ABOUT ERIC CARLE

Eric Carle is the creator of EDUCATION AND COLLAGE STYLE brilliantly illustrated and EARLY CAREER Eric Carle’s art work is created in innovatively designed picture When Eric Carle was six years collage technique, using books for very young children. old, he moved with his parents to hand-painted papers, which he His best-known work, The Very Germany. He was educated there, cuts and layers to form bright and Hungry Caterpillar, has eaten its and graduated from Akademie der cheerful images. Children often way into the hearts of bildenden Künste, the art school send him pictures they have made literally millions of in Stuttgart. themselves which were inspired children all over by Carle’s illustrations. He the world and has In 1952, with a fine portfolio in receives hundreds of letters each been translated hand and forty dollars in his week from his young admirers. into more than pocket, he arrived in New York. 47 languages. Soon he found a job as a graphic APPEAL TO CHILDREN Eric Carle has designer in the promotion The secret of Carle’s books’ illustrated department of The New York appeal lies in his intuitive more than Times. Later, he was the art understanding of and respect for seventy books, director of an advertising agency children, who sense in him most of which he for many years. someone who shares their most also wrote. cherished thoughts and emotions. One day, respected educator and CHILDHOOD author, Bill Martin Jr., called and Eric Carle was born in Syracuse, asked Carle to illustrate a story he New York, in 1929. From a very had written. Martin’s eye had young age, he loved to draw and been caught by a always dreamed of being an artist. striking picture of a red lobster “As far back as I can remember, that Carle had created for an he shares,” I enjoyed drawing advertisement. Brown Bear, pictures and I knew then that I Brown Bear, What Do You See? would always draw. When I had was the result of their grown to the age when kids are collaboration. This was the asked what they’d do ‘when they beginning of Eric Carle’s true had grown up,’ I always answered career. that I would draw pictures, be an artist, be a scribbler. It always felt good to work with pencil, paints, Eric Carle with one of his most popular crayons and paper.” books, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Images courtesy of eric-carle.com.

Des Moines Performing Arts The Very Hungry Caterpillar Curriculum Guide VOCABULARY

ART & THEATER TERMS SHOW TERMS Cocoon: a protec- Black light: Butterfly: tive cas- invisible a type of ing that a caterpillar ultraviolet insect Stages of a cocoon or light or that usu- encloses chrysalis. lamp that ally has a itself in Image: Imagine-change.com while it radiates slender Image: minuet.dance.ohio-state.edu black light. Special black-light bulbs. body, transforms into a butterfly. Switch one Image: thewitness23.blogspot.com knobbed antennae, and four on and white clothes, teeth, and broad wings that are often Egg: tiny, round other brightly colored things glow colorful. object that a in the dark, while the bulb itself Caterpillar: female butterfly only emits faint purple light. long, worm- attaches to leaves like stage of or other objects Collage: art where the near the A Monarch egg. A caterpillar spends Image: kidsbutterfly.org materials, such as butterfly. caterpillar’s food. It most of its time eating so contains the baby papers, are pasted that it can grow. and layered onto a Image: lynhoopes.com caterpillar. metamorphosis: surface. Eric Carle’s chameleon: a change of the collages are made a type of form and physical of painted papers. lizard appearance of an characterized animal. Frogs by its ability Image: not-at- Painted papers. A chameleon sitting on a school.blogspot.com and butterflies Image: lorrieabdo.blogspot.com to change branch. are metamorphic. color. Image: cites.org Puppetry: an art water cycle: form in which sequence in cloud: a visible objects, often which water is body of very with human or recycled as it fine water animal turns to droplets or ice characteristics, water vapor, are brought to particles Image: heightstechnolo- condenses gy.edublogs.org Image: blog.cymtec.com suspended life by into clouds, puppeteers. Puppeteer with the high in the air. ‘Caterpillar’ puppet. and then falls back to earth as Image: elizabethkann.com rain, sleet, or snow.

Des Moines Performing Arts The Very Hungry Caterpillar Curriculum Guide PRE-SHOW EXPLORATION

Photo by Margo Ellen Gesser.

