ARTED

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT

Lesson Title: Upcycled Personality Puppets Image of Project Sample:

Lesson subtitle: Creating interactive puppets with
personality using repurposing/upcycling methods.
Description/What: Students will be creating unique puppets with
socks, cardboard, felt, and other materials used for characteristics.
They will be using upcycled socks and toilet paper tubes.

Purpose/Why: Students will be learning how to create an interactive

homemade puppet with upcycled materials. Students will also be
learning about the history and culture behind puppets and how we can
design a personality for our own creation.

*The previous few class periods remind the students to bring in any
toilet paper tubes and clean socks that are either- old, can’t find the
other match, or that they want to use for the project. Have them bring
extra if they have any. The teacher will provide socks for students who Class/Grade: 6
forget or didn’t have extra socks they weren’t using. Lesson Duration: 45 minutes,
2 days
Teacher Name: Mckenna Schley
Art Supplies:
- 1 solid color sock (per student)
- 1 pattern sock (per student)
- Scissors
- Red felt
- Toilet paper tube (1 per student)
- White foam pieces (about 2”x2”)
- Hot glue guns/glue
- Sharpies
- Pom poms (various colors)
- Yarn (various colors)
- Chopsticks (pair per student)
- Pencils
- Thin cardboard (like tissue boxes cut up)
- Thick cardboard (like from a box, cut up)
- Copy paper (sheet cut in half, per student)

Instructional Materials:
https://uwsto.instructure.com/courses/546899/files/61019151/download?download_frd=1
- Puppet Sample
- https://www.theaterseatstore.com/blog/history-of-puppetry
- https://youtu.be/sTjVovda0nA
References/Sources/Citations
- Art Ed 138
- https://www.theaterseatstore.com/blog/history-of-puppetry

Visual Arts Standards

Visual Arts Lesson Plan Template (Adapted from Weiss, Fall 2021)
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UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT
National Core Art Standards

VA:Cr 2.1.6a- Demonstrate openness in trying new ideas, materials, methods, and approaches in making
works of art and design.
VA:Re 9.1.6a- Develop and apply relevant criteria to evaluate a work of art.
VA: Cn 11.1.6a- Analyze how art reflects changing times, traditions, resources, and cultural uses.

Objectives for Learning

Art Production: Art Production:

I can create a puppet using various The student will create a handmade puppet with
upcycled materials while exploring new upcycled cardboard, socks, and other characteristic
design methods. materials while exploring new design methods.
VA:Cr 2.1.6a VA:Cr 2.1.6a

I can overcome challenges that are The student will face various challenges and use their
presented to me. decision-making skills.
VA:Cr 2.1.6a VA:Cr 2.1.6a

Art History: Art History:

I can analyze the puppets created in the The student will learn about puppet history and recall
past and recall why puppets are made and what their purpose/importance after analyzing old
what importance they have. puppets.
VA: Cn 11.1.6a VA: Cn 11.1.6a

I can explore important aspects of older The student will learn about creating their own criteria
puppets and include them in my criteria list. and include one based on old puppetry on their list.
VA:Re 9.1.6a VA:Re 9.1.6a
Art History:
Puppetry is old form of artistic expression that is alternative for storytelling or human theatrical
compositions. People use the puppets to create a story, often times with other puppets. Puppetry
developed on its own in many parts of the world and is still practiced in today in Japan, China, Germany,
Indonesia, the United States, and other places. Throughout history, a wide variety of puppets have been
used including human-arm puppets, marottes, marionettes, body puppets, bunraku, and shadow
puppetry. Puppets are a common form of entertainment and are an important way of expression in art.
One of the most popular puppets in today’s culture are known today are the Muppets. The
Muppet Show is a comedy TV series created by Jim Henson. Some of the characters we all know and
were features in the show included Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and Gonzo. These specific
puppets were sculpted out of foam rubber, plastic, and various fabrics. They were also hand puppets
and voiced by the people who operated them. The popularity of the puppets and show inspired various
other motion picture movies and Henson eventually sold his company over to Disney, making it more
well known today.

