A skit for “spider lady”
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February 2, 2010 • Iris Kuo
Filed under Lower School, News
As the school prepared for Keables Chair Dr. Cheryl Hayashi’s visit, Lower School was busy with a welcome of their own. The fifth grade class, guided by several teachers, will put on a skit that reenacts the myth of Arachne.*
Mrs. Ellen Gaylor, one of the two lower school science teachers, used to teach a summer school class called LifeLab and Literature, where students studied and compared myths that explain phenomena in nature to the scientific explanations. She thought it was appropriate to apply the lessons from that class to a play for the Keables Chairholder, since the play was a combination of science and literature.
The skit, which dramatizes the origin of spiders, incorporates many aspects of learning; the students will dance, sing, play instruments, act, and convey the message of the myth. Also, in preparation for the skit, the students learned about spiders in their science classes, so that they would be well informed on both the literary and scientific background. It’s truly ‘multidisciplinary’, as Mrs. Gaylor says, incorporating different skills and providing both a learning experience and a contribution to the Keables festivities.
The performance will take place on Feb. 4, the Thursday of the second Keables week, in front of the Headmaster’s house.
A number of faculty and staff members contributed in putting the play together. Among these are Mrs. Gaylor, the 5th grade teachers (Mrs. Hiraki, Mrs. Scheinert, and Mr. Chun), Mrs. Hicks (music teacher), Mrs. Simon (dance teacher), the maintenance and security crew, and the AV department.
*Myth of Arachne: “Arachne lived in the country of Lydia (which had a legendary reputation for producing some of the most splendid textiles in the ancient world), where she matured into one of the finest weavers ever known. Arachne was in fact so adept at weaving that she became arrogant, and claimed that her ability rivaled that of the goddess Athena. Athena, as the patron deity of weavers and quite an accomplished weaver herself, immediately took notice of Arachne, and traveled to Lydia in order to confront the boastful woman. There the goddess assumed the guise of an old peasant, and gently warned Arachne not to compare her talents to those of an immortal; Arachne merely dismissed this reproach, and so Athena was compelled to accept the mortal woman’s challenge. They would each compete by creating a tapestry. Athena wove her tapestry with images that foretold the fate of humans who compared themselves with deities, while Arachne’s weaving told of the loves of the gods. Such was Arachne’s skill that her work equaled that of the goddess, and Athena, overwhelmed by anger, struck the hapless woman repeatedly. Terrified, Arachne hung herself, but Athena transformed the woman into a spider who quickly scurried off. Thus, this tale explains the spider’s ability to weave its web.” (Source: Mythography)
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