ACROSS THE

CURRICULUM

ThepossibilitiesarenumerousforusingboththeMaryPoppins’booksandthestagemusicalofMaryPoppinsasajumpingoffpointforcross-curriculumandinterdisciplinarystudyinyourclassroom.Fromlessonsoncharacterperspectivetocomparingandcontrastingmultiplestoryversionsthisproductionandstoryoffersmanychancestoreachanynumberofcurriculumgoals.BelowareafewsuggestionsforcurriculumthatincorporatesboththebookandthemusicalMaryPoppinsintoyourclassroomstudies.PleasealsorefertotheADDITIONALRESOURCEsectionattheendofthisguideforlinksandresourcestomorecurriculumideasandlessonplans.

BIG IDEAS FAMILY FRIENDSHIP IMAGINATION ANYTHINGCANHAPPENIFYOULETIT THESIMPLETHINGSINLIFE

ABOUT THE STORYAnythingcanhappenifwerecognizethemagicofeverydaylife.ThetaleofMaryPoppins,themysteriousnannywhoteachesatroubledfamilytoappreciatetheimportantthingsinlife,isabelovedclassicwrittenbyP.L.Travers.ThemusicaladaptationisbasedontheDisneymoviecreated30yearsafterthepublicationoftheoriginalbook.Beyondthetheatricalmagicandtheunforgettablecharacters,themessagebehindMaryPoppinsremainsanimportantoneforyoungpeopletounderstand:thathopeandoptimismcanbepowerfultoolsinthefaceofhardtimes.Thestoryconcernsthebanksfamily.Mr.andMrs.Banksareinvolvedwithotherthingsandcannotgivetheirchildren–JaneandMichael—theattentiontheyneed.JaneandMichael,inturn,aremisbehavingtogetthisattention.The“windsofchange”areliterallyblowing,andMaryPoppinsarrivesontheBanksfamilydoorstep.Usingacombinationofmagicandcommonsense,MaryPoppinsteachesthisdistressedfamilyhowtovalueeachotheragain.Aboveall,MaryPoppinsteachestheBanksfamily(andus)tofindthemagicalintheeveryday.Inherhands—umbrellasfly,carpetbagshidendlesstreasuresandadayattheparkbecomesajourneytofantasticalnewworlds.Throughhercapablehands,welearntovaluetheimportantthingsinlife:family,friendship,andimagination.Marysings,“Anythingcanhappenifyouletit.”Throughherwediscovertheextraordinaryworksaroundus,evenwhenthingslookbleak.AsMarysays,“Broadenyourhorizon,opendifferentdoors,youmayfindayoutherethatyouneverknewwasyours.”

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION StagesTheatreCompany’sproductionofMaryPoppinsJr.isbasedonthemusicalfilmversionofDisney’sMaryPoppinswhichwasfirstreleasedin1964.ThemusicaladaptationisbasedontheoriginalbookwrittenbyP.L.Traversandfirstpublishedin1934.Theproductionincludessome

memorablemusicalnumbersfromthefilm,includingSupercalifragilisticexpialidocious,StepinTimeandASpoonfulofSugar.

WatchtheStagestrailerforMaryPoppinshttps://youtu.be/2FeATnaA-rM?list=PLldYxTB0teVwhheHh7-28jUzVMrRwQT_J

PRE-SHOW DISCUSSIONS TIME & PLACE TheplayissetinLondonin1910.DiscusshowtheproductionmightshowthattheplayissetinLondon,Englandintheearly20thcentury.Howmightthisbeshownthroughset,costumesandprops?

LINKSTOWEBSITESABOUTLifeinEnglandin1910:• https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cgi-

bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/minipage&CISOPTR=2063&CISOMODE=print• https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zqgjq6f/revision/4• http://www.victorian-era.org/edwardian-era-facts.html

MARY’S MAGICAL FEATS MaryPoppinsisthoughttobeaslightlymagicalcharacter.Throughouttheproductionsheperformssomemagicalfeats.Shepullsacoatrackandvaseoutofhercarpetbag.Shepullsflowersoutofhersleeve.Sherepairsadestroyedletter.Shemagicallyicesacake.And,ofcourse,sheflies.Discussthesemagicalfeatureswithyourstudentsandhavethemthinkabouthowthesethingsmaybeportrayedonstage.

