The curious art of puppetry
I can create an imaginative puppet that uses shape and pattern to tell a story.
The curious art of puppetry
I can create an imaginative puppet that uses shape and pattern to tell a story.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- A puppet is a hand-made figure, human, animal, or abstract form, that is controlled by a person.
- Puppets come in different forms, they can be 2D or 3D, can be made from different materials and come in various sizes.
- Puppets use human characteristics to convey a type of personality; these can play into stereotypes of people.
- Puppets can tell stories, challenge ideas, and promote political change.
Keywords
Puppet - a hand-made figure, human, animal, or abstract form, that is controlled by a person
Geometric - regular, mathematical shapes like circles, squares, and triangles with clear, defined edges
Organic - free-flowing, irregular, and natural curves
Common misconception
Puppets are only used for children's entertainment.
Different cultures use puppets to tell important stories, share cultural traditions, perform rituals, and even address social or political issues. Puppets can express powerful ideas and emotions, not just for fun but also to convey deeper messages.
To help you plan your year 7 art and design lesson on: The curious art of puppetry, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 7 art and design lesson on: The curious art of puppetry, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 art and design lessons from the An overview of craft unit, dive into the full secondary art and design curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
White paper, scissors, pencils, black or dark paper (for background contrast), ink or watercolour, paintbrushes, water pots, pens.
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Large scale, controlled by multiple people and used in parades.
Controlled by strings, often used for detailed movements.
Worn on the hand and directly controlled by the puppeteer.
Controlled by rods, allowing fluid movements of limbs.
Exit quiz
6 Questions
