L ittle T alk

by Aileen Fisher

Group 1: Don’t you think it’s probable that beetles, bugs, and
bees talk about a lot of things—you know, such
things as these:
Group 2: The kind of weather where they live in jungles tall
with grass and earthquakes in their villages whenever
people pass!
Group 3: Of course, we’ll never know if bugs talk very much
at all, because our ears are far too big for talk that is
so small.

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.

92 Plays/Choral Readings
 But I Wonder . . .
by Aileen Fisher

Solo 1: The crickets in the thickets,

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.

Solo 2: and the katydids in trees,

Solo 3: and ants on plants, and butterflies,
Solo 4: and ladybugs and bees
Group 1: don’t smell with little noses but with feelers,
if you please.
Group 2: They get along quite nicely,
but I wonder how they sneeze.

But I Wonder . . . 93
 Activities
DRAMA

DRAMA ACTIVITIES:

What’s It All About?

These two short, choral readings tell about the lives of bugs.
Reread both of them line by line on your own.
Discuss with a partner how Little Talk describes the bugs’
worlds. Then write answers to the following questions on
a separate sheet of paper.
1. What does Group 2 say happens
when people pass by?
2. According to Group 3, why can’t
people hear what bugs say?
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.

When you have finished, talk about But I Wonder. Then write
answers to the following questions on your paper.
3. What kinds of bugs are named?
4. Where are these bugs sitting?
Now think about how these plays show the world from a different
perspective. Discuss with your partner how other places would
look to a bug. What would your classroom look like? Work
together to think of another effect of being a bug as described in
Little Talk and But I Wonder. Then write a couple of lines from
the point of view of the bug.

Drama Activities 109

 DRAMA ACTIVITIES:

Choral Reading
• In most plays, each actor has one part. The actor
decides how he or she will say their lines. In Little Talk
and But I Wonder, groups of actors say most of the lines
together.
• Form small groups of four to five students. For this
activity, read the solo parts in But I Wonder as group
parts. Before you begin, talk about how to read the
lines. How slowly or quickly will you say the lines? What
emotions do you want to show? Try different ways of

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.
reading aloud the lines and choose the one that you
think is best.
• Have your group practice saying the lines together.
See how well you can speak together. Try to make
your voices sound like a single voice. Can you read the
lines together the same way? Practice the lines until the
group can say them smoothly together. Then perform
your reading for the rest of the class.

110 Plays/Choral Readings

 DRAMA ACTIVITIES:

Group or Solo?
In a small group, reread the play But I Wonder. Pay close
attention to each solo and group part. Then read the play aloud
again. This time, read each solo part as a group and each
group part as a solo part.
• How do you think this new way of performing the play
would affect the audience? Talk about your ideas with
your group.

Besides the Words

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.

Plays often include stage directions. Stage directions tell the

actors what to do as they say their lines. These two short plays
do not have any stage directions.
In a small group, talk about different movements that actors
might make during the play.
Discuss these questions.
1. Should the actors move like bugs
as they read their parts?
2. Should all members of each group
do the same movements?
Then think about simple costumes. What simple thing such
as a ladybug’s spots or a butterfly’s feelers, could identify the
characters? Draw pictures of your ideas to share with the rest
of the class.

Drama Activities 111