A Wild Good Chase!
Teaching Poetry Through Shadow Puppetry
by Matt Sandbank
About the
Artist and
Show
A short bio of the artist, Matt
Sandbank, and an introduction to
his show, A Wild Goose Chase
2
Shadow
Puppetry
An introduction to the ancient art
form of shadow puppetry and the
science of shadows
3
Classroom
Activities
Pre-performance activities, new
vocabulary, and a lesson plan for
teaching poetry in the elementary
classroom
Study Guide
5
Additional
Resources
Recommended poems for
introducing young people to
poetry, and artist contact
information
9
I’m off, I’m off
on a wild goose chase!
Who knows where it might lead?
But my wits are about me,
there’s a grin on my face,
and I’m off
on a wild goose chase!
Study Guide
A Wild Goose Chase: Teaching Poetry through Shadow Puppetry
The Performance:
A Wild
Goose Chase!
About the Artist:
Matt Sandbank
Matt Sandbank’s Shadow Factory is a one-man, traveling shadow
theater based out of Austin, TX. Each of Matt’s programs uses a
mixture of shadow puppetry and poetry not only to tie in to
Language Arts curricular standards, but also to tap in to an
audience’s grander sense of wit and wonder! Since 2009, Matt has
toured nationally, visiting hundreds of schools and libraries across the
country.
Matt 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
concepts. Matt holds a degree in creative writing from the University
of North Carolina at Asheville.
A Wild Goose Chase! is a
series of shadow
puppetry vignettes
designed to teach young
people the key elements
of poetry in a fun,
engaging, and interactive
way. Each individual skit
focuses on a different
element or literary device,
often involving audience
input or participation.
The use of puppetry has
the twofold effect of
making abstract literary
concepts more concrete as
well as making poetry a
fresh and exciting subject,
inspiring students to read
and write poems
themselves. The
performance lasts 45
minutes, and it is
appropriate for all
elementary grade levels.
Did you know?
Concerned about an old superstition that their puppets
might come to life at night, shadow puppeteers in ancient
China typically removed the heads of each of their puppets
at the end of a performance. Some especially precautious
puppeteers would go so far as to store the heads and the
bodies of their puppets in separate locked cases!
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2
A Wild Goose Chase: Teaching Poetry through Shadow Puppetry
Study Guide
A Word About Shadow Puppetry…
We do not know precisely when or where it
was first invented, but given myths and
folktales about its beginnings, shadow
puppetry probably emerged in Asia about
2,000 years ago. We also do not know
whether shadow puppetry developed in
many Asian cultures independently, or if it
migrated from one culture to another.
China and Indonesia have strong shadow
puppetry traditions, as do Turkey and
Greece. Shadow puppetry eventually
made its way to western Europe, becoming
popular entertainment in the late 1700s.
Above: Chinese Shadow Puppet. Photo copyright: D. Finnin/American Museum of
Natural History
Below: Javanese Puppet of Hanuman. Photo © Sarah Buckius
A traditional shadow puppet
show can be defined 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
shadow
images
that
these
figures
create.
The ways of animating shadow puppets and
the materials for making them have
changed throughout the history of the art
form. Preserved animal skins were used to
make shadow puppets in ancient times, and
they are still used for traditional
performances. Plastics and cardstock are
more common materials, though, today. The
ways of moving shadow puppets often vary
with 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.
Traditional Javanese puppets, on the other
hand, have a main vertical rod which runs
the entire length of the puppet’s body, and
which the puppeteer controls from beneath.
The study of shadow puppetry may be used
to enhance the Social Studies curriculum.
Viewing shadow puppetry traditions from
different cultures around the world make for
interesting comparison and contrast
activities. Below are some links to videos
that may be useful for this sort of exercise:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mzqxZNp2g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfydro
4X2t0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87_ty8
dfHh0
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Study Guide
A Wild Goose Chase: Teaching Poetry through Shadow Puppetry
Curricular Tie in:
The Science of Shadows
Although unpredictable plot twists and surprises make for an
entertaining shadow puppet show, shadows themselves behave
according to predictable laws of science. It can be as fascinating to
learn about the science behind shadows as it is to watch someone
performing with shadow puppets!
Shadow Vocabulary:
Shadow: a dark area or shape made by an object
coming between rays of light and a surface. The
audience does not actually see any puppets in my puppet
show! They see the shadows that my puppets create on a
screen!
Suggested
Experiments
The internet is full of fun and
easy-to-do experiments
involving light and shadow.
Below are links to a few of
Matt’s favorites:
http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/
Themes/Shadows___Light/
Opaque: a material that does not let light pass through.
