Sixth Grade Bebop with Aesop

Tradition Meets Technology in Sixth Grade’s Annual Bebop with Aesop

Charleston Day School loves traditions. Beloved traditions connect our alumni to current students. When we speak with graduates, they often recall Around the World memories, The Dottie Rhett Speech Contest, and, of course, Bebop with Aesop. The History

A favorite tradition in sixth grade is the annual Bebop with Aesop musical production. Ms. Marianne Clare with the help of music teacher, Mrs. Chrystal Hawkins, first introduced the play in 2005 as a dinner theatre event to enrich the sixth grade Greek Mythology unit of study. Over the years, the play evolved to meet the needs of the students and school.

In the 2020-2021 school year, COVID prevented in-person events, so the school needed to be creative in transforming signature events. Under the direction of sixth grade language arts teacher, Mrs. Caitlin Tobin, the project morphed into a video-based stop motion animation project that could be shared via Zoom. The innovation continued this year, culminating in a family-friendly movie night on campus with a documentary video encore. Benefits of Change

Mrs. Caitlin Tobin notes that the new format allows for expanded student involvement because the project requires students to plan the production of the story, design characters, develop character voices, and work within teams to accurately portray the stories.

“I always enjoy project-based learning because it covers so many different skills and learning styles.

Every student benefits,” Mrs.

Tobin enthuses.

Students created a Greek Chorus member. Students rehearse songs for the voice tracks in music class.

The Process

The process starts with a storyboard. Each group uses their Bebop scripts to pinpoint the main events in their assigned story and brainstorms options for capturing that scene with clay characters and props. The next step is to design characters and accessories the group needs to make the scene come alive.

Students use black photo boxes with a fixed background and begin taking photos. As Gretchen Dawson remarked, “It’s a tedious process.” Students take one photo, move a piece on the background, take another photo, and repeat the process…many times.

According to Wills Walldorf, “Really, it was just a lot of patience and slowly moving the pieces a little bit. But in the end, the more pictures you took, the better it looked.” Through trial and error, the students figured out ways to make characters appear as if they were talking. They created ways for organizing title and closing sequences to make them come together as Rory Green said, “Like magic.”

The final phase is to record voice tracks in music class and edit the videos to match the voices with the animated videos. Emily Manuel commented on the steps for recording the voice parts. “Mr. Getter had an iPad, and he would

Students patiently take photos.

press record. Then we started singing. When we were finished, he would stop it, and he’d play it, so we could listen.” It was vital to check the clarity and sound levels. Since students were in face masks, there were additional challenges with the sound recording. Students compared recordings when their faces were looking down at the scripts versus projecting voices up.

The students designed personal invitations in their technology class for their families. The project culminated in a family movie premiere night at the school with a concession stand fundraiser.

The Learning Experience Every step of the project presented challenges that asked students to tap into critical thinking skills. Sam Rowe summed it up perfectly. “It’s sort of like a puzzle. It’s fun, and you have to really use your brain in it.” The student-focused project encouraged innovation and promoted collaboration among the sixth-grade class.

Best of all, everyone sensed the pride and ownership the students felt in the finished videos that night. As one parent exclaimed, “The amount of learning, creativity, cooperation, and patience the Bebop with Aesop production took is truly impressive!” Mrs. Tobin presented the Bebop project and other video-based lesson ideas at the South Carolina Council of Teachers of English (SCCTE) conference in Myrtle Beach, SC this past January. This year’s Conference theme was “Renewing our Passion and Reinvigorating our Practice.” South Carolina English teachers shared ideas about innovative classroom lessons in a COVID climate. Congratulations, Mrs. Tobin!

Scan this QR code to watch the 2021 Bebop with Aesop on YouTube.

Scan here to see the Making of Bebop with Aesop documentary video.

Each student designed and personalized clay characters.