Educational Resource Guide - The Smartest Girl in the World

Resource Guide

What’s Included?

1 Table of Contents 2 About the Play 3 What to Know Before the Performance 4 Pre-Show Activities 5 Post-Show Activities 6 Worksheets 10 Resources, TEKS, & The Team

1

About the Play They've got a plan. Leo and Lizzy Martinez want to be the smartest kids in the world! The children of hardworking immigrants, big brother Leo has convinced his little sis that being smart is the key to helping their family escape a tough, uncertain reality. The first step in the plan —Leo will win the local TV kids' quiz show. But when their parents refuse to let him join the quiz team, Lizzy learns there's something deeper driving Leosomething that makes life that much more challenging and unpredictable for her brother and her family. The Smartest Girl in the World takes a look at the bonds of family and the key to facing life's challenges together.

Characters

About the Playwright

LIZZY MARTINEZ: an ambitious 2nd grader; later, a third grader LEO MARTINEZ: Lizzy’s big brother; a 6th grader; later, a 7th grader HECTOR: Leo and Lizzy’s cousin; same age as Leo CHERYL: Lizzy’s neighbor and friend; same age as Lizzy AUNT KID: Leo and Lizzy’s aunt; their Mami’s sister; 40s to early 50s MAMI: Leo and Lizzy’s mother; early 30s PAPI: Leo and Lizzy’s father; early 30s QUIZ SHOW HOST: Anglo, southern man QUIZ SHOW CONTESTANTS: two elementary-level students

Miriam Gozales is an award wining playwright from Corpus Christi, Texas.

Her show, The Smartest Girl in the World, won the 2013 Write Now award. She has also received the Aurand Harris Memorial Playwriting Award, the AATE Distinguished Play Award and Imagination Stage’s Imagination Award.

In addition to her work as a playwright, she has extensive experience in acting and teaching. Gonzales is an alumni of Brown University, and earned a MA in sociology and PhD in education from Stanford University. She currently lives in Washington, DC with her husband and two kids.

2

What to Know Before the Performance Sickle Cell Disease In the play, Lizzy’s brother, Leo, has sickle cell disease. This disease causes a person’s red blood cells to be shaped like a crescent moon while normal, healthy red blood cells should be shaped like a full moon. You can see illustrated examples of these shapes in the figure to the right.

This disease can cause many complications - most concerning is the way it can negatively affect a person’s internal organs like their heart and kidneys. In the play, Leo has episodes where the pain caused by the disease can become debilitating and he is not able to move or do the things he wants to do.

Usually this disease is diagnosed early in someone’s life when they are an infant or toddler and they can begin treatment but the financial cost can be enormous. While many technological advances have been made in treatment for sickle cell disease in the past few decades, there is still no definite cure for all patients.

Image credit: National Institutes of Health

Watching a Play…

When watching a play, we want young people to be excited, engaged, and respectful.

This does not mean that students must be totally quiet. Here are some guidelines you can share with your students about how to watch a performance: Everyone wants to see and hear the performance. Be respectful of your neighbors - stay seated and listen to what is happening on stage.

The actors and crew have been working very hard to bring this play to you. Give them your full attention when they are on stage.

The actors may ask you to play along during the performance, please participate in whatever way feels best to you.

Don’t be afraid to react to what is happening on stage! Laugh if you find something funny, cheer on your favorite characters, and most importantly - Have Fun! TEKS Grade 3 Theatre 5a

3

Pre-Show Activities Adjectice+Name+Gesture

Gift Giving

Lizzy is a confident, brave young person in the play - in this activity, ask your students to begin to embody that same characteristic.

Invite students to join you in a circle then ask them to think of an adjective to describe something they really like about themself.

Once they all have thought of an adjective, ask them to create one gesture to show that adjective with their body. Once they all have their gesture, one-by-one, ask each student to share their adjective then their name, along with their gesture. You can encourage the other students to repeat their classmates’ Adjective + Name + Gesture as you move through the circle. After every student has shared, ask the following reflection questions: Was it easy or hard to think of an adjective for yourself, and why? What does confidence mean to you?

Lizzy and Leo show that they care for each other by being generous and doing things for one other. For this activity, have students split up into groups of 2-4 (the more equal the groups are the better). Give them 1-2 minutes to think about “what you would gift a friend to show that you care about them”. After they have thought about it, invite them to act out giving a person in their group this gift. After everyone in the group has given their gift, ask them to share why they would give this item to their friend and how it might make them feel cared for. Feel free to offer another scenario to explore together. After coming back together as a class discuss: What would you want someone to give you to make you feel cared for? How would your gift change based on the person you’re giving it to?

TEKS Grade 3-5 Positive Character Traits 3B

TEKS Grade 3-5 Positive Character Traits 3

Discussion Questions Have students discuss the following questions together as a class- it’s okay if these questions lead to questions of their own!

Pre-Show Questions: What does it mean to be a good friend?

How do you use your imagination?

What topic are you an expert on?

4

Post-Show Activities Model Murals

Story of My Morning

The mural in Leo and Lizzy’s room comes to life with their imagination! Lizzy’s imagination helps her flourish throughout the story, even when she believes it makes her seem silly.

In this activity, invite students to create a mural of themselves conquering some kind of challenge. Ask students to imagine a challenge- perhaps a challenge from the show, or a conflict from a book they’ve read in the past. It can be a fantastical challenge like slaying a dragon, or a realistic challenge like passing the STAAR test. Then, on a piece of paper instruct them to draw themselves conquering that challenge.

