Fourth grade students at Stevenson Elementary School honed their group speaking skills while celebrating Black History Month Friday.
Multiple classes participated in a Black History Month readers’ theater event. Students learned about important moments in Black history by acting out roles of key figures and others important to that person’s story. For example, a group of students presenting on President Barack Obama had a role for narrator, Michelle Obama, voters and the former President.
“It felt pretty fun,” said Lillian Fogarty, who played the role of narrator and voter for her group’s presentation.
Several students wanted the narrator role, so they shared the part. Fogarty is in Emily Kleinhenz’s fourth grade class.
“It felt exciting, because I was showing all my peers about Barack Obama's life,” added Fogarty.
Stevenson teachers hold this lesson for their students annually. Starting in January, students research Black historical figures and place information about them on a bulletin board in the hallway.
“And then to wrap up the month, we just do this readers’ theater, to get them exposure to speaking in front of a group,” said Lindsay Bauer, a fourth grade teacher. “And they really enjoy it.”
Bauer’s class was tasked with researching about 30 Black historical figures for a project and writing a paper on one of them.
For the readers’ theatre, grading came from showing respect to classmates as they presented. That included being silent and attentive as an audience member and allowing others to work through sounding out words when they got stuck. Bauer said in her classroom, the latter skill is called ‘letting them cook,’ a term younger people use for allowing someone to do a task they do well at.
Classmates practiced earlier in the week—highlighting their own parts, reading silently to themselves and then as a group, adding expression and props.
“At first I was a nervous wreck, but then it just got easier and easier, and it was more relatable to me,” said Sky’lah House, also in Kleinhenz’s class.
House’s group presented the story of gymnast Simone Biles. House played the role of Biles, a role she appreciated because she performs in gymnastics herself.
“It's fun and exciting to see that other people can do those good, great tricks like her,” said House.
Other group presentations Friday included Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. House appreciated that her school was able to celebrate Black history.
