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Conversations With Crayons

Students will construct a crayon character stick puppet and write an original story with dialogue after reading "I'm Having a Blue-Sky Day" by Maggie Testa and Clair Rossiter.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Craft Sticks
  • Tape

Steps

  • Step 1

    Read the book "I'm Having a Blue-Sky Day" by Maggie Testa and Clair Rossiter. Have a discussion about emotions and how different colors can make you feel different things. Ask students to come up with words that could describe different emotions. For example, "Happiness" could include the words "joy," "love," "contentment," etc. Ask them to talk about how some colors have come to symbolize feelings, such as green with envy or feeling blue.

  • Step 2

    Have students create crayon stick puppets. They can cut construction paper into a crayon shape, draw in facial features, add the name of the color, and then glue it to a craft stick. They might want to cut out and add other features such as arms and legs. Next ask them to create a background setting for their stick puppet using crayons or colored pencils on construction paper.

  • Step 3

    Have students divide into small groups to create an original story with dialogue for their puppets. Encourage them to first brainstorm ideas and then write a dialogue.

  • Step 4

    Have each group present their original stick puppet play. Encourage them to introduce themselves and the name of their puppet.

Standards

LA: Write using words, numbers, and images to inform and explain, share experiences, and create narratives, either fictional or non-fictional.

LA: Develop real and imagined narratives.

SEL: Self-Awareness: Understand one's own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts.

Adaptations

Have students pretend they are product developers at Crayola. What new products would they create? What new color names would they come up with for new crayon colors?

Have students investigate the differences and similarities between puppets and marionettes. Ask students to think about why these forms of shows are so entertaining and so effective in portraying a story.