Encourage students to include an affirmation at the bottom of their paper that could help them accomplish the challenge they’ve chosen. At the end of class, have students answer the following questions: Why is the challenge you chose important to you? How did you believe in yourself in your mural? How can you believe in yourself in real life?

Lizzy learns not only through her studies at school but also from the stories and lessons her family and friends share with her. For this activity, pair up students so that they each have a partner. Ask the students to think about what their typical morning’s looks like before coming to school. What activities do they do? Who do they interact with? Then ask the students to tell that story to their partner - one at a time. Give each partner one-two minutes to tell their story to their partner then switch. Challenge the student who is listening to only listen and stay quiet while their partner is telling their story.

Once both partners have shared, gather the entire class and ask the following reflection questions: What surprised you about your partner’s story? Did you and your partner have anything in common in your stories? What did you learn about your partner by listening to their story? What can we learn together as a classroom community now that we’ve heard each other’s stories?

TEKS Grade 3-5 Positive Character Traits 3B

TEKS Grade 3-5 Positive Character Traits 4C

Discussion Questions Post-Show Questions: What is something you like about yourself?

How can we use our personal strengths to help others?

Where can you learn? Who do you learn from?

5

Design Your Own Boat!

In the play, Leo is recreating George Washington’s Crossing of the Delaware for a class assignment. He makes a boat out of cardboard, foam, and other materials around his house. How would you make a boat with what you have at your house or in your classroom? Draw it out then write about what inspired you to make your boat the way you did.

6

Land of ...

The Land of Tara is a land with beautiful views, magical creatures and the home of a super hero known as Kotar.

The land of Tara is made up completely by their imaginations and serves as a place of happiness for Lizzy and Leo. Use the empty box below to draw your own imaginary land and include anything that makes you feel comfort.

7

Land of ...(writing) Now write a story about a hero like Kotar that exists in the magical land you drew. Include details about other characters, the setting, and what your hero is trying to accomplish.

8

Your Own Challenge Leo’s and Lizzy’s plan is to win the game show Challenge in order to help them make a better life for their family. Keeping in mind the questions that were asked during the game show in the play, use the lines below to create three questions for your own game show. Write questions about a topic that you’re an expert on! Then quiz your friends to see who wins Challenge!

1.

2.

3.

9

Resources, TEKS & The Team Additional Resources on Sickle Cell Disease “Stories of Sickle Cell ” from CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/sicklecell/stories-of-sickle-cell.html

“How Sickle Cell Disease Might Affect Your Health” from NIH: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sickle-cell-disease/health-effects

Books for Children from Our Kids Read: https://www.ourkidsreadinc.org/okr-collection-sickle-cell

Additional Resources for Drama-Based Instructional Strategies Drama-Based Instruction, UT Austin: https://dbp.theatredance.utexas.edu/

Lessons & Activities, Lincoln Center: https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-foreducators/classroom-resources/lessons-and-activities/ApplyFilter/? page=0&sortColumn=Date&sortDirection=Descending

TOURING TEAM CAST (in alphabetic order) Aunt Kid...Rosy Esquenazi Alkabes Mami...Ana Ayala Gasca Papi/Crockett Contestant...José Calvillo Quiz Show Host...Coby Hughes Cheryl/Pierce Contestant...Celeste Izaguirre Lizzy Martinez...Katya Lopez Hector...Nathan Ramos Leo Martinez...Gabriel Gomez Reyes Foley Artist...Bryce Riggle Education Team: Faith Bouchelle, Dylan Figueroa, Mateo Hernandez, Austin Luchak Director: Roxanne Schroeder-Arce Assistant Director: Ishu Kumar Dramaturg: Mateo Hernandez Tour Coordinator: Xinyue Zhang Stage Manager: Leila Rabah Assistant Stage Manager: Austin Luchak

Connections to TEKS Watching a Play: Grade 3 Theatre (5) Critical evaluation and response. The student responds to and evaluates theatre and theatrical performances. The student is expected to: (A) apply appropriate audience behavior consistently.

Adjective+Name+Gesture: Grade 3-5 Positive Character Traits (3) Students are expected to develop an awareness of self-identity as well as recognize multiple perspectives, differences, diversity, biases, and the social and cultural context in which they live.

Gift Giving: Grade 3-5 Positive Character Traits (3) Caring. The student understands how personal actions and interpersonal skills demonstrate characteristics of caring. The student is expected to: (B) identify and practice interpersonal skills, including showing consideration and compassion through listening, sharing, and cooperating with others.

Model Murals: Grade 3-5 Positive Character Traits (4) Good citizenship. The student understands that personal responsibility and responsible decision making are associated with good citizenship. The student is expected to: (C) demonstrate responsibility and courage when making decisions for the common good of the classroom and community.

Story of My Morning: Grade 3-5 Positive Character Traits (3) Caring. The student understands how personal actions and interpersonal skills demonstrate characteristics of caring. The student is expected to: (B) identify and practice interpersonal skills, including showing consideration and compassion through listening, sharing, and cooperating with others.

Discussion Questions: Grade 3 Theatre (5) Critical evaluation and response. The student responds to and evaluates theatre and theatrical performances. The student is expected to: (B) discuss and evaluate simple dramatic activities and performances; and (C) discuss the use of music, movement, and visual components in dramatic activities and performances.

10