The Ugly Woodpecker

Dear first grade parents:
Here is the script for our upcoming open house, the play "The Ugly Woodpecker". We hope this help you to contextualize the children's dialogs. Don't hesitate to contact us if you have any doubts.

Best Regards!

Miss Karla Galgani and Miss Karla Bustamante.

Queridos padres de primer año:

Aquí está el libreto para nuestra clase abierta, la obra "El Pájaro Carpintero Feo". Esperamos que esto les ayude a contextualizar los diálogos de los niños. No duden en contactarnos si tienen dudas.

¡Saludos Cordiales!

Miss Karla Galgani y Miss Karla Bustamante.



-THE UGLY WOODPECKER-

(Based on “The Ugly Duckling”)

Characters:

Narrator 1	Narrator 5	Wilson Woodpecker (brother)	The Ugly Woodpecker
Narrator 2	Narrator 6	Wilma Woodpecker (sister)	Tanya Turtle
Narrator 3	Pa Woodpecker	Danny Duck	Terry Turtle
Narrator 4	Ma Woodpecker	Dottie Duck

Narrator 1:

A mother woodpecker was sitting on the three eggs in her nest.

Narrator 2:

The first two eggs hatched. It was a boy and a girl woodpecker. She named them Wilson and Wilma.

Narrator 3:

But the third egg would not hatch. It was larger than the two other eggs.

Narrator 4:

And it was speckled, while the other two eggs were plain.

Pa Woodpecker:

I think you’re sitting on a robin’s egg, Ma Woodpecker. Or maybe it’s the egg of some other bird like a goose or a peacock.

Ma Woodpecker:

Stop kidding around, Pa Woodpecker. You know good and well that this is a woodpecker egg, even if it’s large and speckled.

Pa Woodpecker:

Suit yourself.

Narrator 5:

So Ma Woodpecker continued to sit on the egg. And after three long days, it began to crack.

Narrator 6:

Out popped a strange creature that looked nothing like a wood pecker.

Ma Woodpecker:

What a strange-looking bird.

Pa Woodpecker:

My word. It has a beak like a bird. It has webbed feet, like some birds I know. But where are its wings? Where are its feathers? And what is this strange shell it has?

Wilson Woodpecker:

Little brother, can you drill a hole in a tree with your beak like this: rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat?

Narrator 1:

The hatchling tried, but it simply hurt his beak.

Wilma Woodpecker:

Little brother, can you fly like me: flap-flap-flap-flap-flap?

Narrator 2:

The hatchling waved his arms, but he could not fly.

Wilson Woodpecker:

What kind of woodpecker are you? You can’t fly and you can’t drill a hole with your beak.

Wilma Woodpecker:

Yeah, what kind of woodpecker are you? You’re the ugliest woodpecker I’ve ever seen.

Ma Woodpecker:

Children, children, for shame!

Pa Woodpecker:

Pipe down, children. I don’t think this is really your little brother. I think this is a duck. We need to find a new home for him among his own kind.

Narrator 3:

Pa Woodpecker picked up the hatchling and carried him down to the marsh. He left him with a couple of ducks named Danny and Dottie.

Danny:

Who are you?

Dottie:

Yes, please identify yourself.

The ugly Woodpecker:

When I was born, I thought I was a Woodpecker. But now I’m told that I’m a duck.

Danny Duck:

A duck, you say. Can you make sounds like this: quack, quack, quack?

The ugly Woodpecker:

(Tries to quack) Cough, cough, sorry.

Dottie Duck:

Do you waddle when you walk?

The ugly Woodpecker:

I’m not sure. Here, I’ll walk a few steps and you tell me.

Danny Duck:

You have a strange way of walking. You certainly don’t waddle in a cool way like a duck.

Dottie Duck:

That’s for sure. You don’t quack and you can’t waddle. I don’t know what you are. You’re a disgrace to ducks. I think you must actually be a very ugly woodpecker.

Danny Duck:

Yeah. Those woodpeckers just wanted to get rid of you. But you’re certainly not cool enough to be a duck.

Narrator 4:

The little creature’s feelings were very hurt. If this is how ducks behave, he didn’t even want to be a duck.

Narrator 5:

He moved away from them just as fast as his webbed feet would carry him.

Narrator 6:

Soon, he came upon two turtles named Tonya and Terry.

Tonya Turtle:

Who are you?

The ugly Woodpecker:

I don’t know. I thought I was a woodpecker, but I couldn’t drill holes with my beak. Then I thought maybe I was a duck. But I couldn’t waddle and quack.

Tonya Turtle:

No, silly, I know what you are. I was just asking who you are.

Terry Turtle:

What’s your name?

The ugly Woodpecker:

(Excited) Wait a minute. You know what I am?

Tonya Turtle:

Well, you’re awfully turtle-y looking. You certainly aren’t a snake or an owl or a moose.

Terry Turtle:

You’re a turtle, no doubt about it.

The ugly Woodpecker:

A turtle. But how can you be sure?

Tonya Turtle:

Well, you look exactly like us. But just to be sure, there is a simple turtle test. Can you pull your head inside your shell?

Narrator 1:

The creature gave it a try. Sure enough, he was able to pull his head inside his shell.

Tonya Turtle:

You’re a turtle.

Terry Turtle:

No question. You’re a turtle.

The ugly Woodpecker:

I’m a turtle! I’m a turtle!

Narrator 2:

So it was that the Ugly Woodpecker learned that he was actually a turtle.

Narrator 3:

He immediately changed his name to Thaddeus T. Turtle.

Narrator 4:

He was adopted by Tonya and Terry and their brothers and sisters.

Narrator 5:

Thaddeus T. Turtle was always nice to other animals.

Narrator 6:

No matter how unusual they looked and acted.

All narrators:

And he lived happily ever after!

CLOSURE

Woodpeckers Family

It is important to be OPEN-MINDED, to evaluate different points of view.

Ducks

To be CARING, so we respect the needs and feelings of others.

Turtles

To be PRINCIPLED, so we respect the dignity of everybody, no matter who they are.

Narrators:

And to be REFLECTIVE, so we are able to asses and understand our own strengths and limitations in order to improve.