String. It will tie things up and tie things down, but did you know it can dance around? It’s time for students to pull on some legstrings, headstrings, handstrings, and heartstrings in a fun new adventure for Thanksgiving. (Adapt this lesson as needed to research another holiday or other subject in history if it is not November.)We’ll tie it all together when students take up the threads of history, practice a little re-imagination, put their own spin on what really happened back then, and make history dance with marionettes they build themselves. They’ll learn all about a Timecrowave and what might go wrong when you heat your dinner with the power of timetravel, learn the dangers of trying to change history in order to get an A, try to put their heads on straight, and find out just how much can hang on a nail!
Video links for the unit
Colosse: a nifty short feature about a giant robot marionette going for a stroll through the forest. Giant machines, they really know how to tug the heartstrings.
http://io9.com/5909849/and-lo-a-cute-short-film-about-a-30+foot+tall-wooden-marionette-robot
“Lonely Goatherd” marionette production from The Sound of Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_PJPDMXHOw
Clearer version at: http://vimeo.com/48335996
Gary Busk, puppet historian, collector, and restorer is the proud owner of over 1000 marionettes. In this ANTIQUES ROADSHOW bonus footage Gary invites us into his workshop to discuss puppet construction and history.
http://video.pbs.org/video/1868334517/
Saturday Night Live Timecrowave sketch (Timecrowave: the only microwave equipped with time travel capabilities) big changes happen based on the push of a button! Just pop in the dish of your choice and send it back in time to the exact moment you wanted to eat it. But as Gramp Pampton (Alec Baldwin) and two-time Miss Indiana runner-up Penny Shmear (Kristen Wiig) find out, if you don't do it correctly you might cause small (or big) changes in history (Nazis, giant cats, danger to the space time continuum) but it's totally worth it for a meal heated by the power of time travel. Maybe. http://vdownload.eu/watch/328801-timecrowave.html
For inspiration, Have students look at galleries of marionettes, such as those made by the Ruzicka brothers in the Czech Republic, http://www.marionetisti.cz/marrionettes/mar_1_en.html
As a class, or having the students work in small groups or individually, have students research the first Thanksgiving and the experiences of the Pilgrims and Wampanoags. Good places to start are:
National Geographic Kids: The First Thanksgiving http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/history/first-thanksgiving/
What Really Happened at the First Thanksgiving? The Wampanoag Side of the Tale and What’s Done Today –Indian Country Today Article by Gale Courey Toensing
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/article/what-really-happened-first-thanksgiving-wampanoag-side-tale-and-what%E2%80%99s-done-today-145807
Native American Perspective: Fast Turtle, Wampanoag Tribe Member-Scholastic
Experience the events of 1621 through the eyes of a Wampanoag warrior counselor. http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/native-american-perspective-fast-turtle-wampanoag-tribe-member
The First Thanksgiving: Virtual Field Trips from Scholastic http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/webcast.htm
Bring the real story of Thanksgiving to life with Virtual Field Trips to Plimoth Plantation!
- Mayflower: Students can virtually step aboard and explore an exact replica of the Mayflower, anchored at Plimoth Plantation. Hear from 17th-century Pilgrim interpreters about the voyage, as well as the current day Master of the Ship, in this 20-minute Virtual Field Trip.
- Pilgrim Village: Students get a behind-the-scenes look at the simple but arduous life of the Pilgrims in this 18-minute video.
- Wampanoag Homesite: Students can witness the day-to-day life of the indigenous people who were part of the Wampanoag Nation in this 17-minute video.
- Plimoth Plantation: Join the Pilgrims and Wampanoag as they discuss their lives, their collaboration, and the first Thanksgiving in this 30-minute video.
- Interviews with Miles Standish and other Pilgrims: Listen as historical interpreters from Plimoth Plantation describe their life in the New World in these short video interviews. Explore the 10 videos by scrolling in the video player on the site.
Plimoth Plantation: Slideshow Tour http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/webcast.htm
Tour the fields and homes of the Pilgrims and watch the Wampanoag at work in this slideshow tour of the Pilgrim Village and Wampanoag Homesite.
Enjoy some of our favorite student made marionette videos :)