BLM 97 in aVinegar Bottle he little old lady who lived T

Teaching notes for TheLittle Old
Lady Who Lived in a Vinegar Bottle
Text form: Playscript
Medium: Book of plays
Field: Folktale adaptation
Mode: Includes both written and written to be
spoken
Tenor: Moves from informed to uninformed, to the
tenor between characters in the dialogue
OTHER RESOURCES
Tape recorder to tape speech patterns.
Butcher’s paper and paints for the scenery.
Material remnants, feathers and scraps for costumes.
INTRODUCING THE UNIT
Allow students to form groups to read through and
become familiar with the playscript.
LET’S TALK ABOUT IT!
Encourage students to discuss aspects such as intonation,
pitch, rhythm and the emphasis placed on particular
words in the dialogue. Students may refer back to their
notes during later rehearsals. If possible tape record
students as they experiment. Some responses may
include: ‘Now she was not very happy living in the
vinegar bottle’ can have a different effect when different
words are emphasised. Near the end of the extract the
Kind Fairy may start sounding a little tired or
exasperated with the Little Old Lady while the Little
Old Lady may sound more demanding.
THE NARRATIVE ELEMENTS
Discuss the structure of the narrative with students
(orientation, complication, sequence of events,
resolution, coda). Have they observed a similar structure
with this playscript? Point out that some of these
elements are missing because we are only working with
the first part of the playscript. Encourage students to
locate the parts of the text which indicate the
orientation, the complication and some of the events.
Now students will be able to discuss the features of the
132
narrative that are still missing. A classroom chart
illustrating the structure of the narrative would be a
useful resource.
HOT SEAT
Before students formulate their questions, it might be
useful to have a whole class discussion about the
personality of the Kind Fairy and of the Little Old Lady.
Ask students how the personality of each character
might have affected her actions. Encourage students to
think of questions exploring why the characters behaved
as they did.
YOU FINISH IT!
Have students work in groups to jointly construct a
draft on butcher’s paper, remembering to include poetic
text types. Encourage students to plan, review, proofread,
edit and publish as a group, if possible using a word
processor. Guide them to refer to the playscript as a
model.
FOLLOW-UP/EXTENSION
• Students should work as a group to perform the
whole play including their own ending. Encourage
groups to take responsibility for their own costumes,
sets, scenery, rehearsals, music, advertising, venue etc.
• Have students create a storyboard for a movie
director who wants to make a movie of the play.