Throughout the study guide, this symbol means that ...



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An Educator’s guide to:

The ADVENTURES of

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TOM SAWYER

( STAGES PRODUCTIONS, 2007,2014

(Throughout the study guide, this symbol means that specific Florida Standards are being addressed that directly correlate activities to the Florida Assessments.

THE THEATRE IS A SPECIAL TREAT

Let us concentrate for a moment on a vital part of youth theatre: the young people. Millions of youngsters attend plays every season, and for some the experience is not particularly memorable or entertaining. The fault may lie with the production - but often the fault lies in the fact that these youngsters have not been properly briefed on appropriate theatre manners. Going to the theatre is not a casual event such as flipping on the TV set, attending a movie or a sports event. Going to the theatre is a SPECIAL OCCASION, and should be attended as such. In presenting theatre manners to young people we take the liberty of putting the do’s and don’ts in verse, and hope that concerned adults will find this a more palatable way of introducing these concepts to youngsters.

MATINEE MANNERS

By Peggy Simon Traktman

The theatre is no place for lunch, But if you like something you clap

Who can hear when you go “crunch?” Actors like to hear applause.

We may wear our nicest clothes If there is cause for this applause.

When we go to theatre shows. If a scene is bright and sunny,

Do not talk to one another And you think something is funny

(That means friends or even mother) Laugh- performers love this laughter

When you go to see a show, But be quiet from thereafter.

Otherwise you’ll never know Don’t kick chairs or pound your feet

What the play is all about And do not stand up in your seat,

And you’ll make the actors shout Never wander to and fro -

Just to make themselves be heard. Just sit back and watch the show.

So, be still - don’t say a word And when the final curtain falls

Unless an actor asks you to… The actors take their “curtain calls”

A thing they rarely ever do. That means they curtsy or they bow

A program has a special use And you applaud, which tells them how

So do not treat it with abuse! You liked their work and liked the show.

Its purpose is to let us know Then, when the lights come on, you go

Exactly who is in the show Back up the aisle and walk - don’t run

It also tells us other facts Out to the lobby, everyone.

Of coming shows and future acts. The theatre is a special treat

Programs make great souvenirs And not a place to talk or eat.

Of fun we’ve had in bygone years If you behave the proper way

Keep your hands upon your lap You really will enjoy the play.

THE LEGENDARY

Mark Twain

The real name of the author we know as Mark Twain was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. His father was a lawyer and a store owner. While not poor, the family was never well-off. Four years after his birth, Samuel Clemens' family moved to Hannibal, Missouri, a fast growing town on the Mississippi River. Samuel spent the next fourteen years there.

All kinds of boats, from simple rafts and barges to magnificent steamboats, traveled the Mississippi River. In his memoir, Life on the Mississippi (1883), Twain recalls the excitement when the lazy summer air was pierced by the cry of "S-t-e-a-m boat a comin!" "All in a twinkling," he writes, "the dead town is alive and moving." Hannibal was also home to relatives, friends, and townspeople who would resurface years later as characters in Twain's fiction. Many of them appear in Tom Sawyer.

Clemens was only eleven years old when his father died. At thirteen he became a printer's apprentice. When he was seventeen and had learned the trade, Clemens left Hannibal to work in printing shops and on newspapers from Iowa to New York.

When he was twenty-one, Clemens returned to the Mississippi River. He trained for the job he had always wanted: steamboat pilot. When the Civil War began in 1861, Clemens took a job in Virginia City, Nevada. There he began to write humorous sketches and tall tales for the local newspaper. In February 1863, he first signed a story with the pen name that he would make famous: Mark Twain. It was the riverboat-man's term for water two fathoms, or twelve feet, deep-meaning just barely deep enough to navigate safely.

