Unit Plan Lesson #9

Exploring Materials for Shadow Puppets

Student Name: Jennifer Sheridan

School Name:Hopewell Elementary School

Grade Level: 2nd Grade

Host Teachers Name: Ms. Harjes

Guidingand/or EssentialQuestions:
What are the three types of materials?
Which type(s) of materials can be used to make shadows?
Which material cannot be used to make shadows?
Pre-lesson Assignments and/or Student Prior Knowledge(ex. background knowledge,
possible misconceptions, prior lesson content)
The students have been pre-assessed on their ability to choose a material that would make a
shadow and explain why they chose that material. Almost every student chose either a
translucent or opaque object and made a shadow however, they did not know what those things
were at the time. During the light unit Ms. Jackie introduced the students to the 3 types of
materials but they may not know which types would make a shadow and the importance light has
in making the shadow as well.
Standards:
5.2.2.C.3: When light strikes substances and objects through which it cannot pass, shadows
result. Present evidence that represents the relationship between a light source, solid object, and
the resulting shadow.
Learning Objectives and Assessments:
Learning Objectives
Students will further explore translucent,
transparent, and opaque materials through the
creation of shadow puppets.

Assessment
Students will explore different materials and
determine what kind would make shadows, they
will demonstrate their ideal choice by blindly
raising their hand for the object
Teacher will assess the students for proper
identification of materials that block the light and
cast a shadow (translucent or opaque), not those that
allow the light to pass right through (transparent)
and for a majority of hands raised for these two
object types in the blind tally

Students will create a play in small 3 member

partnerships using a task list provided by the teacher

Students will perform their play

Students will use the task list provided to create

their own shadow puppet play with their partner(s)
Teacher will assess for students ability to create a
play with every aspect desired of them: 3-5 minutes
in length, Bear teaching other animals about
shadows, inclusion of every group member with at
least 2 lines each, and key vocabulary/content
discussed
Students will perform the play they created with
their partner(s) using a large white sheet, desk
lamps, and their handmade shadow puppets
Teachers will assess for students ability to work
together to create a play with each aspect desired of
them (described above) using the materials given to
them: a large white sheet, desk lamps, and their
handmade shadow puppets.

Materials/Resources:
Paper for puppets (transparent, translucent, and opaque)
Animal silhouette head templates
At least 6 Bear shadow puppets
Large white sheet
At least 2 desk lamps
Task sheets for each partnership
Paper & pencils
Early finisher word search
Plan for set-up/distribution/cleanup of materials:
For this lesson I am going to create bags for each group with a Bear puppet, some moveable
body parts, a task card, and sticks to put the puppets on. This will be done in this way in order to
eliminate any fighting of materials or misplacement of pieces. I will walk around the room
giving students silhouette templates of different animals to choose from, there will be only a few
of each so the students will have to share with other groups. Each student will be responsible of
cleaning up the area they worked at.
Step by Step plan:
1. Lesson beginning: Good morning boys and girls, our fun-filled science unit is
coming to an end sadly but today is going to be a creative day where we get to use our
knowledge of light and shadows to make our own shadow puppet plays! Can everyone meet
me at the carpet story style facing the rocking chair so we can refresh our minds of some topics
weve learned these past two weeks and go over what is expected of us for today?
2. Can anyone remind me of something we learned this week about shadows? *call on
volunteers* (if students cant think on their own prompt with a few questions) What did we say

