Story Puppets
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Approach:  Team
Level: Year 4 and year 8
Focus: Telling a story  
Resources:
6 puppets, card, special performance card
FRAME 200Kb
Questions/instructions:  


In this activity you are going to make up then perform a puppet play.

Show the six puppets.

You will choose one puppet each. In your team you are going to think up a little story that can be acted out with the puppets. Each puppet will need to be telling part of the story.
You can have about 10 minutes to think up and practise your story. Here is what you are to do.

Show and read the instruction card to the team and hand students the puppets. Then allow 10 minutes for planning and practising the play.

Before you use the puppets
(don’t handle the puppets yet)
• Choose one puppet each, then put them down.
• Make up a short story that uses the four puppets you have chosen.
• Each puppet should be telling some of the story. Talking – not just making sounds.

Using the puppets
• Practise telling the story with the puppets.
• Use special puppet voices.
• Each puppet should be telling some of the story. Talking – not just making sounds.


Now it’s time to do a special performance of your puppet play. I’ll show the ‘Special Performance’ card to the camera to signal that you are going to start your play now.

Signal the start of the play by holding the ‘Special Performance’ card for about five seconds.
Students perform play.
 
% responses
2008 ('04)
y4
y8
Drama and characterisation through spoken word:
strong
39 (33)
46 (44)
moderate
42 (39)
36 (30)
weak
19 (28)
18 (26)
Timing, continuity of interaction with others:
strong
38 (35)
56 (44)
moderate
47 (45)
33 (39)
weak
15 (20)
11 (17)
Speech clarity:
(can listener hear/understand words)

strong
37 (34)
49 (42)
moderate
42 (39)
35 (39)
weak
21 (27)
16 (19)

Total score:
6
24 (21)
31 (32)
5
11 (11)
20 (10)
4
16 (12)
15 (11)
3
24 (22)
15 (19)
0–2
25 (34)
19 (28)
Subgroup Analysis [Click on charts to enlarge] :
Year 4
Year 8
Commentary:
There was a wide range of performance at both year levels, with a very modest improvement from year 4 to year 8 (mainly arising from better co-ordination among the student performers). For both year 4 and year 8 students, performance increased moderately from 2004 to 2008, mainly through fewer low scores.