Rowe, Don.  (2005). The Sandbox.  Minneapolis: Picture Window Books.

Drama Connection:  using pantomime to express ideas and feelings

Art Connection:  drawing self-portraits

Writing Connection:  writing prompt assessment

Positive Character Traits & Values:  fairness; cooperation; community; friendship / belonging

Kindergarten friends Johnny and Tim teach young readers about fairness, cooperation, and community through imaginative play.  The boys are making up a story about “hospitals” using cars, trucks, blocks, and pails and such in the sandbox.  Their teacher Mrs. Smith brings Kylie to the sandbox where she wants to play with Johnny. Reluctantly, the boys acknowledge Kylie.  She asks, “What can I be?”  Tim answers telling Kylie that “you can be the person who watches us.” Johnny, Tim, Kylie, and Mrs. Smith learn a lesson about fairness.

Helping children to understand that things cannot always be fair is part of a game called “Deciding if it’s fair.”  In preparation of the game, the teacher prepares 5 x 7 inch note cards for each child saying “fair” and “not fair.”  In enhancing children’s social competence, the teacher will read aloud several real-life problem situations. Some of the statements may be based on observed behavior in the classroom, on the playground, on the bus, or in the lunch room.  The teacher will ask the children to decide if the situation is fair or not fair.  Children hold up the appropriate card.

            Here are some ideas:

·         It is raining and you cannot go outside for recess.

·         You get sick with the flu and have to miss your friend’s birthday party.

·         You are playing hop-scotch with a friend and another child wants to play.  Your friend does not want anyone else to play.

·         A boy in your class brings a scooter to school and rides it around on the playground.  You ask the teacher if you can ride the scooter.

·         The school lunch today is pizza and it is your favorite.  You get a small corner slice and your classmate gets a big slice with no edges.

·         Your bus driver has assigned seats on the bus.

The teacher leads the discussion of each real-life problem situation asking children to qualify their choices of “fair” and “not fair.”  Follow-up questioning leads to alternative choices that the children could consider.

The use of pantomime is a creative and mindful movement to express specific ideas and feelings with the face and body.  No talking takes place during the pantomime.  The Sandbox serves as the basis for drama through pantomime.  Utilizing character, plot, setting, and mood, children are invited to use pantomime to convey situations from the storybook. For example, the scene where Johnny and Tim are playing in the sandbox and Kylie knocks over everything with her foot. Or perhaps when the teacher sends the boys to a table to paint and Kylie is left alone to play in the sandbox.  After children participate in the pantomime of a situation from the book, encourage them to choose one of the real-life problem situations from the game above for pantomime.  Give the children time to practice before performing their scenario for their classmates.

As an art connection, ask children to look at the bold colors that illustrator Tim Archbold uses to portray the characters and setting. How does the use of the bold colors help to portray the kindergarten students and their school?  Look at the children’s clothing; look at the playground; the sandbox; the classroom; and the teacher’s clothing.  Ask children to look in a mirror at themselves.  What colors do they see?  What shapes do they see?

Children draw a self-portrait using crayons and craypas.  The self-portraits become part of a display showing the classroom community.

The Sandbox literature selection also may serve as the basis for a writing prompt for children in first through third grades.  Here is the writing prompt: (developed by second grade teachers in the Princeton City School District, Cincinnati, Ohio)

The writing assessment may be scored using a 4 point rubric:

1      No development of ideas; no sequential order; no sentence sense; no sense of stopping or starting; few recognizable words.  This score reflects a student who needs to develop an understanding of the writing process and should be required to write more often and more regularly on a variety of topics; specifically, the student is a writer who does not yet demonstrate competence in this skill.

2      Little development of ideas; little or no story pattern; little sequence order; run-on sentences; sentence fragments; few capital and punctuation marks; much inventive spelling.  This score reflects a student who is progressing toward understanding the writing process and needs practice and opportunity to develop skills as a writer; specifically, the student is a writer of marginal competence.

3      Ideas have some creativity and originality; some organization; some sequential order, complete sentences, some variation in sentence length; capitals and punctuation used, some inventive spelling.  This score reflects a student who understands and applies the writing process with grade-level understanding and ability; specifically, the student is a writer of competence.

4      Ideas have creativity; there is a beginning, middle, and end to the story; includes a problem that was solved, may use conversation; may use a title; sentences vary in length, expression in sentences; some spelling errors.  This score reflects a student who understands and applies the writing process with a serious attention to detail; specifically, this student is a writer of high competence.