The regular second grade reading curriculum at Jackson Academy has numerous stories that tie to character values, such as responsibility, friendship, and honesty. On Friday, the stories of Aesop’s Fables came to life as second graders portrayed the lion and the mouse, the shepherd boy and the wolf, the lazy grasshopper and the ant, the tortoise and the hare, and many other tales to an auditorium of parents and grandparents.
“Aesop’s Fables are filled with moral lessons, which is why we selected this particular play for second grade,” said Head of Lower School Sarah Love. “Second grade is an ideal age to hear and read stories that are focused on character values. Because many Aesop’s Fables have animal characters, they also tie into a second grader’s love of fantasy and imagination.”
Children dressed as woodland animals, sheep, ants, cats, mice, lions, foxes, and grapes reenacted the highly-memorable lessons through song and short vignettes. They highlighted the wisdom of steadiness and patience, choosing friends wisely, acts of kindness, simple pleasures, and avoiding laziness, procrastination, and not having sour grapes.
At JA, each student in the Lower School is introduced to the experience of performing before a live audience. The second grade program was launched in January 2015. “Prior to that year, second grade did not have a musical program,” said Love. “With a musical program added to second grade, every student in the Lower School was given an opportunity to perform on stage in the Performing Arts Center every year.”