Clemens next moved to California where he tried mining for a while. In 1865 a national magazine published his retelling of a tall tale he had heard from miners. "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" was an instant success. As a reporter for several newspapers, he traveled to Hawaii, Europe, and the Middle East. The book he wrote about his travels, The Innocents Abroad, made him famous. In 1870, at the age of thirty-four, Clemens married Olivia Langdon and later moved to Hartford, Connecticut. At the same time, Clemens began his successful career as a lecturer, telling humorous stories and reading from his books.

More books followed, including Roughing It, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Prince and The Pauper. Thanks to his lecture tours and books, the image of the bushy-haired, mustachioed author known as Mark Twain became familiar around the world. He died in 1910.

INTRODUCING THE NOVEL

“Most of the adventures recorded in this book really occurred…[P]art of my plan has been to try to pleasantly remind adults of what they once were themselves, and of how they felt and thought and talked, and what queer enterprises they sometimes engaged in.” - From the preface to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

In 1876 many Americans were in a mood to look backward. It was the hundredth anniversary of the singing of the Declaration of Independence. The country had come a long way since it won its independence from Britain. The United States was becoming a powerful industrial country, with large cities, great factories, and railroads that crisscrossed the nation.

For city dwellers, life was growing busier and busier. They longed for simpler time, without smoke-spewing factories and clanging streetcars. To Americans, small towns and farming communities seemed friendlier than the cities.

Mark Twain also felt this longing for a simpler time. He was a busy man, a world-famous author and lecturer, living in the East far from his small-town, southwestern roots. In the early 1870's, Twain's nostalgia was triggered by a visit he made to Hannibal. He wrote: During my three days' stay in the town, I woke up every morning with the impression that I was a boy -for in my dreams the faces were all young again, and looked as they had looked in the old times.

In the Hannibal of his boyhood, it always seemed to be summer. The name Twain chose for the fictional version of his hometown tells you how highly he valued it. He called it St. Petersburg. In Christian beliefs, St. Peter tends the gates of heaven, and the imaginary town of St. Petersburg is very close to heaven in Mark Twain's eyes.

In the second chapter of Tom Sawyer, he describes life in Hannibal: [T]he summer world was bright and fresh, and brimming with life. There was a song in every heart…There was cheer in every face and a spring in every step.

Another writer, the American scholar Bernard DeVoto, echoed a word Twain himself used to describe the novel. Referring to Tom Sawyer, DeVoto said: "It is a hymn…to the richness and security of a child's world, to a phase of American society now vanished altogether, …to many other things in which millions of readers have recognized themselves.”

Tom Sawyer is often described as an idyll. An idyll being a remembrance of simple, peaceful, innocent country life, often by a person who now lives in the city. Many parts of Tom Sawyer are certainly idyllic. However, Mark Twain does not remember only the pleasant parts of life in Hannibal. Evil is floating around the edges of Tom's small-town paradise. In addition, St. Petersburg is divided into strict social classes, from wealthy, educated people to penniless drunks, enslaved African Americans, and homeless people.

Twain contrasts the world of childhood with the world of adults. Often these two worlds are in conflict. More often than not, the young people in Tom Sawyer succeed in tricking the adults. In many ways, Tom and his friends seem to run the town.

There is a reason for this. One of Mark Twain's purposes in writing The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was to make fun of a type of book written for children at that time. These books portrayed admirable boys who always worked hard, behaved themselves perfectly, made touching sacrifices for others, attended church willingly, studied hard, saved their pennies, and never played hooky from school. Twain, along with some other authors of the time, felt these stories were preachy, unrealistic, and completely lacking in the fun and humor of real children's lives. From the very first chapter, Twain makes fun of "Model Boy" books.

Throughout the novel, Twain shows that he admires imagination. Tom's greatest strength is his imagination. It leads him to adventure, friendship, and even wealth. It is the quality that lifts him above the townspeople of Hannibal, who are too busy with their daily tasks to pay attention to the wonderful world around them. Imagination lets Tom see the wonder in daily life.

