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Matt Sandbank’s
Shadow Factory
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Contents
Artist Bio ………………………………………………… 3
The Performance: Rapunzel...... ……..3
A Word About Shadow Puppetry...... 4
Vocabulary ...... 5
Pre-Performance Activities ……………….……..6
Lesson Plan: Fairy Tale Mad Lib ………….…..8
Recommended Reading …………...……..………11
Contact Information ………………………………11
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Artist Biography
Matt Sandbank’s Shadow Factory is dedicated to creating and performing shadow puppet
shows that promote literacy and excite young people about the power of words and the
imagination.Each of our programs features unique, handcrafted shadow puppetry and
ties in to Language Arts curricular standards---as well as providing a rollicking good time
for all!
Founder Matt Sandbank began building puppets as a middle school teacher. With just an
overhead projector and some scraps of cardboard, he put on puppet performances for his
students to help them master difficult lessons. Today, he hangs his hat in Austin, TX, and
tours nationally, delighting audiences of all shapes and sizes.
The Performance: Rapunzel
What makes a fairy tale a fairy tale?
Matt Sandbank's Shadow Factory sets out to answer this question in its retelling of the
classic story, "Rapunzel." Set in contemporary times, the heroine is locked away in an
abandoned highrise apartment building and lives at the mercy of a twisted, grafting
landlady posing as her grandmother.
All about love, loss, and levitating leafy greens, this version of "Rapunzel" gently pokes
fun at the fairy tale genre, and it invites young audiences to think more deeply about
what they see and hear in their familiar stories.
The performance--which is appropriate for grade levels K through 5-- lasts
approximately 45 minutes, and it features some of Matt's most articulated, expressive
shadow puppets to date.
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A Word About Shadow Puppetry
A traditional shadow puppet show can be defined generally as: a performance or ritual
in which two-dimensional figures are animated against a translucent screen, so that when
they are lit from behind, the audience views the moving shadows that those figures create.
The methods of animating the puppets, as well as the materials from which the puppets
are made, have changed throughout the history of the art form, and they often vary even
today according to the region or tradition from which the shadow puppet performance
arises. For example, traditional Chinese shadow puppets are operated by rods held
horizontally to the puppet, with the puppeteer standing behind the puppet, whereas
traditional Javanese puppets have a main vertical rod which runs usually the entire
length of the puppet’s body, and which the puppeteer controls from beneath.
We do not know for sure when shadow puppetry first emerged, but it is widely believed,
given certain myths and folktales about their beginnings, that shadow puppet plays have
been happening in China for at least 2,000 years. We also do not know the extent to
which shadow puppetry developed in several different Asian cultures independently, or
if it migrated from one area to another. We do know, however, that European interest in
shadow puppetry, which reached its height in the 1600s and 1700s, was very much
inspired by contact with Asian and Middle Eastern cultures.
The study of shadow puppetry may be used to enhance either a Social Studies or Science
curriculum. For Social Studies, the differences in shadow puppetry traditions in
different countries and cultures around the world makes for interesting comparison and
contrast projects. For Science, an investigation into shadow puppetry can help students
better understand terminology and concepts such as opaque, transparent, translucent,
etc. The internet is rife with photographs and videos of shadow puppet and shadow
puppetry performances from around theworld to assist with these studies (though a
teacher previewing these videos is always recommended, as not all shadow
performances are meant for young audiences).
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Indonesian (Javanese) Shadow Puppet
Chinese Shadow Puppet (these rods may be angled so that the puppeteer can stand directly behind the puppet during a performance.)
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Vocabulary
The following terms are useful in students’ understanding of Matt’s version of Rapunzel:
* Fairy Tale
* Genre
* Rhyming Couplet
* Protagonist
*Antagonist
*Rounded/Flat Characters
Pre-Performance Activities
The following is a list of suggested activities you might do with your students prior to Rapunzel, in order to increase their understanding and enjoyment of the performance, and in order to connect the program to curricular learning standards.