PRE-SHOW DISCUSSIONS (CONTINUED) StagesTheatreCompany’sproductionofMaryPoppinsJr.isbasedonthemusicalfilmversionofDisney’sMaryPoppins,firstreleasedin1964,andbasedontheoriginalbookwrittenbyP.L.Traversandfirstpublishedin1934.Beforeseeingtheplay,readoneP.L.Traversbookfromwhichthemusicalisadapted.Prepthestudentsbyreviewingthestorysynopsisandkeyevents.Somestudentsmaybefamiliarwiththe1964Disneyclassic,butmostmaynot.Discussthatthemusicaladaptationmaybedifferentfromthebookorthefilm.Whywouldtheversionsdiffer?Whatactionsoreventsmightbeseenonstageorinfilmthataredifferent?Whatcharactersmightbedifferentinthedifferentversions?Whatmightbeomittedinorderforthestorytobepresentedinadramaticlivemusicalproduction?Studentsmaykeepajournaloftheirexpectations.

LISTOFMARYPOPPINSBOOKS• MaryPoppins(1934)• MaryPoppinsComesBack(1935)• MaryPoppinsOpenstheDoor(1943)• MaryPoppinsinthePark(1952)• MaryPoppinsFromAtoZ(1962)• MaryPoppinsintheKitchen(1975)• MaryPoppinsinCherryTreeLane(1982)• MaryPoppinsandtheHouseNextDoor(1988)

RESOURCES TO THE AUDIO BOOK VERSION • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-8alaK_KDI• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoXlqv0NUDk

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uDekEtV8yM

POST SHOW DISCUSSIONS

& WRITING IDEAS

Revisittheexpectationstoseehowanywererealizedandhowmuchmorethestudentsunderstandthestoryasitwasdramatizedonstage.Discussthesimilaritiesanddifferencesfromwhatthestudentsthoughttheywouldseeonstageandwhattheysawintermsofplot,characters,andaction.Werethecharactersasportrayedonthestagewhatyouthoughtyouwouldseefromreadingthestoryorseeingadifferentadaptation?Howorwhy?Howwouldyoudescribethemain“message”oftheplay?Howwasitsimilarordifferentfromwhatyouoriginallythought?Whatdifferenttheatricalstorytellingtechniqueswereusedtotellthestory?

WHERE DID SHE GO?Fansofherbooksusedtoasktheauthor,P.L.TraverswhereMaryPoppinswentaftersheleavestheBanksfamily.Herreply,“…MaryPoppinsdidn’texplainandneithercanI,orneitherwillI.Ifthebookhasn’tsaidthat,thenit’suptoyoutofindout.”Afterseeingtheproduction,takeupTravers’challenge.WheredoesMaryPoppinsgowhenthestoryends?Whathappensaftertheendoftheproduction?TalkorwriteaboutwhereMaryPoppinsgoesaftershefliesawayfromtheBanksfamily.ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN, IF YOU LET IT

Sometimesthegoodthingsinlifeseemoutofreachbecauseweforgettostopandlookaroundattheextraordinaryworldwelivein.MaryPoppinsasksustomeasurethevalueofourlivesbyspendingtimewiththoseweloveandenjoyingthemomentsofhappinessthatarerightinfrontofus.Sometimes,weallneedtojust“goflyakite.”Discussthisconceptwithyourstudents.Orhavethemwriteaboutwhatthe“kiteflying”isintheirlives.

ENJOY THE SIMPLE THINGS IN LIFE MaryPoppinsteachesusthatthesimplethingsinlifedonewellcanbringusthegreatestjoy.Inaworldthatisconstantlymovingandstrivingformoreandmore,thislessoncanbeabigonetorememberandlearnwell.Discusswithyourstudentswhatitmeanstoenjoythesimplethingsinlife.Whataresomeofthesimplethingsyouenjoy?Whataresomeofthesimplethingsyouenjoywithyourfriendsandfamily?Usethisconceptasawritingpromptforstudentjournals.

