A Collection of Plays for the Elementary Grades

This collection of 23 plays spans the full elementary school grades and includes a Michaelmas Pageant for the entire school. William Ward, himself a master of the spoken word and dramatic exchange offers teachers practical guidance in preparing a play with children for production. This collection of gems is a boon for every class teacher.

AWSNA PUBLICATIONS
ISBN 978-1-888365-78-8
Softbound
243 pages
8.5 x 11 inches

CONTENTS

PREFACE by David Mitchell

INTRODUCTION: IN PRAISE OF PLAYS by William Ward

FIRST GRADE:

"The Light Child" by Andree Ward

"The White Snake" by Ariana Hays

"The Devil with Three Golden Hairs" by William Ward

"The Six Servants" by Jolene Jackson

"Snow White" by William Ward

SECOND GRADE:

"The Voyage of Saint Brendan" by Kevin Kilb

"Saint Jerome and the Lion" by William Ward

"Odelia and Aldaric" by Laura Summer

"Saint George and the Dragon" by Claire McConnell

Saint Martin Legend by William Ward

"Saint Martin's Pageant" by William Ward

"Jumping Mouse" by Patrice Maynard

THIRD GRADE:

"Passover Celebration" by William Ward

"The Maccabees" by Patrice Maynard

"Joseph and His Brothers" by William Ward

"Moses" by William Ward

FOURTH GRADE:

"The Forging of the Sampo" by Kevin Kilb

"The Death of Baldur" by William Ward

FIFTH GRADE:

"The Epic of Gilgamesh" by Gloria Kemp

"Zarathusrra: The Golden Star" by Jolene Jackson

SIXTH GRADE:

"The Peacemaker" by Beatrice Cohen

"The Sacred Flame" bv William Ward

FIFTH - EIGHTH GRADES:

Michaelmas Pageant Introduction by William Ward

"Michaelmas Pageant" by William Ward

AFTERWORD: PRACTICAL GUIDANCE by William Ward

REVIEW:

Hawthorne Valley Harvest edited by William Ward

From grade one through grade twelve, the annual class play is an essential feature of the life of every Waldorf class. The play is often the defining event of the year, the event most clearly remembered and most often referred to, long after much else of what happened is lost to memory.

William Ward, a longtime class teacher at the Hawthorne Valley School in Harlemville, New York, was an enthusiastic advocate of the Waldorf class play. Ward understood the importance of the class play for the children, their teacher, and for the broader community. He wrote many plays for his classes over the years.

Review by Ronald Koetzsch, PhD