ELEMENTARY AGES 6 12 Teachers' Course 6: The Ugly Duckling Objectives: at the end of the Exercise students should be able to: Counting from 1 1,000,000 and identifying numbers 1 1,000,000 Cardinal and ordinal numbers. Introduce sizes and more about the sound th Introducing prepositions. Telling the time. Producing and performing the first half of "The Ugly Duckling" Producing and performing a simple version of The Ugly Duckling. Use vocabulary correctly. Have fun. Materials required: mp3 player, speaker, recorder (if you want to make an audio recording), microphone, printable flashcards. START WITH THE WHOLE CLASS 1. Preparation - Warm up Rhyme and Game. Teacher says each line then children repeat Beach Counting One for the sun that shone in the sky. Two for the ships that sailed on by. Three for the castles I built on the sand. Four for the seashells I held in my hand. Five for the points on the starfish I saw. Six for the crabs that scuttled ashore. Seven for the waves that I managed to beat. Eight for the pebbles I perched on my feet. Nine for the boats that bobbed on the sea. Ten for my toes that were wiggling free.
Game Board Race. Place 2,3 or 4 flashcards of a sun, sailing ship, rowing boat, castle, sea shells, a starfish, crab, waves, pebbles, toes in piles at the front of the class. Divide the class into two, three or four teams (depending on size of the class) in rows facing front. Call out the name of the first card. The first student runs to find and keep it. Then the call out the name of the second card and the second student runs to find it; and so on. The first team to have all the cards is the winner. Numbers Get the students to write the numbers and words and then say aloud: Digits Numbers Words 1 ones 8 eight 2 tens 68 Sixty eight 3 hundreds 268 Two hundred and sixty eight 4 thousands 4268 Four thousand two hundred and sixty eight 5 Tens of thousands 6 Hundreds of thousands 34268 Thirty four thousand two hundred and sixty eight 134268 One hundred and thirty four thousand two hundred and sixty eight 7 Millions 5134268 Five million one hundred and thirty four thousand two hundred and sixty eight Give them several other numbers to write and speak. Sometimes students say Floor two using cardinal numbers, when they should say the second floor using ordinal numbers. Table of Ordinal Numbers 1st first 11th eleventh 21st twenty-first 31st thirty-first 2nd second 12th twelfth 22nd twenty-second 40th fortieth 3rd third 13th thirteenth 23rd twenty-third 50th fiftieth 4th fourth 14th fourteenth 24th twenty-fourth 60th sixtieth 5th fifth 15th fifteenth 25th twenty-fifth 70th seventieth 6th sixth 16th sixteenth 26th twenty-sixth 80th eightieth 7th seventh 17th seventeenth 27th twenty-seventh 90th ninetieth 8th eighth 18th eighteenth 28th twenty-eighth 100th hundredth 9th ninth 19th nineteenth 29th twenty-ninth 1,000th thousandth 10th tenth 20th twentieth 30th thirtieth 1,000,000th millionth Get the students to write the numbers (with th) and words and say aloud the ordinal numbers. Get them to make up other ordinal numbers.