1) CREATE A COLLAGE 5. Once the papers are completely dry, invite students to cut them into shapes. 6. Students then arrange shapes into a picture and Goal: To understand Eric Carle’s illustration glue them to a thicker sheet of paper. technique. Follow-Up Questions: Explanation: In this activity, students will create an 1. What colors were you able to create when you Eric Carle-style collage by painting papers, cutting mixed different paints? shapes, and gluing. 2. What sorts of textures do you see in Eric Carle’s illustrations? What shapes? Materials:  Drawing paper Story Mural Extension:  Paint brushes Create a story mural as a class. Using one of Eric  Tempera paint in primary colors Carle’s books as inspiration, decide on a story or  Tools to create texture, such as Legos, sponges, pattern that you would like to use for your class story. forks, etc. (For instance, a Very Hungry Caterpillar story mural  Scissors could have students create different foods for the  Glue caterpillar to eat in sequence.)

Preparation: Before painting, decide as a class which food(s) each Have students watch a short video of Eric Carle student will make, decide on the colors they will need, painting papers and creating a collage. Examples and talk about what shapes they will need to cut. Use may be found on Eric Carle’s official website Carle’s illustrations as examples. (eric-carle.com) or check your school library for the video Eric Carle: Picture Writer.

Activity: 1. Have students begin by painting an entire sheet of drawing paper with water. 2. Next, have students paint the paper a primary color using long horizontal strokes. Students should paint quickly so that the papers stay wet. 3. Students may overlap another primary color on their paper to make secondary colors (purple, green, orange). 4. Students may add texture by using a tool to dab, scrape, etc. Eric Carle-inspired story mural created by students at Perkins Elementary during a residency with teaching artist Jan Louise Kusske.

Des Moines Performing Arts The Very Hungry Caterpillar Curriculum Guide PRE-SHOW EXPLORATION, pg. 2

Photo by Margo Ellen Gesser.

2) FROM EGG TO BUTTERFLY 3) CHAMELEON CAMOUFLAGE

Goal: To understand the life cycle of a butterfly and Goal: To explore the concept of camouflage for practice sequencing. survival and protection.

When: Before the performance When: Before the performance

Explanation: Students will learn about the life cycle Explanation: Students will learn about the concept of the butterfly, including the egg, caterpillar, cocoon, of camouflage and why it is important for protection. and butterfly stages . Activity: Activity: 1. Read The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle 1. Read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle aloud to the class. aloud to the class. 2. Explain the concept of camouflage to your 2. Go through each of the stages of a butterfly’s life stude nts and how different animals use cycle with the students: camouflage to protect themselves from predators. 1) Egg 2) Caterpillar (Larva) 3. Make several transparent chameleon cutouts 3) Cocoon (Pupa) using a double sheet of contact paper or other 4) Adult Butterfly appropriate material and hide them around the room for students to find. 3. Ask the students to compare and contrast what they learn with what they read in the book. 4. Go a step further and provide students with paper cutouts of chameleons so they can create their 4. Last, provide students with pictures of each of the own camouflage patterns using crayons, colored stages of the butterfly’s life. Ask them to write or pencils, or paints. give an explanation of what is happening in each picture and place the pictures in sequence 5. Then ask the students to hide their chameleons around the room on various items and surfaces. Follow-up Questions: 1. How is the life cycle of the butterfly the same as Follow-up Questions: in Eric Carle’s book? How is it different? 1. Were you able to spot the chameleons hiding 2. What do caterpillars really eat? hiding around the room? 2. What challenges did you face in creating your chameleon? Would your chameleon have been protected from a predator?

Des Moines Performing Arts The Very Hungry Caterpillar Curriculum Guide POST-SHOW ASSESSMENT, pg. 2

Photo by Margo Ellen Gesser.

