pool.
STARFISH #2: But the ocean has a lot of different zones—estuaries,
the open
sea, the deep ocean.
STARFISH #3: There’s a lot of strange stuff out there—we’re
sticking right
here, close to shore.
Song 3 -
Listen now!
STARFISH:
’Cause out in those waters
There’re floating sea otters
The whale and dolphin and shark
And deep in the ocean
There’re weird things in motion
And creatures that glow in the dark.
It’s nasty, oh brother—
They’re EATING each other!
And there isn’t one without scars.
Our tide pool’s not taxing
We sit here relaxing
Where starfish are always the stars.
STARFISH and CHORUS:
Close to shore
Close to shore
Stuck right here
Evermore
In this tide pool we’re nobody’s fool
Close to shore.
It’s nasty, oh brother—
They’re EATING each other!
And there isn’t one without scars.
Our tide pool’s not taxing
We sit here relaxing
Where starfish are always the stars.
Close to shore
Close to shore
Stuck right here
Evermore
In this tide pool we’re nobody’s fool
Close to shore.
Whew!
(THEY exit.)
KINGSNAKE: Come on. Let’s go this way.
(THE TRIO trudge across stage.)
BEETLE: Who made YOU our leader?
KINGSNAKE: I’m a KING snake. That makes me the king.
ELEPHANT (pleased): Does that make me a princess?
BEETLE: NO! You are an ELEPHANT.
ELEPHANT: But I feel so pretty.
KINGSNAKE: Does it seem hot to you guys?
MACAW #1 (as MACAWS enter): Of COURSE it’s hot. This is a tropical
rainforest.
MACAW #2: We’re Macaws.
BEETLE: You look like parrots.
MACAW #1: We are! We’re one of hundreds of different kinds of
parrots.
MACAW #2: Rainforests are home to more than half of all living plant
and
animal species.
KINGSNAKE: I’m not sure I’m cut out for all this heat
and rain.
MACAW #1: Maybe you belong in a different kind of forest.
MACAW #2: A third of the land is covered with trees.
(This concludes the first one-third of the script.)
Additional Comments and Reviews:
"Love, love, loved the play. The songs were so much fun. The kids sang them everywhere they went. Every song was a different music genre, which I loved.
The tunes were catchy and even our custodian was heard singing the biome song because he heard the kids singing when he cleaned the cafeteria while we rehearsed!
They also learned a lot about the different biomes, which is a 2nd grade science standard. I think the kids learned more from the play than they did in class
since we don't get to go into any real depth with science. The dialogue was informative, but also very funny. This is probably one of my favorite plays.
The kids had a blast with this play and were very excited throughout rehearsals."
---Nancy Hopkins, Teacher (2nd grade), Fremont Elementary School, Fremont, CA
"Biomes suited our science and art classes to a tee! The kids studied habitats and the unique abilities of animals in their environment,
then took that information and created their own backdrops (6 in all) and costumes in art class. The play was fantastic! Parents loved it.
We had kids ranging in age from 3 to 14 participating and all learned something! My 2-year-old is still singing 'Biomes.' I want everyone to try a play once
-- they will be hooked!"
---Mary Nolte Aragon, Home Educator (K-12th grade), Christian Family Schools Park Group, Pine Valley, CA
"The play puts the fun back into teaching and learning. During 'play-time,' I have full participation and no bad behaviors....ever!
It really fits in with our state science standards. The tunes are so very catchy that it takes weeks to get them out of my mind!
Students learn them quickly and love the different genres of music. I am completely satisfied and wish that I could have a copy of all your
plays as a resource. Even if I was unable to put a play on, the songs are a wonderful way to learn."
---Susan Hufford, Teacher (2nd-3rd grade), Siena Magnet, Meridian, ID
"The kids play the CD every morning when they arrive in the classroom. I thought they might lose interest after their performances but
they can't get enough. We had so much fun and learning science concepts included in our curriculum."
---Sheryl Farnum, Teacher (4th grade), Cascade Brook School, Farmington, ME
"This play is a lot of fun! I have used this musical for two years with 3 different groups. It has been a huge hit with both the
students and the audiences. There is never a dull moment and the lively music keeps everyone on their toes! Our third grade science curriculum
is mostly centered around animal and plant habitats/adaptations - so this is a perfect supplement. The most impressive thing about this script
is that it is so EASY to remember. The lines are not overly complicated and are broken up among several actors easily. The story flows very well."
---Laura McDonald, Teacher (3rd grade), S.M. Rissler Elementary School, Trenton, MO
"Biomes was a great play. It fit in very well with my habitats chapter in science. The music was fun and easy to sing to.
I did it in December and the students were able to perform very well even though they weren't high readers at that point. I had 5 students
who came into the school year with no English. They were all able to learn their parts, and even asked for more lines on their next musical."
