ALICES ADVE NTU RE S I N WONDE RLAND

ST U DY G U ID E

Alices Adventures
in Wonderland

L I T E R AC Y
O B J ECT I VE S
ACTIVATING PRIOR
KNOWLEDGE
MAKING SELF-TO-TEXT
CONNECTIONS
VOCABULARY
DEVELOPMENT
REFLECTING &
EVALUATING

THEMES &
CO N C E P T S
IMAGINATION
CURIOSITY
WORDPLAY
NONSENSE
ADVENTURE

Written by
Lewis Carroll

Illustrated by
John Tenniel

Adapted by
Barbara Lachman

Directed by
Myra Platt

HOW TO USE THIS STUDY GUIDE

Book-It Repertory Theatres Arts and Education Program closely aligns its performances and learning materials
with research-based reading instruction. The purpose of this study guide is to engage students in literacy
objectives and hands-on activities that support the comprehension of Alices Adventures in Wonderland.

FIRST: READ THE BOOK

As part of Book-Its touring package, your school has received a copy of the story that serves as a
permanent resource for your library.
SECOND: SELECT ACTIVITIES
Select one or all of the activities and adjust them to fit your students and classroom needs. Some activities
are designed for teachers to lead students through an interactive process; directions and support materials
are included for successful facilitation. Others are handouts for independent student work or to be used for
whole-class instruction; these pages do not have directions for the teacher.
THIRD: KEEP READING!
Extend the joy of reading with the Book-It Book Liststories with similar themes for readers grades K-6.
Standards for the Study Guide and Performance: Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts*: R.CCR.1, R.CCR.2,
R.CCR.3, R.CCR.4, R.CCR.6, L.CCR.4 Washington EALRs in Theatre: 1.1, 1.4, 3.1, 4.3
*Exact standards depend upon grade level, reading the text, and instructional shifts to meet the standard.

Literacy & Theatre Alignment by Gail Sehlhorst and Natasha Ransom. Activities by Katie McKellar, Natasha Ransom, and Amelia Reynolds. Design by Shannon Erickson Loys.
Based on Alices Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Illustrations by John Tenniel, 1865.
Study Guide 2014 Book-It Repertory Theatre. No parts of this guide may be reproduced without express permission.

Table of Contents
Information on Book-It, the Story, and the Author
Words of Imagination Activating Prior Knowledge
Alice & Alice Making Self-to-Text Connections
Curiosity Making Self-to-Text Connections
The Language of Wonderland Vocabulary Development
Found Poem Vocabulary in Context
What Happens Next? Reflecting and Evaluating
Book-It Book List & Book-Its Mainstage Season

Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Pages 7-8
Page 9
Pages 10-11

INTRODUCTION TO BOOK-IT REPERTORY THEATRES

ARTS & EDUCATION PROGRAM

Book-Its Arts and Education Program is dedicated to inspiring people of all ages to read. We tour a diverse
range of stories to schools, libraries, and community venues throughout Washington State, conduct long-term
residencies in schools, offer teacher professional development for school staff, and present low-cost student
matines of our mainstage shows. What you will see and hear at a Book-It performance is literature spoken by
the characters as if it were dialogue in a playactors speak both the narration and the dialogue. Book-It takes
the written word back to its rootsstorytelling!

OUR MISSION
To provide an interactive relationship between youth and literature through diverse theatrical productions
and educational programs that promote the joy of reading, enhance student and teacher learning, and inspire
the imagination.

THE STORY: ALICES ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND

One afternoon, Alice sees something amazinga White Rabbit dressed in clothes running around muttering
to himself! She runs after him and tumbles down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world called Wonderland. There,
Alice encounters Lewis Carrolls unique characters including the Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat, and the Queen
of Hearts. To navigate through this tangled realm of misdirection and confusion, Alice must rely on her own
logic. This book is the first in a pair, the second being Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There.

THE AUTHOR: LEWIS CARROLL

Lewis Carroll is the pen name of Reverend Charles L. Dodgson, born in
Daresbury, Cheshire, England in 1832. He graduated from Christ Church
College in 1854 where he later became a lecturer in mathematics. Over
the course of his life, he had many interests including photography and
creating stories for his friends children. In 1862, Dodgson created a
story to entertain three sisters on a boating trip, and named the main
character of the story after one of the sisters, Alice Liddell. He put it
in writing and a year later it was published. Dodgson wrote a sequel:
Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. Dodgson passed
away of influenza in 1898 at the age of 65.

