Olivia Messenger

PSY 349 - 002

Angela Vaughn

October 28, 2018

Lesson Plan – Bunraku Puppet Theatre

Name: Olivia Messenger

Target Grade Level: 9th grade

Content Area: Theatre

Overview: This lesson of Bunraku Puppet Theatre is just a snippet of the “Theatre Around the

World” unit. This lesson would be at the end of the unit, because the unit will begin with

countries on the West, and slowly will make its way to the East, ending in Japan. It contributes

to the larger unit because it gives a unique perspective of puppetry that no other country has

contributed.

Objectives:

Unit Objectives:

- Students will be able to understand the different forms of theatre that take place all of

over the world (Cognitive Level - Lower).

Lesson Objectives:

- Students will be able to understand what Bunraku Puppet Theatre is and how it is

performed (Cognitive Level - Lower)

- Students will create their own paper Bunraku Puppet Theatre performance as a team

using all the elements of a traditional performance (Psychomotor)

Resources: Each student will need a pencil and paper and a way to access the internet,

whether that be a cell phone or laptop. The instructor will need access to the internet and a
projector to show clips of traditional Bunraku Puppet Performances. Instructor must also bring

plenty of paper, tape, and markers so the students can make their own puppets.

Preparation: Students have already performed on stage in front of their peers in numerous

ways such as tableau and pantomime pieces and have already learned about theatre in other

countries (For example: Greece, England, China, etc.) To make sure students are ready to

make their own puppet performances, we will go through any questions or confusions they may

have AFTER the lecture and BEFORE I give out the performance assignment.

Instructional Plan:


1. (Warm-up) Students will play the statue game! First, they will pick partners with people they

are comfortable with and ask each other if they are okay with moving each other. Once each

partner gives consent, I will remind them the different ways you can move a person with and

without touching them. I will then give them a variety of emotions (Ecstatic, Regret, furious,

curiosity, frightened, despair, jealousy, guilt, disgust, bliss, boredom) and have them move their

partner into a statue/tableau position to represent said position. When there are a large variety

of statues for a certain emotion, I will have the sculptors do a gallery walk to see all of the

variety. This warm-up relates to the lesson because it is as if they are the puppets and

puppeteers, and are getting practice manipulating someone else body. (5 min, Rehearsal)

2. Explain that the class will be looking at a traditional form of Japanese puppetry called

Bunraku.


Ask your students the following prior knowledge questions:


Who has seen a puppet show?

What was it like?


What puppets were involved?

 Where did you see it? 


What story was performed?


What is the biggest puppet you have seen?

How did it move?


What role did it play? (5 min, Elaboration)

2. Watch videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TKt67ouaqM (9 min) YouTube http://

youtu.be/kEUQNvn8EJQ (4 min 30 sec) While they are watching the videos, have students

take notes on anything they found interesting or puzzling and how the performances compared

to puppet plays they have seen in the United States. (20 min, Elaboration) (Accommodation: For

students unable to take notes, they can use a note taking app that helps their needs)

3. Split your students into groups of 2 (at least one needs to have access to the internet) and

write down five questions about the Bunraku puppets. For example, How does the head move?

(5 min, Elaboration)

4. With those questions in mind, have the pairs go to the website http://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/

unesco/bunraku/en/ and let them explore the website on their own, looking for the answers to

the questions they have. When finished, ask the class if their group found anything especially

interesting on the website that they want to share to the class. (15 min, Elaboration)

5. (Brain Break) Play the drama game, human machine!

- One person begins, making a fluid movement and noise (hammering something, etc.)

- One by one, a person joins with their own unique movement and noise until the whole

class is one “machine”

- Have the machine move slowly, quickly, and backwards until your kids are tired or are

laughing too hard! (Accommodation: For students with physical disabilities, they can be the

“machine conductor”, i.e. telling the machine when to slow down, speed up, etc.) (5 min,

Rehearsal)
6. Now it is time to make our own Bunraku puppet performance!

- Split the class into groups of three

- Provided for them is a plethora of construction paper tape and markers, as a group,

they need to make ONE puppet to perform a song in front of the class. Each person is needs to

be responsible for each role of traditional puppeteers

• Omo-zukai – the head puppeteer, who operates the doll's head and face by

holding a stick with levers in his left hand, also operates the doll's right hand

with his own right hand

• Hidari-zukai – the left-hand puppeteer, who uses his right hand to operate the

doll's left hand

• Ashi-zukai – the foot puppeteer, who uses both hands to suggest the

movements of the doll's legs and feet.

- Each group needs to pick ONE song (no more than three minutes, must be school

appropriate) for their puppet to move to.

- Rehearse your Bunraku puppet performance until you are comfortable performing in

front of class (20 min, Rehearsal) (Accommodation: For students with physical disabilities, they

can be in a group of 4 and be the “director” of their group. i.e. they get to pick the music, help

develop the puppet blocking, etc.)

7. (Closing Assessment) After everyone has had time rehearsing, each group performs their

piece in front of the class! Have peers give feedback and critiques to each group (15 min,

Rehearsal) (Accommodation: Groups can perform the next class period if they need more time

to rehearse or feel uncomfortable performing in front of class)

8. (Formative Assessment) Ask class these questions to wrap up class.

What were some commonalities that you noticed between a lot of the groups?

What did a group do that was really unique?

 Why do you think the artists use puppets to tell a story? (5 min, Elaboration)

Emergency Task:

Take out a piece of paper and write about the similarities and differences between

Japanese Bunraku puppetry compared to puppetry that you have experienced in your own

everyday life.