Sizes. Tall Short Fat/Thick Thin Get students to make gestures to show sizes: fat, thin, tall, short. Tell them a story using th words. When they hear thin they stand up with their arms straight up trying to be a s thin as possible. When they hear thick they spread out their arms and pretend to be thick. When they hear thought the point to their foreheads. When they hear they they indicate the whole class. When ther hear the they csan write the small case letters t h and e in the air. For example: John was very thin because he never ate thick bread. Many of the students thought he was crazy because they liked thick bread. Make up your own story. We should be interested to see it and if you like we shall put it on our website. A challenging th tongue twister is: Thirty three thousand and thirteen thinkers thought they would go there on Thursday. Another game for sh sound. Divide the class into teams. Have students seated with one student from each team with hands on lap. When you say Go they start saying shirt, shoes, shorts, shark, sheep, fish. When the first team wins the leader slaps his table, desk with his hands. The other students judge which student said the words fastest and most accurately. 2. Presentation Disney Cartoon Please note that there are two versions of The Ugly Duckling in his course: 1. A Simple version of the whole play. 2. An advanced version of the first part of the play. You can choose between them depending on the ability of your students. 3. Or you could do both. This would be an excellent preparation for a production of the whole play. A Give the students flash cards with pictures and words: duck eggs, a swan' egg, stork (advanced version only), farmhouse and countryside, big leaves (advanced version only), mother duck, father duck (advanced version only), ducklings, ugly duckling. Show the children how to mime these flashcards using movement and sound - for example, strutting like a stork then standing on one
3. Practice leg, for laying a duck egg sitting and quacking and pointing, for swan flying gracefully then landing, (for simple version only), imitating the sound clip of a swan's cry which is quite different to a duck's (for simple version only), pacing up and down like an anxious father duck(advanced version only), quarrelling between father and mother duck see the disney cartoon for inspiration (advanced version only), make the pretty new born "peep, peep" sound of a baby duckling, make the ugly squawk of the ugly duckling, try waddling like the old duck, take a running jump and time them with "splash" sound effects. You can also get each child to choose a partner and arrange her/him in positions and moving them - for example laying an egg, flying like a swan and landing (advanced version only), strutting and standing on one leg like a stork(advanced version only), waddling from side to side like an old duck, etc Get a pair of students to demonstrate to the class. Let them take it in turns to do this. Get the students participating as soon as possible. The students can look at their flashcards to name them. They can ask questions "is this a...?" for a "yes" or "no" answer. Making the drama story, "The Ugly Duckling". A fun way to familiarise themselves with the full story will be to sing the Danny Kaye song: Danny Kaye Danny Kaye There once was an ugly duckling With feathers all stubby and brown And the other birds said in so many words Get out of town Get out, get out, get out of town And he went with a quack and a waddle and a quack In a flurry of eiderdown * That poor little ugly duckling Went wandering far and near But at every place they said to his face Now get out, get out, get out of here And he went with a quack and a waddle and a quack And a very unhappy tear All through the wintertime he hid himself away Ashamed to show his face, afraid of what others might say All through the winter in his lonely clump of wheat Till a flock of swans spied him there and very soon agreed You re a very fine swan indeed! A swan? Me a swan? Ah, go on! And he said yes, you re a swan Take a look at yourself in the lake and you ll see And he looked, and he saw, and he said I am a swan! Wheeeeeeee! I m not such an ugly duckling No feathers all stubby and brown For in fact these birds in so many words said The best in town, the best, the best, the best in town Not a quack, not a quack, not a waddle or a quack But a glide and a whistle and a snowy white back song song
