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    Nate The Great Studyguide-1

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    stella99teacher
    Nate the Great studyguide

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Nate The Great Studyguide-1

    Uploaded by

    stella99teacher
    33 views6 pages
    Nate the Great studyguide

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    Nate the Great studyguide-1

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    © © All Rights Reserved

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    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

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    Nate the Great studyguide

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    33 views6 pages

    Nate The Great Studyguide-1

    Uploaded by

    stella99teacher
    Nate the Great studyguide

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 6

    151 West 26th Street 212.647.

    1100
    New York, NY 10001 www.twusa.org

    STUDY GUIDE

    Dear Teacher,

    We have created the following study guide to help make your students’ theater
    experience with Nate the Great as meaningful as possible. For many, it will be
    their first time viewing a live theatrical production. We have learned that when
    teachers discuss the play with their students before and after the production, the
    experience is more significant and long-lasting. Our study guide provides pre and
    post production discussion topics, as well as related activity sheets. These are
    just suggestions; please feel free to create your own activities and areas for
    discussion. We hope you and your class enjoy the show!

    BACKGROUND
    Our play is based on the first volume in the Nate the Great series of stories by
    award-winning author Marjorie Weinman Sharmat.

    THE STORY
    • Nate, the great boy detective solves mysteries with the help of some famous
    fictional detectives from the past: Sherlock Holmes and Charlie Chan.
    • Just as Nate starts looking for a case to solve, his friend Annie tells him she
    needs help finding a missing painting. Nate takes the case and they begin
    looking for clues.
    • Nate wants to solve the case on his own so he sends the famous detectives away
    but soon finds himself at a dead end. He and Annie team up to find the painting
    and Nate learns that solving mysteries can be more fun with company around.

    BEFORE SEEING THE PLAY


    1. You may want to read some of the Nate the Great stories and review the
    plots and characters with your students.

    2. Discuss mystery stories with your students. What makes a story a mystery?
    Brainstorm some examples of stories or movies you may know that are
    mysteries. Can anyone name any famous fictional detectives?

    3. One theme in the play is teamwork. Discuss what it means to work or play
    on a team. What is important when you play on a team? What qualities do
    you look for in a teammate?

    AFTER SEEING THE PLAY


    1. Ask your students how the play was different from the Nate the Great books
    you read. How was it the same?

    2. How does Nate change during the play? Why does he want to solve the
    mystery by himself? What happens to change his mind about accepting
    help from others?

    3. How do the fictional detectives help Nate? Why do you think only Nate can
    see them? Has anyone ever had an imaginary friend?

    4. Discuss how the actors played their roles. How did you know some
    characters were supposed to be children and some were adults?
    (detectives) How do you think the actors who played Fang and the Hexes
    prepared for their roles? How would you portray a dog or cat on stage?

    ACTIVITIES
    Creative Dramatics
    Have your students re-enact scenes from the play. First, have the students
    discuss specific scenes – who were the characters, where did it take place,
    what happened? Examples of scenes might be:

    • Nate and Annie looking for Rosamund’s cats


    • Nate and the detectives searching for clues

    Debate
    In the play Rosamund is obsessed by cats. She claims, “Dogs are so much
    blander.” Annie has a dog named Fang who keeps her company. Divide the
    class in two and give each side an animal to defend: dogs vs. cats. Have the
    students research facts on both animals and stage a debate about which
    makes the better pet. Students can make posters to support their arguments.

    Creative Writing
    1. Vocabulary- Use the attached sheet and a dictionary to find the
    meanings of words used in the play. Match the words to the definitions
    by drawing a line connecting them.

    2. Poetry – Annie sings a song about the color yellow. She uses metaphors
    and similes such as “Yellow’s daffodils and sunshine” and “Yellow
    shimmers like a gold mine.” Have students choose a color and write a
    poem using metaphors and similes as poetic devices.

    3. Story Recall- Use the attached sheet to answer quiz questions based on
    the play.

    Artistic Expression
    The missing picture in the play was covered up with a different color paint
    creating a completely different picture in a secondary color. Have students
    experiment with the primary colors: red, yellow and blue and make pictures
    combining the colors to form secondary colors just like Harry did.

    BIBLIOGRAPHY
    Marjorie Weinman Sharmat has written over 130 books for children
    of all ages. There are more than 20 books in the Nate the Great
    series including:
    NATE THE GREAT
    NATE THE GREAT GOES UNDERCOVER
    NATE THE GREAT AND THE LOST LIST
    NATE THE GREAT AND THE PHONY CLUE
    NATE THE GREAT AND THE STICKY CASE
    NATE THE GREAT AND THE MISSING KEY
    NATE THE GREAT AND THE SNOWY TRAIL
    NATE THE GREAT AND THE FISHY PRIZE
    NATE THE GREAT STALKS STUPIDWEED
    NATE THE GREAT AND THE BORING BEACH BAG
    NATE THE GREAT GOES DOWN IN THE DUMPS
    NATE THE GREAT AND THE HALLOWEEN HUNT
    NATE THE GREAT AND THE MUSICAL NOTE
    NATE THE GREAT AND THE STOLEN BASE
    NATE THE GREAT AND THE PILLOW CASE
    NATE THE GREAT AND THE MUSHY VALENTINE
    NATE THE GREAT AND THE TARDY TORTOISE
    NATE THE GREAT AND THE CRUNCHY CHRISTMAS
    NATE THE GREAT SAVES THE KING OF SWEDEN
    NATE THE GREAT AND ME: The Case of the Fleeing Fang
    NATE THE GREAT AND THE MONSTER MESS
    NATE THE GREAT, SAN FRANCISCO DETECTIVE
    NATE THE GREAT AND THE BIG SNIFF
    NATE THE GREAT ON THE OWL EXPRESS
    NATE THE GREAT TALKS TURKEY

    Internet:
    Learn about author Marjorie Weinman Sharmat:
    http://www.kidsreads.com/series/series-nate-titles.asp

    Random House: Nate the Great (with printable activities):


    http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/natethegreat/
    NATE THE GREAT VOCABULARY SHEET

    Name:

    Draw a line from the vocabulary word from the play on the left to the
    correct definition on the right. Use a dictionary to help find meanings
    of new words.

    Panic To chase or keep after closely

    Insane A cause of evil or trouble

    Curse First in importance

    Hound Sudden, wild fear

    Prolific Cannot be doubted

    Primary An order or instruction

    Indubitably Senseless, crazy

    Directive Producing much


    Name:

    NATE THE GREAT MULTIPLE CHOICE QUIZ

    1. What food does Nate the Great love to eat?


    ! Pizza
    ! Cookies
    ! Pancakes
    ! Waffles

    2. What name do all of Rosamund’s cats share?


    ! Fluffy
    ! Hex
    ! Rex
    ! Snowball

    3. The character Harry is:


    ! Annie’s Brother
    ! Nate’s Brother
    ! Rosamund’s cousin
    ! One of the detectives

    4. The detectives that help Nate are Sherlock Holmes and:


    ! Jackie Chan
    ! Charlie Chan
    ! Nancy Drew
    ! Encyclopedia Brown

    5. What color is the picture that Annie paints?


    ! Red
    ! Blue
    ! Green
    ! Yellow
    Name:

    HELP NATE FIND THE PANCAKES!

    Nate’s favorite food is pancakes. Help him find his way through the
    maze to a delicious meal just right for a great detective!

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