Even though Tom Sawyer has a serious side, most readers will remember the novel for its humor. In addition to one of the most famous episodes in American literature (the fence painting), Tom Sawyer contains humor of all kinds. Mark Twain can be sly or clever with words. He can choose slapstick humor or social criticism with a comic sting. The novel features oddball characters, imaginative misadventures, and vivid frontier speech. However, Mark Twain's humor always has a dark side. His disgust with cruelty, greed, hypocrisy, and dishonesty runs through many episodes.

Some critics claim that readers recognize something of themselves in Tom Sawyer. Tom represents a freedom that few, if any, people enjoy. This is another reason for the book's continuing popularity. Who would not want to join in Tom's search for lost treasure? Who has not dreamed of escaping to a deserted island to fish, swim, and play in the summer sun? Who has not longed to leave real life behind for a while and live in a world of the imagination?

THE ACTIVITIES

• Attention Middle School Teachers

The following activities are primarily for grades K-5. Middle School Teachers may want to use the Glencoe Literature Library Study Guide for Tom Sawyer. It is a comprehensive 29 page guide that analyzes Twain's classic piece of literature chapter by chapter. To use this excellent resource go to:

BEFORE THE PLAY:

1. Ask your students to discuss the difference between television and live theatre. It is important that they know about theatre etiquette, or manners. Refer to the poem above on Matinee Manners.

( TH.C.1.1.2 (pre K-2) The student understands how we learn about ourselves, our relationships and our environment through forms of theater (e.g., film, television, plays, and electronic media)

( TH.E.1.2.2 (3-5) The student understands the artistic characteristics of various media and the advantages and disadvantages of telling stories through those artistic media.

( TH.1.S.1.1: Exhibit appropriate audience etiquette and response.

2. Summarize with your students the novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Explain to them that there are several adaptations of this story and that the stage version they see will not be exactly like the book or video. Compare the different versions.

( LAFS.2.RL.3.9: Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures.

( LAFS.3.RL.1.2: Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

3. Have the students look and listen for patterns during the play. See how many patterns they can recall and how they were used in the context of the play. Encourage students to be aware of patterns that may occur in music, dance, scenery, costume fabric and dialogue. Students may also notice architectural patterns in the theatre.

( MAFS..1.1: Know number names and count sequence.

( MAFS.1.NBT.1.1: Extend the counting sequence.

4. Review the following vocabulary words with your students. During the play, they should listen carefully for the words to be used. Afterwards, see how many they can recall, and how the characters used them in the context of the play.

anatomy evidence perplexed steamboat

audacious genuine port starboard

astounding inspiration reckon thimble

balmy jubilant reluctance torment

beguiled glorious ridicule tranquil

bliss loathe rebellious turmoil

despair mortified seldom whitewash

( LAFS.1.RF.3.3: Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

( LA.FS.1.RF.4.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension and word relationships.

Transportation in the Nineteenth Century:

The nineteenth century saw many innovations in travel. Canals were built, roads were improved, and bicycles and steamboats were invented. Steamboats became very popular and by 1860 there were about a thousand steamboats on the Mississippi. It wasn't long however before railroads replaced steamboats as the preferred mode of transportation.

Mark Twain wrote about the decline of the steam-boating industry in Life of the Mississippi: "Mississippi steam-boating was born about 1812; at the end of thirty years it had grown to mighty proportions and in less than thirty more it was dead! A strangely short life for such a majestic creature."

1. Discuss life in the mid 1800's. Have the students imagine life without cars, televisions, telephones or anything that requires electricity!

a. What tools do you think people used to farm with? To cook with? To work with?

b. What do you think people did for entertainment? Did they have toys or sports?

c. What was the primary form of transportation?

d. Have the students pick a historical figure from the mid 1800's and role play in front of the class. Ask the speaker questions pertaining to the period.

( TH.4.H.1: Through study in the arts, we learn about and honor others and worlds in which they lived.

