Cultivating Moral Imagination Through Puppetry

​West Coast Collaborative Puppetry Arts Conference 2017 / July 27 - 31, 2017

Presentations / Update

Grades 1- 8 Puppetry Curriculum for Waldorf Education

 Presentation Description

This presentation will give an overview of the full puppetry grades curriculum program developed since 1998 at the Sierra Waldorf School. This puppetry curriculum draws from Waldorf Education’s grades curriculum, the Waldorf handwork curriculum and the history of puppetry as it compliments and relates to the upper grades span of history covered in their curriculum studies.  Each grade makes a different style puppet in a block period of time and puts on a performance drawn either directly from that particular grade’s curriculum or is designed to complement it. Elements of performance, speech and drama are brought as well as the enlivening movement and gesturing of the puppet. The puppetry curriculum is designed to broaden and build skill-wise and experience-wise through the grades as the students’ capacities unfold and grow. Written assignments of script, poetry, and research reports are brought to certain upper grades and are integrated with their class teacher’s assignments and that particular grade’s studies. The puppetry projects are designed to deepen an already rich Waldorf grades curriculum and build upon the kindergarten puppetry performances the students received.