Puppet-Tale: Create and Play "Pupperty & Shadow puppets is a magical world of art and emotions" Puppetry is a theater performance in which the subject matter of the performance is brought to life through the manipulation of puppets an highly creative atmosphere. It is suitable for student of all ages. Any subject including bible, history , literature and religion can be transformed into an interactive educational experience using puppetry. Puppetry is can be tought for ages 7 and up. It can be taught in schools or private classes, and is especially effective in teaching language. A Breakthrough Method: Teaching Hebrew Through Puppetry What is the benefit of Puppetry? Puppetry is an highly effective medium that allows the students to improve skills including reading, writing and most importantly speaking Hebrew. See examples of Puppetry in schools... See examples of Shadow Puppets in schools... Why Puppetry? Puppetry allows students to practice to learn Hebrew in a highly effective and fun learning environment. This activity motivates both advanced students as well as more shy and hesitant students alike to participate, learn and use new Hebrew vocabulary. The student operates the puppet, and speaks and acts through it. This allows the students the confidence and freedom to be more easily expressive and vocal through the puppet, avoiding typical inhibitions or fear of judgment. The students take part in creating the scene/stage, writing the Hebrew dialog, and directing the scene. This is very important as it gives the student enthusiasm in their character and motivation in bringing the puppet to life. Simply put, the students want their puppets to perform well. This motivates students to put Hebrew to use so that they (though their puppets they have chosen) can have a successful performance they can be proud of, and worthy of their teacher's and parents' praise. How Does Puppetry Increase the Students' Hebrew Skills? The chart below outlines some of the activities involved in puppetry, and the corresponding skills which are improved through that activity: Activity Skills Learned Reading the scenes Improves reading Hebrew skills through repetitive exercises Teaches the subject matter of the play Practicing the scenes in groups Increases comfort level of speaking Hebrew with peers Improves Hebrew conversation skills Writing out the dialogue to finalize the scenes Improves Hebrew writing skills Improves spelling of Hebrew words Increases familiarity with subject matter of play Preparation and creation of the various scenes of the play Improves Hebrew conversation skills Improves grammar by editing and perfecting the dialogue Encourages creativity Improvising and practicing the scenes Improves speed and accessibility of Hebrew words Improves comfort of using Hebrew with peers Encourages creativity and self-confidence Decorating the stage Improves recognition of key words in Hebrew Increases understanding of the subject matter of the play Performance of the play Increases self-confidence Motivates creativity and learning Shows off work and accomplishments During all of the activities a teacher and I guide the students with their use of Hebrew. How can Puppetry be Utilized in the School Curriculum? In a regular classroom: Experience shows that this approach is most effective with small to medium-sized groups of students (2-12). This provides a good balance between ownership of the project and distribution of responsibility. Larger classes can be handled by breaking the class into multiple groups. The whole class can come together in multiple ways: small groups each creating a complete story, or small groups where each group is responsible for a part of the story. This process also allows for teaching flexibility such as teaming weaker students with stronger ones, or teaming students of similar abilities, depending on the goals and preferences of the teacher and the school. As part of a remedial or enrichment class ("Sheurey Ezer"): Puppetry is an appealing, fun, and interactive way to engage students who require extra help with their work. The students feel rewarded and motivated in what to them feels like play, but is really an interactive and effective method of teaching Hebrew. On the stage: Staged productions can be run in groups of up to 12 students. The students can be from different classes or grades, and the production can involve family members (e.g. parents). Students can perform in front of a class, the school, or parents and families. Performing increases the motivation and self-esteem of the students. It also shows off the students' use of Hebrew. A Teacher's Review: The following is a quote from Ms. Meny Rom of the Associated Hebrew School Finch Branch after puppetry was used in her classroom to teach the students the story of Malkat Shva: Following the completion of the puppet exercise of Malkat Shva, I gave the students a standard Hebrew assignment on the topic. During the assignment everyone was focused and quiet. In addition everyone returned the assignment on time (typically some take the assignment home to get help from their parents). I was impressed with the results of the assignment as the students remembered a lot of detail about the story from memory. Their use of vocabulary also improved. I was pleased to see how engaged the students were throughout the entire puppetry process up to and including the final assignment. I would be thrilled to have more opportunities to use puppets in teaching Hebrew to my students. I look forward to discussing the potential of puppetry in your school. You may reach me by telephone at 905-764-7643 or contact Batia online.