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Learning Objectives 

Students will: 

• Make predictions about the way light travels and determine whether the predictions are correct.
• Analyze how shadows are formed.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the terms “translucent,” “opaque,” and “transparent” through the creation of shadow puppets.
• Test the way light interacts with matter by way of transmission, absorption, and reflection.
• Make observations about the properties of shadows based on online interactive activities.
• Create different shadow effects with a light source, puppet, and screen to demonstrate an understanding that the properties of a shadow are determined by the intensity and position of the light source and the distances and angles between the light, object, and surface.
• Collaborate to write an imagined narrative with a sequence of events in a shadow play.
• Perform a shadow play in front of an audience. 
• Write an informative text explaining how light is transmitted through an object. 

Standards Alignment

National Core Arts Standards

Common Core State Standards

Next Generation Science Standards

Recommended Student Materials

Editable Documents: Before sharing these resources with students, you must first save them to your Google account by opening them, and selecting “Make a copy” from the File menu. Check out Sharing Tips or Instructional Benefits when implementing Google Docs and Google Slides with students.

Websites

Additional Materials

• Projector
• Light source
• Flashlight
• Playing cards or index cards
• Cardstock
• Transparent paper
• Translucent paper
• White bed sheet or tablecloth, light coloured plastic tablecloth, or tissue paper
• String
• Long sticks (craft sticks, wood dowels, straws)

Teacher Background

Teachers should review the preparation resource, . Familiarize yourself with the video  prior to teaching the lesson. For a basic guide to get your students started writing their scripts, see the . This is the first lesson designed to accompany the Shadow Puppet Plays lesson. Teachers may also want to review the following resources prior to the lesson:

Print: Blackham, Olive. Shadow Puppets. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1960.

Web: ,

Student Prerequisites 

Students should have an understanding of the writing process, scripts, and performance techniques. 

Accessibility Notes

Modify handouts, staging, and utilize assistive technologies as needed. Give preferential seating for visual presentations and allow extra time for task completion.

Engage

1. Ask students what they think is necessary to form shadows. Explain that a shadow must have a light source, an object to block the light, and a surface on which the shadow forms.

2. Have students demonstrate shadows. Use the light from a projector and turn off the lights. Invite a student to volunteer to make a shadow by positioning his/her hands in front of the light source. Point out the three things necessary to make a shadow: a shadow must have a light source, a shadow must have an object to block the light, and a shadow must have a surface on which the shadow forms.

3. Ask students to predict how they think light travels. Does it move at angles, in a straight line, or around corners?

4. Break students into small groups to experiment with light. Hand each group a flashlight, two playing cards (each with a hole punched in it), and a piece of string. Use the to support set-up and demonstrations.

5. Ask students to determine how light moves by flashing light onto a surface, using one card to block the light, and using the string to follow the light that peeks through the hole in the card. Turn off the lights and tell students to write down their findings in their journals. Use the to note observations. 

6. Have students determine if light will bend using a second playing card next to the first playing card. Tell them that their goal is to make the light shine through to the surface as before. Ask students to record their findings. 

7. As a class, have students share their findings and confirm that light does, indeed, move in a straight line. Note that, in order for light to shine through to the surface, the holes in the playing cards must be aligned. In other words, the light does not bend to move from the first hole to the second. Demonstrate how if the surface onto which the light is cast is shifted at an angle, the light will still move in a straight line; however, the shape of the light cast on the surface will correspond to the surface's angle, thus the shape of the light will have a different appearance.

Build

1. Show students the video . Inform students that, in shadow puppetry, the surface onto which shadows are cast is a screen. Puppets are manipulated between the screen and the light source, and the audience watches from the other side of the screen.

2. Review the terms “transparent,” “translucent,” and “opaque” in the resource. Reinforce that light travels from its source and moves outwards in a straight line. An opaque screen would block the light from passing through and the audience would not be able to see the puppet show. A translucent screen would allow enough light for the audience to see the shadows, but—unlike a transparent screen—would keep the puppeteers from being seen. Continue to reinforce the meaning of terms. 

