Fine Arts: Theater

K-4 Standard 2: Acting by assuming roles and interacting in improvisations

• Students imagine and clearly describe characters, their relationships and their environments.
• Students use variations of locomotor and nonlocomotor movement and vocal pitch, tempo and tone for different characters.

Fine Arts: Visual Arts

K-4 Standard 1: Understanding and Applying Media, Techniques and Processes

• Students use different media, techniques and processes to communicate ideas, experiences and stories.

Source: National Standards for Arts Education

Host class performances and storytelling with craft stick puppets. Encourage students to create their own characters and tell stories about them. Older students can write stories or poems to accompany the characters.

Figure A

Note: This lesson can be created using either Ellison AllStar or SureCut Dies.

Supplies Used: Construction Paper, Colored Pencils, Craft Sticks, Crayons, Glue, Scissors

The teacher will die-cut the materials for student use prior to the lesson.

1. Die-cut multiple colors of cardstock or construction paper using the Castle, Dragon, King and Queen. Leave one color whole. Add highlights with additional layers cut from other colors and adhered to the whole shape (Figure A).
2. Highlight figures with colored pencils or crayons.
   
3. Adhere the finished shape to a craft stick for instant oral reports, storytelling and imaginative play (see Main Photo).