BRE third graders rock it
Buffalo Ridge Elementary School third grade students displayed feats of flexibility and finesse in two performances of their recent Third Grade Show.
Every year, Buffalo Ridge Elementary (BRE) produces a third grade show. The event requires months of preparation and practice and incorporates several educational subjects: art, music and physical education, with the respective teachers collectively taking on and overseeing the show start to finish. This year’s program focused on A HERD – BRE’s character development acronym: Academic Excellence, Honesty, Empathy, Respect, Dedication. The entire third grade class, all 76 students, participated and performed for their school peers during an assembly, and again for parents in the evening.
Students decided on a Marvel Comics-style animation in art. “The students each created one cell (page) of an animation that we then put together to create an introduction that we played to the parents to create a grand entrance,” stated art teacher Tim Ryckman. The show’s backdrop was also created from the student’s art by placing each animation cell next to a photograph of the student who created it. All images and art were hung together to spell A HERD.
“The students learned the music, speaking parts and created riser choreography in music class; they created physical routines for each song in P.E.; in art, they created an animation to introduce the show,” music teacher Cathy Deneault explained how the three teachers split up the various aspects of the program.
“In P.E., students created routines and choreography in small groups,” P.E. teacher Sarah Harding said. Students chose the equipment they wanted to use in their performance from a variety of options, including pogo balls, jump ropes, scarves and ribbons. There were also opportunities to showcase other physical talents like tumbling and gymnastics.
Students have prepared and practiced the songs, speaking parts, routines and creating the art since November, giving students ample time to practice in each area of the show.
The time and hard work were evident by performance time. Teachers love to see the growth in the students as they push themselves to do new things and learn new skills.
“They learn so many important life lessons such as being part of a group, using creativity to create their performance, communication skills and persevering through every challenge they faced. It was exciting to see it through from start to finish!” exclaimed Sarah.
Cathy had similar thoughts. “This group of third graders were maybe the most apprehensive or nervous to perform that I have had in years, and after all their hard work, they saw that they could actually do this and do it well – and have fun,” she concluded. “It was amazing to see.”
Third grade BRE students had a say in many aspects of the show from choreography, to the backdrop artwork. They brainstormed, learned speaking parts, songs and dance and created art for four months prior to the program. They had two performances, one during a school-wide assembly and another in the evening for parents and families.
By Celeste McNeil; photos courtesy of Tim Ryckman