3. Have students create their own character puppets by creating drawings that outline each of the puppet's parts. Inform students that they can create any puppet they wish and will use this puppet to conduct further investigations into the properties of light and shadows. Provide additional criteria for students depending on the kind of puppet show you would like your class to create. For example, you could invite students to write plays about important scientists and their discoveries of extraterrestrials from a planet in our solar system, explaining the properties and features of their planet.

4. Set-up a translucent screen with a light source. If a puppet theater screen is not available, use white bed sheet or tablecloth, light coloured plastic tablecloth, or tissue paper. Secure the sheet to a frame, the ceiling, or stable posts. Place a light source behind the screen. Explain to students that the properties of shadows will change based on the intensity and position of the light source, as well as with the distance between the light and the object and between the object and the surface. 

5. Divide the class into small groups to complete an experiment using the . Give each group a flashlight, a piece of translucent fabric, and measuring tape. Have students manipulate the shadow effects by shifting the amount of light intensity. Tell students to record observations in their journals. 

6. Test the best placement of the puppets, the flashlight, and the screen to produce the sharpest shadow effect on the screen. Students should measure the distance between the puppet and screen, and the screen and light source; they should also jot down the measurements of a long shadow, a short shadow, and the blurriest shadow possible. 

7. After each group has completed the activities, call on each group to show one type of shadow (long, short, sharp, or blurry) to the class and explain how they created it.

Apply

1. Have the students use their journals to brainstorm what kind of puppet they would like to create. Make sure they give careful consideration to how they will carry out their ideas. Urge them to keep their puppets simple for their first try and have them outline how they will create their puppets in their journals. You may wish to pass out basic templates like the or have students embellish with their own decorations. The idea is to get students excited to work with shadows and light through the creation of puppets and plays, and not get bogged down in the actual creation of the puppets.

2. Allow time for students to construct their own shadow puppets. As you pass out the materials, ask students to point out which materials are translucent, opaque, and transparent. Remind students to pick their materials wisely. They may wish to use a combination of opaque and translucent materials for different shadow effects. Encourage students to use these terms when referring to their puppets. Remind students that they can create patterns on an opaque material by poking tiny holes in their material with a sharp pencil (i.e., stripes, ties, flowers, etc.). Like in Indonesian shadow puppets, these holes will allow light to shine through and the patterns will be visible during the shadow play. Point out to students that any patterns they paint, paste, or draw on an opaque puppet will not be visible on the screen. Once students have completed their puppets, set them aside.

3. Divide students into groups of four to create the plots of their shadow plays. Have students choose their , delegate roles, or use equity sticks to assign them. Tell students that one person in each group must take on one of the following roles: Director, Script Writer, Prop Maker, and Set Maker. While everyone should work as a team and can collaborate on ideas, each person will be responsible for completing their own assignments. Tell students that the director is the team leader and should be able to work with each person in the group to make decisions. Each student must also be involved in performing the play and should decide who will manipulate which puppets, who will provide the voice, etc.

4. Inform students of the and . Tell them that each group must create a short, five-minute shadow play using all four of the students' puppets. Before students work on their puppet shows, you may wish to give each group time to practice manipulating puppets online in the “Puppet Studio” section in Playing with Shadows. Tell students that their plays should have a beginning, middle, and end. You may wish to give students a theme based on topics you have recently studied (i.e., plays based on scientists' discoveries). Or you might provide the class with possible topics based on everyday life that students can write fairly easily. Possible topics include: riding the bus to school, a family dinner, a day at the ball game, a holiday celebration, etc. Have each group agree on the basic plot of their play. The is a helpful resource for supporting the planning and organization of a play. 

Reflect 

1. Have students rehearse and perform their shadow puppet plays for the class. Evaluate their group performance using the .

2. Assess students’ knowledge with the following writing prompt: How is light reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through an object? How did you create an effective shadow in your play? What revisions would you make to your own play?

Extend

1. If you are interested in inviting students to create more elaborate plays, students could write plays inspired by folktales.