That’s what teachers at Love Elementary School had the chance to explore recently thanks to a learning opportunity called “Tiny Toy Tales” made possible through a partnership with Chautauqua Institution Arts Education and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

“Tiny Toy Tales” use tiny toys and props to help make classic stories come alive for students within a tiny box. Once the stories are told using the toys, students and their teachers have the chance to act out the stories.

Teachers had the chance to engage in a workshop with instructor Kassie Misiewicz, a professional Theatre for Youth director, educator, and founder of the Trike Theatre, a professional theater for youth located in northwest Arkansas. During the workshop, they had the chance to create their own “Tiny Toy Tales” box to use in class.

Missiewicz then visited Love classrooms in mid-December to collaborate with the students to tell the story “The Three Critters Gruff,” a version of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.” The story focused on developing anger management and communication skills, as well as developing storytelling and reading comprehension skills.

Kassie Missiewicz, an instructor made available to JPS teachers and students through a collaboration with Chautauqua Institution and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, conducts a “Tiny Toy Tales” lesson with students in Adriana Cammarata’s class at Love Elementary School.

Third grade teacher Tracey Eliason noted that the experience helped feed into her students’ creativity and was a unique way to help students who are English language learners enhance their oral story developing skills ahead of the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test.

“I hoped the students would benefit from the ability to perform the story,” Eliason said. “I really enjoyed Kassie’s passion and her ability to work with all types of students.”

Kindergarten teacher Adriana Cammarata felt the experience helped teach her students the importance of repetition.

“It was a great lesson for my students,” she said. “Acting out the stories and the comprehension involved will be very important for my students’ overall success.”

Jennie Vaughn, Love’s library media specialist, enjoyed seeing the ways Missiewicz was able to engage with the students.

“Kassie brought a positive and engaging energy to second and third grade students weaving strategies of self control, as well as empowering and awakening the storyteller in every student as she brought each of them into the story, playing an integral character of their choosing,” Vaughn said. “It was exciting to see the students having fun with storytelling and letting down their guard to take on the role of another character.”

Vaughn has participated in several workshops and experience with Chautauqua and the Kennedy Center. Each, she said, have helped keep her library “relevant and help provide a variety of scaffolding and strategies to best meet our students’ needs exactly where they are.”

“For me, it is these workshops that nurture and feed the creativity and inspiration veins,” she said. “Every time I leave one of their workshops I catch myself infusing my lessons with pieces of my experience.”

“Chautauqua Institution really values this collaborative partnership,” said Suzanne Fassett-Wright, Chautauqua Institution’s director of arts education. “This program benefits students now and into the future as teachers use these strategies to make learning engaging and accessible through the arts.”

Ring Elementary School also participated in the “Tiny Toy Tales” workshop, as did Chautauqua Lake Central School.