Materials for the lesson

A long white cloth (2-3 meters)
A long light blue cloth (2-3 meters)
Old socks the children can bring from their home. (White or beige)
Old newspapers or A4 paper (recycle)
Skewer-Sticks.
Markers or other color pencils.
Elastic bands.
With all the above, we will make an improvised puppet show: the scenery is made by the textiles cloths and the heroes will be the Puppets (we will make at 1st Phase).

Teacher’s bell

Layout of the classroom

Empty space in the middle.

Two desks at a distance of 2 meters from each other.

The two cloths are tied from one desk to the other.

The white is tied above and the blue is tied underneath. We make them parallel to each other, at a distance of about 50 cm.

1^st Phase

Puppets Workshop

We crumble a piece of newspaper to the size of a small ball (like our hand) to use as a puppet head.
We put the balls we made in the socks in a tight way. We make them even tighter by wrapping them with the elastic-band and put one skewer stick in the ball.
Painting
We paint the head-ball that we made on the sock, we make eyes, nose, mouth.

These are the heroes/dolls of the History of Frixos and Elli, of the Argonauts and their campaign in Kolchida.

2^nd Phase

The teacher divides the children into two groups and the history of the lesson in two parts.

Part A’: The story of Frixos and Elli – is played by the  team A’

Part B’: The Argonautic Expedition – is played by the team B’

Spectators are: when the group A’ play, spectators are the group B’ and vice versa.

3^rd Phase

Do as I say.

The teacher as the narrator.
The teacher / teacher shares the roles (Phrixus, Elli, Athamas, etc.)

He has formed his narration in a way that it is energetic and encourages children to interact/act with their puppet. The children listen to the action and they do what they hear.
Dialogues are repeated in a theatrical way.

The spectacle is enjoyed by the group B.

4^th Phase

The roles are reversed and the group B’ takes action. The group A sit down and see the continuation of their story.

5^th Phase

Example of a Narration.

Once upon a time, in Orchomenos, Viotia, there lived a king named Athamas (the puppet /Athamas appears) with his beloved wife, Nefeli ( puppet/ Nefeli appears)
Athamas was truly happy.
ATHAMAS: How happy I am (the puppet / Athamas repeats) my beloved Nefeli gave me two beautiful children (the puppet / Athamas repeats) Phrixus and Elli (Phrixus and Elli appear)

But Nefeli was not feeling good and said:

NEFELI: Great King and my beloved husband, I am seriously ill and I will die. (The puppet/ Nefeli repeats) Swear to the Gods that you will look after and love our children (the puppet / Nefeli repeats)

The action continues in this way and the teacher, by improvising, transforms narrative speech into theatrical.

6^th Phase

When the action is over, the teacher –using questions- provokes the children to narrate the story once again. This time they are making comments on the heroes’ behaviors. The puppets and all the things the children made can be used to other courses. They are now assets/property of the classroom.