Examples:

Visual Arts Lesson Plan Template (Adapted from Weiss, Fall 2021)
 ARTED
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT

Vocabulary
Interactive- acting one upon or with the other.
Analyze- discover or reveal (something) through detailed examination.
Marottes- simple puppet with only a head or body placed on a stick
Marionettes- a puppet controlled from above using strings
Bunraku- form of puppetry performed with a life-sized wooden puppet illuminated with focused light
Upcycle- reuse (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value
than the original.
Characteristics- a feature or quality belonging typically to a person, place, or thing and serving to identify it

Instructional Procedure

DAY 1
Central Focus for Day 1: Student are learning about the history and culture behind puppetry and how we will be created puppets with
upcycled materials.
Anticipatory Set:
Begin with the question- what does it mean to upcycle something? Have you ever upcycled something before? Why is it important?
Talk about how we will be creating puppets with upcycled socks and toilet paper tubes. We will be reusing the materials in a different
way to create something new. What are puppets? Talk about puppetry history and show the website on the different kind of puppets-
https://www.theaterseatstore.com/blog/history-of-puppetry. Read the art history information above. Do we know any famous
puppets/have we seen something with puppets in them?

Input/Lecture:
Show the video of puppet making rap- https://youtu.be/sTjVovda0nA. For today we will be beginning to make the body of our puppet.

Demonstration:
The students will watch the demonstration at their tables and the instructor will demonstrate using the doc cam for everyone to see on
the smartboard. First, we will be creating the head part of our puppet. For the head we will need a toilet paper tube and some scissors.
Just like the video we will be cutting 2 semi-circles out of one end of the tube. You can draw it out first if you need to. The semi-circles
will be across from each other and will be where we will have our fingers inside the puppet, so make sure your fingers can fit
comfortably. Then using the thick sheets of cardboard, we are going to make our mouth. For this we need to take the cardboard and
bend it in half so there is a crease. Then we are open the cardboard back up and we are going to draw a circle or oval so that the
crease cuts right through the middle of the shape. Then take all of your pieces and go over to one of the hot glue guns placed around
the room and glue your semi-circles in between the cutout spots on the head to be our ears. Then glue your head on top of your mouth

Visual Arts Lesson Plan Template (Adapted from Weiss, Fall 2021)
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UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT
plate with the ears on the bottom, in the middle of the mouth plate, and on the side that doesn’t open up, just like the video. When you
are done sit down and wait for others to finish so we aren’t holding up the lines for using the hot glue. Have materials on a front table
and call up students, that didn’t bring any, to get a toilet paper tube, scissors, and a thick sheet of cardboard.

Independent Practice:
After students have gotten materials let them begin cutting and gluing the head piece, ears, and mouth plate. Assist students who may
need help with hot glue and make sure others are using the hot glue gun safely and effectively. Instructor should ask questions while
walking around- Did you glue your ears in the right spot? Is your head glued on with the ears on the bottom? Is it glued on the back of
the mouth where it doesn’t open up?

Demonstration:
After about 15ish minutes call students’ attention back to the smartboard for the next steps. Next, we will be putting the solid sock on
as our head/skin color of the puppet and the pattern sock on as our body. First, we are going to take our solid sock and cut about a
little more than a fingers length off the bottom, open end of the sock. Set this aside because we will use this next class for our hands.
Then we are going to slide the sock over the head of our puppet with the toe part of the sock at the top of the head and the heal of the
sock goes into the mouth. Then you can head over to the glue guns again and put some glue on the cardboard mouth plate and head
to hold your sock down. Make sure the heal of your sock is pushed all the way to the back of the mouth before gluing it down. Then we
will be adding the pattern sock as a body. First for this we need to cut off the heal of this sock. You can save it for a hat later or throw it
away. Then put your new pattern sock on the bottom of your puppet, over the solid color sock so it overlaps a little. Then put your
puppet on one hand and go back over to the glue gun and carefully glue the body sock on to the sold color sock with the other hand.
Make sure you are gluing the body sock under the mouth, and you are leaving enough solid color showing for a neck. Have students
who did not bring socks come up to the front and grab 1 solid and 1 pattern sock.

Independent Practice:
After students have gotten materials let them begin cutting, gluing, and adding the socks to the puppet. Assist students who may need
help with hot glue and make sure others are using the hot glue gun safely and effectively. Instructor should ask questions while
walking around- Is the heal all the way in the mouth? Are you saving your pieces for hands next class? Are you having a hat? Are you
gluing the body in the right spot? Did you cut enough off the bottom of the solid sock for hands? Is the heal at the top of your head?

Clean up:
Have students throw away and recycle any scrap materials. Remind students what materials can go into the recycling bins. Have
students return scissors where they go and make sure students are saving their extra piece of sock for the hands next class. Have
students who are cleaned up early unplug the glue guns and help classmates clean up.

