3rd Grade Solo Drama Dogzilla

Lesson: Dogzilla Dramatization

3^rd Grade ELA

Objective: Students will demonstrate their knowledge of the plot of the selected story through a shared dramatization

CA 3^rd Core: Literature – K.I.D. 3 – Describe characters in a story (i.e. traits, motivations, feelings, etc) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

CA 3^rd ELA RC 2.6 – Extract appropriate and significant in formation from the text, including problems and solutions.

This lesson incorporates the solo drama after the students have been introduced to the story. The lesson takes place over several days in one week. The lesson outlines that timeline.

Monday: Guided reading of the text Dogzilla, by Dave Pilkey

Tuesday: Review the story by rereading and completing story comprehension questions. Inform students that they will be having a special visitor from the story on Wednesday.

Wednesday: Inform students that they will be participating in reenacting the meeting scene. Tell them they will all be the citizens of Mousopolis and will be meeting with Professor O’Hairy. Tell them Professor O’Hairy will be their special guest, and that she is coming to talk to them about how to get rid of Dogzilla. The children should then review the text of the story as well as examine the pictures for details in preparation for their encounter with Professor O’Hairy. Review the rubric with the children prior to beginning 

the encounter so the children understand you will be grading them on their participation and demonstration of knowledge of the story.

Use script here to inform the process of the encounter.

During the encounter, the children will demonstrate their understanding of the plot by interacting with the solo dramatist, Professor O’Hairy. 

After the encounter, the children will demonstrate their understanding of the plot by answering a journal prompt which asks them to extend their understanding and apply the plot line to a change in the antagonist: How would the story be different if a giant cat had come out of the volcano instead of a giant dog.

Rubric:

4 = Student participated in discussion and activities; student demonstrated, through participation, a depth of understanding; student furthered the discussion through thoughtful responses 

3 = Student participated in the discussion and activities; student demonstrated, through participation, an understanding of the required readings.

2 = Student had some participation in discussion and activities; student demonstrate, through participation, a limited understanding of the required readings.

1 = Student had very limited participation in discussion and activities; student did not demonstrate, through participation, a basic understanding of the required text.

Text of the Script

Dogzilla: The Meeting of the Mice

Players: Professor Scarlet O’Hairy

  Citizens of Mousopolis

Props: Pair of black-rimmed glasses and mouse ears for Professor O’Hairy

Setting:  Mousopolis – a metropolitan city inhabited by mice

The city has been attacked by Dogzilla, a giant dog that sprouted from a volcano after smelling the BBQ going on in Mousopolis.  Soldier mice try to stop her, but she defeats them with her horrible doggy breath and they retreat. Dogzilla causes destruction by chasing cars off the freeway, chewing the furniture store, and digging up bones at the Museum of Natural History. Big Cheese, the leader of the army, calls a meeting with Professor Scarlet O’Hairy, the resident genius scientist at the university, to find a way to get rid of Dogzilla. The professor tells them you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but if you think like a dog, you can find something all dogs are afraid of.

Purpose of the scene:  The mice meet to discuss ways to get rid of Dogzilla.

Teacher introduces scene by informing the children they will all be citizens at the meeting to discuss how to get rid of Dogzilla.

Teacher exits room and reenters disguised as Professor O’Hairy

Prof: “Hello fellow citizens. I am Professor O’Hairy, and I am here to help you figure out how to solve this problem we’re having with Dogzilla. I’m a little confused though because I don’t’ know how this all started.  Who can tell me how Dogzilla came to be in our lovely city?”

Citizen: (She came out of a volcano because she smelled the BBQ.)

Prof:  “And the Big Cheese and his men tried to defeat her, and what happened?”

Citizen: (She chased them away with her terrible doggy breath.)

Prof: “So now, let’s talk about what we can do to get rid of her.  We’ll have to think like a dog to figure out what we would really hate! What do dogs hate?

Citizen: (Baths!)

Prof: “I wonder how we can scare her away with a bath?  She’s too colossal for our tiny bathtubs and showers.”

Citizen: (We can use fire trucks to hose her with water. We can use helicopters to drop shampoo and conditioner on her. We can run after her with a giant scrub brush.)

Prof: “Ok . . . so the plan is that we will use our fire trucks to get her wet, helicopters to drop shampoo on her, and a bunch of our bravest citizens can use a giant brush to scrub her. That’s perfect! She’ll hate it!”

(Professor prepares to exit the room)

Prof: “I’m off to go to the fire station to tell the chief about the plan. Wonderful thinking, citizens!”

Teacher disguised as O’Hairy exits room and returns as herself.

Teacher: “So, how was your meeting with Professor O’Hairy?

Citizens: (Good. We talked about how to get rid of Dogzilla. We decided to use fire trucks, helicopters and a giant brush to try to wash her and scare her away because she will hate a bath!)

Teacher: “Now I want you to take out your journals and write a lovely paragraph describing how this story would have been different if a colossal kitty had come out of the volcano instead of a dreadful dog.”