Kent Primary Second Graders Share Life Lessons through Song

Sing a song of Aesop and learn a thing or two.

Second-grade students in Lisa Chase’s class at Kent Primary School brought the legendary fables of Aesop to life in front of a sizeable crowd of parents and family members to teach meaningful and timely life morals.

The students knew that Aesop was a gifted storyteller who lived in Greece more than 2,000 years ago, but it was not until the 14h century that his timeless tales were first written down. They studied the fables in class and discussed each one’s life lessons. 

The student-actors took to the stage to present five of Aesop’s most notable fables through narration, song and impressive acting skills: The Tortoise and the Hare; The Grasshopper and the Ant, The City Mouse and the Country Mouse, The Lion and the Mouse; and The Boy Who Cried “Wolf!"

Earlier this spring, the class hosted a casting call at which students could try out the various roles to see which they were most interested in, and which would be right for them. After casting, the class spent a month rehearsing to put on a perfect performance for attendees.

“The show was very good, and I was singing along. I give it 10 thumbs up!” said one first-grade student who got a sneak peek of the show during the final dress rehearsal.

The performance taught audience members five important adages applicable to life today. Those include “slow and steady wins the race,” “don’t put off ’til tomorrow what you can do today,” “better to nibble corn in peace than to feast in fear,” “even the strongest can sometimes use the help of the smallest,” and “nobody believes a liar, even if he’s telling the truth.”

The students shined under the guidance of Chase and the direction of music teacher Juliana Schultz who provided the accompaniment for the performance.