Mrs. Hunter's fourth grade language arts students were also busy finishing their Shakespeare unit this week and gave a first-rate performance for parents on Wednesday. Loved it! Students had seen Julius Ceasar, Macbeth, and A Midsummer Nights Dream,created Playbills, then worked with UT Shakespeare at Winedale outreach coordinator Clayton Stromberger as he went through the process of adding more "oomph" to the performances of all three plays. Per Mrs. Hunter, "Clayton put more of the original language in the simplified scripts we had been using. Once completed and parts assigned, he read through all 3 scripts with the kids, then worked with them on the scenes. He helped us better use movement to energize the actors and their voices". Staying true to the staging used during Shakespeare's time, giving direction in kid friendly language (ask one of the actors to explain a Scooby-Doo moment to you), helped bring these classic plays alive for students. In the words of William Shakespeare, "Action is eloquence". Indeed it is.
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| Waiting in the Wings |
Be sure to check out Mrs. Leibick's "Birth Order" bulletin board if you get a chance. Her fourth graders have been reading The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, along with connected poetry and informational text, as part of her annual Mystery Unit;if you have never seen the opening crime scene, you really should next year as it's very well done. As a further connection to the characters and plot of the novel, not to mention their own written compositions, Mrs. Leibick's students have also been studying the affect of birth order on personality and used their own "family ranking" -youngest, middle, eldest - to see if the current hypotheses/research rings true for them. Mrs. Leibick tells me that in the 5 or 6 years she has been doing this activity, many of the characteristics often associated with birth order (eldest being responsible and youngest being highly social, for example) do indeed seem accurate when she looks at her class make-up. However, as she also states on the display board, "Personality is much too complex to be controlled by just one variable". Check it out. High interest topic for anyone, but most especially for students.
Wrapping up our week, note a scene from a typical Friday afternoon down the fourth grade hallway. Every Friday, this tradition that started many moons ago, fourth grade teachers bring all fourth grade students to the hallway for the last 10 minutes of the day. Once done, out come the tried and true folk songs many of us older Scotties grew up with; words to songs are displayed on laminated poster board as a guide - songs like Country Roads, This Land is Your Land, Going to the Zoo to name a few. Mrs. Leibick straps on her guitar, and all engage in a sing-along before the weekend goodbyes begin. I have to admit I find myself down that hallway many a late afternoon when I need a respite from something or simply want a moment where I can feel more connected and inspired. I love singing with the kids, giving a knowing nod as the words pour out of each of us. It is a great way to end our week and a great way for each of us to take a calming breath and find our center before we all scatter. Those few minutes always make me feel a part of something often too good to put into words and I hope that's how the kids feel as well. And sometimes that's enough.
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