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Magic Tree House (PDFDrive)
Magic Tree House (PDFDrive)
Based on the book A Good Night for Ghosts MAGIC TREE HOUSE #42 by Mary Pope Osborne.
Book & Lyrics by Will Osborne & Murray Horwitz. Music & Additional Lyrics by Allen Toussaint.
® Magic Tree House is a registered trademark of Mary Pope Osborne; all rights reserved.
Educational materials produced by Kristine Rivers at West of the World, and Jessica Russell,
Materials Selection Librarian, Youth Services - Harris County Public Library.
Main Street Theater, P.O. Box 524020, Houston, TX 77052 713-524-9196 MainStreetTheater.com
INTRODUCTION
FOR TEACHERS
Thank you for inviting us to your school! We hope these supplemental materials will
help you integrate your field trip into your classroom curriculum. We’ve included a
number of activities and resources to help broaden your students’ experience. Please
make sure that each teacher that will be attending the play has a copy of these
materials as they prepare to see the show.
Before we arrive, please take some time to talk with your students about what to expect.
Going to a live play is an experience unlike any other, and many students are more
familiar with going to the movies or sporting events. Please help them prepare for what
they’ll see and how they should act.
SCHOOL BOOKINGS
Main Street Theater
P.O. Box 524020
Houston, Texas 77052
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WHAT DOES IT TAKE
TO PUT ON A PLAY?
It takes many years of preparation before you see a show at our theater. Many, many people work to
put all the parts of a play together. The play you’re seeing today comes from the book Good Night for
Ghosts MAGIC TREE HOUSE #42 written by author Mary Pope Osborne. It was the idea of the
playwrights, Will Osborne & Murray Horwitz, to form this book into a play.
About a year before MST’s production, the producer contacted the licensing agency about the rights
to perform the play. Once the agency agreed, the production team was assembled. The production
team is the group of people directly responsible for a how a play looks and sounds.
The director is the person who makes the decisions about who is in the play, how the play looks, and
what themes are emphasized to the audience. S/he works with the designers to establish the concept
(or mood & themes) of the play. The director also hires the actors to play the parts in the show. Once
rehearsals begin the director conveys the concept to the actors by giving them directions on their
character development and by blocking their movements.
The set designer creates the world that is seen when you enter the theater. S/he decides whether
there will be real furniture or pretend furniture (such as cubes or chairs). The set designer decides
where all of the different locations will be on the stage. The designer drafts diagrams so the carpenters
can build the set. S/he also comes back once the set is built to paint everything.
The costume designer is the person who chooses what clothes the actors will wear to represent the
concept of the play. The designer will sometimes shop for clothing or may build some costumes from
scratch. S/he works closely with the actors to make sure that all of the clothing fits and feels
comfortable. S/he also works with the set designer to make sure that the actors’ clothing will not clash
with the colors on the set.
The props designer is the person who provides all of the handheld items used by the actors during
the play. This person either buys or builds everything that the actors might need to convey the story.
The sound designer creates or selects all of the sound effects and music for the play. The sound
designer creates the noises that are heard when someone rings a doorbell, a dog barks offstage, or a
telephone rings. The sound designer can also create music pieces to aid in setting the theme or the
mood of the play.
The lighting designer decides how stage lighting will help tell the story. How can the color of lights
complement the costumes and sets? Does the play require a scene at night? S/he will also decide
when the lights should go out to cover up a scene change or when they should stay on.
The actors are the people who perform the play. They are real people who are pretending to be the
different characters in the story. Actors are trained to play old people, young people and sometimes
even animals. It’s their job to tell the story to the audience.
The audience is part of the play too! Without someone to hear the story, there would be no reason to
tell it. The actors want to get the audience to care about the characters, to laugh and cry, and applaud
when the play is over.
