Makerspace Puppet Club

• Class Information

• Grade Levels: 6th - 8th Grades

• Teacher: Betty Mann

• Artist: Kat Pleviak

• Class Schedule (days/times): Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 2:45-4:45

• Academic content: Design and Construction

• Art form(s): Puppetry and Sewing

• Big Idea: Who we are inside and out.

• Inquiry Question: What does it mean to be me? 

• What does it feel like to be someone else? 

How did your team decide on your big idea and inquiry? We talked to the students about the type of project they wanted to do and together talked about what that could mean in a larger scope. We discussed what we would use a puppet for and how it could represent different characters or even sides of ourselves. 

How did your curriculum change? We had hoped to do more work with the puppets at the end in terms of performance, but as the year went on, we were able to assess the students individual progress and adjust our plans to allow them the time they need to work.

What was one of the highlights during the year? When one of our students brought in a homemade plush she patterned, designed and made all by herself. She told us she made it because now she knew how to sew thanks to our class. 

If you could change one part of your curriculum what would it be? Nothing. We love our curriculum and as we are allowed to make changes through out the year have made the necessary changes along the way to support the needs of our students. 

What did you learn about yourself as an artist? ( Betty) That no matter how old I am I can always learn from the minds of a new generation. 

What did you learn about yourself as a teacher? (Kat) That communication comes in many forms and learning new non-linguist languages is necessary to connect with younger minds.