Dows Lane Elementary School second graders, who have been reading folktales, wrote their own versions of traditional fairy tales and acted them out before an audience of peers, teachers and parents on June 6.
As part of a “Bringing Literature to Life” enrichment program, which was generously funded through a grant from the Irvington Education Foundation, the students worked with theater educator Peter Royston for 10 weeks. They learned about the different aspects of theater, including the role of the audience, actors, director and playwright.
“The plays are a wonderful opportunity for all students to be exposed to and participate in theater,” said teacher Eileen Scanlon, who arranged Royston’s annual theater residency at the school. “They teach children about the various aspects of performing, but they also give them a chance to be decision makers.”
The second graders acted out seven fractured fairy tales, including “Cinder-Elly,” “The Princess and the Pizza,” “The Rough-Faced Girl,” “Yeh-Shen,” “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs,” “Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave” and “The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig.” The learning experience allowed students to express their creativity through acting, playwriting and creating a set design.
