One of the earliest tales children are typically told is the one of Hansel and Gretel, the two siblings who find themselves captive of an evil witch intending on eating them whole. But what if these seemingly innocent kids were actually sly criminals?
Sarah Daunis’ fourth grade class at Santa Monica Alternative School House (SMASH) traveled to the new Samohi Exploration Building to find this out and more during "Fairy Tales on Trial," the culmination of a six-week integrated project-based learning unit. The project combined literacy, history, civics and what SMASH Principal Jessica Rishe called "a little bit of drama."
The class had been studying characters and story arc perspectives through the lens of fairy tales around the world, including trips to the Santa Monica Playhouse to see fairy tale plays re-imagined from other character’s eyes. Thinking about "what if a different character told that story?," students wrote their own versions of events.
Finalizing the package was a lesson on civics and the court system, as different characters were put on trial. Students imagined a scenario where Hansel and Gretel were on trial for theft, battery and disturbing the peace via smashing the witch’s gingerbread houses and throwing her into an oven. They took roles of prosecution, defense, witnesses, a court reporter and a bailiff; learning how to prepare for each part of the system.
"There’s a civics and action component because we’re about to have an election in our country, so (they’re) understanding the importance of courts and why people vote," Rishe said.
During the trial of the siblings, the two were examined and cross-examined, and the witch took the stand to describe her injuries. At the end, a makeshift judge determined that the siblings were not guilty of their crimes, but commended the group for thinking on their feet during proceedings.
"Students are nervous because they feel like, normally, people come and watch a polished, scripted performance, and that’s not what this is," Rishe added. "This is them actually on the spot, demonstrating their understanding."
In his role as SMMUSD Learning & Innovation Coordinator, Dr. Devon Smith was also proud of the SMASH contingent, highlighting the importance of students having "real-world experiences."
"It really does speak to the purpose of why they’re learning this or why they’re learning that, and so when we have the opportunity like you see here (with) SMASH and in other places, where the teacher can combine content and integrate that, it makes for a deeper and richer experience," Smith said.
Integrating different studies into one package, Rishe stated, is because students learn best outside of "silos," and that they are more engaged with higher "persistence and stamina" for learning than if they had done an isolated project. The entertainment value of working in fairy tales also adds to the engagement, she noted.
"The core values of our educational program for our school is that everyone should feel a sense of belonging to a group, and that learning should be fun, and so everything we do has an element of pursuing their curiosity and what they’re already kind of excited about, as well as us layering on what we need to compel them to learn," Rishe said.
Last week’s trials, which also included the matter of if Little Miss Muffet should have to pay her rent due to her giant spider issue, were also a showcase of the Exploration Building, which Rishe said was made specifically to "nurture students" who want to know about different pathways. The building, which debuted for SMMUSD students in August, was able to be leveraged by SMASH for the endeavor.
"Just as I (went) through, especially the first week, asking students what does it feel like to learn in an environment like (this), every one of them (were) smiling ear-to-ear excited," Smith said of the building. "(I) heard words like ‘super engaged, can’t believe we have this kind of space.’ Even the teachers are energized by the facilities that are in this space. It really is exciting, and we’ve only just begun."