---Krista VanderLugt, Teacher (1st grade), The American International School of Vilnius, Lithuania
"The play connected well to the curriculum and was a springboard for many meaningful lessons."
---Jennifer Moerler, Teacher (2nd grade), PS 235, NY
"After watching my daughter's elementary school class perform Biomes,
I was disappointed to see on your website that the materials for this
play retail for $39.95. I question how the creators of such a program
could be adequately compensated on such a pittance! Also disappointing is seeing my daughter unwittingly learn biology
concepts by singing every word of every song of this play every day on
the way to school. Surely,
learning was not intended to be this enjoyable. It would certainly be interesting to find out whether there is any
hard statistical evidence linking these songs to an increase in
automobile accidents due to parents losing control of their vehicles
while laughing hysterically. I will not rest until my daughter's school obtains more of your plays!"
---Dan Osier, (Hilarious) Parent, Olympia, WA
"As for the music...I even sing it when I go out for my morning run!"
---Rich Howell, Enriching Education, Nevada City, CA
Common Core and Other National Standards
Science
Language Arts
- Common Core Reading Standards for Literature: K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
- Common Core Reading Standards: Foundational Skills:
- K and 1st: Phonological Awareness, Phonics and Word Recognition
- 2nd: Phonics and Word Recognition
- 3rd, 4th, 5th: Phonics and Word Recognition, Fluency
- Common Core Speaking and Listening Standards: Comprehension and Collaboration - K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
- Common Core Language Standards: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use - K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
- Common Core Standard 10: Range, Quality & Complexity: Range of Text Types for K-5th
National Core Arts Standards
Vocabulary
Curricular Terms
biome
habitat
adaptation
species
extinction
tide pool
ecosystem
estuary
tropical
rainforest
deciduous
evergreen
coniferous
diversity
canopy
Serengeti
savanna
prairies
steppes
ice cap
permafrost
ice shelf
food chain
fungi
decomposer
enzyme
Mojave
Amazon
swamp
pond
lake
stream
river
predators
thermoregulation
General Vocabulary-Building
critters
niche
quest
condo
zapped
Arctic
insurance
taxing
zone
galore
cuisine
migrate
flair
algae
tadpoles
absolutes
seep
Frequently Asked Questions About Bad Wolf Products and Licensing
How does your pricing and licensing work?
A: In short: each teacher/director using the play should have a copy of it. That's it! Your purchase gives you the right to use the play with as many classes as you wish, to photocopy the script for your actors, and to put on as many performances as you wish. This one-time purchase gives you a lifetime license. See below for more information on site licenses (for 3+ teachers or whole schools).
Q: What comes in the package?
A: Every musical play comes with the script and a 12-page Teacher's Guide that provides lots of tips and advice for using the play from start to finish. It also includes the audio recording for the play, which has all the songs both WITH and WITHOUT vocals. Sheet music is NOT included with the basic package, but it is available for $12. Extra/replacement CDs are also available for $12.
Every non-musical play comes with the script and the 12-page Teacher's Guide.
Q: I'm just one teacher putting on a play. If I use the play with multiple classes, do I have to purchase multiple licenses?
A: No! Your purchase gives you a lifetime license to be used with as many actors and classes as you wish. If other teachers/directors wish to use the play as well, they will need to purchase their own licenses.
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A site license is the economical choice when a whole school or grade level wants to put on the same play. Instead of each teacher/director having to purchase a script, the school/site can purchase
a site license. This comes with three copies of the play (or one digital download) and permission to make copies for any additional participating teachers, as well as all the actors. You do NOT need to purchase both a site license and individual copies of the play; just buy one or the other.
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Nope! The discount applies whether you are purchasing multiple copies of the same show or single copies of multiple shows.
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There is no difference in terms of content. The printed version of a musical play comes with an audio CD in a plastic sleeve in the back of the book. The digital version comes with two downloadable files: the script (PDF format) and the songs (individual MP3 files compressed in ZIP format). The advantage of the digital version is that you will not pay shipping and you can start using it instantly. Please read the question following this one about the technical requirements for digital files.
Non-musical plays are available in the form of a printed book or a PDF file.
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- You will need to have some kind of audio player (such as iTunes or Windows Media Player) that will play MP3 files.
Advanced technical knowledge is not required; but please note that we do not have the ability to offer technical support for issues related to digital files. If you are unsure, it is probably best to stick with the printed version.
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Q: Is it OK if I edit the script?
A: Yes! Consider the play to be a jumping-off point. You are always welcome to change or omit anything that doesn't work for your class, administration, or parents. You are welcome to rewrite
lyrics, lines, or jokes -- or add your own! (The kids love doing this, by the way.)
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