C OMMO N C OR E- AL I GNE D TE ACHER GU I DE

The life and dance

of anna pavlova

by laurel snyder illustrated by julie morstad

The world is big.

Anna is small.
The snow is
everywhere
and all around.
But one night . . .

about this book

One night, her mother takes her to the ballet, and everything is changed—Anna finds a beauty
inside herself that she cannot contain.

So begins the journey of a girl who will one day grow up to be the most famous prima ballerina
of all time, and who will inspire legions of dancers after her: the brave, the generous, the
transcendently gifted Anna Pavlova.

978-1-4521-1890-1 • $17.99 hc
978-1-4521-3060-6 • $11.99 EB
ages 6-9 • f&p text level gradient: P • Lexile® measure: AD 380L

about this guide

This teacher guide contains discussion questions and activities aligned with the Common
Core State Standards. See inside for reference to the Reading and Writing strands and grade-
specific standards.
 pre-reading activities
Help the class understand the meaning of passion by asking students to draw themselves engaged in a
favorite activity such as dance, gymnastics, football, basketball, art, music, acting, or reading. Instruct them
to write a brief explanation of how they discovered their passion or why they enjoy this activity. Ask them to
share their passion with a partner or in front of the class while displaying their self-portrait.
Correlates with CCSS SL. 2-4.4.

Ask the class to name words that best describe a swan. Words to consider
include “graceful,” “elegant,” and “flowing.” Then play the movement called
“Swan” from Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns and direct the class
to move with the music, exploring motions inspired by the descriptive words.
Correlates with CCSS SL. 2-4.5.

while reading: questions related to text and illustrations

1. Explain to the class that in picture books, illustrations tell the story along with the text. What do the
cover and the title page of the book reveal about Anna Pavlova’s passion?

2. What is Anna’s life like with her mother in the city? Ask students to explain their responses based on
specific details in the text or the illustrations. Why is she looking out the window at the beginning of
the book? How does the window represent a bigger world?

3. Ask students to share where they think Anna’s mother is taking her on the first page of the book. Why is
her mother smiling? Why does Anna feel so small?

4. Describe Anna’s reaction to the ballet Sleeping Beauty. How does the illustrator draw attention to Anna
in the audience scene at the ballet?

5. Discuss how young Anna reveals her passion for dance. What is her mother’s reaction to her desire to
study ballet? Anna’s mother first takes her to ballet school when she is eight years old. What do the
footprints to and from the door of the ballet school reveal? Ask students to explain how Anna’s passion
keeps her from giving up on her dream.

6. How does dance give Anna a better life than what she knew as a child? Why isn’t this enough for her?

7. Ask the class to explain the following statement: “Somewhere, there are people who haven’t heard
the music.”

8. Discuss the significance of the empty stage and the floating feathers at the end of the book. Ask the class
what they think of the following text: “Every day must end in night.” What does night represent?

9. Ask students to share three words to describe Anna and to explain their responses using specific details
from the text.

Correlates with CCSS RL. 2-4.1, 2-4.3,2-4.4, 2-4.7, 2.5; L. 2-4.1, 2-4.3, 2-4.5; SL. 2-4.2, 2-4.3.

2 contin ued
 after reading

The author uses figurative language to describe Anna Pavlova’s life as a dancer. Review the definitions of
metaphor and personification. Challenge students to find examples of these types of figurative language in
the text. What are the images or emotions created by such rich language?
Correlates with CCSS RL. 2-4.4, L. 3-4.5.

A choreographer is a person who plans and arranges dance movements. Mikhail Fokine choreographed
“The Dying Swan” for Anna Pavlova, and it became her signature dance. Divide the class into small groups
and instruct students to try their hand at choreography. Suggest they use a familiar picture book or poem
for inspiration, and offer guidance in selecting music if necessary.
Correlates with CCSS RL. 2-4.7.

For schools that have access to streaming video, have students watch Anna Pavlova perform “The Dying
Swan.” Find a later version of “The Dying Swan” online as well, and compare this to Anna’s performance.
What differences do students notice? Which performance do they find more powerful and why?
Correlates with CCSS SL. 2-4.3.

What additional information about Anna Pavlova does the author provide in the “From the Author”
section at the end of the book? Ask students to write a letter that a child in another country may
have written to Anna after seeing her dance.
Correlates with CCSS W. 2-4.3.

3 contin ued
extension strategies
Introduce students to Edgar Degas’s oil paintings of ballet dancers. Images are available on the Internet, or in
Dancing with Degas by Julie Merberg and Suzanne Bober (Chronicle Books, 2003). Direct students to paint a
picture of Anna Pavlova as the “Swan.”

Share Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle (Chronicle Books, 2013). Then have students use informational
books or sites on the Internet to identify various birds. Instruct them to select a bird and create a two-page
spread of a child and a bird in a dance.

about the Author about the Illustrator

laurel snyder
L au r e l S nyde r i s t h e aut h or of pic t u r e b o ok s,
n o v e l s, a n d s e v e r a l c ol le c t ion s of p o e t r y.
S h e g r e w up i n B a lt i m or e, M D, w h e r e s h e
s t u d ie d b a l le t at t h e P e a b o d y P r e p a r at or y,
C a r yl M a x w e l l B a l le t , a n d T h e C u lt u r a l
A r t s I n s t it ut e . S h e n o w l iv e s i n A t l a nt a , G A ,
w h e r e s h e c ont i nue s t o d a nc e, b ut m o s t ly i n
h e r k it c h e n . For m or e i n f or m at ion , ple a s e
v i s it l au r e l s nyde r.c om .
julie morstad
Ju l ie Mor s t a d i s a n aw a r d-w i n n i n g a r t i s t w h o
d iv i de s h e r c r e at iv e e n e r g y b e t w e e n d r aw i n g,
i l lu s t r at ion , a n i m at ion , a n d de s i g n . S h e l iv e s
w it h h e r f a m i ly i n Va n c o u v e r, B C . For m or e
i n for m at ion , ple a s e v i s it j u l ie m or s t a d .c om .
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS
TEACHER GUIDE, CONTACT JAIME WONG AT
JAIME_WONG@CHRONICLEBOOKS.COM.

CHRONICLEBOOKS.COM /CL ASSROOM