MODERN ART LESSONS · STUDENT WORKSHEET
Windy Duck: Make a Tiny Moving Cartoon
Make a 8-frame paper flipbook of a duck with a runaway hat. The character wants to wear a hat outside, but a breeze lifts the hat away. One possible ending: it catches it upside down and finds a leaf inside. Invent a different kind ending if you prefer.

Character reference shared across ten skill lessons—not a picture of the completed assignment. Study the example for possibilities, then close or cover it. Your work should make different choices.
Story starter and example
The character wants to wear a hat outside, but a breeze lifts the hat away. One possible ending: it catches it upside down and finds a leaf inside. Invent a different kind ending if you prefer. A prop moves a little farther in each successive frame while the character’s body stays aligned. A short pause at one position can make the movement easier to see.
What to do
- Your finished project is a 8-frame paper flipbook of a duck with a runaway hat. Read the story seed: The character wants to wear a hat outside, but a breeze lifts the hat away. One possible ending: it catches it upside down and finds a leaf inside. Invent a different kind ending if you prefer.
- Start with flat bill, broad feet, and a floppy hat. These are helpful shapes, not a tracing template.
- Select one small action, not the whole story: a blink, a waving arm, a moving prop, or a small head turn.
- Mark the same registration corner on each card. Draw the first and last positions, then add small changes between them.
- Keep the body in the same place unless it is meant to move. Stack cards in order, ask an adult to secure the binding, and flip gently.
- Flip once slowly and once at an even pace. Find an accidental jump and adjust the position in that frame. Plan for an unfamiliar reader; compare alternatives and revise pacing, emphasis, or consistency using feedback.
My project: a 8-frame paper flipbook of a duck with a runaway hat. My chosen ending is…
One action only… Start position… End position…
Number each frame and mark what changes.
Unwanted jump in frame… How I fixed it…
Story clue: How will I show that the character a breeze lifts the hat away?
Before feedback, I wanted the reader to notice… The reader actually noticed…
Revision: I changed… because…
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