Students will be able to:
- create a stick puppet using Model Magic;
- work independently and self-regulate;
- demonstrate an awareness of their own body parts;
- share their ideas with peers;
- demonstrate a sense of accomplishment.
STICK PUPPET – Form, Colour, Texture
Steps
Step One
- Mix Model Magic colours together to get a new colour, e.g., red + white = pink.
Step Two
- Roll a ball of Model Magic about the size of a small orange.
- Wrap the Model Magic ball around one end of the stick.
- Make sure the Model Magic covers the end of the stick.
- Form the ball into a head.
Step Three
MAKE AN EYE
- Roll a small ball of white Model Magic.
- Roll a smaller ball of a different colour Model Magic.
- Place the coloured Model Magic ball on top of the white ball.
- Press them together.
- Poke the centre with a pencil.
- Press the eyes onto the face of your puppet.
Step Four
MAKE A MOUTH
- Take a small piece of Model Magic and squeeze it into a sausage shape.
- Use the tips of your fingers to roll the Model Magic into a thin coil.
- Press the mouth onto the face of your puppet.
- Add a nose and other details.
Step Five
- Wrap a piece of felt around the stick.
- Twist a pipe cleaner around the felt close to the neck of your puppet.
- Pull it tight.
Step Six
- Make 2 small balls of Model Magic for hands.
- Squeeze each ball around the ends of the pipe cleaner.
- Make sure the pipe cleaner goes all the way to the end of each Model Magic ball.
Step Seven
- Allow your puppet to dry for 2 days.
- Use your puppet to tell stories.
Learning Goals
Extensions
Have children:
- play with the puppets exploring and sharing ways to express different emotions with them.
- record a story, including sound effects and then play their recording as they act out the story with their puppets.
- share their puppet stories with their peers.
Prepare
- Spend time playing body awareness games, such as Simon Says, and singing songs such as Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes.
- Gather and share storybooks such as, Monster Chef, by Nick Bland; Bee: A Peek-Through Picture Book, by Britta Teckentrup; The Noon Balloon, by Margaret Wise Brown; The Fish With The Deep Sea Smile, by Margaret Wise Brown; and The Very Cranky Bear, by Nick Bland.
- Set up an art centre with Model Magic, pencils, paint stir sticks, felt and pipe cleaners.
Introduction
- Conduct a read-aloud with a book such as The Very Cranky Bear, by Nick Bland.
- Focus on how the animals think up ideas to help cheer up the bear.
- Have students act out parts of the story.
- Introduce the art centre.
- Introduce the challenge.
Activities
The Challenge
- Use the Model Magic to create a stick puppet.
- Make your puppet in your own creative and unique way.
- Explain how you made your puppet.
The Process
- Ensure that students understand the challenge.
- Establish success criteria with your students, for example,
I know I am successful when I:
- use my own ideas to make my puppet
- mix 2 colours to make a new colour
- make a face with lots of details
- explain how and why I made my art - Guide students through the steps outlined in the lesson plan.
- Observe students as they work.
- Provide individual assistance and encouragement.
Sharing
- Gather students to view and discuss their puppets. Ask students to share:
- what they learned about making a puppet
- how they made new colours
- what they like best about their puppets
- what kind of sounds their puppet can make - Display all the puppets in the classroom.
- Encourage students to view the puppets and notice how they used the Model Magic in different ways.
Assessment
- Observe students as they work – thoughtful focus, discriminating, seeking more information, elaborating, experimenting.
- Observe students as they discuss their artworks – speaks with a clear voice, looks at audience while speaking, holds puppet to the side, provides accurate information, answers questions from the audience effectively.
- Observe students as they listen – looks at presenter, asks effective questions, supports ideas with evidence found in the artwork.
- Use a checklist to track progress. (Downloads - StickPuppet_tracking.pdf)
- Have grade one students use the self-assessment form to evaluate their work. (Downloads - StickPuppet_self-assessment)