Author Lewis Carroll

Sources:
www.biography.com/people/lewis-carroll-9239598#synopsis
www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/lewis-carroll
www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/lewis-carrolls-shifting-reputation-9432378

PAGE 2

PRESHOW

ACTIVATING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time
as she went down to look about her and wonder what was going to happen next.

WORDS OF IMAGINATION

WHAT WOULD YOUR WONDERLAND LOOK LIKE?

Time
5-8 minutes
Purpose
Words of Imagination is a word association activity designed to activate prior knowledge for the theme of
imagination. Other relevant themes include: adventure, curiosity, wonder, dreams, and nonsense.
Preparation
Read through the directions and dialogue before leading the activity. Feel free to adjust the theme for the
level, age, and background of students.
Directions
Students stand or sit in a circle, or sit at their desks. Tell students they will activate prior knowledge around a
theme in the story they will see performed. Give examples of the theme and have general discussions before
beginning the activity. Explain how the activity is played. Feel free to play another round with a different
theme. After the activity, reflect and make connections to the performance they will see.
Dialogue
Just like good readers think about what they already know before reading, were going to think about our own
experiences before seeing Alices Adventures in Wonderland in an activity called Words of Imagination.
In the story were about to see, the main character, Alice, dreams of a place called Wonderland where she interacts
with talking animals who do not make a lot of sense. If you could imagine your own Wonderland, what would it look
like? What types of people or creatures exist in your Wonderland? It could be a planet made of spaghetti, a castle filled
with talking marshmallows whatever you want! Take a moment to think of this place.
In Words of Imagination,
- We go around the circle and each person says one word that relates to the theme were thinking about. For
example, I might say spaghetti or castle.
- Only the person sharing their words speaks and everyone else listens without commenting.
- What you say only needs to make sense to you.
- You can repeat what other people say.
- If you cant think of anything or dont feel like sharing, you can say Wonderland.
Lets begin. Ill start

PAGE 3

PRESHOW

MAKING SELF-TO-TEXT CONNECTIONS

She generally gave herself very good advice, though she seldom followed it.
She was very fond of pretending to be two people.

ALICE & ALICE

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF?

In the show youre about to see, Alice sometimes imagines that there are two of her. She gives herself advice
and tells herself what to do when things are hard.
Think about a time when you were lost, had a hard time doing something, or were upset.
Write or draw about that time in the space below.

Now imagine that there are two of you!

What would you tell yourself to do in that situation? Write or draw what youd say
or do in the space below.

Find the parts of the story where Alice gives herself

advice! Does she follow her own advice? Does it help?

PAGE 4

PRESHOW

MAKING SELF-TO-TEXT CONNECTIONS

I think you might do something better with the time,
than waste it in asking riddles that have no answers. Alice

CURIOSITY

SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS

In the story youre about to see, the characters that Alice meets can be hard to understand. They talk in
riddles, ask lots of questions, and confuse Alice. Sometimes when she asks them questions, their answers
dont make any sense. Take a look at the riddles and questions below.
If you were a creature in Wonderland, how would you respond? Write or draw below.

W H O A R E YO U ?

WHY IS A
RAVE N L I K E A
WRIT ING DE S K?

AY

ULD YOU TELL

WO UGHT TO G ME W
O FR
H
IO
OM ICH
HE W
RE
?

What questions would you

ask the creatures of Wonderland?

PAGE 5

PRESHOW

VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT
Oh, you cant help that, were all mad here. Im mad. Youre mad. The Cheshire Cat

THE LANGUAGE
OF WONDERLAND

In the book, the author Lewis Carroll uses a lot of words that we dont use very much today. You may already
know some of these words and one of their meanings. Below are some words and definitions that will help you
understand the story better.

CHESHIRE
A county in Northwest England,
and also the name of a cheese thats
made there.

CHRYSALIS
A butterfly in the stage between
being a caterpillar and the time
when it grows wings.

CROQUET
An outdoor game where each
player uses a mallet to hit a wooden
ball through a series of small metal
loops stuck into the ground.

CURRANT
A small, dried grape used
in baking and cooking.

DORMOUSE

MAD
Insane, foolish, or not sensible.

OU EST MA
CHATTE?
French for Where is my cat?

TELESCOPE

An animal like a large rabbit.

A tube-shaped instrument with

lenses inside that you look through
with one eye to make far objects
appear bigger and nearer. Some
telescopes collapse to become a
smaller tube.

HATTER

TREACLE

A large mouse with a long furry tail.

HARE

A person who makes and sells hats.

