2020-21 Interactive Experiences
We can’t tour this year, so we wove the work of our artists into the structure and content of every offering: Interactive Story Kits, Story Adventure Workshops, Skills Workshops, and FREE Reader’s Theatre script excerpts!
Book-It’s Interactive Story Kits are designed by our Arts Education department to engage students individually and as a community of readers, thinkers, and artists. Students will be able to watch a recorded read-aloud* by one of our artists and then explore the story’s themes and ideas on their own or as a class through writing, movement, visual art, and theatre exercises—including reader’s theatre scripts adapted by our playwrights.
Each kit is designed around the following titles with the approval of each author:
Grades K-5: Octopus Stew, by Eric Velasquez
Grades K-5: Dreamers (Soñadores) by Yuyi Morales
Grades PreK-2: Koala Lou, by Mem Fox
Grades K-5: Possum Magic, by Mem Fox
Click on the book title above for more information about the story.
Curriculum is available in preschool**, K-2nd, and 3rd-5th grade sets, and the Kit will be shipped to the address of your choice. You will have access to:
- Monthly educator webinars practicing, expanding, and explaining curriculum within each Kit
- Password-protected link to a video recording of a Book-It performer reading the selected book (available for picture books only). Most stories are read in English; Dreamers (Soñadores) is read in Spanish and English.
- Language choice for the family and student informational notes. Two languages may be selected per individual student set. Available languages are: Amharic, Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), English, Japanese, Punjabi, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Tigrinya, and Vietnamese. To request two languages, please contact our Arts Ed department. (Teacher letters and all curriculum are currently only available in English, with the exception of Dreamers [Soñadores], which includes Spanish, English, and bilingual copies of the reader’s theatre scripts.)
- For Dreamers (Soñadores), a password-protected link to a language support video for the reader’s theatre scripts.
Within each Kit you’ll find 1 copy of the selected book for the classroom library and materials for both teacher and students.
Up to 30 student sets per Kit include:
- Informational note to student (in 1 or 2 languages)
- Informational note to families (in 1 or 2 languages)
- 1 reader’s theatre script intended for a full-class read
- 1 reader’s theatre script intended for a small-group read
- 1 highlighter
- 1 acting exercise
- 1 writing exercise
- 1 visual art exercise, including materials
- 1 lexical matrix and information on how to use it
The Teacher set includes:
- informational letter to educators with tips on how to use the Kit
- copy of informational note to families
- copy of informational note to students
- Full-class reader’s theatre script
- Small-group reader’s theatre script
- 1 movement exercise written for teacher-led instruction
- 1 acting exercise written as an independent student activity
- 1 writing exercise written as an independent student activity
- 1 visual art exercise intended as an independent student activity, including necessary materials
- 1 lexical matrix and information on how to use it
Links to webinar registration and password protected YouTube videos of read-aloud (picture books only) or language support (Dreamers/Soñadores only) will be sent directly to the purchaser’s email address.
*Read-alouds are available for picture books only; exercises and scripts are included in all Kits.
** Preschool Kits have specialized curriculum and are available for Koala Lou only.
If you would like to learn more about or request Arts Education accessibility accommodations, please email Artistic Producer/Tour Manager Jordi Montes.
Story Kit Read-Alouds were recorded at Seattle Center Studios.
Lexical matrices created by Rain City Reading.
Book-It’s Arts Education program is a rostered organization through The Creative Advantage.
Jump into the world of the book with our hour-long, interactive Story Adventure Workshops! Students will join characters inspired by each book as they tackle the problem of a giant octopus, explore a hidden library, train for the Bush Olympics, fight for environmental justice, or travel across Australia.
Titles will be available for Workshops for the following months:
Nov. 17-Dec. 18 and February: Grades K-5: Octopus Stew: Super Ram & the Cephalopod Squad
February & March: Grades K-5: Dreamers (Soñadores): Lost & Found en la Ciudad
March & April: Grades PreK-2: Koala Lou: Training for the Bush Olympics
May & June: Grades K-5: Possum Magic: Mission Impossumble
Click on the book title above for more information about the story.
Each workshop is held live via online platform, led by two Book-It teaching artists and moderated by one Arts Education department staff member. Students will be encouraged to participate through all the available mechanisms within Zoom to work together to make discoveries, solve puzzles, and create community connections. Curriculum for each workshop is available in K-2 and 3-5. (A preschool Workshop is available for Koala Lou only.)
Each Workshop may have a maximum of 30 students.
Workshops are available Tuesdays and Fridays, with mornings and afternoons available. Once you’ve purchased your workshop, a member of the Arts Education team will contact you to schedule the date and time.
Click on the book title above for more information about the story.
Practice your artistry and learn new skills through our story-inspired Skills Workshops! Each title has a specific focus:
Nov. 17-Dec. 18 and February: Grades K-5: Octopus Stew: Superhero Character Creation
February & March: Grades K-5: Dreamers (Soñadores): Life Story Collages with Household Items
March & April: Grades PreK-2: Koala Lou: Rhythm & Words
May & June: Grades K-5: Possum Magic: Prop Making with Household Items
Click on the book title above for more information about the story.
Curriculum for each workshop is available in K-2 and 3-5 grade levels. (A preschool option is available for Koala Lou only.)
Each hour-long workshop is held live via online platform, led by a Book-It teaching artist and moderated by an Arts Education department staff member.
Each Workshop may have a maximum of 30 students.
Workshops are available Tuesdays and Fridays, with mornings and afternoons available. Once you’ve purchased your workshop, a member of the Arts Education team will contact you to
schedule the date and time.
Click on the book title above for more information about the story.
Join Book-It Arts Education staff, Gillian Jorgensen and Jordi Montes, in an active conversation about our 2020-2021 school-year programming. We’ll share information about our available classroom supports and opportunities, upcoming mainstage audio dramas, and answer any questions about using and adapting our curriculum for your classroom. All registrants will receive PDFs of our current selection of Reader’s Theatre scripts for grades K-8.
Registration and meeting through Zoom.
Interactive Arts Education Programming Chats:
February 25, 2021
4:30-5:45pm (participants can join at any time)
March 25, 2021
4:30-5:45pm (participants can join at any time)
April 29, 202
4:30-5:45pm (participants can join at any time)
May 27, 2021
4:30-5:45pm (participants can join at any time)
June 10, 2021
4:30-5:45pm (participants can join at any time)
REGISTER
Hello, Teachers!
In support of you and your students during rapid school changes in the coming days, the Arts Education team at Book-It would like to offer you some materials for asynchronous work.
FREE! Comic Book Writing Exercise
Includes: instructions that can be adapted for any grade, a book list for teachers, and five sample frame layouts for use with the exercise. Click to download the pdf:
Book-It Comic Book Writing Exercise
TWO Frame Layout
THREE Frame Layout
FOUR Frame Layout
FIVE Frame Layout
SEVEN Frame Layout
Book-It Comic Book Exercise Book List
Writing Exercise Examples
LOW COST! Mañanaland Audio Drama
Pam Muñoz Ryan’s middle grade novel, serialized into a four-part audio drama, adapted and performed by Book-It artists familiar to our school-tour family. Available for $30 for a single class or $100 for your entire school, each episode is 45-60 minutes in length and comes with a play guide filled with information about the artists, instruments used in the recording, and a story synopsis.
BUY TICKETS
Audience Play Guide
And, of course, our 2020-2021 season offerings of Interactive Story Kits and Workshops continue to be available:
Dreamers by Yuyi Morales (through March 31st)
Koala Lou by Mem Fox (through April 30th)
Possum Magic by Mem Fox (April 1st through June 30th)