Core Skills Analysis
Language Arts and Storytelling
By experiencing *The Lion King* musical, Rosalie followed a story presented through dialogue, songs, and stage action. Rosalie encountered how characters, events, and conflicts worked together to move a narrative forward. The musical also offered examples of expressive language and how music and performance could communicate a story’s mood and meaning.
Music and Performing Arts
Rosalie experienced a live musical performance in which songs and theatrical presentation helped tell the story. The activity introduced how performers used music, voices, and stage expression to engage an audience. Rosalie could observe how musical theatre brought several art forms together in one performance.
Social-Emotional Learning
Through the characters and events in *The Lion King*, Rosalie encountered a dramatic story about relationships and choices. Following the characters’ experiences could help Rosalie consider how feelings and decisions shaped what happened in a story. The performance also provided a shared cultural experience that Rosalie could discuss with others.
Tips
Tips After the performance, invite Rosalie to retell the story using three key events, then talk about how one character’s choices affected what happened next. Listen to a song from the musical together and ask Rosalie to describe the mood and identify which musical details helped create it. Encourage Rosalie to draw a favorite scene and add a caption or speech bubble, then act out the scene using expressive voices. For an experiential extension, create a simple family “mini musical” by turning a familiar story into a short scene with a repeated song or rhythm.
Book Recommendations
- The Lion King: The Broadway Musical by Julie Taymor: A behind-the-scenes look at the stage production and its theatrical design, offering a way to explore how a musical is brought to life.
- The Story of the Orchestra by Robert Levine: An illustrated introduction to orchestral instruments and musical sounds that can help extend discussion of music in theatre.
Try This Next
- Story-sequence worksheet: draw or write three important events from the musical in order.
- Music-and-mood prompt: choose a song and describe the feeling it creates, with one reason why.
- Scene illustration: draw a memorable moment and add a caption or character speech bubble.
- Mini-musical activity: perform a short scene from a familiar story using a repeated rhythm or song.