2) ACTING OUT A STORY 3) RE-TELL THE STORY WITH PUPPETS Goal: To use drama and imagination to demonstrate comprehension of a story. Goal: To practice sequencing and story-telling. When: After the performance When: After the performance Explanation: In this activity, students will use drama Explanation: Students will re-tell the story of and their imaginations to re-tell an Eric Carle story. Little Cloud using simple puppets. Activity: Sequencing Activity: 1. Read a book by Eric Carle aloud to the class. 1. Print copies of the characters on pages 15-16 onto 2. As a class, brainstorm the characters in the story. blue cardstock with colored ink. 3. As a class, determine the plot or sequence of main 2. Carefully cut out the different characters. (You may events. wish to laminate.) 4. Break up the story into small segments and assign 2. Attach a popsicle stick to the back of each figure to each segment to a group of 3-4 students. turn it into a simple rod puppet. 5. Students then create tableau (frozen 3. Invite students to manipulate the puppets as they picture that tells a story) of their assigned moment in re-tell the story of Little Cloud. the story. Together, students may represent the 4. Next, invite the students to make up their own story characters, objects, or setting of their assigned using the cloud puppets and perform it for the class. moment. 6. All groups then show their tableau in front of the Follow-up Question: class in the order of the story. 1. How does using a puppet help you to use your 7. Once a group is “frozen,” tap students on the imagination? shoulder one at a time. When a student has been 2. How was the story you re-told of Little Cloud like tapped, they should “unfreeze” and briefly the performance you saw from Mermaid Theatre? describe who they are and what they are doing in the How was it different? scene. 3. What choices did you make with your puppets to create your own story? Why did you make those Follow-up Questions: choices? 1. How would you describe the character or object 4. What other shapes/objects could you make to you played? use as cloud puppets? 2. What happened at the beginning of the story? In the middle? At the end? 3. How did you feel when you were depicting your tableau for the class?

Des Moines Performing Arts The Very Hungry Caterpillar Curriculum Guide PUPPET REPRODUCIBLE (use with Assessment Activity 3, pg. 14)

Des Moines Performing Arts The Very Hungry Caterpillar Curriculum Guide PUPPET REPRODUCIBLE (use with Assessment Activity 3, pg. 14)

Des Moines Performing Arts The Very Hungry Caterpillar Curriculum Guide RESOURCES AND SOURCES

ERIC CARLE BOOKS CLASSROOM RESOURCES (Not a complete listing) Print Materials:  Brown Bear, Brown Bear, Carle, Eric. The Art of Eric Carle. Philomel: 1992. What do You See? Includes an autobiography, photographs, essays and critical appreciations of his work, and  1, 2, 3 to the Zoo reproductions of many illustrations.  The Very Hungry Caterpillar  Pancakes, Pancakes! Videos:  The Tiny Seed Eric Carle: Picture Writer. Produced by Searchlight Films, Director: Rawn  Feathered Ones and Furry Fulton. 1993.  Do You Want to Be My Friend Interview with Eric Carle; demonstration of paper painting and collage.  Rooster’s Off to See the “The Very Hungry Caterpillar—Book Trailer.” Scholastic Kids. World Carle discusses the inspiration for the story and shows how he makes a  Do Bears Have Mothers Too? caterpillar collage.  Have You Seen My Cat? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WELWxC0oQDY  I See a Song  Why Noah Chose the Dove Websites:  The Mixed-Up Chameleon The Caterpillar Exchange: http://eric-carle.com/catexchange.html  The Grouchy Ladybug Bulletin board where teachers can exchange Eric Carle ideas.  The Honeybee and the The Children’s Butterfly Site: http://www.kidsbutterfly.org Robber Student-friendly pictures and descriptions of the butterfly life cycle.  The Very Busy Spider  The Foolish Tortoise The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art: http://www.carlemuseum.org/  The Greedy Python  The Mountain that Loved a Eric Carle, Official Website: http://www.eric-carle.com/ Bird Water Cycle Diagram:  All Around Us http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/earthguide/diagrams/watercycle/  Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me Life of a Monarch Butterfly:  A House for Hermit Crab http://www.neok12.com/Metamorphosis.htm  Animals Animals Time lapse video from a caterpillar to a butterfly.  The Very Quiet Cricket  Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What STUDY GUIDE SOURCES Do You Hear?  Dragons Dragons The Children’s Butterfly Site: http://www.kidsbutterfly.org  Draw Me a Star  Today is Monday Kids Entertainment, Official Website.  The Very Lonely Firefly http://kidsentertainment.net/  Little Cloud  From Head to Toe Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia, Official Website.  Hello, Red Fox http://www.mermaidtheatre.ns.ca/repertory/treasures.shtml  The Very Clumsy Click Beetle  Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too?  Dream Snow  “Slowly, Slowly, Slowly,” said the Sloth  Mister Seahorse  The Artist who Painted a Blue Horse

Des Moines Performing Arts The Very Hungry Caterpillar Curriculum Guide