Charlotte-Mecklenburg Elementary School is about to do something no school has ever done before! The teachers are taking a year-long vacation and the students are in charge! Join Trina, Dougie, and Ceci as they develop their vision of a perfect school and help each other grow into better people. Will they successfully pass the big test and get to keep their "Kids Only School?"

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Show of Hands has a very unique cast; three actors plus the audience! Every show will have its own twists and turns as the audience is invited to provide thoughts and ideas and participate in the conversation. Encourage your students to listen and watch the play but to also to have fun, laugh, cheer, and participate with actors when invited.

Themes: The true meaning of friendship | Empathy | Listening to one another | Learning from our mistakes | How to be a better citizen of this world

Young audiences should know watching live theatre is different than watching a movie. They can’t pause or rewind, nor can they turn up the volume if someone else is talking. Encourage them to listen and watch the play.

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But, it's also okay to make some noise! Being a young audience member is often an active effort. They may laugh and cheer for their favorite characters. Or they may applaud during or after an exciting moment. These appropriate reactions are an opportunity to thank the actors for the performance.

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Here are some other guidelines to remember:

• Respect others during the performance. Stay seated and keep your hands to yourself.
• Please turn off all cell phones and other electronic devices during the performance.
• Photography and video of the performance is prohibited by copyright law.

  NCES-TheaArts.3.TA.CU.2: Understand the traditions, roles, and conventions of theatre as an art form. NCES-TheaArts.3.TA.CU.2.1: Illustrate theatre etiquette appropriate to the performance situation.

1. What makes you frustrated about school? How do you deal with that frustration?
2. What does “treat others the way you’d like to be treated” mean?

  CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.2: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. NCES-HealthEd.3.ICR.1.2: Plan how to show compassion for all living things and respect for other people's property.

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Pick three words from the list and use them in an original sentence or paragraph. You can also draw a picture, illustrating the definitions.

• environment n. the surroundings in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates
• high-spirited adj. lively and cheerful in behavior or mood
• superintendent n. a person who manages an organization, especially the leader of a school system
• citizen n. a member of a community, state, or nation
• frustrated adj. feeling or expressing distress and annoyance, especially because of inability to change or achieve something
• amongst prep. surrounded by; in the company of
• ponder v. think about (something) carefully, especially before making a decision
• loophole n. an ambiguity or inadequacy in the law or a set of rules
• module n. a part of a spacecraft that can be separated from the main part
• abandoned adj. having been deserted or cast off
• exclusive n. an item or story published or broadcast by only one source
• adversity n. difficulties; misfortune
• “living up to their end of the bargain” n. idiom: keeping their promised agreement
• monumental adj. difficulties; misfortune
• empathy n. the ability to understand and share the feelings of another

  CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases.

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Kindness Catalog
Using the “Think, Pair, Share” method, have your students brainstorm a list of acts of kindness they can practice at school. As a class, select your favorite acts of kindness and create a poster that can be displayed in the classroom. Challenge students to perform one act of kindness every day.

  NCES-SocialStudies.3.C&G.2.3: Apply skills in civic engagement (school, community, etc.). NCES-VisualArts.3.VA.V.3: Create art using a variety of tools, media, and processes, safely and appropriately. NCES-Guidance.I.SE.1.2: Integrate personal responsibility into the way you live your life on a daily basis.

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If I Could…
Give the students the prompt “If I could fix _____ I would _____” and give students time to write out their ideas. If you’d like, you can allow students to share their writing to the class.

  CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.1: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons. NCES-Guidance.EEE.C.1.1: Create strategies for solving problems that have been problems for some time.

Christopher Parks, director of the Experiential Theatre Company, has developed an interactive genre of theatre called Experiential Theatre which he describes in the following way:

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His shows have been produced all over the country and even internationally.

1. What does this story teach us about how to treat each other?
2. Can you think of a time you could have been a better friend or classmate? What happened?
3. How can you make your school a better place? What about your home? Your community?

  CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.2: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. NCES-SocialStudies.3.C&G.2.3: Apply skills in civic engagement (school, community, etc.). NCES-TheaArts.3.TA.A.1.2: Evaluate informal or formal theatre productions in terms of the emotions or thoughts they evoke.

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History/Herstory Scavenger Hunt
Students should be armed with a pencil and paper. Instruct the students to number their paper 1-10. The teacher will read out a description and the students should go around the room finding another student who matches that description. They cannot put their own name down as an answer. Feel free to make up some of your own descriptions that are tailored to your classroom.

1. Someone who rides the bus to school
2. Someone who is a car rider
3. Someone who likes playing outside
4. Someone who likes quiet places
5. Someone who has siblings
6. Someone who has a pet
7. Someone whose favorite subject is Math
8. Someone whose favorite subject is Social Studies
9. Someone who was born outside of North Carolina
10. Someone who prefers dinner to dessert

  CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.1.C: Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others. NCES-Guidance.3.EEE.SE.2: Understand the relationship between self and others in the broader world.

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What happens next?
As a class, review the final events of Show of Hands. Instruct the students to get into small groups and assume the character of Trina from the play. Now that Trina is the principal, what other things will she do to help the students at the “Kids Only School?”

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One member of the group should then become Trina giving a speech to the whole class. They should list what changes they are making to help students. Give them a few moments to rehearse their speech with their small group, before sharing with the whole class.

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After the representatives have shared their speeches, you may extend the project by encouraging students to write a journal entry from the perspective of a student at the “Kids Only School.” The journal entry should focus on ideas that the other Trinas presented in their speeches.

  NCES-TheaArts.3.TA.AC.2: Use performance to communicate ideas and feelings. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.1: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.

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Drawing Exercise
Click the button to see a printable worksheet for your classroom.

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T-shirt Design

Every play Children’s Theatre of Charlotte produces is created by a talented team of designers, technicians, actors, and a director. As a class, discuss what you experienced when you saw the performance.

1. Name three things you noticed about the scenery. Did the scenery help tell the story? What sort of scenery would you design?
2. What did you like about the costumes? Did the costumes help tell the story? What sort of costumes would you design?
3. What role did lighting play in telling the story? How did the lights enhance what you were seeing?
4. Talk about the actors. Were there moments you were so caught up in the story you forgot you were watching a play?
5. Were there any actors who played more than one character? What are some ways you can show you are a different character?

  NCES-TheaArts.3.TA.A.1: Analyze literary texts and performances. NCES-TheaArts.3.TA.AE.1.2: Understand how costumes [and technical elements] enhance dramatic play.

If you enjoyed the show, travel to ImaginOn or your local Charlotte Mecklenburg Library branch and check out these books. Check availability at cmlibrary.org.

• Everybody! You, Me & Us by Elise Gravel
• Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan
• Friendship According to Gregory by Betty G. Birney
• Come With Me by Holly M. McGhee
• We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio
• Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller