Puss In Boots

Supplemental Study Materials

Dear Educator,
We are excited that you have chosen Theatre Bristol's production of Puss In Boots as part of your curriculum. This story of fantasty, struggle and fun is a must for every young person's "Good Book" list.

Enclosed are numerous materials to facilitate understanding and initiate responsed from your students in relation to the play Puss In Boots. The information and activities provided can be used to enhance curriculum standards in many subjects. We have students from diverse age groups attending the show. You know best the needs and abilities of your students.

Please feel free to adapt the suggested materials for discussion or activities with your students. You are invited to make copies of the enclosed materials for other teachers as well as your students. We hope you will enjoy Puss In Boots.

Sincerely,
Rebecca Greasby
Director of Education

Background Information
About Puss In Boots
The story of Puss In Boots was first published in a collection of popular French tales in 1697 by Charles Perrault. Perrault also included his classic versions of The Sleeping Beauty and Little Red Riding Hood.

Over the years, the story has been translated numerous times. Recently, Malcolm Arthur's translation, beautifully illustrated by Fred Marcellino, received a Caldecott Honor Award in 1990.

This three hundred-year-old story of a feline and his footwear has been a favorite with kids long before that cat ever put on that hat!

A Brief Summary of the Play
Once upon a time . . . there was a band of actors rehearsing for their play, Puss In Boots. Problems arise among the actos when Jones, the leader, wants to reassign the role of the ogre. Finally, he relents and agrees to play the role himself. They begin their play with a scene at the river. Puss is fishing and discovers Simple drowning in the river. The two become fast friends. Simple shares his boots with his new friend Puss, and Puss agrees to return the favor.

Puss begins bringing gifts to the kins in honor of Simple. The mischievious cat tells the king that the gifts are from his master, Simple, and that they should meet each other. The king now believes that Simple is a successful marquis. Well, Simple is far from both successful and marquis status.

As the king comes to meet Simple, Puss tells Simple to pretend that he is stuck in the river. Simple meets the princess and they are immediately attracted to each other. Puss goes on ahead to outwit the ogre and win the castle for Simple. And, in the end, they all live happily every after.

Vocabulary

Carriage - a horse drawn vehicle to transport people
Compliment - to say something in praise
Dragon - a mythical monster, reptile like, that has wings and breathes fire
Flattery - excessive praise
Impress - to make memorable
Landmark - an object used to mark a spot of land
Majesty - a royalty title
Marquis - a noble man
Miserable - very unhappy
Ogre - in fiarytales, a man-eating monster (the one in Puss In Boots is kind of stupid!)
Overture - the first song in a show
Palace - the house of a noble person
Peacock - a large bird with rainbow colored tail feathers
Princess - the daughter of a king
Wisteria - a vine like shrub with beautiful white, purple or blueish flowers

Vocabulary Fun!
Concentration: Vocabulary Style - On index cards, write the vocabular terms you want to work with. Write the corresponding definition on another set of index cards. The number of words and definitions per game is up to your discretion. Students may work with a partner or small group of people to play the game. Shuffle tht two sets together and have students lay the cards face down in front of them. The first student will turn over two cards. If the word matches with the definition, they keep the set. If not, they turn both cards face down again. Students who match a set may continue playing until they miss a match. Students should rotate, taking turns. When the cards have all been matched, students should count up their cards. Whoever has the most cards wins!

20 Questions
Have a student choose a vocabulary word. Other students take turns asking questions of the student with the vocabulary word and try to guess their word. Whoever guesses correctly in less than 20 Questions chooses the next vocabulary word.

Pre-Show Enrichment
Discussion Questions
The title of the play should set your mind spinning with ideas. Can you predict what the play, Puss In Boots, is about from it's title? What characters are in it? What is the story line?

What is a fantasy? What is a fantasy play or story? Can you name some fantasy plays or stories?

If you were King or Queen what would your kingdom be like?

What do you think the Ogre looks like? What kind of magical powers do you think he has? What would you do if you met up with him face to face?

In the play, Puss pretends to rescue his master. Have you ever rescued anyone or seen someone rescued? What could you do to help someone who was choking? Broke their arm on the playground? Assist someone who is drowning? See smoke coming from a building? See a car accident?

