Second grade students in Tiffany Page’s class at Five Points Elementary presented to the Board of Education this evening about their virtual, green screen plays.
Every school year, 2nd grade students in Tiffany Page’s class at Five Points Elementary perform a school play on stage for parents to watch at school, in person. However, with COVID-19 restrictions in place, Mrs. Page and her students produced a series of their own virtual plays for parents to watch online.
“The show must go on!” said Tiffany Page, 2nd grade Teacher at Five Points Elementary. “Normally, my class would have performed these plays on stage in front of family and friends. (We) found a way to share the play production virtually with the special people in these students’ lives.”
Working with Springboro Schools’ Educational Technologist Amy Romes, Mrs. Page’s students utilized green screen software to create “sets” for their virtual plays. The students were dressed in costumes, used props, and had microphones with speakers to project their voice. “Early on, we realized it was difficult to hear the students’ voices through the masks they wear during the day,” said Amy Romes. “With the help of the district’s CARES Act funds, we were able to purchase microphones and amplifiers for the students to use, in order to project their voice for the play.”
The virtual plays were filmed using an iPad, then edited by the students using “WeVideo.” The students worked in groups to perform four (4) different plays that were spin offs of classic fairy tales: “Little Late Riding Hood,” “Stone Slop,” “The Brementown Rappers,” and “Spiderella.” The green screen technology was used to generate virtual “sets” for each performance. In “Little Late Riding Hood,” the students are seen walking through the woods, which was virtually generated. The finished videos of the plays were shared with parents, friends, and family to all watch online together.
Traci Griffen, Principal at Five Points Elementary, said, “This has been a challenging year for everyone. The virtual play is such a creative way to bring people together in a time where we all need it.”