Closure:
Once everyone is quiet and seated, recall some information on puppet history by asking questions- What is puppetry? Why is it
important? Can we remember some names of different kinds of puppets from the start of class? Do we remember what upcycling is?
How did we upcycle when creating our puppets? How can we continue to upcycle at home? Have students bring their puppets and
pieces of sock up to the front table then have them line up at the door to leave.

DAY 2
Central Focus for Day 2: Students are learning how to finish their puppet by adding characteristics to give their puppet personality.

Review:
What do we remember from last class? What is puppetry? How did we use upcycling methods to create puppets? Did anyone do some
upcycling since our last class?

Input/Lecture:
Today we will be finishing our puppets and giving them characteristics. Characteristics can be features that we have that give us
personality. We will be giving our puppets personality with these characteristics. Show some samples of puppets to give students ideas
and inspiration.

Demonstration:
The students will watch the demonstration at their tables and the instructor will demonstrate using the doc cam for everyone to see on
the smartboard. First, we will be adding red felt in the mouth. To make this even easier on ourselves we are going to use a half sheet of
copy paper and fold it in half again. Then place it in the mouth of your puppet and trace around the edge by the mouth. Then take it out
and unfold it and use it as a tracing guide for the felt. Then cut out the felt and go over to the glue gun station and glue the felt to the
inside of your puppets mouth. Make sure to get the edges so it stays down. Then we going to use the white foam sheets and draw eyes
for our puppet. They can be big or small and you can make them look however you want. If you have extra foam, you can make teeth
for your puppet. If you have no extra and want teeth, ask a friend near you if they aren’t using theirs. You can use a sharpie to draw on
the foam and when you are done with that use the hot glue guns to glue on your eyes and teeth, if you have them. Have materials on a
front table and call up students to get felt, half sheet of paper, scissors, and foam sheets. When the students are to the point of
Visual Arts Lesson Plan Template (Adapted from Weiss, Fall 2021)
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UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT
making eyes, they can come up and get sharpies.

Independent Practice:
After students have gotten materials let them begin cutting, gluing, and starting to make characteristics for their puppet. Assist
students who may need help with hot glue and make sure others are using the hot glue gun safely and effectively. Instructor should
ask questions while walking around- Are you creating teeth? How will you make your eyes and what size will they be?

Guided Practice:
The rest of the time will be free choice of designing their puppet. Various materials will be out on the front table and available. Show
some examples of puppets and give some ideas- hair, noses, tongues, etc. Instructor should be around to help answer questions and
push individual decision making. You need at least 2 characteristics or features on your puppet.

Demonstration/Guided practice:
Give the option for students to make hands and they can join the instructor for a demonstration at a selected table. Have them create
the hands at the same time as instructor. Give them chopsticks and precut out hands to use out of thin cardboard. Have them bring
their extra fabric from last class. First, we will use hot glue guns and glue part of the fabric to one side of the hand cutout. Then we are
going to cut 2 pieces of yarn about 8 inches in length. Then we are going to split our chopsticks and glue one end of the yarn and one
end of the chopstick to the nonsock or cardboard side of the hand. Then we are going to glue the rest of our scrap sock over the yarn
and chopstick to cover it up or hide it. Then we can glue the other yarn end in between where our socks overlap. Open a little space
between the overlapping socks on the sides of the puppet and put some glue in there to hold the other end of our yarn.

Clean Up:
Have students throw away and recycle any scrap materials. See if any materials can be saved and reused. Have students return
scissors and extra materials where they go. Have students who are cleaned up early unplug the glue guns and help classmates clean
up.

Closure:
Once everyone is quiet and seated, recall some information on overall lesson by asking questions- What characteristics did we add to
our puppet? What challenges did we face that we had to use decision making skills during the project? Have students take turns
showing off their puppet- showing how it moves, how it might talk, etc. Give students a piece of paper and have them write down 3
things of criteria they believe fit the puppet project. Explain criteria and what is expected. This is a kind of self-assessment and shows
their understanding of what was expected of them. Have them leave those on a pile when they head out the door. Have students bring
their puppets up to the front table then have them line up at the door to leave.

Criteria
- Students need to use one solid color sock and one pattern sock.
- Students know about upcycling and understand its importance.
- Students know the purpose of puppetry and history about them.
- Students add at least 2 characteristics/features to their puppet- can be teeth, hair, a nose, big
eyes, etc.
- Students create a list with 3 items of criteria, and their puppet fits them.
- Student has a completed well-constructed project

Visual Arts Lesson Plan Template (Adapted from Weiss, Fall 2021)