is needed to make a shadow? How do you make a shadow big/blurry and small/clear? How do
shadows change at different times of the day? Etc.
3. Can someone remind me of the three types of object materials Ms. Jackie talked about
at the end of last week? *call on volunteers* I have with me 3 different types of objects; I have
clear plastic wrap, wax paper, and cardstock (post board). Can I have someone choose one of
the three objects and label them with the appropriate type of material they are? *choose
volunteers to name/label all three objects* What kind of paper/material would you use to make
a shadow puppet? Close your eyes and raise your hand when I say the material you would
choose. *say translucent, transparent, and opaque & count number of hands for each* Why did
so many of you choose the opaque object aka the cardstock/poster board? Did any of you use any
knowledge Ms. Jackie taught us last week about light?
4. Alright now that we are a little refreshed on the topics we have covered this week we
can make some nice opaque material shadow puppet animals and create our very own plays! I
am going to break you up into groups of 3, your group will be given a task card and a Bear
shadow puppet to start. I will be walking around the room with different animal puppet tracers
that you can choose from. If possible, try to pick a different animal than your group members in
order to create a more diverse animal population for the story! Trace your animals head and
attach the body and moveable arms/legs to it and then put the entire thing on one of these sushi
chopsticks like so. *demonstrate how to put the animal together* Once your animals are
created you are expected to create a short 2-3 minute play using the 4 animals you have which
include Bear and the three new animals. A task card is located in each bag of materials and it
gives you a list of what is expected to be a part of your play: the time length= 2-3 minutes, the
task= creating a play involving Bear and friends where Bear explains a shadow concept to his
animal pals, and other needed aspects like # of lines each child must have (at least 2) and
inclusion of key vocabulary and shadow concepts (distance, size, appearance etc.).
5. When I assign you your group, quietly find a place to work and assign one partner the
job of writing down the story, another partner the job of making sure the play includes all of the
needed parts on the task card, and the last partner will be the question asker which means that if
any questions arise ONLY this member may ask either Ms. Jackie or I. Everyone understand? I
want to see some really creative plays but we only have a certain amount of time to create them
if we all want to be able to show off our hard work and perform some of them so I want to see a
lot of hard work and best behaviors today! You know what is expected of you and if you need
any reminding your tasks are on the task card so I do not want to see any goofing around or
arguments.
6. The students will spend their time making their puppets and writing out their scripts.
Once they are ready to perform they can do a word search until a majority of their classmates
finish up. Once the majority is finished the students will volunteer to perform their play.
7. Closure: Those were some really great plays! Why do you think I had you write these
plays? Why do you think I gave you a list of things I wanted you to include? Did writing this
play help reinforce some of the concepts we have been learning throughout this unit? Do you feel
as though you know more about light and shadows now that you are able to clearly explain the
topic to others like you did in your play using Bear and the other animals? I hope you had fun
with this lesson, make sure your area is clean and return back to your seats and wait for Ms.
Harjes to prepare you for lunch.
Key Questions:

Can anyone remind me of something we learned this week about shadows?

What is needed to make a shadow?
How do you make a shadow big/blurry and small/clear?
How do shadows change at different times of the day?
Why did so many of you choose the opaque object aka the cardstock/poster board? Did
any of you use any knowledge Ms. Jackie taught us last week about light?
Do you feel as though you know more about light and shadows now that you are able to
clearly explain the topic to others like you did in your play using Bear and the other
animals?

Logistics:
Timing:
Beginning: 7 minutes
Making puppets and writing the script: 25 minutes
Performances: 22 minutes
Closure: 3 minutes
Clean up/prepare for lunch: 3 minutes
Transitions:
The students will begin the lesson on the carpet where they will recap ideas learned throughout
the weeks and be given instructions for the days lesson. The next chuck of time will be devoted
to small group work around the classroom, making puppets, and writing a script. The students
will then take turns behind the white sheet and perform the plays they created. The lesson will
close at their desks and they will go and clean up the spots they worked at and prepare for lunch.
Classroom Management:
The hardest part of this lesson is going to be timing. I am going to have a timer set up so that I
know when to transition the class from one task to the next in order to make sure that everything
gets done. The students will be given my expectations at the very beginning and if they chose not
to meet them by goofing around or arguing about silly things I will have to give them a warning
and if it happens again I will have to make them sit out of the activity.
Differentiation
This lesson will give the students a lot of freedom in what they make. They will be given the
expectations I ask from them off the bat but the rest of the activity is based off of their own
knowledge and ability. Some students may come up with their own ideas meanwhile some others
may use the list of ideas I provided for them at the bottom of my task card. They will collaborate
with their group members and each group member will be assigned a job: the writer, the task
card keeper, and the question master to ensure that each feels like a valuable member of the
team.

Shadow Puppet Play YAY!!!!

1.
2.

3.

4.

Play can be no longer than 3

minutes long
Play must be about Bear
explaining to the other animals
something he/she learned about
shadows
Play must include EVERY group
member, at least 2 lines per
person in the group;
Play must use key vocabulary &
concepts learned throughout the
week.
- How shadows change throughout the
day
-How shadows change shape/size
-Translucent, transparent, & opaque
objects

Task Card given to each

group