Every puppet in my show that appears on the screen as a
black shadow is made of opaque material.
Translucent: a material that lets light pass through, but
diffuses light (spreads light out). The screen where my
shadow puppets appear is made of translucent material.
http://www.scholastic.com/parent
s/resources/free-printable/scienceprintables/shifting-shadowsexperiment
https://www.highlightskids.com/s
cience-experiment/trace-shadows
Transparent: a material that lets light pass through.
Clear glass is a transparent material.
Filter: a transparent material that absorbs most light
colors (wavelengths) but lets one color (wavelength) pass
through. Every puppet in my show that appears on screen
as a color other than black or white uses a filter to create
that color.
Umbra: the darkest part of a shadow.
Did you know?
Sciophobia is the scientific
term for a fear of shadows.
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Study Guide
A Wild Goose Chase: Teaching Poetry through Shadow Puppetry
Getting Ready for the Show:
Pre-performance Activities
The following is a list of suggested activities to do
with your students prior to A Wild Goose Chase!,
in order to increase their familiarity with poetry
and poetic terms, as well as their enjoyment of
the performance.
Mad-Lib Poem
This activity works especially well with the William
Carlos Williams poems from the list of recommended
poems on page 9 of this study guide. Take a poem,
and remove several nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
Have students write down nouns, verbs, and adjectives
from their own imagination, in list format, on a sheet of
paper. Then have them put away the list. Present the
poem to the class and briefly discuss it. Then show the
class the poem with the removed words, and see how
the poem sounds with various students’ lists filling in the
blanks. This should create some funny, wild, and
interesting word combinations. Also, by asking
students how their words changed the poem and what
we know about the narrator, they will become more
aware of the power of imagery and tone.
Above: Matt Sandbank operates a puppet.
Below: Poster advertising the famous Parisian nightclub, Le Chat Noir
Original
Poem
Mad-Lib
Poem
Student
Poem
Did you know?
I have eaten
The plums
That were in
The icebox
And which
You were
probably
Saving
For breakfast
I have eaten
The [noun]
That were in
[noun-place]
And which
You were
probably
Saving
For breakfast
I have eaten
The Pokemon
That were in
Hawaii
And which
You were
probably
Saving
For breakfast
Forgive me
They were
delicious
So sweet
And so cold
[Verb] me
They were
delicious
So [adjective]
And so
[adjective]
Bounce on me
They were
delicious
So hairy
And so smelly
In the 1880s, shadow puppet shows
were all the rage in Paris, France. A
famous nightclub in the Montmartre
district called Le Chat Noir (The
Black Cat)
produced
shadow
shows with as
many as 20
puppeteers
and
assistants
operating
the shadow
puppets!
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A Wild Goose Chase: Teaching Poetry through Shadow Puppetry
Study Guide
Ruin a Poem
Put students in small groups. Present a poem to the entire
class, and check for basic understanding of the poem.
Then, instruct the different groups to “ruin” the poem.
Have groups present their “ruined” poem and then guide
the students through a reflection of how their changes to
the poem “ruined” it. Focus them specifically on elements
such as imagery and rhythm. Students will love this
activity because it allows them the to do something that
would usually be seen as “bad,” especially if the teacher
plays up this aspect. However, the activity also increases
their awareness of how many literary devices are working
together to make a poem artful. If your students need
help getting started, you might do one stanza of a poem
as a whole class. See example illustrated below:
Found Poem
Stopping By the Woods
on a Snowy Evening (Original)
This activity works well with groups. Have students
search through newspapers, magazines, or any other
source of words that would not usually be considered
“poetic.” Instruct them to search for short phrases (no
full sentences) that sound interesting. Encourage
students to read out loud to determine if something has
an interesting sound. After they have searched for
several minutes, have them arrange their phrases into a
short poem. This activity reinforces the ideas that 1)
poetry can come from anywhere, and 2) there is an
emphasis, in poetry, in the musical arrangement of
words over logical sense. The nonsensical but poetic
example below comes from a cereal box:
Whose woods these are, I think I know,
His house is in the village, though.
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
The Cereal Box Poem
Stopping By the Woods
on a Snowy Evening (Ruined)
I think these woods belong to Bob,
But his house is in the city,
So if I stop here, he won’t see me
Watching the snow snowing all over his trees.
With genetic engineering,
and high fructose corn syrup
A shy teenage mouse
could instantly win
the grand prize.
The daily recommended allowance
of stage fright
is only 18 grams.
A bunch of oats
and crispy almonds
could sing like Sinatra—
depending on your daily values.
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Study Guide
A Wild Goose Chase: Teaching Poetry through Shadow Puppetry
Grade Level: Elementary
Subject: Language Arts
Lesson Time: 60 Minutes
Content Standards:
3- Writing
8- Literature
Grade Level Expectations:
TEKS 3rd Grade Language
Arts Standards*
Lesson Plan:
Poetry Writing
What follows is the lesson plan Matt uses to teach his
poetry-writing workshops, often as a follow-up to
the show A Wild Goose Chase! Before becoming a
shadow puppeteer, Matt was a student of creative
writing, with a focus in poetry. He loves to use the
wild imagery of shadow puppets to get young
people engaging with poetry, thinking about it not
so much as a strict form of writing as an attempt to
find playful, unexpected combinations of words.
(17.A) Plan a first draft by
selecting a genre
appropriate for conveying
the intended meaning to an
audience and generating
ideas through a range of
strategies (e.g.,
brainstorming, graphic
organizers, logs, journals).
(18.B) write poems
that convey sensory
details using the
conventions of poetry
(e.g., rhyme, meter,
patterns of verse).
*3rd grade used as example
but may be modified easily
to fit lower and upper grade
levels.
1. Lesson Introduction (5 min)
Presenter will:
1) Engage students’ interest by reciting a poem and performing a shadow-puppet skit as an
accompanying illustration.
2) Ask follow-up questions to check for comprehension and for student awareness of literary
devices.
Students will:
Demonstrate comprehension of poem and understanding of literary devices by answering the
presenter’s questions.
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A Wild Goose Chase: Teaching Poetry through Shadow Puppetry
Study Guide
2. Guided Practice (15 min)
Presenter will:
Demonstrate a method of drafting a
poem by
1) soliciting student examples of
imagery,
2) choosing one student example of an
image, then soliciting student examples
of other words related to that image,
3) arranging the words on the word list
into simple lines of verse, and
3. Independent Practice
(30 min)
Presenter will:
1) Instruct students to imitate the earlier
process by focusing on a single image,
generating a word list around that image,
and arranging those generated words
into lines of poetry.
2) Circulate the room, offering
encouragement and advice to students,
and reading aloud student lines which
exemplify good use of poetic devices.
Students will:
1) Choose an image.
2) Generate a word list.
4) emphasizing for students the use of
rhythm, onomatopoeia, alliteration,
and other literary devices in these
lines.
Students will:
1) Offer examples of imagery and
contribute words to the extended list.
4. Closure (10 min)
Presenter will:
Read student drafts aloud using a
shadow puppet beatnik, Bongoman.
Students will:
Enjoy hearing their own poems read
aloud by a shadow puppet!
General Principles:
The lesson plan above outlines the basic steps Matt follows in his poetry-writing lesson. Much
of the impact of the lesson, however, lies in a few ideas, which he emphasizes throughout the
lesson. 1) Sound over Sense—poems can break the normal rules of grammar. A line of
poetry that does not make perfect sense, but that has a really compelling musicality to it, can
still be a good line of poetry. 2) Variety of Images—for great imagery, writers must draw
from a wide variety of words. This means, when brainstorming/making a word list, to make
sure to include many parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives) and manyoft-overlooked sense
words (smell, taste, touch, sound).
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Study Guide
A Wild Goose Chase: Teaching Poetry through Shadow Puppetry
Contact Information
Educators, please feel free to contact
Matt Sandbank’s Shadow Factory
via:
Email:
[email protected]
Phone:
505.816.8379
Matt welcomes any questions or
comments regarding this study guide.
Questions dealing with the general
subjects of poetry and shadow
puppetry are also, of course, very
welcome.
Recommended Poems
The following is a list of some of Matt’s favorite
poems to share with elementary school students.
These would typically be considered “adult” poems,
but their themes and images are clear enough for
young minds to appreciate them, with the guidance
of a teacher.
William Blake, “Laughing Song”
Gwendolyn Brooks, “Speech to the Young”
Matt is happy as well to share his
collection of shadow puppetry
templates (and instructions for putting
them together) with teachers who
would like to use shadow theater to a
greater degree in their classrooms!
For more information about Matt
Sandbank’s Shadow Factory,
including other performances and
workshops offered, reviews, photos,
video clips, and a calendar listing of
upcoming shows, please visit our
website at:
Lewis Carol, “Jabberwocky”
Robert Frost, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy
Evening”
www.sandbankshadowfactory.com
Langston Hughes, “I, Too,”
Edna St. Vincent Millay, “First Fig”
Dorothy Parker, “One Perfect Rose”
Theodore Roethke, “The Sloth”
Carl Sandburg, “Fog”
William Stafford, “Passing Remark”
William Carlos Williams, “The Red Wheelbarrow,” and
“This Is Just to Say”
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