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ABOUT
THE SHOW
The Magic Tree House appears and Jack and Annie find a book
about the history of New Orleans music and a magical trumpet
inside. Their mission is to find Louis Armstrong and make sure
he becomes a musician. Jack and Annie arrive in 1915 New
Orleans and find Louis, better known as Dipper, selling coal and
singing. Dipper works hard to take care of his mom and sister.
Jack and Annie realize they'll have to work just as hard to
convince him to play music for a living. Dipper teaches Jack and
Annie how to scat and that music is everywhere.
Dipper goes on to his second job unloading bananas with Jack and
Annie's help. He tries to share his earnings with them but they
refuse. Dipper takes them to eat gumbo to thank them. They all
wash dishes to help pay for the gumbo. After a storm rumbles
through, the three kids dash into Jean Lafitte's Blacksmith, which is
said to be haunted. Annie thinks she hears ghosts and blows the
magic trumpet to save them all. The “ghosts” turn out to be
Dipper's musician friends trying to give them a scare. Suddenly a real ghost appears—
it's the ghost of pirate Jean Lafitte! The magical trumpet has lost its magic, but Dipper
picks it up and plays it anyway. The ghost of Jean Lafitte is delighted and lets Dipper,
Jack, and Annie go.
As they eat beignets, Dipper tells Jack and Annie about his time in the Waif's Home and
what he learned. Jack and Annie decide to show him the history book. Dipper is amazed
to hear that he grows up to become a famous jazz musician. He tells Jack and Annie
that the picture of him playing in front of crowds of listeners is a dream that he carries in
his heart. Dipper decides to join his friends who are playing music on a riverboat.
Dipper, Jack, and Annie ride the streetcar to the dock but
Dipper isn't allowed to sit with them. Jack and Annie tell
him that one day everyone will sit together and an
African-American man will be president. Their mission
complete, Jack and Annie get to hear Dipper play before
they return to the present time.
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ABOUT MAGIC TREE HOUSE
AUTHOR MARY POPE OSBORNE
To Learn More:
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QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
AND WRITING PROMPTS
1. How would you describe Dipper? What kind of person do you think he is?
2. Do you have a nickname like Dipper? What nickname would you give Jack? How
about Annie?
4. Why was Dipper sent to the Waif's home? What did he learn from his experience?
5. Why can't Dipper ride the streetcar with Jack and Annie?
6. Jack and Annie try new foods in New Orleans. Which food would you like to try?
Why?
8. What's the one thing that gives Dipper the heebie jeebies? What scares Jack and
Annie? Is there something that gives you the heebie jeebies?
9. Why does Dipper like being friends with Jack and Annie?
10. What do you think it means to be a genius? Does Dipper think he's a genius?
11. Do you have a “dream in your heart” like Dipper? What is your dream?
Curriculum Standards:
K - ELA 110.11.b.6-10
1 - ELA 110.12.b.6-10
2 - ELA 110.13.b.6-10
3 - ELA 110.14.b.5-10
4 - ELA 110.15.b.3-8
5 - ELA 110.16.b.3-8
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VOCABULARY
PEOPLE
Jean Lafitte — A pirate who sailed the Gulf of Mexico in the 1800s.
There are many legends about Lafitte, including stories of buried
treasure. His blacksmith shop is said to be haunted.
PLACES
THINGS
All Saint’s Day — November 1st, a day to honor all the saints. People go to the
cemetery to care for their family plots and lay flowers on the graves.
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VOCABULARY
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VOCABULARY
Curriculum Standards:
K - ELA 110.11.b.5
1 - ELA 110.12.b.6
2 - ELA 110.13.b.5
3 - ELA 110.14.b.4
4 - ELA 110.15.b.2
5 - ELA 110.16.b.2
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ABOUT
NEW ORLEANS
To Learn More:
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NEW ORLEANS
TIMELINE ACTIVITY
4. Questions:
Curriculum Standards:
K - 113.11.b.3
1 - 113.12.b.3
2 - 113.13.b.2
3 - 113.14.b.3
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Name: ____________________________________ Date: ___________________
[-------------------------------------------------]
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NEW ORLEANS
GEOGRAPHY ACTIVITY
Instructions:
1. Print a set of United States maps and locate student atlases or other maps for students to
reference.
