Students in 1st grade are introduced to clay during this dinosaur unit. This unit will focus on drawing dinosaurs, an appropriate environment for them, as well as texture.
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THE PLAN
9 sessions; 40 minutes per session
1. SWBAT describe the characteristics of clay.
2. SWBAT use line and shape to draw texture.
3. SWBAT draw dinosaurs.
4. SWBAT draw an appropriate background environment for dinosaurs.
1. Red clay
2. Watered down black tempera
3. Paint brushes
4. 8"x8" tagboard, holes punched in each corner
5. Large drawing paper
6. Black Sharpies
7. Crayons
8. Pencils
9. How-to-Draw Dinosaurs packet
10. Dinosaur power point
11. Dinosaur toys
12. Sea shells
Day 1: View part 1 of powerpoint about fossils. Demonstrate how to flatten clay to students, and then press dinosaur toys and sea shells into clay. Walk around and write student's initials into clay while they work.
Day 2: View part 2 of power point about some of the different dinosaurs. Pass out how-to-draw packet and have students practice drawing dinosaurs.
Day 3-4: Review some of the different dinosaurs. Show students how to draw an up-close view of a dinosaur, as well as how to draw the dinosaur skin texture. Show students some examples of dinosaur skin fossils on the power point. Give students work time to draw on 8"x8" paper. Outline pencils with sharpie marker, and then color with crayons. (When finished, tie all the squares together to make a "dinosaur quilt".)
Day 5: Show students how to make their fossils look weathered by painting on watered down black tempera. Use a paper towel or tissue to dab away any extra paint. Talk about how the texture stands out more and discuss the texture of the dinosaurs.
Day 6-8: View last part of powerpoint about the environment when dinosaurs were alive. Have students draw a dinosaur world that incorporates at least 3 dinosaurs with texture, depth and an appropriate environment. Draw with pencil, outline with sharpie, and color.
I have found that this unit will align with the 1st grade common core listening strand in the NYS curriculum. NYS is adopting the Core Knowledge curriculum for the listening strand, and the last unit is about the history of earth, in which they learn about what earth is made of, fossils and dinosaurs.
I plan on doing a follow-up review lesson at the end of the year using clay again. We will go outside to find various leaves and twigs to press into clay to recreate the process of carbon fossils. (We will leave the leaves ont he clay and when the fossils are fired, the leaves will disenegrate in the kiln.)
THE STANDARDS
Visual Arts Standard 1: Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes
[K-4] Students use art materials and tools in a safe and responsible manner
[K-4] Students know the differences between materials, techniques, and processes
Visual Arts Standard 2: Using knowledge of structures and functions
[K-4] Students use visual structures and functions of art to communicate ideas
[K-4] Students describe how different expressive features and organizational principles cause different responses
Visual Arts Standard 3: Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas
[K-4] Students select and use subject matter, symbols, and ideas to communicate meaning
[K-4] Students explore and understand prospective content for works of art
Visual Arts Standard 4: Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures
[K-4] Students know that the visual arts have both a history and specific relationships to various cultures
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