In this class, we will make bad puppets—and then use them to create not-at-all bad stories.
Each week, students will design and build new puppets and develop short performances using a range of storytelling styles: funny, personal, experimental, or even documentary. The “badness” is part of the point—it gives us permission to take risks, try ideas quickly, and focus on creativity and expression rather than perfection. Pieces can be short, strange, meaningful, ridiculous, or all of the above.
Along the way, students will explore the fundamentals of storytelling: character, voice, structure, and audience. Through writing, improvisation, and performance, students will learn how to shape ideas into narratives and bring them to life through puppetry. The course may culminate in a shared presentation, or remain a space for creative experimentation.
Grounded in Creativity, Voice, and Effective Communication, students will:
Generate original ideas and express them through multiple mediums, including puppet design, writing, and performance.
Develop their voice by exploring perspectives, telling personal or imaginative stories, and sharing ideas that may not have been explored before.
Strengthen communication skills by creating clear, engaging narratives and refining them through revision, rehearsal, and feedback.
Analyze how stories work—how structure, point of view, and detail shape meaning—and apply those insights to their own creations.
Students will work toward attainments such as expressing original and innovative ideas, crafting well-structured narratives, revising work to strengthen clarity and impact, and using their voice to communicate meaningfully with an audience.
This class is playful, creative, and a little chaotic—in the best way. The goal is to make something, try something, and have fun doing it.
Cell Phone Policy:
No cell phone use for the entire class period.