1) Nutrition
The following fruits and vegetables make quick appearances in this version of Rapunzel:
Rapunzel (of course!)Apples
CarrotsLemons
TomotoesPotatoes
BroccoliTomatoes
CauliflowerOnion
KaleOranges
ChardTangerines
Collard GreensPumpkin
Several of these may be unfamiliar fruits and vegetable for elementary school students, especially in lower grade levels. To increase student familiarity with these kinds of produce, form a circle and play a game of hot “potato,” but with a variety of these different foods, brought in from the grocery store. In order to make the game more educational, you may also choose to review different nutritional benefits that the foods listed above have. If a student gets caught with the fruit or vegetable when the timer runs out, he or she may have the chance to re-enter the game of hot “potato” if he or she can remember and properly identify what one of the nutritional benefits is for the food he or she is holding.
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2) Rhyming Couplets
The classic rhyming couplet in Rapunzel is, of course, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair/ so I may climb your golden stair.” In Matt’s version of the tale, he alters this couplet in several ways to give the story a more contemporary feel. He also has several characters employ other rhyming couplets for a variety of reasons, including the casting of magic spells and the furthering of the story’s plot.
For a classroom activity, begin by explaining to students the definition of a rhyming couplet (technically, a pair of rhyming lines with identical meter—though depending on
your learning goals for the students, you may choose to forego a discussion of meter. The rhyming couplets in Matt’s Rapunzel do not adhere strictly to the metrical component of the definition). Show students a few examples, and then give them a chance to compose a few couplets of their own. As a way of focusing student ideas, suggest that they compose couplets as a way of asking permission to do a variety of things in the classroom. For example:
Dear teacher, in exchange for this rhyme
May I please have computer time?
If I am going to study “Rapunzel”
I will have to have a sharper pencil.
And so forth. This activity, of course, may be adapted so that the composition of the rhyming couplets is more guided, if that is to the students’ benefit. The constraint of using couplets to ask permission to do classroom tasks, of course, could be changed as well to make the scope and options broader for students.
3) In A World...
One of the central motivations behind creating a modernized take on Rapunzel is to try to answer questions such as: what about a fairy tale is timeless?, and what do contemporary readers relate to in classic fairy tales?
To help students understand these kinds of questions in an age-appropriate way, you can have them write short summary paragraphs about fairy tales in the voice and tone of a movie trailer narrator. Have students watch a few movie trailers (teacher selected, of course, to ensure appropriateness), and point out the kinds of language the trailers use,
especially the use of strong adjectives and verbs. Then, divide students into groups. Each
group is assigned a different fairy tale, and they must mimic the movie preview guy to
excite the audience about their fairy tale.
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For an added level of excitement, you can play music softly in the background as students read their movie trailer scripts. “O Fortuna” from Carmina Burana makes for especially dramatic reading, though a quick search of “trailer music” on iTunes will give several other good options, as well. Another way to raise the stakes with this activity is to have the group reading the trailer to pretend they are pitching the idea to movie executives (the class listening). After all of the ideas have been pitched (summaries read), the class votes on which of the scripts would have the best chance of being made into a movie, and discusses why.
Lesson Plan: Fairy Tale Mad Lib
The following lesson plan is the one which Matt uses to teach a prose writing workshop, as a follow-up to Rapunzel. The guiding principle behind the lesson is that two of the cornerstones to effective prose writing is the use of good narrative structure and the use of vivid descriptive language. The lesson plan is written to third grade learning standards, but may be adapted to correspond to curricular standards in any elementary grade level. With younger grade levels, it is advisable to adapt the lesson plan to center on whole-class exercises, since the type and amount of writing might be overwhelming for beginning writers.
Using Fairy Tale Structure to Write Prose Fiction
Matt Sandbank
Grade Level: All Elementary Grades
Subject: Language Arts
Lesson Time: 55 minutes
Curricular Standards:
TEKS 3rd Grade Language Arts Standards (3rd grade given as example, but lesson may be modified to fit lower and upper grade levels, as well. Common Core Standards may also be applied):
(18)Writing/Literary Texts. Students write literary texts to express their ideas and feelings about real or imagined people, events, and ideas. Students are expected to:
(A)write imaginative stories that build the plot to a climax and contain details about the characters and setting
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Lesson Introduction (5 minutes):
Presenter will: 1) Engage students’ interest by improvising a fairy tale based on items and characters found in the classroom and using found-object puppetry techniques.
