Program Description

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN AN AYE AYE is a collection of animal tales, including an introduction to some different animals,  plus various stories chosen from a vast repertory that might include a story about a round robin, a story about a possum and  his mom, a story about a pokey puppy, plus others, and a selection of rhymes and songs, including “I Had A Cat,” with lots of audience interaction and props.

        Artist Bio

Cathy Kaemmerlen,  is an award winning actress, dancer, storyteller, and author,  who tours extensively her various solo programs throughout Georgia and elsewhere. Cathy's an undergraduate English major, who uses her programs to promote reading and dramatic play and  uses her MFA in dance performance and choreography and her theatre background to make her stories come to life. Children from all over the state have said:  “You make education fun.”

        Background on Art Form:

Telling stories is an oral tradition, dating back to when mankind first developed a language or form of communication.  Storytelling is a universal way of passing down information to be saved and remembered for generations to come. It is an interactive art form in which the storytellers’ passion for the story, material, and information, is passed on to the audience, who sorts through, interprets, stores, and synthesizes what is heard.

Prepare:

Teachers, please read this to your students.

Today we're going to enjoy a performance called "Have you ever seen an aye aye? Stories about animals from a to z" and we'll find out just what an aye aye is as well as some other unusual animals.  Our performer is a storyteller who will also be telling us some stories about animals, including some of our favorites like cats and dogs and birds and possums.  She will be asking for audience participation.  Remember, not everyone will get a chance to go up on stage, but everyone will get to have fun and participate in the fun. 

Some of the new animals:
aye aye--a nocturnal lemur found in Madagascar
kiwi--a flightless bird from New Zealand, with grayish-brown hairlike plumage, that is almost extinct
lynx--a wildcat having long legs, a short stubby tail and often tufted ears , related to the bobcat
marten--a slender bodied carnivorous mammal, larger than a weasel, living in arbors, with fur that is made into sable pelts
kinka jou--a nocturnal animal that lives in Mexico and Central and South America, about three feet long with a slender body, a long prehensile tale, large lustrous eyes and soft woolly yellowish-brown fur and may easily be tamed

Warm up questions to set the stage for engaging students:
Do you have any pets?
Do they have some different habits then you have?
Have you ever seen a possum before?  When does he sleep?  How does he sleep?
How do other animals sleep?
How do you sleep?
Have you seen any different kind of animals, maybe at the zoo? Do you remember their names or what they look like?
Why do you think we are so fascinated by animals?

Warm Up Questions for meeting the Georgia Performance Standards for "Listening/Speaking/Viewing":
Describe the perfect audience.
What are some of our class rules for being good listeners?
How do we show someone we appreciate their visit to our school or classroom?
How does being part of an audience help make you a good citizen?
What are some examples of bad audience behavior or attitudes?
How does a negative audience member effect your enjoyment of a show or performance?
How would this make the performer feel?
How do we want the performer to feel when they leave our school or classroom?

Reflect:  Pre and Post Activities:

--Make a list of many different animals.  Next to each name, write an action word to express the way it moves.  Write a poem using the animals and their action words.
--Choose another animal story and read it to the class.  Discuss the animals in the story.  Ask for a volunteer to choose an animal from the story and then, using different movements, imitate the animal.
--Ask students to draw pictures of their favorite animals.
--Write an original class story about a favorite animal.
--Learn about the habits and habitats of different animals.  Possums, for example are nocturnal animals who come out at night and sleep by hanging from their tails.
--Talk about a favorite pet.  What are his habits?
--Read some pourquoi stories like "How the Bear Got His Tail."

       Resources for teachers and students:

Beyer, Evelyn.  JUMP AND JIGGLE
Brett, Jan.  ANNIE AND THE WILD ANIMALS. THE MITTEN.
Carle, Eric.  THE VERY BUSY SPIDER.  THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR.
Ghinga, Charles.  TICKLE DAY.
Johnson, Tony and dePaola, Tomie. THE TALE OF RABBIT AND COYOTE.
Kent, Jack.  ROUND ROBIN.
Martin, Bill, Jr., and Eric Carle. POLAR BEAR, POLAR BEAR, WHAT DO YOU HEAR?
Mayer, Mercer.  WHAT DO YOU SAY TO A KANGAROO?
Barrett, Ron and Judy.  ANIMALS SHOULD DEFINITELY NOT WEAR CLOTHING.
Van Laan, Nancy.  POSSUM COME A’KNOCKIN.

QCC's:  Kindergarten Language Arts:  2, 4, 6