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When the Curtain Goes Up, All Kids Shine!

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This year, fourth graders at Keeney Street School in Manchester, Connecticut, went back to the future! In their end-of-year play, they became well-known singers of the 50s who had had been cryogenically frozen for decades. Director Michael Norman said participating in performances such as this teaches children cooperation, presentation, and stage presence and emphasizes the importance of following directions and listening.

Michael Norman believes that every child deserves to be in the spotlight, and each year he gives his students their chance.

Since the mid-1970s, Norman has been writing and directing annual productions with speaking parts for all of his students. He now includes all 75 or so fourth graders in three classes at Keeney Street Elementary School in Manchester, Connecticut, where he teaches.

"These kids have a chance to really shine," Norman said after the curtain came down on his most recent effort. "I saw kids who had been in a shell all year just glowing" after being on stage.

AN EXPERIENCE FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES

Show and Tell

Being in a play is "the best thing that could ever happen to kids. They're going to take these experiences with them for the rest of their lives." Those are the words of principal Francis J. Amara. Do you agree with Amara's take on the power of performance? Have you witnessed how putting on a show can transform kids? Share your experiences with drama in the classroom on an Education World message board.

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Read more about drama in the classroom. See another Education World story: All the Classroom's a Stage! This Education World story offers a comprehensive list of drama resources to help you increase students' reading skills, give them a sense of self-esteem they've never known before, and expose them to some of the greatest literature in the language! Included: Author Aaron Shepard offers thoughts about using drama and theater-related activities in the classroom.
Norman isn't the only one who appreciates the boost in self-confidence the students receive from being in the production. Keeney School's principal, Francis J. Amara, is a big fan of the annual event.

"It's the best thing that could ever happen to kids," Amara said. "They're going to take these experiences with them for the rest of their lives."

Norman begins writing during summer vacation. Every spring at Keeney School, the teachers select a theme for the coming year, and Norman builds his script around that. He isn't afraid to use jokes or references his nine- and ten-year-old students might not get. "I write so the parents get the jokes and the kids have fun," he told Education World.

When the school's theme was A Celebration of American Literature, he included Mark Twain and other authors and their classic characters. Other years have incorporated art history, environmental education, and local history.

OLD CAPE COD AND YAKETY YAK!

This year the theme was The New Millenium: 2001 and Beyond, and Norman brought the past and future together. The play was set in 2030 when musicians from the 1950s and '60s who had been cryogenically frozen were brought back to life and their songs became the latest rage. This allowed Norman to introduce students to a variety of music, from the melodic "Old Cape Cod" to the
nonsensical energy of "Yakety Yak."

Amara said the use of 50-year-old music turned the play into an intergenerational experience as students went home and quizzed their grandparents about the characters in the play. One grandmother told the principal at a performance that she'd spent the previous week helping her grandson work on his jitterbug.

Fourth-grader Eric Masi said he liked learning the "old music we've never really heard before."

Even at the age of ten, Eric realized there was more at stake. He said he learned "you've got to do the best you can" when you're on stage.

Norman said participating in the performances teaches children cooperation, presentation, and stage presence and emphasizes the importance of following directions and listening to the director and the other performers. The music in the plays helps with math, and reading lines and speaking them boosts language skills.

"Everything we put in adds to their education," Norman said.

Norman works closely with fellow fourth-grade teachers Karen Bebyn and Cara Christensen on the productions. After he writes a draft of the script, the three teachers sit down together to go over it. Depending on enrollments, they may add some characters or remove some, Bebyn said.

With many single-parent families and families in which two parents work, children may not get as much attention as they used to. Being on stage means all eyes are on them for a few moments, and the excitement around the performances makes them stars in their own homes.
                          -- Michael Norman
Tryouts are held in January, and every child speaks the same set of lines. Then the teachers huddle and decide how to parcel out the parts. They base their decisions largely on how well -- and loudly -- students speak. All the students have some lines to say, and most also take part in musical numbers. None of the parts is so large that it creates a starring role for any one child.

Rehearsals take place before school and during recess. "Over the years, it's been an incentive to get your homework done so you can practice for the play," Norman told Education World.

PARENTS AS PARTNERS

Parents also play an important part. This year, one parent played piano for rehearsals, another coached the tap dancers, and another made poodle skirts for all the girls in the show. Others painted scenery, helped backstage, and listened to children learn their lines.

After 30 years of putting on plays, Norman feels they're more important than ever. With many single-parent families and families in which two parents work, children may not get as much attention as they used to. Being on stage means all eyes are on them for a few moments, and the excitement around the performances makes them stars in their own homes, he said.

Bebyn said she sees a huge boost in the fourth graders' self-confidence because of their involvement in the annual play.

"To see the smiles on their faces -- they just beam," she said.

Nancy Thompson
Education World®
Copyright © 2000 Education World

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