Puppetry and Voicework by Amanda Von Der Lohe
Objective: Students will demonstrate their ability to develop a character voice in addition to using a puppet by making a sock puppet and performing a puppet show using an original script they have written.
Class Level: Beginning
Main Concepts: vocal traits, creativity, puppet construction
1994 National Standards:
CONTENT STANDARD 1: Script writing by improvising, writing, and refining scripts based on personal experience and heritage, imagination, literature, and history.
CONTENT STANDARD 2: Acting by developing, communicating, and sustaining characters in improvisations and informal or formal productions.
Description: This unit was developed for middle school students and 45 minute long classes.
Lesson Plans
Lesson 1: Making Sock Puppets
Students will demonstrate their ability to create a character by making a sock puppet.
Lesson 2: Manipulating Puppets
Students will demonstrate their understanding of basic puppet manipulation (mouth and body) having the puppet “talk” and “walk” in various styles across the puppet stage and say a simple phrase.
Lesson 3: Diction
Students will demonstrate their ability to use projection and diction in speaking by creating a tongue twister and teaching it to the class.
Lesson 4: Rate and Pitch
Students will demonstrate their ability to control their voice through the use of rate and pitch by performing in a nonsense puppet show.
Lesson 5: Don’t Take That Tone with Me
Students will connect their voice and body by participating in movement exercise and completing a journal.
Lesson 6: Where is My Voice?
Students will demonstrate their understanding of vocal placement by creating a voice for their character.
Lesson 7: My Puppet Party
Students will demonstrate their understanding of how to create a character by filling out a worksheet and performing in a “Puppet Party” scene.
Lesson 8: Why Else Do You Think I Have this Outrageous Accent?
Students will demonstrate their ability to use accents by performing in puppet show where their puppets portray spies.
Lesson 9: Basic Narrative Structure
Students will demonstrate their understanding of basic narrative structure (protagonist + obstacle + objective) by identifying protagonists, obstacles and objective of fairytale characters, as well as three things the protagonist did to accomplish the objective.
Lesson 10: Writing a Script
Students will demonstrate their understanding of plot structure and basic playwriting format by writing a short script as a group.
Lesson 11: Practice, Practice, Practice
Students will demonstrate their ability to use practice time wisely by using the puppet stage for five minutes to practice their puppet show.
Lesson 12: Puppet Showtime!
Students will demonstrate their ability to use a character voice and manipulate a puppet by performing in 3-5 minute original puppet show and writing a self-critique.
Lesson 1: Making Sock Puppets
Objective
Students will demonstrate their ability to create a character by making a sock puppet.
Materials Needed
Sample sock puppets
Extra Socks (long)
Needles
Thread (various colors)
Hot Glue
Tacky glue
Glitter Glue
Felt
Pompoms
Googly eyes
Sharpie markers
Scissors
Fabric
Yarn
Feathers
Beads
Buttons
Anything artsy and crafty
Lesson Directions
Anticipatory Set/Hook
Bring out samples of sock puppets. Have a puppet talk to the students. This may be done with a puppet stage, but doesn’t have to be.
Instruction
Step 1: Before getting out all of the art and craft supplies, demonstrate how to make the mouth. First, prep the needle with thread. Demonstrate how to thread a needle and how to knot it. Then, they will construct the mouth by first putting the sock on their hand and folding the toe inwards so that the hand can comfortably manipulate it. Have them mark a spot on the puppets left “cheek” and sew it with a few tight stitches. Repeat with right cheek. Go around and check that students are doing it correctly. Offer assistance. Ask students to assist each other. If necessary, draw illustrations on board.
Step 2: Tell the students what to do for full credit: 1) mouths are secure, 2) have at least one (1) eye, and 3) some kind of decoration/detail. Write this on the board. Tell them that since mouths should be secured already, they are one-third done. Show them two ways to do the eyes. First, they can cut out felt and fabric and have the eyes lie flat on the face. Second, they can have raised eyes by using pompoms. Tell them that it will affect how they manipulate the puppet. If you have samples of each type of puppet show them to the students.
Step 3: Ask them for ideas on how to “decorate” their puppets. Answers include: clothing (skirt, shirt, tie, bow, glasses, cape), hair, jewelry, patterns (polka dots, stripes), buttons, arms, ears, nose, animal features, etc. Write these on board next to decoration. They can go further and add more detail at home if they want. Suggestions include making it an animal (duck, cat, dog, octopus), a monster, or a person.
