Lesson Plans
Right now this page is a work in progress but with time I'll develop the lesson plans more fully to include assessment criteria and step by step directions. Meanwhile, here are some lovely lesson ideas and the books' curriculum connections.
Right now this page is a work in progress but with time I'll develop the lesson plans more fully to include assessment criteria and step by step directions. Meanwhile, here are some lovely lesson ideas and the books' curriculum connections.
Baby Rattlesnake - Cut paper seasonal counting murals
Baby Rattlesnake Curriculum Connections - Social studies and science: A Native American teaching tale, community, eco-systems. Character education: bullying, tantrums.
This project focuses on the natural sciences aspect of the book by teaching about different eco-systems, animals, and the seasons. Break students up into four groups (one for each season) or alternatively, make one huge mural for each season with the entire class. Brainstorm all the animals, plants, birds, reptiles, and different elements in your local environment for that season (urban, suburban, rural, or wilderness all have many kinds of wildlife). Have 2 students use large sheets of colored butchers paper to make the background with a ground and sky before adding different elements such as mountains and or trees, or buildings etc. Students then individually make elements in a counting pattern to go on the mural. Place the background flat and don't glue elements on until you have them all in place so you can move them around for the best composition. Remember contrasts - warm and cool colors etc. as well as overlapping and big and small - near and far to create distance.
This project focuses on the natural sciences aspect of the book by teaching about different eco-systems, animals, and the seasons. Break students up into four groups (one for each season) or alternatively, make one huge mural for each season with the entire class. Brainstorm all the animals, plants, birds, reptiles, and different elements in your local environment for that season (urban, suburban, rural, or wilderness all have many kinds of wildlife). Have 2 students use large sheets of colored butchers paper to make the background with a ground and sky before adding different elements such as mountains and or trees, or buildings etc. Students then individually make elements in a counting pattern to go on the mural. Place the background flat and don't glue elements on until you have them all in place so you can move them around for the best composition. Remember contrasts - warm and cool colors etc. as well as overlapping and big and small - near and far to create distance.
Uncle Nacho's Hat - 2 projects
Uncle Nacho's Hat Curriculum Connections: Social studes and science: Change, recycling, tropical environments, community.
These 2 porjects explore different aspects of change. In the first project, students write a story about a major change in their lives. What was hard about this change? What was good about the change? Why is change hard? Write or type the story on a piece of 8-1/2 X 11" paper, drawing a 1" border around the edge. On another piece of 8-1/2X11" paper, draw the same border and inside do a drawing that illustrates the story with tempera paints or other materials. Using black or colored 12"X18" construction paper, fold in half to make two 9"X12" sections. Glue each page inside the folder, then glue all the pages together back to back to make a book about change for the classroom or library.
The book is also about finding a place for the old and discarded - so children could collect recycled materials and make a sculpture to hang near the school recycling bins or make enticing signs encouraging people to recycle and place these around town.
These 2 porjects explore different aspects of change. In the first project, students write a story about a major change in their lives. What was hard about this change? What was good about the change? Why is change hard? Write or type the story on a piece of 8-1/2 X 11" paper, drawing a 1" border around the edge. On another piece of 8-1/2X11" paper, draw the same border and inside do a drawing that illustrates the story with tempera paints or other materials. Using black or colored 12"X18" construction paper, fold in half to make two 9"X12" sections. Glue each page inside the folder, then glue all the pages together back to back to make a book about change for the classroom or library.
The book is also about finding a place for the old and discarded - so children could collect recycled materials and make a sculpture to hang near the school recycling bins or make enticing signs encouraging people to recycle and place these around town.
Where Fireflies Dance - Destiny Maps
Where Fireflies Dance Curriculum Connections: Geography, immigration, family, destiny, adventures, ghosts, revolution, tropical environments
Children make a map of their lives and what their imagine their possible futures might be as people involved in making a better world. First they discuss who makes the world a good place and why. Then they write what they know about where and how they were born followed by everything important that has happened to them before writing down who they might like to become. Using pencil on black construction paper students make marks on the paper as to where each point of their journey map might be before drawing a symbol to represent that event and maybe a few words of description. They color their symbols in with oil pastels or colored pencils before making a line or route connecting the different parts of the map. Don't forget to include a compass.
On completion of the project, the teacher exhibits the maps at the local library or City Hall to show community members their students sense of civic care.
Children make a map of their lives and what their imagine their possible futures might be as people involved in making a better world. First they discuss who makes the world a good place and why. Then they write what they know about where and how they were born followed by everything important that has happened to them before writing down who they might like to become. Using pencil on black construction paper students make marks on the paper as to where each point of their journey map might be before drawing a symbol to represent that event and maybe a few words of description. They color their symbols in with oil pastels or colored pencils before making a line or route connecting the different parts of the map. Don't forget to include a compass.
On completion of the project, the teacher exhibits the maps at the local library or City Hall to show community members their students sense of civic care.
Just Like Home - Immigrant Cartoon Narratives
Just Like Me Curriculum Connections: Social studies - Immigration, family, learning a new language
To counter discrimination against recent immigrants have students create immigrant cartoon narratives of their own families' immigrant history. Students will need to research this. If they are unable to find out this information they can create an imaginary history or imagine that they are aliens who have come to earth and what that would be like as an alien who can't speak the language, doesn't know the customs, and is scared and lonely for home.
Download the cartoon template here and have students lightly pencil in first before drawing with black pens and then color pencils or watercolors. The template can be used in any direction.
Print extra templates and create an installation in a public place such as the local library inviting others to participate by exploring their own immigrant heritages of how they all came to be in this place called home.