And a head so noble and high Say who s an ugly duckling? Not I! Not I! * an eiderdown is a bed cover stuffed with feathers. If the bed cover tears the feathers go everywhere In the simple version there are 18 speaking parts and 7 non speaking parts. If you con't havd enough students uou can easily double parts. In the advanced version, there only 7 speaking parts in this first part of the play. And 3 ducklings to make peeping sounds. Thus in the advanced version, depending on the size of the class two or three groups or more might perform the play. They might compete for the best part or overall production. It would be good if all the students could learn their parts, as this helps not look down at scripts and to be prepared for their cues. the speeches just before theirs. In both versions it is important that students think ahead and pass the microphone in time to the to the next speaker The story tellers can help to guide them. Who want to be narrators/ the story tellers? Who wants to be Mother Duck, Father Duck(advanced version only), the Stork (he says three words of Arabic as well as English) (advanced version only), the Old Duck, the Ugly Duckling, the other ducklings? Who would like to make the back drop, the nest, think how to create the nest area, make the larger than life eggs - big enough to be climbed out of? And the costumes, - wings and beaks, etc? 4. Production Drama has rehearsal and performance and is a good way for the children to cooperate, become confident have fun and learn English. Teacher carefully works out where and when each student should move into position and leave room for other students as they arrive. Perhaps stage the nest one side of the stage and the lake the other side. The staging of this part 1 of the advanced script is fairly easy, a good preparation for the rest of the script if you decide to do it. That will be more challenging and creative and greater fun. The Drama Script Encourage the the children to improvise and modify. This should give them confidence and spontaneity. You can copy and print the flashcards and the script for the students. The Script of The Ugly Duckling a famous Danish fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson, dramatised by Shaun MacLoughlin There are two versions, a simple on and the first half of a more advanced one Simple version
THE SIMPLE VERSION. ACTORS NS = Non speaking Narrator 1 1 PROPS CUT-OUTS BACKDROPS Backdrop of countryside and water COSTUMES All the ducks can have yellow beaks Narrator 2 A large nest Perhaps ducks have wings Mother Duck 4 duck eggs (bigger An old fashioned than in real life) hat for the old MUSIC, SOUND EFFECTS AND VOCALISATIONS Theme music Perhaps Danny Kaye's "there once was an ugly duckling" Loud cracks of eggs breaking duck Old Duck One larger egg 2 geese costumes Cheeps of the ducklings Ugly Duckling An area to signify water 3 hen costumes A louder crack for the ugly duckling Ducklings 1, 2 2 guns for hunters 1 turkey costume A squawk for the ugly duckling & 3 Old Duck Cat costume a big splash for mother duck jumping into water 2 geese 3 swan beautiful white costumes 4 smaller splashes for the ducklings 2 hens NS Another louder one for the ugly duckling Turkey Geese hissing Farm boy Turkey gobbling 2 wild ducks Bangs of guns 2 Hunters (NS) Growl of dog Big Dog Hiss of cat Hen Cat 3 swans NS (25 characters, 7 non speaking) THERE IS A BACKDROP OF GRASS AND TREES AND A POND. MOTHER DUCK IS SITTING ON FIVE EGGS. FOUR ARE QUITE SMALL AND WHITE AND THE SIXTH IS HUGE. TWO NARRATORS STAND AT ONE SIDE OF THE STAGE. Look! I have five eggs. Four are smooth and small and white, but one is huge. I wonder why. All Spring the Mother duck sat on her eggs, waiting for them to hatch. She waited and waited and waited. And until at last WE HEAR A CRACK AND ONE DUCKLING APPEARS. HE CHEEPS AND HIDES HIS EGG.
Hurry! Come and See! My eggs are hatching. AN UGLY OLD DUCK APPEARS. THEN WE HEAR THREE MORE CRACKS Come out! Come out! THREE MORE DUCKLINGS APPEAR. THEY CHEEP AND HIDE THEIR EGGS. JUST THE LARGE EGG REMAINS. OLD DUCK: Is everyone here? But the big egg still hadn't hatched. Looks like a turkey egg to me. I think you should leave it. I'll just wait a little bit longer. A VERY LOUD CRACK. At last the great egg burst open AND THEN A LARGE, UGLY DUCKLING APPEARS. HE TOO HIDES HIS EGG UGLY DUCKLING: OLD DUCK: Cheep! Cheep! It is a turkey chick. Take it swimming. Then you'll see. MOTHER DUCK AND THE DUCKLINGS WALK AROUND THE STAGE TOWARDS THE BACKDROP WHERE THE POND IS. So Mother Duck took her ducklings down to the pond and one by one they all jumped in. THEY MIME JUMPING IN. WE HEAR SPLASHES. DUCKLING 1: DUCKLING 2: DUCKLING 3: DUCKLING 4: UGLY DUCKLING: Splish! Splosh! Splish! Splosh! Splash! THEY ALL PUT THEIR HEADS DOWN The dark water closed over their heads.