Step 4: Remind students to use their time wisely. Also, give them any safety instructions (i.e. don’t run with scissors, be careful with hot glue, don’t throw things, etc.)
Step 5: Bring out the art and craft supplies. Monitor the students by walking around the classroom and give assistance as needed.
Step 6: Have an activity prepared for students who are finished with their puppet, such as a puppet movie or show.
Closure: Have students clean up and turn in what they have finished. Give them the option of working on puppet at home, but they must bring it everyday and have it finished by the manipulation lesson.
Assessment
Go around room and check students’ puppets. Make sure puppets 1) mouths are secure, 2) have at least one eye, and 3) have some kind of decoration.
Author's Notes
*Preparation: Several days (even a week) beforehand, assign students to bring in a sock. This must be a long sock, long enough to cover most of their forearm. Start collecting their socks as soon as possible. Add name to each sock so you can return it to the correct student on construction day.
Lesson 2: Manipulating Puppets
Objective
Students will demonstrate their understanding of basic puppet manipulation (mouth and body) having the puppet “talk” and “walk” in various styles across the puppet stage and say a simple phrase.
Materials Needed
Sock Puppet (for demonstration)
Puppet Stage
Students’ Puppets
Lesson Directions
Anticipatory Set/Hook
Hand the students back their puppets, but don’t put them on.
Have the puppet stage already set up, ready for use. Introduce the students to the puppet stage. Entice them if you can, by showing them its “many” features. Then tell them that before they can use the stage, they must first master the art of manipulating their puppet.
Instruction
Step 1: Tell the students that it is important to make the puppet look and act as real as possible. First, teach the students how to move the mouth. Have them hold their hands up and put their hand in the correct position. Have them flap their fingers and thumb a few times. Tell them to make sure only the thumb is moving because on a person or animal, only the lower jaw moves. Have them try talking by keeping their lower jaw in place and only their upper jaw move. Not only is it difficult, but it is unnatural. Moving only the thumb makes the puppet look more realistic. Use a table for practice (put hand under table, with the back against the bottom; this way they are forced to only use the thumb.
Step 2: Now have them add words. Tell them that when they talk they don’t actually close their mouth all the way. For a puppet, with each syllable there needs to be some slight movement, but the mouth will not continually open and close. Tell them to have an alien conversation with a partner with just their hand. Demonstrate this with both of your hands. This can be as simple as saying something like “Meepmeep?” “Meepmeepmeep!”“Meep.”
Step 3: Now tell the students they are ready to wear their puppet. Have them put the puppet on and continue the alien conversation for a minute.
Step 4: Demonstrate for students how to hold the puppet so that it has proper body position. Arm should be straight up and down. Puppet should not lean forward or to the side. If eye are elevated, then hand can bend at 90 degrees with the arm. If the eyes are flat, then they will have to bend hand down more, around 45 degrees or so with arm. Check to make sure that students are holding their puppet correctly. You will have to continually check on this at intervals during the lesson.
Step 5: Teach students about focus. Ask the students where they think the puppeteer’s focus should be. Answer: on the puppet. Ask the students why they think that is so. Answer: so that the audience knows what to focus on and so that the puppeteer knows what they are doing with the puppet. This is one way they can self-check that their puppet is in a correct body position.
Step 6: Have them start moving the head of the puppet. Demonstrate for them. Move the head left and right, up and down. Have students do this. Have them practice moving the puppet’s body realistically. For instance, if it is looking to the right and looks at something to the left and then wants to see it closer, the puppet should not rapidly move across distances, but should “walk” there. Demonstrate how to walk the puppet by bobbing it up and down and move it a distance from your right shoulder to your left. Have the students practice this. Have them practice pacing their puppets in front of them several times. Check to see if students are doing this properly.
Step 7: Tell the students they are now ready to use the stage. Have the students line up on stage right of the puppet stage. Have the line swing around in front of the stage so that students can watch each other. Tell them to have their puppet enter the stage, walk across by bobbing up and down slightly with each step, and exiting. Demonstrate this for them. Have each person in line go once and get back in line.
Step 8: When the last person in line goes, have the students stop. Demonstrate the proper way to enter and exit the stage. There can be no “elevator” entrances and exits (unless this is a specific style or choice for their scene, such as a fairy god-parent appearing). Depending on the stage, entrances and exits are different. Puppets can “walk up stairs” to enter and “walk down stairs” to exit. Walking up and down, with each new step the puppet is one level higher or lower, respectively. Have the student walk their puppets across the stage again, this time they must enter properly, walk across, and exit properly. Have them go down the line again. Give immediate suggestions and feedback when necessary
Step 9: Have the students continue going one by one, having their puppets enter, move across the stage, and exit accordingly. For instance, have them enter, have the puppet “run” (basically, a fast walk), and exit. Each person should get back in line. When each line is done tell them to try a new way of moving. Have them run, skip, dance, float, jump, swim, slither. Ask the students for suggestions. Also, have the students walk across the stage the opposite direction, without changing the puppet to a new hand.