KID GLOVES
Gloves made of leather from baby
goats, also called kids.

A sugary syrup used

for making candy.

WAISTCOAT
A vest, worn over a shirt
and under a jacket.

PAGE 6

T
PRE/POS
W
O
H
S

VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT
Alice had got so much into the way of expecting nothing but out-of-the-way things
to happen that it seemed quite dull and stupid for life to go on in the common way.

FOUND POEM

SOMETHING FROM NONSENSE

A found poem is a poem created with words and phrases from an existing story. Youll create a five-line
found poem with a message using words and phrases from Alices Adventures in Wonderland.
Step 1: Pick one of the themes from the stories and circle it:

CURIOSITY

NONSENSE

IMAGINATION

ADVENTURE

Step 2: Pick words and phrases from these lists to create your own found poem about the theme you circled.
Under each line there is a direction about what to write. Have funin a found poem, there are no wrong
answers.

Words
Rabbit-hole
Somewhere
Strange
Falling
Garden
Time
Play

Croquet
Splash!
Thump!
Down
Size
Scurried

Phrases
What size do you want to be?
I shall be late!
The Cat only grinned
Burning with curiosity
So long as I get SOMEWHERE
Down, down, down
Were all mad here
Pretending to be two people
Its always tea time
What nonsense
Why not?
THATS the great puzzle!
Who are YOU?

Write the theme word you have selected

Write one phrase from the list

Write three words from the list

Write one phrase from the list

Write one word from the list

Step 3: Now that youve composed your found poem, copy it onto the My Found Poem page.

PAGE 7

MY FOUND POEM
BY

PAGE 8

P O ST
SHOW

REFLECTING & EVALUATING

As she listened, the whole place around her became alive with
the strange creatures of her little sisters dream.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

In the performance of Alices Adventures in Wonderland, the story ends with the Queen declaring Off with her
head! to Alice, then Alice suddenly wakes from a dream in her sisters lap.

IS

H A P P E N B EC
AU
SE
..

IT
HI
N

TH

LL
WI

What do you think will happen next and why?

Write or draw the end of the story.

PAGE 9

Book-It was here!

A
d
v
e
s

n
e
t
c
i
l
Ain Wonderlanudres
-IT BOOK

K
O
O
B

LIST

If you liked Alices Adventures in Wonderland,

you might also like
KINDERGARTEN

The Secret Box by Barbara Lehman

Julias House for Lost Creatures by Ben Hatke
1ST GRADE

Journey and Quest by Aaron Becker

The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat
2ND GRADE

Louise, The Adventures of a Chicken by Kate DiCamillo

Out of the Everywhere: Tales for a New World by Jan Andrews
3RD GRADE

Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke

Not One Damsel in Distress:
World Folktales for Strong Girls by Jane Yolen
4TH GRADE

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee

Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
5TH GRADE

The Diary of B.B. Bright, Possible Princess

by Alice Randall and Caroline Randall Williams
Wildwood by Colin Meloy
6TH GRADE

Un Lun Dun by China Mieville

Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu

Book list prepared by Sara Lachman, Timberland Regional Library System

JUST FOR ADULTS!

In addition to Book-Its childrens touring stories, we offer a

mainstage season of literature. For our Silver Jubilee Season
were celebrating by giving everybody a discount! All tickets are
just $25; advance purchase recommended.

The Dog of the South

by Charles Portis
February 11 - March 8, 2015

Little Bee

by Chris Cleave
April 22 - May 17, 2015

Slaughterhouse-Five
by Kurt Vonnegut
June 9 - July 3, 2015

FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!

Family Fun Days
Bring the whole family to enjoy a live theatre performance of
a great childrens book, book-themed crafts, live music, and an
imaginative workshop where you jump into the world of the story.
Crafts at 10:30 a.m.
Performance at 11:00 a.m
Workshop at 12:00 noon

STAT: Standing Tall and Talented

by Amare Stoudemire
Saturday, February 28, 2015

Get 50%
Discou

f und a

Alices Adventures in Wonderland

by Lewis Carroll
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Saturday, May 16, 2015

off!

nt Cod
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Reg
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2 adul
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TO BUY YOUR TICKETS

Contact Book-Its box office: 206.216.0833 or visit our website: book-it.org.
All shows are at the Center Theatre at the Seattle Center Armory.

BOOK-IT.ORG | 206.216.0833 | CENTER THEATRE, SEATTLE CENTER | 305 HARRISON ST, SEATTLE, WA 98109