( TH.4.H.1: The arts reflect and document cultural trends and historical events, and help explain how new directions in the arts have emerged.

( LAFS.4.SL.2.4: Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

(SS.5.A.6.3 Examine 19th century advancements (canals, roads, steamboats, flat boats, overland wagons, Pony Express, railroads) in transportation and communication.

2. Mark Twain is known for his skillful use of vernacular to establish character, time, and place.

After introducing the definitions for Dialect, Regionalisms, and Vernacular, guide the students in

following the language activity associated with the play.

DEFINITIONS

di·a·lect n.

1. A regional or social variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary, especially a variety of speech differing from the standard literary language or speech pattern of the culture in which it exists: Cockney is a dialect of English.

2. A variety of language that with other varieties constitutes a single language of which no single variety is standard: the dialects of Ancient Greek.

re·gion·al·ism n.

1. A feature, such as an expression, a pronunciation, or a custom, that is characteristic of a geographic area.

2. The use of regional characteristics, as of locale, custom, or speech, in literature or art.

ver·nac·u·lar n.

1. The standard native language of a country or locality.

a. The everyday language spoken by a people as distinguished from the literary language.

b. A variety of such everyday language specific to a social group or region: the vernaculars of New York City.

TOM SAWYER "TALK"

|Phrase or expression |Before seeing the show write down what you think |After seeing the show write down what the |

|Used in the production |this expression means or rewrite it in your own |expression actually meant. How closely does it |

| |words |match column two? |

|Hooligan | | |

| | | |

|"..he uncovered an ambush in the person of his Aunt| | |

|Polly" | | |

|"adamantine in its firmness." | | |

| | | |

|Druther | | |

| | | |

|"if this don't beat all." | | |

| | | |

|"by jings" | | |

| | | |

|"ain't for lack of tryin" | | |

| | | |

|"grave disappointment" | | |

| | | |

|"good licks" | | |

| | | |

|"Aw suck eggs" | | |

| | | |

|"…of scant opportunity" | | |

| | | |

|"…robbers got to be high tone" | | |

| | | |

AFTER THE PLAY

RELEVANT THEMES: 1. What a tangled web we weave (lying)

2. Personal decision making/cause & effect

3. Imagination

4. Native Americans and the 19th century

5. Friendship

Refer to the themes listed above. Ask the following questions to relate the themes to everyday life.

1. In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the character of Tom is constantly getting into trouble because of his deceitful ways.

a. How does lying get Tom into trouble? With Aunt Polly, with Becky, with Judge Thatcher?

b. How can lying get you into trouble?

c. How is Tom rewarded for his honesty at the end of the play?

d. Ask your students how what they've learned about honesty applies to their daily lives. Also, discuss the need to be tactful when situations occur where honesty can be hurtful. Example: How do you react when Grandma gives you underwear at Christmas…again!

( LAFS.3.SL.1.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

( LAFS.3.SL.1.3: Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.

(SS.2.C.2.4: Identify ways citizens can make a positive contribution in their community.

2. Seeing a play performed live is one of the best ways to examine a characters' actions and

to learn by their consequences.

a. Introduce the characters of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn who are always getting into trouble because of their actions. Recall from the play their ridiculous pranks, lies, and other devious escapades. What were the consequences?

b. How does Tom get his friends to whitewash the fence for him?

c. Brainstorm with your students what other actions Tom and Huck could have taken. What

might the consequences of those actions be?

d. Ask your students to share an action that they took and the consequence that followed.

Think of positive and negative examples.

Identifying cause and effect relationships within a story helps students focus on two important elements of comprehension: what happened in the story, and why it happened. Looking for causes and their effects gives students an opportunity to look carefully at the consequences of characters' actions and to think about how different actions might have different effects.

( LAFS.2.RL.1.3: Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

( LAFS.2.RL.2.6: Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.