ACTIVITY (GRADES 2-6)

THE HOT SEAT: GAINING PERSPECTIVE A story can change depending on who tells it. People see the world form different viewpoints. A group of people might see the same event from completely different perspectives and tell about the event in very different ways.

OBJECTIVE: Studentswillanalyzeeventsinthestorythroughtheperspectiveofdifferentcharacters. Step1:Setupthe“hotseat”:asinglechairinfrontofyourclassroom.

Step2:Havestudentsoragroupofstudentschooseoneofthecharactersfromthestory.

Step3:Onebyone,eachstudentorgroupofstudentstakesthe“hotseat.”Havethemintroducethemselvesinthevoiceandmannerofthechosencharacter.

Step4:Usingthelistbelow(importanteventsinthestoryofMaryPoppins)askthe“characters”inthe“hotseat”questionsabouthowtheseeventsaffectthem.

Step5:Aftertheclasshasinterviewedseveral“characters,”discusshowthecharacters’viewpointsdiffered.Howweretheyalike?Wasthereapointinthestorywhenmostofthecharacters’viewpointswerethesame?

EVENTS:KatieNannaLeavingMaryPoppinsArrivingVisitingMr.BanksattheBankFightingoverthetoysMissAndrewArrivingMr.BanksBeingFiredfromhisJobMeetingwithVonHusslerMeetingwithNorthbrook

RELATED WRITING ACTIVITY DescribeMaryPoppinsandtheothercharactersintheshow:writedown10adjectivesdescribingMaryandtheothercharactersthenuseyouradjectivestowriteaparagraphdescriptionofeachcharacter.Nowwriteaboutoneofthecharacters,describingthemasanothercharacterseesthem.Describeonecharacterfromtheperspectiveofadifferentcharacter.

ACTIVITY (GRADES 2-6)

CREATE IMAGINARY WORLDS - LANDSCAPES WhenMaryPoppinstakesBertandthechildrenintothemagicalworldofthepaintingsinthepark,it’saleapofimagination.Everytimewelookatalandscapepaintingorphoto,wemightimaginewhatthatworldmustbelikebeyondtheconfinesofthepictureframe.WeimaginewhatitmustbeliketobeINthepaintingorphoto.Studysomelandscapepaintingsordrawings.Talkaboutwhatlifemightbelikebeyondthe“pictureframe.”ImaginewhatitmustbeliketoINthepaintingorphoto.

Havestudentsstudysomelandscapepaintingsordrawings.Writeastoryaboutwhatitwouldbeliketobeinthepainting.Havestudentsthencreatetheirownlandscapedrawingandthenswitchpicturesbetweenstudentsandhavethemwriteaboutwhatitmustbeliketobeinthedrawingbyanotherstudent.

LEARN ABOUT LONDON MaryPoppinstakesplaceinLondonin1910.ThroughoutthestorywetravelthroughoutLondontovariousplaces,includingparks,shops,banks,thestepsofSt.Paul’sCathedralandeventhecity’srooftops.TaketheopportunitytolearnabitmoreaboutLondon-itshistoryandarchitecture.

LINKSABOUTLONDON• https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/a-brief-history-of-london-abriefandkid-

friendlyhistoryofLondon• https://londontopia.net/history/a-brief-history-of-londons-parks/-abrief

historyofLondon’sparks• http://projectbritain.com/london/b.html-Kid-friendlysiteaboutLondon• www.london-sighseeing-guide.com/parks.htm• www.londongardenstrust.org

HavestudentswriteatravelblogoratravelbrochureaboutvisitingLondon,includingthehistoryofdifferentlandmarksandwhatisimportantaboutvisitingeachone.

ACTIVITY (GRADES 1-5)

COMPARE&CONTRASTHowdodifferentartformsapproachthesamestory?MaryPoppinsisthatraretalethathasappearedinavarietyofartforms:books,alivefeaturefilmandastagemusical.Eachformtellsthestoryinadifferentway:

1) Novelsareextendedfictionalstoriescreatedinawrittenform.