THEN THEY POP THEIR HEADS UP AGAIN. The next moment they all popped up again. (TO THE UGLY DUCKLING) You can swim! You're not a turkey chick. You're just a very ugly duckling. Come on. I'll show you the farmyard. THE DUCKLINGS FOLLOW MOTHER DUCK AROUND THE STAGE TO THE FARMYARD. TWO GEESE, TWO HENS, A TURKEY AND FARMBOY APPEAR. TWO GEESE: TWO HENS: THE TURKEY: FARM BOY TWO GEESE LAUGH AND HISS AT THE UGLY DUCKLING. The geese laughed at the Ugly Duckling and the hens pecked him. TWO HENS PECK THE UGLY DUCKLING. And the turkey puffed himself up and gobbled at him. THE TURKEY PUFFS HIMSELF UP AND MAKES A GOBBLE GOBLE GOBBLE NOISE AT THE THE UGLY DUCKLING. SHOOS THE UGLY DUCKLING AWAY Out of my way! THE UGLY DUCKLING FLIES AWAY AND ALL THE OTHER CHARACTERS DISAPPEAR, LEAVING HIM ALONE ON THE STAGE. UGLY DUCKLING: Nobody wants me. I'm too ugly. He ran and ran all night and at last he came to where the wild ducks lived. TWO WILD DUCKS WALK ON AND LOOK AT HIM. TWO WILDDUCKS: You're too ugly THEN WE HEAR BANG 'BANG Watch out! It's the hunters. TWO HUNTERS AND A BIG DOG: THEY FLY AWAY. TWO HUNTERS AND A BIG DOG APPEAR. THE HUNTERS HAVE GUNS. THEY SHOOT BANG 'BANG TOWARDS THE UGLY DUCKLING AND MISS. THE HUNTERS LEAVE. THE BIG DOG BOUNDS UP TO THE UGLY DUCKLING, WHO TRIES TO HIDE.
BIG DOG: (GROWLS AND SNIFFS) You're too ugly to eat. THE UGLY DUCKLING RUNS AROUND THE STAGE. THE DOG DISAPPEARS. At last the Ugly Duckling reached a house and crept inside. A CAT AND A HEN APPEAR UGLY DUCKLING: HEN: UGLY DUCKLING: CAT: UGLY DUCKLING: CAT: Can I stay here? Can you lay eggs? No. (HISSSES) Can you purr? I don't think so. Then get out. THE UGLY DUCKLING GOES ON RUNNING AND THE HEN AND CAT DISAPPEAR. THE UGLY DUCKLING STOPS RUNNING AND BEGINS TO SHIVER. The weather grew colder The leaves grew yellow and brown and danced in the wind One evening, just as the sun was setting, a flock of birds flew across the sky. The Ugly Duckling had never seen anything so beautiful. The birds were shining white, with long smooth necks. They were swans. The weather grew colder and colder THE UGLY DUCKLING SHIVERS EVEN MORE AND SITS DOWN The Ugly Duckling almost froze in the ice. HE STRUGGLES TO PUSH HIMSELF UP, AS IF HE IS STUCK IN THE ICE But when Spring came he was still alive. He lay in the reeds and listened to the birds sing.
He raised his wings. They beat more strongly than before. HE RUNS AROUND THE STAGE AND AS HE RUNS HE PUTS ON A SWAN FACE AND BIGGER WINGS. He flew and flew until he came to a garden with a pond and three glorious swans. THE SWANS COME CLOSER FLAPPING THEIR WINGS The swans came closer flapping their wings. Perhaps they'll peck me and bite me. HE BENDS HIS HEAD TO THE GROUND. He bent his head to the water and saw that he was no longer an ugly duckling. He was a swan THE SWANS SWIM AROUND HIM AND STROKE HIM. The swans swam around him and stroked him with their wings. THEN MOTHER DUCK AND THE OLD DUCK COME ON STAGE OLD DUCK: Look a new one's arrived. And he's the most beautiful one of all. ALL THE CAST COME ON STAGE AND BOW TO THE AUDIENCE. THE END FIRST HALF OF ADVANCED SCRIPT FOR UGLY DUCKLING. Long version ACTORS Storyteller 1 PROPS CUT-OUTS BACKDROPS Backdrop of countryside and water COSTUMES All the ducks can have yellow beaks Storyteller 2 A large nest Perhaps ducks have wings MUSIC AND SOUND EFFECTS Theme music Perhaps Danny Kaye's "there once was an ugly duckling"
