trip6.13/2019
Art Lesson Ideas
Goal: Students will work in groups to make a play using a puppet to address a tough issue.
Objectives: Students will be able to create a dialogue between two or more puppets.
Students will be able to rationalize a feasible solution to a problem that affects them in their lives.
Students will be able to collaborate with their peers in a respectable manner that values everyone’s voices and opinions.
Description: The art project I would create involves having students think about a problem that they have in school or in life and a way to solve it. Then I would have them work together to create a play that reflects both the problem and the solution that can be applied to everyday life. This would connect to a literacy lesson that emphasizes the use of dialogue.
Materials: Paper bags, construction paper, scissors, glue
Reflection:
The puppet show experience was a lot more fun than I anticipated. Creating the dialogue between the characters was the most challenging because I tried to make it authentic and relatable to a real experience. We decided to stray away from the common theme of celebrating differences and tackled a really important aspect of life for children. We did this by showing two sides of the story. The first side displayed what a bystander should do. I felt it was important to present what others have done in the past and what others continue to do in similar or more extreme situations. This was reflected in my character’s initial decision to pull out his phone and record the altercation between the other two students instead of trying to help the situation. We currently live in an era where social media and internet presence reigns supreme and I feel that the way media is wrongly used will be a huge detriment to society and social interactions so this was a way to combat that.
One main theme that I wanted students to take away from the performance was that they have the power to diffuse difficult situations on their own. One thing I strive for my students is to recognize the difference between a small problem and a big problem. This is the main reason why the two conflicting characters were given the agency to solve their problem before the adult arrived. Also, adults usually get to the scene after the problem has escalated, so presenting characters that can make good decisions and get praise for it was paramount in this script.
Creating the puppet was extremely fun and while I made Allen the Alien, I thought of the demeanor that he would have. I figured he could either be really intense or really relaxed and this would ultimately decided what his voice was going to sound like. Since I am a laid back person I decided that Allen would also be laid back. Getting feedback from my peers while creating Allen was also a great part of creating him, which I imagine is a memorable experience for children as well. I was able to ask my tablemates why they chose the puppets they did and if it reflected an aspect of their personality or if it was just random fun. Either way, we had a great time and this is an exercise that I can see as very beneficial in the classroom for building culture.
Setting: At the lunchroom
Characters 3 & 4: recording with their cellphones as character 1 and 2 get ready to fight
Characters 3 & 4: (unison) WORRRRRRRLDSTARRRRRR!
Annie: I’m gonna do it man. I’m gonna hit him.
Lev: Do it! There’s going to be 2 hits. Me hitting you, and you hitting the floor
Annie: “You’re probably wondering how I got here… let’s rewind to 2 hours ago.”
All the characters make rewind sound
Narrator: Allen the Alien, Lev the Giraffe, and Harry the ( ) are standing on the lunch line waiting to get their meal. Simon the space cadet walks through the lunch line.
Annie: Move
Lev: Heeey you bumped me and spilled your milk on me
Annie: Says nothing
Lev: Hellooooooooo?! Anybody home. Aren’t you going to say sorry?
Annie: Say sorry? You say sorry for being in my way or else I’m going to drop my whole lunch on you.
Lev: You drop your lunch on me, and I’ll take you out!!
Allen: Ohhhhhhhh snaps! I think they’re going to fight what should we do?
Harry: Get your cell phone and lets film it and put it on the internet so we can go viral and add to the single story narrative!
Allen: Maybe we can yell “Fight, Fight, Fight”
Harry: Both of those sounds like a plan to me… (PAUSE)
Addresses the audience
Narrator: Should Allen film the fight to go viral and scream “Fight, Fight, Fight?” or is there another way that we can solve this problem.
(Go get help from an adult is the ideal answer) ( if students suggest trying to stop the fight we can either say someone else might get hurt, or act it out.)
Characters go off stage to get an adult
Annie: Get out of my face with all this, or you’re going down you long neck dweeb
Lev: Shut up you fat blockhead
Annie : That does it! I’m gonna do it man. I’m gonna hit him.
Lev: Do it! There’s going to be 2 hits. Me hitting you, and you hitting the floor!
Addresses the audience
Narrator: And this is where we went wrong… friends can you help us out? How do we solve this problem without fighting?
(Ideal)
Annie: You know what Lev, spilling water on you was an accident. I’m sorry for that accident
Lev: It’s ok Simon, it was really a small problem because the water is already dried up. I’m sorry for making a big deal out of a small thing.
Annie: Want to sit next to me? We can talk about Roblox.
Lev: Yeaaaaa!!! I love Roblox which is your favorite?
Adult comes back in
Adult 1: Well it looks like everyone here did their part to help solve the problem on their own. You could have just stood by and watched Annie and Lev duke it out but you saw a big problem and you came and got an adult.
Adult 2: And you two realized that you shouldn’t be fighting at all. And a small problem like this can be solved very easily by thinking about how the other person might feel. It’s almost like you had some help from some really responsible friends. (blank stare to the audience) Well let’s celebrate your brain growing with …...