The story of Three Billy Goats Gruff was new in drama this week. Ms Knoester spent the morning with the Rocks Class because Miss Santos was out sick. The children listened to Ms Knoester read the story and then used their bodies and voices to tell the story.
Hollow blocks were used to construct a bridge for the billy goats to cross and a cloth became the river underneath.
During the course of the week, each child can act out different roles. In this story, quiet children are given the opportunity to be bold and everyone achieves a victory and experiences defeat. At the finale of the story the biggest billy goat says to the troll, "I've got two horns and four hard hooves," and tosses him over the bridge into the rushing river.
Together the children are learning to become generous and patient as they negotiate sharing their favorite roles with others. Flexibility becomes a key strength as they solve the problem of how to have three children tell a story with four characters.
In the telling and retelling of the story, the children build their memory and vocabulary, practicing pre-reading skills while having great fun. The drama area often draws the attention of other students who like to be the audience and watch their friends retell the same story.