Stork 4 duck eggs (bigger than in real life) A stork costume with long beak Mother Duck One larger egg An old fashioned hat for the old duck Ugly Duckling Perhaps some tall plants with large leaves (see burdock leaves) to shelter under Ducklings 1, 2 An area to signify & 3 water. Father Duck Old Duck Loud cracks of eggs breaking Cheeps of the ducklings A louder one for the ugly duckling a big splash for mother duck jumping into water 4 smaller splashes for the ducklings Another louder one for the ugly duckling (DEPENDING UPON TIME AND BUDGET THE STAGE MAY BE DECORATED WITH TREES AND LIGHTED WITH RIPPLING WATER EFFECTS. OR THEIR MIGHT BE A BACKDROP LIKE THIS PICTURE. UPSTAGE RIGHT IS A NEST LARGE ENOUGH FOR AN ACTOR TO SIT ON. IT HAS FOUR LARGE DUCK EGGS AND ONE LARGER SWAN'S EGG The farmhouse illustrated by Jerry Pinkney DOWNSTAGE LEFT TWO STORYTELLERS APPEAR. UNLIKE THE OTHER ACTORS THEY MAY HAVE SCRIPTS TO READ FROM). STORYTELLER 1 It was lovely summer weather in the country, and the golden corn, the green oats, and the haystacks in the meadows were beautiful. (THE STORK STRUTS ONTO THE STAGE) STORTELLER 1: STORTELLER 2: STORTELLER 1: THE STORK: STORYTELLER 2 The stork walked about on his long red legs. He chattered in the Egyptian language, which he had learnt from his mother. Hop bulat sula... (INTERRUPTING) Please speak in English
THE STORK: THE STORK: Sorry... (HE CLEARS HIS THROAT AND STANDS ON ONE FOOT) The corn-fields and meadows are surrounded by large forests, in the midst of which are deep pools. It is delightful to walk about in the country. Thank you, Stork. You speak good English. Thank you. (THE STORK CONTINUES STRUTTING ABOUT. MOTHER DUCK ENTERS AND SITS UPON HER EGGS) STORK: STORYTELLE 2: In a sunny spot stood a pleasant old farm-house close by a deep river, and from the house down to the water side grew great burdock leaves, so high, that under the tallest of them a little child could stand upright. Thank you Stork! In a snug spot by the river sat a duck on her nest, waiting for her young brood to hatch. She was getting tired, for the little ones were a long time coming out of their shells, Waiting to hatch by Jerry Pinkney and she seldom had any visitors. (FATHER DUCK APPEARS NERVOUSLY PACING UP AND DOWN) Except for her husband, who was anxious and impatient. He was very much in love with his wife. But he was also very jealous. Mother and father duck waiting by Walt Disney 1938 (THERE ARE SOME LOUD CRACKS; AND FOUR DUCKLINGS APPEAR.) DUCKLING 1: Peep, peep.
MANY DUCKLINGS FATHER: Quack. Quack. said the mother. Peep. Peep. Peep. Peep. Peep. Peep. Peep. Peep. Peep. Peep. Peep. Peep. Peep. Peep. Peep. Peep. Peep. Peep. Peep. Peep. Peep. Peep. How wonderful. They are beautiful, like you my darling. (HE KISSES HER) (THE DUCKLINGS PEEP SOME MORE) STORYTELLER 1 DUCKLING 1: MOTHER: They all quacked as well as loud as they could, and looked about them on every side at the large green leaves. Their mother allowed them to look as much as they liked, because green is good for the eyes. They found how much more room they now had, than while they were inside the egg-shell. How large the world is! Do you imagine this is the whole world? Wait till you have seen the garden; it stretches far beyond that to the parson's field, but I have never ventured to such a distance. Are you all out? (SHE RISES) MOTHER: No, I declare, the largest egg lies there still. How long will it take!? I'm quite tired of it. (SHE SITS ON HER NEST AGAIN AND THEN AN OLD DUCK VISITS HER) OLD DUCK: MOTHER: Well, how are you getting on? One egg is still not hatched. It will not break. But just look at all the others, are they not the prettiest little ducklings you