3. Throughout the novel, Twain shows that he admires imagination. Tom's greatest strength is his

imagination. It leads him to adventure, friendship, and even wealth. It is the quality that lifts him

above the townspeople of Hannibal, who are too busy with their daily tasks to pay attention to the wonderful world around them. Imagination lets Tom see the wonder of daily life. Tom uses his imagination to escape from the boredom of everyday life.

a. Is this a positive or a negative characteristic?

b. What are its advantages and disadvantages? Explain your answer.

( LAFS.1.SL.2.4: Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.

4. In the play the character of Injun Joe is part Native American and part Caucasian. He is called a

"stinkin' half breed", thrown in jail because he asked for food, and denied any sort of an education.

a. What did Injun Joe do in response to this treatment? Are his actions justified? Why or Why not?

b. How else could he respond? How have people of mixed races been treated throughout American history?

c. How are they treated now?

d. What is the Bill of Rights and how does it affect all individuals.

(SS.4.A.2.1: Compare Native American tribes in Florida.

(SS.2.C.2.3: Explain why United States citizens have guaranteed rights and identify rights.

(SS.5.C.1.3: Explain the definition and origin of rights.

(SS.5.C.1.5: Describe how concerns about individual rights led to the inclusion of the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution.

5. In Chapter 6, Twain introduces Huckleberry Finn. It is obvious that Tom and Huck are best friends. Interview one or more of your classmates for their views on what makes for a lasting friendship between young people.

a. What qualities do real friends possess?

b. What can you do to be a better friend to your classmates?

c. How can friendship improve our communities?

d. What unusual rituals do Tom and Huck have to prove their trust and friendship to each other?

(SP.PK12.US.20.3: Identify and maintain behaviors that build positive relationships with peers and adults, including friendships, family relations, and cooperating with peers.

OTHER ADVENTURES

1. Many readers feel that Chapter 31, when Tom and Becky are lost in the cave is the most exciting and

best written in the novel. Prepare a dramatic reading of this scene, complete with background music and sound effects that enhance the mood in the cave and the feelings of the two characters. You may want to assign three parts: Tom, Becky, and the narrator. Rehearse your reading and present it to the class.

( TH.4.S.2.1: Collaborate with others to share responsibilities for a production.

( TH.2.S.2: Development of skills, techniques, and processes in the arts strengthens our ability to remember, focus on, process, and sequence information.

2. Create-a-cave: Using common materials like chairs, boxes, blankets, etc., create a cave inside your

classroom. Ask your children to name the cave. Speak through cardboard tubes to create echoes and

enjoy your own cave adventure.

3. The public school idea was just catching on in the 1840's. Before then, most American children learned to read at home or in church, particularly middle class or poor students. Once at school you would sit for long hours on hard back-less benches in a large room with students as young as 4 and as old as 16. Boys and girls sat on different sides of the room and a single stove would keep the room warm.

a. How do you think the teacher would keep order with so many different age groups in one room?

b. What do you think the 15 year old students did while their teacher was busy teaching the 6-year-olds their ABCs?

4. What about my morning shower? Due to a lack of indoor plumbing and the time involved in

heating water over a fireplace, few Americans in the first half of the century bathed with any

regularity. Too, there was a belief that baths-at least in winter-caused colds and other illnesses.

Consequently, some soaked themselves as seldom as once per year. When plumbing improved and

bathtubs were routinely installed in homes, bathing gradually increased to once per week and the

"Saturday night bath" became a family routine.

5. Map Activity: Have students locate Hannibal, Missouri on a map and conduct brief research on the

Area. Using this information ask students to speculate on the types of activities a 14 year old boy might do to keep himself entertained now and in 1841. What are the primary differences and similarities in these activities?

(SS.5.C.1.5: Identify a variety of physical features using a map and globe.

The Art of Florida Assessments

Contributed by Patricia Linder

( Visual and Performing Arts Field Trips provide an excellent source of support for the development of skills necessary for success on the Florida Assessments. We invite you to use these instructional strategies to enhance preparation through your theatre field trip.

