Wednesday, May 22, 2002
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Wednesday, May 22, 2002 |
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Third-graders take center stage in 'Alice in Wonderland'
The acting bug has bitten third-grade students at Oak Grove Elementary. For five days, all third-grade classes at the school will take their turns performing "Alice in Wonderland." The performance is a full-blown production complete with elaborate sets, costumes, sound and lights. All students have a part in the play. "This is something we do every spring. It has become quite a tradition," says Kara Thompson, a third-grade teacher at the school. Each year third-graders pick a different play to perform. In the past, they have performed "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Wizard of Oz" and "Dr. Doolittle." Parents at the school help with the production by creating and setting up the sets, making costumes and designing and operating the lighting and sound systems. Students started preparing for their May performances in March by working on memorizing their lines and studying their characters. Students read different versions of the story and watched a video and a live performance of the musical to get a feel for their particular character roles. Other than having an opportunity to have a stage role in a major play, Thompson says the experience also helps students improve their public speaking skills as well as their self-confidence. "It's incredible, really unbelievable, to watch how these students grow, mature and change. It takes an incredible amount of teamwork and cooperation for them to go out there and do this performance," she said. "They help each other learn their parts. It's just a great way to end third grade." All parents at Oak Grove have been invited to attend one of the free performances, which are also being attended by other students at the school. Each class is performing two productions of the play.
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