2. Explain that the students will be mapping to learn more about New Orleans and Houston.
3. Instruct the students to label the following on their map:
1. States
1. Louisiana
2. Texas
2. Cities
1. New Orleans, Louisiana
2. Houston, Texas
3. Your home city (if not Houston)
3. State Capitals
1. Louisiana
2. Texas
4. Bodies of Water
1. Mississippi River
2. Gulf of Mexico
Questions:
1. In what direction would travel to go to New Orleans from where you live?
2. How far away do you think New Orleans is from where you live? Use your ruler and atlas scale
to estimate.
3. Texas and Louisiana are both coastal states. What body of water do they share?
Curriculum Standards:
K - 113.11.b.4-5
1 - 113.12.b.4-6
2 - 113.13.b.5-6
3 - 113.14.b.5
4 - 113.15.b.6-7
5 - 113.16.b.6
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Name: ____________________________________ Date: ___________________
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ABOUT
LOUIS ARMSTRONG
Louis quit school at age 11 so that he could work more. On New Year's Eve 1913, he
was arrested for shooting his stepfather's .38 pistol in the air during the fireworks. Louis
was shooting blanks, but the police still picked him up and took him to the Colored
Waif's Home for Boys. There he had good food, better clothes, and a chance to play in
the Waif's Home Band. Louis began to play the trumpet and became leader of the band.
Louis said, “Me and music got married at the home.”
After he left the home, he went back to work, selling newspapers and unloading banana
boats to earn money for his family. He met Joe “King” Oliver, a well-known trumpet
player. Joe Oliver looked out for Louis and let him play in his Kid Ory band. When Joe
moved to Chicago, Louis took over as band leader. Louis also played with bands on the
riverboats that steamed up and down the Mississippi River. More people heard him play
and they thought he was something special.
Sometimes he and his band had to sleep in their cars because they were not allowed in
certain hotels due to segregation. Sometimes Louis and his band were the first African-
Americans allowed to play at a music hall or theater. He and his band played across the
country and eventually all over the world. Louis continued to play the trumpet up until his
death on July 6th, 1971.
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ABOUT
LOUIS ARMSTRONG
To Learn More:
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LOUIS ARMSTRONG
LISTENING ACTIVITY
Instructions:
1. Choose samples of Louis Armstrong's music for students to listen to. A list of links
is below.
2. Print a class set of the Louis Armstrong Listening Activity worksheet.
3. Have students read the About Louis Armstrong section and discuss. What was
Louis' early life like? How would you describe him?
4. Explain to students that they'll be listening to examples of Louis Armstrong's
music. Ask them to listen closely and pay attention to how the music makes them
feel. Have students draw how the music makes them feel on their activity sheet.
Have students circle the instruments they hear. After they have completed their
sheets, play the music again and have students discuss what they heard and felt.
Identify the different instruments for the students and show them a photograph of
Louis Armstrong and his band holding their instruments (link below).
Music Links:
Photograph Link:
Curriculum Standards:
K-117.2.b.2.A-C 117.3.b.1,3,4
1-117.5.b.2.A-C 117.6.b.1,5,6
2-117.8.b.A-C 117.9.b.1,5,6
3-117.11.b.2.A-C 117.12.b.1,5,6
4-117.14.b.2.A-C 117.15.b.1,5,6
5-117.17.b.A-C 117.18.b.1,5,6
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Name: ____________________________________ Date: ___________________
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PRICES THEN AND NOW
ACTIVITY
Instructions:
1. Post the 1915 Price List in the classroom. The link is below.
2. Discuss the prices of food with the students. What do they think these foods cost
now? Why is there such a difference? What's the most expensive food? What is
the cheapest food?
3. Use the 1915 Price List to create word problems or use some of the suggested
problems below.