Theatre Activities

Cognitive Level 1

Read the story (or play) your field trip performance is based on.

Name the main character.

List all the characters.

Identify the setting.

List the story events in the order they happened.

Describe a character (or setting).

Explain the problem (or conflict) in the story.

Explain how the actors used stage props to tell the story (or develop characterization).

Discuss how the blocking, or positioning of the actors on stage affected the performance.

Discuss how unusual technical elements (light, shadow, sound, etc.) were used in the performance.

Draw a picture of a character.

Illustrate or make a diorama of a scene from the performance.

Draw a poster to advertise the performance.

Work with other students to act out a scene.

Demonstrate how an actor used facial expression to show emotion.

Write a narrative story to summarize the plot of the performance story.

Use a map and/or timeline to locate the setting of the story.

Make a mobile showing events in the story.

Cognitive Level II

Would the main character make a good friend? Write an expository essay explaining why or why not.

Create a graph that records performance data such as: female characters, male characters, animal characters or number of characters in each scene, etc.

Compare/Contrast a character to someone you know or compare/contrast the setting to a different location or time.

Solve a special effects mystery. Use words or pictures to explain how “special effects” (Lighting, smoke, sound effects) were created.

Imagine the story in a different time or place. Design sets or costumes for the new setting.

You’re the director. Plan the performance of a scene in your classroom. Include the cast of characters, staging area, and ideas for costumes, scenery, and props in your plan.

Create a new ending to the story.

Did you enjoy the performance? Write a persuasive essay convincing a friend to go see this production.

Write a letter to the production company nominating a performer for a “Best Actor Award.” Explain why your nominee should win the award.

Create a rubric to rate the performance. Decide on criteria for judging: Sets, Costumes, Acting, Lighting, Special Effects, Overall Performance, etc.

THE PRODUCER

STAGES PRODUCTIONS is a professional theatre ensemble that specializes in bringing classic fairy tales to over 150,000 young people each year throughout the Southeast.

STAGES' show credits include critically acclaimed performances of: Mother Goose, Snow White, The Three Little Pigs, Let Freedom Sing and The Princess and the Pea. Be sure to join us for our 27th anniversary season featuring; School House Rock Live!, Santa’s Holiday Revue, Charlotte’s Web, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Cinderella.

STAGES PRODUCTIONS is dedicated to making drama an integral part of education, and lesson plans help incorporate these plays into the student’s curriculum. Thank you for supporting this mission by choosing a STAGES PRODUCTIONS play!

THE REFERENCES

[Online], 2014

Twain, Mark, (1876) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Nelson Doubleday, Inc. by arrangement with Harper & Row Publishers, Inc.

Microsoft Encarta ‘98 Encyclopedia . (1998)

Traktman, P., Matinee Manners.

Linder, P., The Art of FCAT.

Author Unknown, Study Guide for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Teacher from The Glencoe Literature Library (McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.[Online] Available:

Author Unknown, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Teachers Resources,[Online] Available:

I was born the 30th of November, 1835, in the almost invisible village of Florida, Monroe County, Missouri…The village contained a hundred people and I increased the population by 1 percent. It is more than many of the best men in history could have done for a town.

The Autobiography of Mark Twain

-----------------------

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Mark Twain's classic tale comes to exuberant musical life in this adaptation of one of America's

favorite books. THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER is the irresistible story of a young boy

growing up in the heartland of America. Set in 1840 in St. Petersburg, Missouri Twain's

novel brings to life this bustling town on the banks of the Mississippi River.

The child in all of us never tires of reliving Tom's antics with his stern Aunt Polly, the beautiful

and feisty Becky Thatcher and that rascally renegade, Huckleberry Finn. From one

heart stopping adventure to another, this rollicking musical is a story of schemes,

dreams, strength, hope, overcoming obstacles, and most of all, friendship.

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