Step 10: Give the students their mini-assignment for their daily assessment (see below).
Closure: Collect all of the students’ puppets and keep them in a box or bag labeled with their period number.
Assessment
Have the students walk their puppet onto the stage and say something like, “I like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches made on whole wheat bread.” Watch as each student’s puppet enters, “walks,” “talks,” and exits to make sure the student is following all guidelines regarding mouth and body manipulation. Give immediate feedback to improve individual student performances.
Lesson 3: Diction
Objective
Students will demonstrate their ability to use projection and diction in speaking by creating a tongue twister and teaching it to the class.
Materials Needed
None
Lesson Directions
Anticipatory Set/Hook
Have the students move their desks and get into a circle. Ask them what else is important for their puppets besides being able to manipulate it. Answer: the voice.
Instruction
Step 1: Tell them as an actor, their voice is one of their most important tools. Memorizing Shakespeare does an actor no good if they can’t say the line and communicate to an audience. Tell the students that an important aspect of the actor’s voice is to project. This is why vocal warm ups before performance is preferred. Let them know that in this lesson they will be participating in vocal warm-ups.
Step 2: Ask the students what one of the most important parts of using one’s voice is. Answer: using the diaphragm. Ask if anyone can describe the diaphragm and what it does. Answer: it is a muscle under the lungs that controls our breathing. Tell them that speaking from the diaphragm will make their vocal power stronger. Have the students take in a deep breath. Tell them to make sure their stomach, not their shoulders or chest, is moving. Tell them it’s okay to feel silly; it’s kind of like being Santa Claus, but instead of belly of jelly, it’s air. Have them say “Ha!” several times to feel where the diaphragm is. Their stomach should move with each “Ha.” Have them inhale and then continue saying “Ha hahahaha” until they run out of air.
Step 3: Ask them what happens if an actor is loud, but s/he mumbles? What else does an actor need to do/use? Answer: Pronunciation, enunciation, diction, etc. Tell them that this is to warm up the other vocal tools, the places of articulation. Have them massage their jaw and face with their hands. Then do Lion and Mouse. For Lion, have students open their mouths wide, also open their eyes wide as if the whole face is stretching open. Then, for Mouse have themsquinch their faces close and tight as if all their facial features are being pulled in to the nose. Mouth will pucker, eyes should close tight, even forehead muscles should squint close. Have them repeat opening wide and closing shut tight.
Step 4: Teach them the warm up: “The teeth, the lips, the tip of the tongue, the tip of the tongue, the teeth, the lips.” Make sure they enunciate, or even over enunciate each consonant.
Step 5: Review Peter Piper with the students. Have them feel their diaphragm throughout. Continue through any number of tongue twisters. (These tongue twister have a repetition of sounds.) Go through each slowly, one fragment at a time and then repeat all together. Suggestions:
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of picked peppers, Peter Piper picked. Now, if Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
Billy Button bought a bunch of beautiful bananas. A bunch of beautiful bananas, Billy Button bought. If Billy Button bought a bunch of beautiful bananas, where’s the bunch of beautiful bananas Billy Button bought?
Catherine Crosby kept some cuddly kittens in her closet. (And so on)
Mamy Miller made some marvelous marmalade.
Theophiles Thistle, the successful thistle sifter, in sifting a sieve full of unsifted thistles thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb.
Step 6: Have the students get with a partner and create a tongue twister at least 10 words long. Have them move the desks back into place and give them 5-10 minutes to prepare. Go around the classroom and offer assistance as necessary. For example, if students are at a loss, give them a sound to work with such as “m.”
Step 7: Have the students return to their seats, even if their partner was sitting at a different table. Starting one table at a time, have the students get up with their partner and present their tongue twister. They should stand at one end of the classroom with the teacher at the end. Remind them they are to project and use diction when speaking. After presenting it once, have them teach it to the class by reciting one fragment at a time and the class repeating it.
Closure: Have the students write their names on their tongue twisters and turn them in.
Assessment
As the students present their tongue twisters, take general notes on their projection and diction.