Grade Two's "Anansi the Spider"
Play and self-discovery typify the second grader's life. Developing an understanding of what it is to be human, what it is be an individual in the world with changing needs, what it means to get along with your peers and elders - these are experiences vividly lived in the minds and bodies of young students. It is by virtue of experiencing conflict outside of oneself - say, pretending to be an animal in a play - that safe, meaningful learning can occur.
Enter Skye Chamberlain, Grade Two's main lesson teacher, and her dynamic reworking of the West African folklore character Anansi. The origins of this 'trickster' can be traced to the Ashanti people of Ghana, whose wily creation later appeared in folk traditions of numerous African and Caribbean cultures.
Chalkboard art of Anansi and the cast of accompanying characters
Grade Two's curriculum core orbits around saints and fables. According to Ms. Chamberlain, she "sought a play that was both an animal fable and tapped into a wider world culture." She elaborated on this global focus, emphasizing her goal that “no student of mine will come away from school believing Africa is a country.” The purpose for having a lucid grasp of geography transcends the drive for intellectual knowledge and accumulating piles of facts, though. Skye’s motivation points to the development of meaningful character traits: tolerance, empathy, awareness. The world’s vastness becomes more coherent when one gets to know its people, places, and ideas.
Although myriad iterations of Anansi's story have been told and retold across cultures and epochs, they have seldom been structured in play form. So, Ms. Chamberlain took the process into her own hands and wrote the play for her second graders.
Students of hers are not unfamiliar with these above-and-beyond creative contributions for the classroom. She has penned plays in the past, including an interpretation of Mahabharata, a world-revered Indian epic. In the case of Anansi the Spider, Ms. Chamberlain looked to the Gail E. Haley children's book A Story, a Story as one crux for inspiration. To add color and contrast to the play, she wove additional characters into the mix - including a "nosy python" and a "sneaky leopard." A fairy and swarm of wasps complete the cast.
Hence, anthropomorphized animals tell the story of Anansi the Spider. This decision is deliberate: rather than employ human characters, Ms. Chamberlain sees this play as an opportunity to connect the students' internal struggles with their understanding and adoration of animals. She believes the mental images students generate of animals at that age are so clear and potent - much more so than adults.
Student-made flyer for Anansi the Spider
The content of the play deals with questions of goodness:
- Is being tricky, deceitful, or even mean ever okay?
- Why do I feel like I want to be tricky sometimes?
- If I do a bad thing, is that all that I am?
Children in the early grade school years often need help working through conflicted feelings of discerning what is good and right. Thus, Anansi the Spider is a way to exercise these thoughts in a healthy, fun, and collaborative way. Moreover, they get to experience the stories and tradition of a culture totally new to them! Rather than shy away from novel experiences, Ms. Chamberlain encourages her students to embrace newness (like a West African play) with open hearts. Combining humor with a lesson-fable like this can be a compelling mode of learning for young children.
In short, the community should turn out for this play because, "the students have worked hard and are proud of it. It is visually fun, musically fun, and short & sweet!"
Come out to Skinner Theater for a performance on Thursday, January 30 at 6:30 p.m. or Friday, January 31 at 9:00 a.m.
