THE RELUCTANT DRAGON

-CURRICULUM GUIDE--

BACKGROUND

Kenneth Grahame, Author of Story
The Reluctant Dragon is based on a story of the same name by Kenneth Grahame. Kenneth Grahame was born in Scotland in 1859, but when he was 4 his mother died and his father sent him and his sister and brothers to live with their grandmother in a village in England. Since she was elderly and uninterested in children, the 4 Grahames were free to roam the countryside and invent their own world. Kenneth enjoyed school and hoped to go on to Oxford University but his relatives insisted instead that he become a clerk in the Bank of England. While there he wrote The Reluctant Dragon included in his book Dream Days, published in 1898. In 1908 he published his most famous work, The Wind in the Willows, based on bedtime stories invented for his son Alastair.

Synopsis of the Story
A boy and his family discover there is a dragon living in a cave on the downs. The boy finds out the dragon is peaceful and has no intention of fighting. The nearby villagers, however, are sure that ALL dragons are dangerous and should be killed. They call on Sir George, the dragon fighter, to come battle the dragon. Sir George discovers the dragon is peaceful but to keep the village happy they stage a mock battle that Sir George wins. The dragon promises to be good and the villagers decide it is all right to have a peaceful dragon nearby.
The lesson of the story is not to be prejudiced.

The Setting
The setting for the story of The Reluctant Dragon is the Downs. The Downs (North Downs and South Downs) are high grassy hills in SE England. They are ideal places to graze sheep.

Dragons & Saint George
Stories about dragons were popular in England and throughout Europe. Dragons were believed to be dangerous creatures and would burn homes and farms and kill people and animals. (The surprise in this story is that the dragon is peaceful and doesn't want to fight). Dragons from China and Asia were much different--they were considered to be protectors rather than destroyers. In England there were many stories about Sir George (Saint George) who fought and killed dragons.



THE MUSIC
The music for the play is in the form of ballads. A ballad is a song or poem that tells a story in short stanzas and simple words with repetition and a refrain (chorus). The music score was written for harpsichord, alto flute and bass clarinet.

STYLE OF PUPPETRY
In The Reluctant Dragon we use several styles of puppetry. The villagers are hand and rod puppets (the puppeteers are under the puppets and not seen). The boy and Sir George are adaptations of "bunraku" puppets and they are operated in view of the audience-in this case by puppeteers dressed and playing the parts of the father and the mother. The dragon has the puppeteers arm inside his neck. There is also a control which allows the puppeteer to operate his mouth and eyes.

CHARACTERS
. Shepherd and Father of the Boy
. Mother
. Boy
. Dragon
. Sheep
. Mother Bird and Baby Bird
. Sir George
. Villagers (mayor, old man, young woman)
. Sir George's Horse

VOCABULARY

Downs -- high grassy hills in SE England

Flock -- group of sheep

Ramp (ramping) -- To assume a threatening posture.
To move or rush threateningly, violently, or with fury. To rampage

Prejudiced -- a judgment or opinion formed before the facts are known.

Rumor -- a story about a person or event which is not necessarily true.

Cheeky -- impudent or disrespectful

BEFORE THE PERFORMANCE

1. Read about dragons
2. Read The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame
3. Find England on a map. Find SE England (location of The Downs).
4. Play the game "telephone" to see how stories or rumors sometimes change in the telling.



DURING THE PERFORMANCE

1. Learn to sing the chorus (refrain) for the ballad.
2. Look for different kinds of puppets used in the play.
3. Watch to see how many characters each puppeteer plays.

AFTER THE PERFORMANCE

1. Discuss the advice that Sir George gives after the fight.

"Don't go grumbling and inventing grievances when you haven't anything to complain about."

"Don't be so fond of fights-next time you might have to do the fighting yourselves."

"Don't be prejudiced and jump to conclusions. Not all folks are the way they appear, and even the most fearsome looking dragon can be the kindest person you'd ever want to know."

2. What does it mean to be prejudiced? Which characters in the play were prejudiced? How did they show their prejudice? Which characters in the play were not prejudiced? How did these characters behave?

3. Draw a picture of your favorite character or scene from the play. Tell why you liked this the best

4. Write a letter to Tears of Joy telling us what you liked about this play. Send to: Tears of Joy Theatre
P.O. Box 1029, Vancouver, WA 98666

5. Find out more about the Kenneth Grahame, the author of The Reluctant Dragon. Read his most famous story. The Wind in the Willows.

6. Do more research on dragons. How were dragons from England different from dragons in China?

7. Create simple puppets and perform your own puppet play of this story. (Use the enclosed pattern to create a talking dragon puppet).

8. Sing the ballad you learned during the play.

You can't tell a book by its cover
Or a dragon by its scales
Better get to know a body
Afore believing in tall tales



Curriculum Links & Benchmarks

for The Reluctant Dragon

SOCIAL SCIENCES
--Understand and use geographic skills
--Locate and identify on maps the continents and oceans ofthe world

ENGLISH
Writing
--Write about the play, tell what you liked best

Literature
--Read and identify stories, poems and plays from a variety of cultures
--Compare fables and stories from two or more cultures
--Understand story elements (plot, characters, setting, point of view, problem, solution

Speaking and Listening
--Pay attention to oral stories, instruction, reports, assemblies
--Contribute to groups with ideas and effort
--Respect others feelings and right to participate in a group
--Identify and share ideas and points of view
--Retell stories in own words including characters, setting and plot

ARTS
Aesthetics and Art Criticism
--Recognize artistic elements in works of art
--Describe an idea or feeling connected with viewing or hearing a work of art

Historical or Cultural Perspectives
--Understand how 'works of art relate to the cultures in which they are created

The student acquires the knowledge and skills necessary to create, to pe..form and to respond effectively to the arts
--Visual arts: line, shape/form, texture, color, space (design of puppets and set)
--Music: rhythm, melody
--Drama: character, setting, action, design

Create, present, perform and evaluate artworks using visual arts, music, drama, and dance

Use Art forms to reflect concepts learned in other subjects

Use art skills in play and school work to respond to the performance

Identify art elements in the natural and designed world (patterns, colors, sounds, movement)