The students of
Miss Jennifer Sassaman’s Fifth Grade Lincoln Roosevelt Class, recently put on
a play entitled, The Great Council.
According to Miss Sassaman, “The
idea for the play came from the book "Social Studies Plus! A Hands-On
Approach" from the new Scott Foresman social studies series that was
adopted this year.”
Miss Sassaman went on, “We had
just learned about the Iroquois and how they had created the Great Council to
create peace between the different tribes.
The play was based on the creation of that Council and enabled the
students to be the members of that council and act out how their meetings were
conducted and what was discussed at them.”
Preparations for the play lasted
about a week. The students broke
themselves into groups based upon whether they wanted to work on scenery,
costumes, or have speaking parts. According
to Miss Sassaman, the students were very self-sufficient in putting the play
together, checking in with her to let her know what their plans were and how
they were progressing with them.
When reflecting on the experience, Miss Sassaman comments, “I think the play gave the students a better understanding of what went on in the Iroquois League than just reading about it would have. They can not wait until there is another play option for them to do in the new social studies series.”