Real Life Frog and Toad: Science and Theatre for Grade 2-4

Based on the musical A Year with Frog and Toad by Willie and Robert Reale
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Content Standards
Grade 2 Utah Science: Standard 4 Objective 1A
o Compare and contrast the characteristics of living things in different
habitats.
Grade 3 Utah Theatre: Standard 1 Objective 3A
o Create and improvise a new ending to a familiar story.
Grade 4 Utah Science: Standard 5 Objective 4D
o Compare the structure and behavior of Utah amphibians and reptiles.
ASSESSMENT
Performance Tasks
Students create and share dynamized tableaux of physical and behavioral
characteristics that real frogs, toads, snails and birds have, and describe
these characteristics when observing their peers in order to compare and
contrast characteristics of living things in different habitats.
In small groups, students plan and perform an alternate ending to Frog and
Toad with puppets they created in order to create and improvise a new
ending to a familiar story.
Other Assessments
Students complete a worksheet in which they label and list physical and
behavioral similarities and differences of frogs and toads in order to compare
the structure and behavior of Utah amphibians and reptiles.
MATERIALS NEEDED
Teacher Materials
Frog/Toad puppet (made from template provided)
Student Materials
Paper
Pencil
Glue
Colored pencils/markers
Scissors
Tape
Frog/Toad puppet templates (enough for each student, see attached)
Picture of a frog and a toad from Utah (see attached)
Wooden dowels or craft sticks
LEARNING PLAN
Framing / Hook
1. Frog and Toad Puppets
a. Greet students with frog and toad puppets (using provided template).
b. Ask students how the characters from Frog and Toad acted similarly
and differently from animals in real life.
c. Ask students: What are some physical and behavioral differences you
noticed between the characters, Frog and Toad, and real life frogs and
toads (e.g. in the musical they talked and walked around on two legs)?
Process
2. Physical and Behavioral Differences

a. Place a picture of a real frog and toad (see attached pictures) that are
found here in Utah on the board.
b. Inform students about the differences in the relationship between frogs
and toads in real life (use pictures as needed).
i. Explain that frogs and toads come from the same family and
that there are hundreds of species.
ii. Frogs
1. Frogs need to live near water.
2. They have two bulging eyes.
3. Frogs have strong, long webbed hind feet that are perfect
for jumping and swimming.
4. Frogs have smooth or slimy skin and a thin, narrow body.
5. Frogs have many predators including: snakes, lizards,
birds, shrews, raccoons, foxes, otters, and weasels.
iii. Toads
1. Toads dont need to live near water to survive.
2. Toads have stubby bodies with short hind legs that are
used for walking instead of jumping like a frog.
3. Toads have dry skin.
4. Toads run, walk, and take small hops rather than jumping
like a frog.
5. Toads dont have many predators because their skin lets
out a bitter fume that burns the eyes and nose of its
predators.
3. Tableaux of Behavior and Environment
a. Students are split into two groups: a frog group and a toad group.
i. Instruct each of the respective groups to create a tableaux of a
behavior a real frog/toad might have/do and an environment
they might live in based on the earlier discussion.
1. NOTE: Explain that a tableaux is when students freeze
their bodies to create a picture or scene to express a
feeling, emotion, relationship, or message.
ii. In each group, students create a tableaux as the teacher walks
around and observes.
ii. Students dynamize their tableaux.
1. Explain that dynamize means students add a little movement
to their
tableaux.
ii. Students show the other groups their dynamized tableaux.
b. Ask students what some similarities and differences are between the
frog group and the toad group based on the tableaux they watched.
c. Ask students how the frogs and toads were interacting with their
respective environments.
4. Discussion
a. Gather students in a circle.
b. In a round robin style discussion, students address what might happen
if certain elements of a frog/toads environment changed. For example:
What might happen if the water dried up? Lily pads vanished? A tree
was cut down? How would each of the animals have to adapt if these
changes occurred?
i. NOTE: Make sure each student shares an idea in order to
demonstrate their knowledge of relationships frogs/toads might
have with plants and other species in different environments.
5. Puppet Creation
a. Ask students what an alternate ending to a story is. Students are
asked for examples (e.g. Wizard of Oz, Tangled, etc.).

b. Students create an alternate ending to the play A Year with Frog and
Toad.
i. Students scenes must include, depending on their puppet, an
interaction with something that is naturally found in their environment
in real life.
c. Students are split into groups of 3-4 students.
6. Alternate Endings
a. Students pick either the frog, toad, snail, or bird from the puppet
templates, cut them out and color them.
b. Students get about 5 minutes to plan and practice their scene.
c. Students perform their scenes for each other.
i. NOTE: If time permits, allow students to give/get feedback on
each groups alternate ending (e.g. what can be improved, what
worked well, etc.) and give students another chance to revise
their scene. Perform reworked scene.
Reflection
7. Students Decide
a. Gather students in a circle.
b. Ask students: If they were to be a character from the play (e.g. Snail,
Frog, Toad, Bird, etc.) who they would be and why?
8. Hand out the real life Frog and Toad color/label worksheet (See last page of
lesson).
i. NOTE: This is a homework assignment. Pass out and briefly
explain and have students put it away.

Toad puppet template:

Frog puppet template:

Toad found in Utah (Boreal toad)

Frog found in Utah (Leopard frog)

Similarities and Differences: Real Life Frog and Toad

Name:
Date:

_____

Instructions: Please look at the pictures of the Leopard frog, Boreal toad,
and Blue Collared lizard, all found here in Utah. Write physical and
behavioral similarities and differences between the three animals in the
Venn diagram below.

Leopard
Frog

Boreal
Toad

Blue
Collared
Lizard