Wayang
Wayang kulit is a kind of puppet show performed in Indonesia. Flat, brightly colored puppets entertain audiences of all ages. Watching from one side of a thin screen, the audience only sees the puppets’ shadows.
The puppeteer sits on the other side of the screen and uses sticks to move the puppets. With the flick of a wrist, the puppeteer controls the puppets. Their shadows flutter across the screen. Sometimes the puppets fight. They point their fingers and wave their arms. Their shadows seem to come to life! All night long, the puppeteer tells stories of heroes, villains, ogres, and clowns. A spotlight gives off light in the darkness. Captivated, the audience watches until dawn. Like the screen in front of them, their faces glow.
Level K Module 3: Light
Mariners need help finding their way across oceans and large lakes. At night, they have trouble seeing rocks and land. Ships that get too close to rocks and land might crash. What sends mariners a warning? A lighthouse! A lighthouse is a tower with a light source on top. Mariners see the light and know that rocks and land are close by. Hundreds of years ago, lighthouses used fire as a light source. Now they use light bulbs. Each lighthouse flashes light in a pattern. Mariners count the flashes to tell which lighthouse they are near. Every 20 seconds, Portland Bill Lighthouse in England gives four flashes, then one long pause. In the daytime, mariners recognize its three stripes: white, then red, then white.
