Ideas in Motion

The Trial of Hansel and Gretel

What began as an inquiry of Mark Holtzen's, Duffy Lord's and Sherri Schettler's 3rd grade classes into the genre of mystery-writing became a mystery to be solved in the courtroom. Mystery stories are often connected with a crime, and just as often, a trial. Their students became witnesses, jury members, and prosecuting and defense attorneys in The Trial of Hansel and Gretel. In the preparation process, students learned about the judicial system, pondered questions like "why do we have laws?," and toured the Superior Courthouse. They met with an SCDS parent-attorney who told them "A trial is telling a story from different perspectives using evidence."

Eight and nine year-olds learned how to build a case, present evidence, question witnesses, insert new angles into the story, and to deliberate on the outcomes. "There was controversy among students about who the witch really is and it was a great opportunity to challenge their stereotyped idea that the witch was the criminal and Hansel and Gretel were innocent," says Mark. 'The addition of the mock trial brings the study of the mystery story into the real world and makes it all the more exciting."

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