Landmark Puppets
HOW IT WORKS
Landmark Puppets is an
integrated curriculum unit that employs the buildings of New
York City to enhance the teaching of the history and
physical science of the urban environment. The students
begin by observing slides and pictures to compare man-made
structures with ones found in nature. Hands-on experiments
are conducted to illustrate the architectural design
concepts of color, geometric shapes, textures, symmetry,
pattern, perspective, and scale. Students record their
experiments and findings in their architecture journal.
Using newspapers to make logs, they build dome structures
big enough to fit two students inside. Using recycled
materials brought from home, they build structures and
construct a class model city. They study perimeter and area,
and conduct metric measurements of their school building. In
geometry they examine angles and shapes and create pictures
of “Angle Cities.” During meeting and read out loud,
students learn about architecture and architects, and from
picture books they see and discuss famous buildings of New
York City. On field trips they visit these buildings and
sketch them in their journals. In the classroom they form
cooperative groups according to the building they want to
study, and use the Internet to research the designer and
history of their chosen building and the neighborhood in
which it resides. The students each use the word processor
program to write a report using their research. Groups of
three to four students then create large puppets of the
buildings they have researched, and moveable arms and legs
are attached. The students explore elements of play writing,
including theme, conflict, character, and dialogue, and
create a script for their puppets. The culminating project
includes a puppet show where the puppet buildings act out
their history.
THE STUDENTS
This program has been used with third- to sixth-grade
students in ESL, gifted and talent, and heterogeneously
grouped classes that meet in rooms containing two to six
computers. It can be adapted for younger grades.
THE STAFF
Joan Kane has been teaching for fifteen years, and has been
a classroom teacher for six years. Last year she was one of
ten urban teachers from the U. S. to be chosen to go to
South Africa with the USDA’s Teach Us program. She is also
an adjunct professor at Fordham University instructing
graduate students in science education. She received her
Master’s degree in Museum Education from Bank Street College
and was curator of school programs for the Hudson River
Museum where she designed programs for school children in
science, art, and history. She participated in the CUNY
science-teaching program and was a part- time science staff
developer in District 2.
WHAT YOU NEED
To create puppets, you need foam, core, cardboard,
construction paper, tissue paper, markers, paper fasteners,
scissors, and yarn. You also need books about landmark
buildings and computers with access to the Internet for
research. Each student uses a journal or folder.
OVERALL VALUE
Landmark Puppets engages students in studying the history of
New York City. It uses hands-on experiments to explore the
built environment. Through field trips to famous buildings,
students go beyond their neighborhoods and learn that New
York City has many interesting and educational areas.
Through the theater arts of puppetry, script writing, and
performance, students develop their public speaking skills.
This program addresses the learning styles of all learners. |