Puss is regarded as a hero. Who is your hero? Name some heroic deeds others in your classroom have accomplished. What makes a hero?

Activities
Create your own kingdom. What type of people and animals live there? What are there names? What type of buildings are in your kingdom? What foods do you eat? Name your kingdom. Draw a picture of your kingdom. Explain to your classmantes about your kingdom.

Everyone has a role model or hero whom they look up to. Write a letter to your hero telling them how they have made a difference in your life. Send the letter to let them know.

Many royal families have their own special symbols called a Coat of Arms. Create your own Coat of Arms. Include things that explain who you are, things you like to do, foods you like, activities you participate in, things that are special or important to you. Share your Coat of Arms with the class and explain why you included each symbol.

Cat Facts
Cats are mammals.
Cats are meat eaters.
Cats have sharp teeth.
Cats' whiskers help them to feel their way in the dark.
Cats are hunters.
There are more than 30 million pet cats.
Cats weigh between 6 to 15 pounds.
Cats have keen hearing and can hear more sounds than humans.
Cats cannot see in total darkness but they see better than most animals in dim light.
Cats use their small front teeth primarily for grooming.
A cat's tongue is rough like sandpaper.
Cat's use their tongue for grooming to clean and comb their fur.
A cat's lower jaw does not move from side to side, so a cat cannot grind it's teeth.
Cats are the only animal that purrs. No one know exactly how a cat purrs. It is a sound that comes from the vibrations of the cats vocal cords.
Cats also meow, chirp, hiss, yowl and growl.
A cat' sbody is extremely flexible. They can roll into a ball, fold themselves in half, stretch out flat on their backs, or arch their backs high into the air. A cat's tongue can reach the furn in the middle of its back for cleaning.
Most cats have five toees on their fore paws and four on their hind paws.

Post-Show Enrichment

Discussion Questions
Ask the students who have cats to describe how their cats' act. Compare and contrast how their pets act to how Puss acted.

What if you were in an acting troupe. What would be the first story you would like to act out?

Puss is a real friend to Simple. What qualities do you look for in friend? Who is a true friend to you?

Activities
What if Puss In Boots were to continue on? Draw a picture of what you think happens after the play has ended.

You have been chosen as the new media director at Theatre Bristol. Design a poster promoting the play Puss In Boots. Explain your poster to the class.

Become an actor. Pretend you have become one the performers and are acting out Puss In Boots. Act out a scene where Puss speaks to a king who doesn't believe that cats can talk, the prince and the princess have lunch and talk about what they like to do, the ogre is really a nice person, or Puss is a tiger instead of a house cat.

Read the book, Puss In Boots, and discuss how the play you saw compares to the book.

Feline Fishing Games. Create story problems based on fish. ie: There are five fish in the pond. The cat caught two fish, how many are left in the pond? Have students use fish-shaped crackers for counting.

Invite your local vet to come in and speak to your students about cats and how to care for them.

Books of Interest
The Third-Story Cat, Leslie Baker, Little, Brown & Company
The Country Cat, Norman Bridwell, Scholastic
Have You Seen My Cat?, Eric Carle, Philomel
Cats Know Best, Colin Eisler, Dial Books
Millions of Cats, Wanda Gag, Coward-McCann
Who Said Meow?, Maria Polushkin, Crown Publishers
The Cat In The Hat, Dr. Suess, Random House
Rich Cat, Poor Cat, Bernard Waber, Scholastic
The Kid's Cat Book, Tomie dePaola, Holiday House
Cats, Michael Holman, Franklin Watts
How Kittens Grow, Millicent Selsam, Scholastic

Cool Websites to Check Out!
http://www.interest.de/~krausst/grimm/puss.in.boots.html - Full text version of the classic story.
http://taurussoftware.hostings.com/meghan/pussboots2.html - Full text version with gorgeous pictures.
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/tradcarney.html - Break down of folktales and different types of tales.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/excats/ - Stories of amazing cats, teachers guides, puzzles and more!
http://www.evl.uic.edu/caylor/catindex.html - Index of famous cats throughout history, fact and fiction.
http://www.ivillage.com/pets/cats/ - cat tips and care