2) Moviesaredramaticstoriesrecordedbyeitherfilmorvideo.

3) Musicalsarelivetheatricalproductionswhichmixsongsandstory.Unlikeotherforms,whicharedocumentedintimeandneverchange,eachperformanceofamusicalisunique.

Trytoreadthebooks,seethemovie(orpartsofit)andexperiencethestagemusicalofMaryPoppins.UsingaVennDiagramcomparethesethreedifferentversionsofthesamestory.Wherearetheydifferent?Wherearetheythesame?Inyouropinion,whichonetellsthestorybest?Why?LINKSTOVENNDIAGRAMS:

• http://unmasadalha.blogspot.com/2016/01/venn-diagram-template.html• https://www.studenthandouts.com/00/200801/venn-diagram-three-concepts.pdf

ACTIVITY (GRADES 3-6)

CHARACTER STATUS

Differentcharactershavedifferentviewsontheworldandevents.Onethingthatcanchangeacharactersviewoftheworldandalsohowothercharactersviewthemisstatus.Statusisaperson’spositioninsociety.In1910England(whenandwheretheplayisset)statuswasprettymuchsetinstone;yourpositioninsocietywasdictatedmostlyfromthemomentyouwerebornandstayedwithyouthroughoutyourlife.Butyourstatuscanbedifferentdependingonwhoyourelateto:MaryPoppins’statusishighcomparedtothechildren(sheistheircaregiver)butMr.Bankscanfireher(sheishisemployee.)Thinkaboutyourownstatuswithinthecommunityofyourschool,andhowthatcanchangedependingonwhomyourelateto(fellowstudents,

teachers,administrators,andparents.)In1910,Englishsocietywasbuiltonavisionthateverybodyhadhis/herplaceintheladderofsociety,andthoselowerrungsoftheladderservedthosehigherup.Asyou’llsee,therewereevenservantstoraisethechildrenofthewealthy.Itwasatimewhenhavinganannybecameastatussymbol;themiddleclasseshirednannieseveniftheycouldn’taffordthem.

THE STATUS LADDER (ENGLAND, 1910) v UpperClass:Royalty,nobility,andtheveryrichv Upper-MiddleClass:Thewealthy,bankers,lawyers,doctors,

merchantsandmanufacturers.v Lower-MiddleClass:Agrowingclassinearly20thcentury

Britain,consistingofshopkeepers,managers,civilservantsandsmallmanufacturers.

v WorkingClass:chimneysweeps,farmers,factoryworkers,shopemployees,houseservants,clerks

v LowerClass:Thehomelessanddestitutewerestillagraveandgrowingconcernduringthisera.

PlacethecharactersfromMaryPoppinsonthestatusladder.Whichofthefollowingfactorsmightbeusedtodetermineeachcharacter’sstatus:economics,age,communityrespect,impactonMichaelandJane?

BERT MR. BANKS MRS. WINIFRED BANKS MICHAEL & JANE MRS. BRILL THE BIRD WOMAN VON HUSSLER JOHN NORTHBROOK MISS ANDREW THE BANK CHAIRMAN

DISCUSSION AROUND STATUS Discusshowclassandstatusaffecteachcharacterinthestory.ConsiderhowMr.Banks’statuschangeswhetherheisatworkorathome.Howareweaffectedbyclassandstatustoday?WheredidyouplaceMaryPoppinsonthestatusladder?DiscusshowMaryPoppinsfitsonthestatusladder.Doesshefitatall?Whyorwhynot?

PLAY A BRAINSTORM GAME InMaryPoppins,JohnNorthbrookconvincesMr.Bankstoinvestinhisnefactory.Withwhatyou’velearnedaboutthiserainEngland,considerwhatMr.Northbrookmightbemakinginhisnewfactory.Splityourclassintotwogroups.OnegroupwillbrainstormwhatcouldbemadeinNorthbrook’sfactory.Oncethatdecisionismade,theothergroupwilldecideifthenewfactoryisworthinvestingin.