Lion King Week

This week I'm working with 1-2nd graders to perform a (very) condensed version of The Lion King. I've been rather surprised by the low reading level of the group as a whole (a group of 32). Each child gets one to two lines to say, and about 90% of them had trouble reading it. The teachers have had to make quite a few cuts in the songs to make them manageable. I got to choreograph "Oh I Just Can't Wait to be King," and with it I learned what this age group was physically capable of. I started out giving them steps that were much too complex for their age, I've brought it down as much as I know how and they seem to be doing better. Tomorrow they perform for their parents.