4. Print a class set of the Prices Then and Now worksheet for students. Have the
students find the current prices for items online or by visiting a grocery store.
1. Dipper gets paid $.15 for every load of coal he delivers but he gives Jack and
Annie each $.05 for every load they help him with. How much money do they each
have after they deliver 5 loads of coal? [$.25/child]
2. Dipper, Jack, and Annie head to the grocery store. Here is their shopping list:
– 2 loaves of bread
– 3 pounds of bacon
– 10 pounds of potatoes
– 1 pound of butter
– 1 dozen eggs
How many loads of coal does Dipper have to deliver to pay for his groceries? [12]
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PRICES THEN AND NOW
ACTIVITY
3. Dipper is paid 3 quarters, 5 dimes, 1 nickel, and 5 pennies after working all day.
How many loads of coal did he deliver? [9]
4. Happy, Little Mac, and Big Nose each know how to play 4 instruments. How many
total instruments does the band know how to play? [12]
Curriculum Standards:
K - 111.2.b.1-4
1 - 111.3.b.1-5
2 - 111.4.b.1-7
3 - 111.5.b.1,5
4 - 111.6.b.1-2,5
5 - 111.7.b.1,3
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Name: ____________________________________ Date: ___________________
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FURTHER
READING
JAZZ
Illustrations and rhyming text celebrate the roots of jazz music. (From Novelist)
Profiles twenty-six of the jazz greats of all time, from Count Basie to Louis
Armstrong, through a review of their work, their life stories, and their greatest hits
by one of today's top jazz performers. (From Novelist)
LOUIS ARMSTRONG
Seven-year-old Louis Armstrong had to work to help his mother pay the rent, but one
day when the junk wagon he worked on passed a pawn shop with a gleaming brass
trumpet in the window, young Louis couldn't resist. (From Novelist)
Presents the early life of the famous African American cornet player, describing his
humble beginnings on the streets of New Orleans to his emergence as a legend among
the biggest jazz clubs of the city. (From Novelist)
After dancing to music on the radio before she goes to bed, a young girl learns how to
sing scat when Louis Armstrong comes to her in a dream. Includes facts about Louis
Armstrong and scat singing. (From Novelist)
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FURTHER
READING
Relates how the famous jazz trumpeter began his musical career, as a poor boy in
New Orleans, by singing songs on street corners and playing a battered cornet in a
marching band. (From Novelist)
Follows the beloved American jazz singer's rise to fame, describing the difficult historical
and cultural factors that she overcame. (From Novelist)
Describes the history, geography, ecology, people, economy, cities, and sights of the
Pelican State of Louisiana. (From Novelist)
Celebrates the sights and sounds of New Orleans' exotic French Quarter with its
streets filled with vendors and their colorful fruits and vegetables, fresh fish and sing-
song cries.
A Cajun retelling of the classic tale of four animals, past their prime, who set out
together to become musicians.
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FURTHER
READING
Alfie and Emilia are transported by their great-aunt's latest magical secret ingredient to
New Orleans, where they help the members of a jazz band and try to locate a lost
cookbook.
Takes readers (and listeners) on a rollicking, clanging, clapping tour through the
many sounds that fill a New Orleans neighborhood. (From Novelist)
Jean Lafitte: The Pirate That Saved America by Susan Goldman Rubin
A high-action portrait of the infamous historical pirate who pursued high-seas ambitions
as a youth before settling down in New Orleans describes how he became a respected
businessman, made pivotal contributions to the War of 1812 and exposed a British
invasion plot. (From Novelist)
Fred the ghost is perfectly happy haunting his ramshackle New Orleans house until
Pierre and his daughter Marie move in and turn the house into a restaurant. (From
Novelist)
During the Depression in the Louisiana bayou, a curious young girl helps the
"Swamp Ghost" that her cousins warned her about and finds herself with one
good friend. (From Novelist)
A hungry alligator, slow with age, hopes to catch some good meat to add to his spicy
gumbo. (From Novelist)
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