Lesson Plan

Enduring/Big Idea: Artists can find patterns, textures, colors in every living thing and non-living thing no matter how big or small.

Lesson/Title: The Secret Lives of Bugs!

Grade/Class: 3rd Grade

Time Allotment: 4 class periods

Lesson Plan Overview

1. Summary: This lesson is to introduce the art technique of a mixed media collage and using layers. My plan is for the students to create a paper collage of an insect of their choice. The insect can be based on a real one or they can invent their own species. This is a multi-step project.

2. Rationale: As we walk through life we tend to go to fast and miss the small details. This project is to give the students the opportunity to take a pause and zoom in to see something that normally they would walk right by.

3. Artworks, Artists/ or artifacts

Yuval Zommer

4. Key concepts

a) Learn about macrophotography

b) How to see details

c) Learn about observation

5. Essential questions

a. What is Macrophotography?

b. How can we use layering to make a collage?

c. What is mixed media?

6. Interdisciplinary Connections This lesson can connect to their science/biology

Objectives:

Knowledge: Vocabulary: macrophotography, mixed media, collage, layering

Skills: Combining different techniques to create a collage

Disposition: Students will find it interesting and cool to see things up close. It is also a great time to learn about insects and their life cycles

Instructional Procedures:

1. Motivation/Engagement/ The Hook:

Hook: Read Yuval Zommer’s book called The Big Book of Bugs.

Talk about what macrophotography is. Take a bunch of nature items (leaves, acorn, pinecones etc.) and let students sketch what they see. Is a pinecone just solid brown? Do you see small patterns that may be hidden from far? They will take it back to their desk and sketch what they see. This will introduce drawing from observation and little introduction to macrophotography.

· Class 1: Read book, spread nature items around the room for them to explore and create thumbnails of the different patterns they see

· Class 2: Students will select their insects that they would like to study. Begin by using wet watercolor paper (soaking in bucket of water ahead of time). Explore wet-on-wet watercolor paper. Encourage students to play with color. Give the option of using salt on their pieces to give more off a color effect.

· Class 3: draw different sections of their insects on the watercolor paper and cut out. Provide different scrapbook papers for the students to use as collage. Glue insect together. Last step is for them to use a gel pen and add various patterns

2. Culmination/Close

Review what they learned by needing an exit ticket. The ticket will have 3 questions on it:

What is macrophotography?

What are different ways an artist can use layers in their collage?

Is your collage mixed media? Why or why not?

Preparation:

1. Teacher research and preparation

· Presoak watercolor paper

· Collect and gather nature items for the hook activity

2. Supplementary Materials:

· Short Presentation on artist Yuval Zommer

· Exit Tickets