Students will: Participate in the emerging fairy tale by providing responses to presenter’s spontaneous questions
Guided Practice(10 minutes):
Presenter will: 1) ask students for ideas/input about what a fairy tale is, 2) give students a working definition of fairy tale for this workshop (a short tale that usually involves magical events and has characters that are entirely good or entirely evil, 3) talk about some of the important features of writing a short tale (setting, characters, conflict, resolution), and 4) elicit student suggestions for possible settings, characters, and conflicts that show up in fairy tales.
Students will: 1) contribute ideas about what a fairy tale is, and 2) contribute ideas about potential settings, characters, and conflicts for fairy tales.
Independent Practice (35 minutes):
Presenter will: 1) pass out Fairy Tale Mad Libs, a worksheet with key structural components of a fairy tale in place, with blanks for students to fill in their own details, and 2) demonstrate, using student examples, how to use vivid language to fill in blank parts of the story.
Students will: 1) complete Fairy Tale Mad Lib sheet.
Closure (5 minutes):
Presenter will: Ask for student volunteers to read fairy tales, pointing out good use of vivid descriptions and effective characterization, conflict, etc.
Students will: Read fairy tales to class on a volunteer basis.
Extension (30 to 60 minutes)
Presenter will: Demonstrate a method for creating shadow puppets using cardstock, flexistraws, scotch tape, and metal brads. Emphasize certain key concepts of shadow puppetry, such as simplicity of design, kinesthetic awareness, and incidental vs. controlled movement.
Students will: Create shadow puppets to illustrate their fairy tale.
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Materials:
Sample Fairy Tale Mad Lib (example below may be modified for a variety of different writing goals)
Once upon a time, in a ______,
(setting with vivid description)
there lived a ______, who you could tell was kind-hearted because ______
(Good Character)
______.
(piece of character detail)
One day, this ______came upon a ______, when all at once out leapt an evil
(Good Character) (setting detail)
______, who you could tell was evil because ______.
(Evil Character)(piece of character detail)
Well, the ______cast a spell on the ______by ______,
(Evil Character)(Good Character)(strong verb)
and turned ______into a ______!
(Good Character)(vivid image)
The only way ______could return to their real body was by traveling to
(Good Character)
______and ______, which they eventually did.
(a new setting)(performing this action)
They travelled back home to the ______and told everybody what ______
(original setting) (Evil Character)
had done. ______was punished by ______. And everyone else lived
(Evil Character)(descriptive detail)
happily ever after....
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Recommended Reading
One of the main ideas behind our retelling of Rapunzel is that fairy tales may be told effectively using all sorts of thematic choices and storytelling techniques. The following is a list of versions of “Rapunzel” that demonstrate the wide variety of approaches authors have taken towards this particular story. It is by no means an exhaustive list, but it is a good place to potentially start:
Rapunzel by Rachel Isadora
This version of “Rapunzel” reimagines the fairytale set in an African village, and features the striking, vibrant illustrative style that is indicative of Ms. Isadora’s books.
Rapunzel: A Groovy Fairy Tale by Lynn Roberts
This version of “Rapunzel” is, like our shadow puppetry performance, a contemporary exploration of the fairy tale. This book may be useful in a discussion of media. What possibilities are available to an author that are not available to a puppeteer, and vice versa?
Rapunzel (Classic Fairy Tale Collection) by John Cech
Like the title says, this is a classic, pretty straightforward and traditional rendition of the story. One useful component of this book is a post script which discusses the origins and evolution of the story of “Rapunzel.”
Rapunzel: The Graphic Novel by Jeffrey Stewart Timmins and Stephanie True Peters
The gothic feel of the illustrations in this version make for an interesting thematic take on the story, but makes the book more appropriate for 3rd grade and older students.
Contact Information
Matt Sandbank’s Shadow Factory welcomes any questions or comments regarding this study guide, fairy tales, shadow puppetry, or anything else that might happen to cross an educator’s mind. For more information, see our website:
Feel free to contact us at:
(505) 816-8379
or
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