Marin Jewell, a special education teacher at Westfield, wanted to offer this activity for summer program participants as an alternative to sports and other popular activities. Students were eager to get involved, and 21 of them were cast in the play.
Over the course of four weeks, the Fairy Tale Network cast and crew met three hours per day for four days each week. During these sessions, students learned the basics of theater, such as how to read a play script, how to act theatrically, and stage directions.
Twenty-one students participated in and helped produce the Fairy Tale Network play as a part of Westfield’s Summer Discovery program.
Students were also learning about what it takes behind the scenes to put on a play or musical. The group of actors and actresses also became stage designers, as they made all the set pieces and props themselves. Even though it may have led to a wacky set piece or two, these students benefitted from the process.
“One of my favorite parts was when they built the houses for the Three Litte Pigs, they misunderstood what a ‘straw’ house was, so they came back from the lunchroom with drinking straws to decorate the house,” Jewell said. “So, our straw house was made of multicolored straws, but we just went with it because it was a silly version, anyway.”
Jewell worked with fellow educators Laurie Hinze and Sheena Clark to organize the details of the show, and all of them wove in Moral Focus™ virtues during each session. Jewell said she emphasized these virtues in simple ways, such as reminding students to use integrity while others were practicing and respecting the sets and props.
Students were involved in the entire process, even helping build sets for the show, including a drinking straw house for one of the Three Little Pigs.
Students got a boost in their reading, and scholars often took the time during rehearsals to do fundamental ELA skill-building. When scholars came across words they didn’t know, they were able to sound out or decode it.
Fairy Tale Network was put on in front of over 200 people, including friends and families of participants. It was a smashing success, and Jewell said she was already fielding questions about when the next play would be.
All-in-all, the experience was a confidence booster for participants. Jewell said she saw so many students grow in their four weeks together and that the experience helped students in a variety of ways.
The plot of the play features a new take on some classic fairy tales.
“I think my most exciting and proud moment was watching them go from not knowing each other or not wanting to interact, to the last day when the play was done and they initiated a big group hug and high-fived and congratulated everybody,” Jewell said. “They were starting to make friends outside of their normal friend group. That was really cool to see.”
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About Westfield Charter Academy
Westfield Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Redford, Michigan, serving students in kindergarten through 6th grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through high school across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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