ever saw? They are the image of their father. OLD DUCK: Hmm. Let me see the egg that will not break. (SHE EXAMINES IT. THEN:) I have no doubt. It is a turkey's egg. FATHER OLD DUCK: Hmm. How could that be? My wife is faithful (IGNORING HIM) I was persuaded to hatch some once, and after all my care and trouble with the young ones, they were afraid of the water. I quacked and clucked, but all to no purpose. I could not get them to venture in. Let me look at the egg. (SHE EXAMINES IT AGAIN. THEN:) Yes, that's a turkey's egg. FATHER DUCK: OLD DUCK: MOTHER: OLD DUCK: Are you insulting my wife? (IGNORING HIM) Take my advice, leave it where it is and teach the other children to swim. I think I will sit on it a little while longer. I have sat so long already, a few more days will be nothing. Please yourself. (SHE WADDLES AWAY. MOTHER DUCK SIGHS AND CONTINUES TO SIT ON THE LARGE EGG)) The Mother Duck sat on the large egg for another five days! THERE IS A VERY LOUD CRACK AND THE UGLY DUCKLING APPEARS. HE HAS SLEEVES THAT WILL DOUBLE AS WINGS) At long last it broke, and a young one crept forth crying: The Ugly Duckling hatches by Jerry Pinkney (A MUCH LOUDER AND UGLIER SOUND THAN THE OTHERS
UGLY DUCKLING: Peep! Peep! It was very large and ugly. The Mother and father stared at it. It is not at all like the others. I wonder if it really is a turkey. (FATHER DUCK EXAMINES IT) FATHER DUCK: My God! It seems you really have been unfaithful. Who is the Father? FATHER DUCK: FATHER DUCK: FATHER DUCK: FATHER DUCK: FATHER DUCK: You of course. Who else? I would never father such an ugly child. I don't believe you. Up to you. I saw the way that Turkey looked at you. What are you talking about? You were making eyes at him. Don't be ridiculous. (POINTING AT THE UGLY DUCKLING) There's the proof. Up to you, if you don't want to trust me. I'm leaving you. (HE STORMS OFF IN A TEMPER. SHE SHRUGS) Oh well. We shall soon find out, when we go to the water. He must go in, if I have to push him myself. On the next day the weather was delightful, and the sun shone brightly on the green burdock leaves. (THE MOTHER DUCK LEADS THE DUCKLINGS TO THE WATER)
So the mother duck took her young brood down to the water, and jumped in with a splash. (BIG SPLASH) Quack. Quack. (FOLLOWED BY FOUR SMALLER SPLASHES) One after another the little ducklings jumped in. The water closed over their heads, but they came up again in an instant, and swam about quite prettily with their legs paddling under them, as easily as possible. ANOTHER BIG SPLASH And the ugly duckling was also in the water swimming with them. That's not a turkey. How well he uses his legs, and how upright he holds himself! He is my own child, and he is not so very ugly after all, if you look at him properly. Rewards and Homework Quack, quack! come with me now, I will take you into grand society, and introduce you to the farmyard. But keep close to me or you may be trodden upon; and, above all, beware of the cat. THE END OF PART 1 The teacher gives them rewards, perhaps an English through Drama certificate. For their homework they can write a few sentence about how they might continue the story of The Ugly Duckling. Perhaps their parents can help them. Ask the students: Who might tread on the ducklings? Why is the cat dangerous? What happens to the ugly duckling in the end? Or they can draw pictures of the Ugly Duckling or Mother of Father or the Old Duck
Students can submit their pictures to the English through Drama website. If they wish the best pictures will go on the website. If you wish we shall add your name and / or country. (but your privacy will be guaranteed if you wish) And for the best pictures or sentences we shall send you and your teacher the whole of the script and production advice of "Snow-White" or "The Ugly Duckling", so that now you can produce and perform another full length play. Or for a small extra fee you can purchase the full length script. You can submit your sentences about the how the play might continue to the English through Drama website. If they wish the most inspiring ending will go on the website. If they wish we shall add their name and / or country. (but your privacy will be guaranteed if you wish) Copyright English through Drama 2016 Member of WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization)