Center for Puppetry Arts
AFRICA
AFRICAN ROD PUPPET- each student will need the following materials for the puppet:
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1 paper towel tube
1 sheet of colored tissue paper (craft tissue or gift tissue, approx. 15”X 20”)
2 craft sticks (popsicle sticks) (for arms)
1 head *(template is in 2 pieces) *** colored file folders are ideal!!!****
2 hands *(template)
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1 nose *(template)
2 eyes (template)
hair (template)
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scissors, glue, scotch tape
*assortment of “scrap” construction paper (for facial features & decoration)
Instructions: PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!!!
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Prior to the program, trace head, hand, and nose templates onto colored file folders (you can use any color, but any shade of
blue and green is ideal), then cut out.
Trace eyes and hair onto black or brown construction paper.
Bring pre-cut templates and all other supplies to the program with you.
Arrive at least 10 minutes early to the program in order to pass out materials. Pass out all templates and materials to the
students before the program begins. Students will need 8 pieces of tape about the size of a large band-aid. It is helpful if you
stick the 8 pieces of tape to the edge of the table in front of each student BEFORE the program begins.
Wait for the program to begin. Students will be led through all puppet building steps and learning activities.
Templates:
Head template, Piece #1
Nose template
Head template, piece # 2 (of 2)
Eye Template
Hair Template (each student needs 4 of these)
Activity 1: MAP EXERCISE
QCC’s explored: Meets various social studies/map skills.
Have you ever tried peeling an orange and making the peel lie flat? There is no way you can do this without breaking the
peel. To flatten out a world map, mapmakers may divide the land into pieces, rather like the segments of an orange.
In this activity, a class will break up into seven groups, representing the seven continents
(North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica). Taking turns,
each group should take a few pieces of tracing paper and pencils up to the classroom globe.
Holding the globe steady, each group should trace around the shapes of the large land areas
in their designated continent.
On the classroom wall or bulletin board, students should tape the pieces of tracing paper together to make a flat map of
the world. Call on students to walk up to the map and label the seven continents, four hemispheres, and four oceans. Did
you know that Africa itself is a continent? Which oceans touch Africa?
1-North America
5-Asia
2-South America
6-Australia
3- Africa
7-Antarctica
4-Europe
Taylor, Barbara. Maps And Mapping. New York: Kingfisher Books, 1992., Microsoft Encarta 1996.
Activity 2: FOLKTALE ENACTMENT
QCC’s explored: Meets oral and written communication skills in language arts; meets fine art skills in theater/performing arts.
Choose two African folktales and read them out loud to the class. (These may be selected from the bibliography at the end of this
study guide.) Discuss these stories in class and decide the‘”messages”’ they have in common. Write these on the chalkboard. Students
can then vote on their favorite story. Put on a puppet show enacting this story using the rod puppets that were constructed during the
program!
Activity 3: RESEARCH SKILLS
QCC’s explored: meets various language arts skills in written communication/research skills; multiculturalism.
Below is a list of African countries, divided into alphabetic categories. Teachers should
alphabetically “scramble” each category. After dividing students into four groups, give a scrambled section to each group. In a timed
situation, each group must alphabetize the countries on their list. As a research assignment, each student should choose a country from
his or her alphabetized list. Students should then write a one-page paper about this chosen African country. Students should choose
three of the five following topics to cover: arts & crafts, food, environment, customs, natural resources.
SECTION 1:
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Congo
Djibouti
SECTION 2:
Egypt
Equitorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gambia
Gabon
Ghana
Guinea
Guineau-Bissau
Ivory Coast
Kenya
SECTION 3:
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Morocco
Mozambique
Nambia
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
SECTION 4:
Sao Tome & Principe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
S.Africa
Sudan
Swaziland
Tanzania
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
W.Sahara
Zaire
Zambia
Zimbabwe
*http://www.afroam.org/children.html
Websites To Explore:
Explore a 2nd grade report on Africa. This website is full of really good, basic information. Mali is one of the highlighted countries.
http://www.agate.net/~dresden/mappage.htm
Go to the “On the Line” webpage and click on Ghana, Mali, or Burkina Faso to find great information on each of these countries. You
can find about about daily life, food, arts, etc. Great photos!
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/ontheline/index.html
A professor from Clemson University put together a web site entitled “Images of Daily Life in Morocco”.
These are great photos to look at and have students compare Moroccan life to their own.
http://www-geoimages.berkeley.edu/GeoImages/Miller/millerone.html
Learn about animals from Kenya at this website.
http://www.kenyabeasts.org.uk/main.htm
Bibliography:
Capaldi,Gina. Africa: Customs,Cultures,Legends & Lore. Torrance, CA.: Good Apple Publishing,1997.
Jeffries,David. Multicultural Folk Tales. Huntington Beach, CA: Teacher Created Materials, Inc.,1992.
*The proceeding bibliography was compiled from the Barnes & Noble website,
<barnesandnoble.com.>. Some of the publishing information has been abbreviated.
Ayo,Moller & Dawn. Africa. Random house Inc.,1995.
Reader,John. Africa: A Biography of The Continent. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1998.
Sandler,Dillon L & Diller D. The African Cookbook. Carol Publishing Group, 1993.
Willet,Frank. African Art: An Introduction. Thames & Hudson, 1993.
Contact Info.
Sponsors:
The Rich Foundation • The Goizueta Foundation
The Atlanta Foundation • The Jim Cox, Jr. Foundation
Equifax Inc. • Junior League of Atlanta
The Ray M. and Mary Elizabeth Lee Foundation • The Livingston
Foundation • The Pitulloch Foundation • The Gary W. and Ruth M.
Rollins Foundation • The Gertrude and William C. Wardlaw Fund
Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation • Mary Alice & Bennett Brown
Foundation
1404 Spring St. NW at 18th
Atlanta, GA USA 30309-2820
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