Hawthorne Valley Harvest

Hawthorne Valley Harvest: 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.

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

About the Author

William Ward, a native of Michigan, majored in English literature as an undergraduate at Columbia University before studying elementary education at the Waldorf Institute of Adelphi University, where he received a master’s degree. William was a Waldorf class teacher for twenty-five years at Hawthorne Valley School in Harlemville, New York, from 1976 until 2005. He had taken three full classes from grades 1 to 8 and was in the fourth grade with his fourth class when he retired to deal with the diagnosis of a brain tumor. A lover of the theater, William wrote numerous class plays and festival presentations and collaborated in all-school musical productions. He crossed the threshold October 5, 2008, at the age of sixty-one.