Jingling Jester

1. Read The Jester Has Lost His Jingle by David Saltzman or a similar story. Ask students to consider the questions: How did a jester’s humor enrich people’s lives? Why does laughing keep people healthy?
2. On a large piece of paper, use Crayola® Erasable Colored Pencils to draw the head of a jester wearing his three-point hat. Color him using Crayola Multicultural and Classic Markers. Cut out the head with Crayola Scissors. Trace it to make the back of the puppet. Students color and cut out the back.
3. Students cover their work area with recycled newspaper. Place the head pieces back to back. Seal the edges of the head (not the neck) with Crayola School Glue. Air-dry the head flat.
4. Stuff puppets with crumpled newspaper.
5. Paint a section of cardboard gift-wrap roll with Crayola Washable Tempera Paint. (Students could use the whole long roll and make an almost life-size puppet.) Air dry.
6. Glue the top of the tube into the jester’s neck. Air-dry.
7. On a large piece of construction paper, students draw a pointed collar. Color it with markers. Encourage students to use their imaginations to decorate the collars. Add small craft bells if possible. Cut out the collar and glue it to the jester’s neck. If a long gift-wrap roll is used, dress the rest of the puppet.
8. Students retell the story they read. Encourage students to make up original jester tales and tell jokes with the Jingling Jester.

LA: Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

LA: Read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of grade level text's complexity band independently and proficiently.

LA: Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

LA: Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.

LA: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade level topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

SS: Compare ways in which people from different cultures think about and deal with their physical environment and social conditions.

SS: Use appropriate resources, data sources, and geographic tools to generate, manipulate, and interpret information.

SS: Describe how people create places that reflect ideas, personality, culture, and wants and needs as they design homes, playgrounds, classrooms, and the like.

VA: Intentionally take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of art media, techniques, and processes to enhance communication of experiences and ideas.

VA: Select and use the qualities of structures and functions of art to improve communication of ideas.

Possible classroom resources include: A Medieval Feast by Aliki; The Jester Has Lost His Jingle by David Saltzman

Working in small groups, students investigate jokes for jesters to tell. Students write their selected jokes into a "laugh" book, keeping in mind the purpose of a jester telling jokes. The group prepares to tell the jokes before a classroom audience using their jester puppets as props.

Students read a story such as The Fall of Freddie the Leaf by Leo F. Buscaglia. Students create puppets for role playing situations such as change and loss.

Set aside a school day as a medieval celebration day. Students dress in self-made costumes appropriate to the era and prepare a short skit for their jester puppets. Students present their skits to a small group audience.