AHALabFinger Shadow Theatre · Puppetry / English / Chinese Writing
Use one hand to control one puppet. Lift a lantern, borrow a fan or cross a bridge. Act out a scene with a partner, then write about what happened.
Try a scene with the mouse, or turn on the camera. Choose your characters, props and setting. To create your own puppet, open the drawing board and change its design.
Connect the joints and watch the dots in the camera view follow your hand. Adjust the range of movement, let a partner try it, and note where the puppet did not follow before making a change.
Ages 7-9, 4 lessons, 60 minutes each
Eight lessons for ages 10–12 and 13–15, each lesson 90 minutes.
First understand who is speaking to whom, then follow with reading a sentence. Pass the lantern to your companion, follow their line, perform, and then listen again.
6 short plays · 58 lines of demonstration reading
Three-Line Teleprompter · Teacher selects difficult words
Decide what the character will do before you perform. Notice the actions and dialogue during the scene. After writing, ask a partner which detail helped them picture what happened.
10 writing activities linked to Chinese school textbooks
Chinese elementary school grades 3 to 6 · Drafting, peer reading, and revising
The shadow puppet is ready, and the story continues.
Shadow puppets made in the puppetry class can continue to be used. English class practices dialogues, and Chinese writing class records observed actions, character thoughts, and events. Teachers select activities based on the reading and hands-on experience of the class; it is not necessary to complete all sessions at once.
Group members take turns manipulating puppets, reading narration, arranging props, and observing performances. Arrange off-screen breaks between screen practice sessions, and keep paper puppets, paper and pen, and physical props on the table.
See interdisciplinary class schedule ↗First let the shadow puppet approach the lantern, close fingers to pick it up, then open hands to place it beside a companion.
“This lantern is for you.”
“Thank you!”
Ask after performing: when handing the light, who did he look at first, and how did he reach out his hand? Third grade students explain the complete situation; fifth grade students use this action to depict character traits.
These activities are written around the corresponding composition requirements. If there are adjustments to the version or semester plan, teachers should follow the materials of their own class.
| Grade and Unit | composition | What to watch out for this time |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese Primary School Grade 6, First Semester, Unit 1 | Metamorphosis | See the world with a changed body |
| Chinese Primary School Grade 4, Second Semester, Unit 8 | A new story adaptation | Give the new ending a reason |
| Chinese Primary School Grade 3, First Semester, Unit 4 | I am making a fairy tale | Tell a matter completely |
| Chinese Primary School Grade 3, Second Semester, Unit 3 | Traditional Chinese Festivals | Write about what you did during the festival |
| Chinese Primary School Grade 4, First Semester, Unit 4 | I spent a day with ____ | Let character traits participate in the story |
| Chinese Primary School Grade 4, Second Semester, Unit 6 | I learned ____ | Clearly write attempts and adjustments |
| Chinese Primary School Grade 5, First Semester, Unit 2 | "Comics" teacher | Capture characteristics, exaggerate kindly |
| Chinese Primary School Grade 5, Second Semester, Unit 5 | Write a person’s characteristics in detail | Let actions and examples illustrate characteristics |
| Chinese Primary School Grade 6, First Semester, Unit 2 | Colorful activities | Write for the whole scene, also for one person |
| Chinese Primary School Grade 6, Second Semester, Unit 1 | Customs of hometown | Firsthand experience and materials each have their source |
Middle finger controls head; index and ring finger control both arms; thumb and little finger control both legs. Moving the palm moves the character; flipping the palm turns the shadow puppet; clenching the fist picks up nearby props; spreading the hand puts them down.
The stage shows puppet strings, which can also be changed to a joystick. The camera can be turned on in full-screen mode, and you can also see the camera feed and the lines.
The program provides 10 puppet slots. Stability under real multi-person crossover, occlusion, and different lighting still needs on-site verification.
All six operas have full-sequence and line-by-line reading. Recordings on the web can be replayed, and the teacher notes suggestions; after installing the local speech model, you can check line matching and phoneme reference scores.
Current lines are black, the preceding and following two lines are gray. After connecting to the local evaluation, words that reach the teacher-set practice threshold turn blue, the rest remain unchanged.
Reference scores were not calibrated with children’s voices and cannot be considered a standardized pronunciation accuracy. Chinese writing exercises are read by the students and receive teacher feedback.
The camera requires browser authorization, and images are recognized within the browser. Essays and character designs are saved in the current browser; please export them before switching devices. Web recordings are retained only within this session; local pronunciation assessments are not automatically saved.