To counter discrimination against recent immigrants have students create immigrant cartoon narratives of their own families' immigrant history. Students will need to research this. If they are unable to find out this information they can create an imaginary history or imagine that they are aliens who have come to earth and what that would be like as an alien who can't speak the language, doesn't know the customs, and is scared and lonely for home.
Download the cartoon template here and have students lightly pencil in first before drawing with black pens and then color pencils or watercolors. The template can be used in any direction.
Print extra templates and create an installation in a public place such as the local library inviting others to participate by exploring their own immigrant heritages of how they all came to be in this place called home.
Leaving for America - Cultural Sunflowers
Leaving For America Curriculum Connections: Family, cultural traditions, war, immigration, loss, and learning a new language.
Sunflowers play a prominent role in this book mirroring the emotions of the protagonist with faces hidden inside the flowers. See if a parent will make wooden sunflowers for the students to paint. Students paint cultural images about their family in the central "face" of the sunflower. Plant real sunflowers along with the wooden sunflowers in the community to help brighten up a public place and celebrate cultural diversity.
This lesson idea was adapted from some of my NIU Art for Elementary Teachers' students.
Alternately, explore issues of war and cultual loss by finding some of the delightful words in the yiddish language and having childen illustrate them. For example, shpilkes means having the shakes from nervousness, or schvitzing means sweating, and luftmentch literally means air person as in someone whose head is in the clouds and has no means of supporting themselves.
Sunflowers play a prominent role in this book mirroring the emotions of the protagonist with faces hidden inside the flowers. See if a parent will make wooden sunflowers for the students to paint. Students paint cultural images about their family in the central "face" of the sunflower. Plant real sunflowers along with the wooden sunflowers in the community to help brighten up a public place and celebrate cultural diversity.
This lesson idea was adapted from some of my NIU Art for Elementary Teachers' students.
Alternately, explore issues of war and cultual loss by finding some of the delightful words in the yiddish language and having childen illustrate them. For example, shpilkes means having the shakes from nervousness, or schvitzing means sweating, and luftmentch literally means air person as in someone whose head is in the clouds and has no means of supporting themselves.
Just Like Me - Interconnected Cultural Self-Portraits
Just Like Me Curriculum Connections: Social studies, geography - Artists, values, place, cultural heritage, identity
In my self-portrait, I included things from my cultures, my birth land, and my life. For this related project, tape large sheets of paper together for students to draw themselves and where they live including their neighborhood as well as things from their culture or things that they identify with. If possible use charcoal and blending. The challenge is where one student's piece of paper butts up to their neighboring student's, they have to negotiate where the edges meet so that their environment flows into the next. The concept is to not only for students to make cultural self-portraits showing classroom diversity but also to show how we are all interconnected. This lesson idea was adapted from one by fellow children's book artist
Tips on using charcoal: Figure out where your light source is coming from and have that side of the image be lighter and the other side darker. Parts that stick out will generally have shadows underneath and on either one or both sides. Use your finger, or better yet, a blending stick, to blend the diufferent shades together.
In my self-portrait, I included things from my cultures, my birth land, and my life. For this related project, tape large sheets of paper together for students to draw themselves and where they live including their neighborhood as well as things from their culture or things that they identify with. If possible use charcoal and blending. The challenge is where one student's piece of paper butts up to their neighboring student's, they have to negotiate where the edges meet so that their environment flows into the next. The concept is to not only for students to make cultural self-portraits showing classroom diversity but also to show how we are all interconnected. This lesson idea was adapted from one by fellow children's book artist
Tips on using charcoal: Figure out where your light source is coming from and have that side of the image be lighter and the other side darker. Parts that stick out will generally have shadows underneath and on either one or both sides. Use your finger, or better yet, a blending stick, to blend the diufferent shades together.
Elinda Who Danced in the Sky - Local Birds Grace our Room
Elinda Who Danced in the Sky Curriculum Connections: Science and social studies - Folklore, bird migrations, skylore, feminism
Elinda who Danced in the Sky is an Estonian creation story detailing the different characteristics of sky beings such as the sun, the north star, the moon and Prince Borealis. Elinda herself is a powerful figure, who although she never marries Prince Borealis, maintains a long distance relationship with him so that she can honor her committment to her community and guide the birds in their migratory flights.This project focuses on the birds, but in place-based education fashion, the students focus on local birds to connect with their lived environment. After brainstorning and identifying local birds, students can then make them out of model magic (an easy to use self-drying light-weight clay) by fashioning the body and beak first and then attaching the wings with a small hook in the back to hang the birds from the ceiling with fishing line. After the birds have dried, paint with watercolors or tempera paints. attach fishing liine and hang.
Alternately, draw birds on colored butcher's paper and paint with tempera for details. Cut both sides at once (folded) then open like a butterfly to paint. After paint dries put the two sides together and stuff with wadded up bits of newspaper and staple edges. Attach fishing line to a U shaped wad of newspaper inside the bird before stapling closed. Hang from ceiling for a wonderful classroom sky scape.
Elinda who Danced in the Sky is an Estonian creation story detailing the different characteristics of sky beings such as the sun, the north star, the moon and Prince Borealis. Elinda herself is a powerful figure, who although she never marries Prince Borealis, maintains a long distance relationship with him so that she can honor her committment to her community and guide the birds in their migratory flights.This project focuses on the birds, but in place-based education fashion, the students focus on local birds to connect with their lived environment. After brainstorning and identifying local birds, students can then make them out of model magic (an easy to use self-drying light-weight clay) by fashioning the body and beak first and then attaching the wings with a small hook in the back to hang the birds from the ceiling with fishing line. After the birds have dried, paint with watercolors or tempera paints. attach fishing liine and hang.
Alternately, draw birds on colored butcher's paper and paint with tempera for details. Cut both sides at once (folded) then open like a butterfly to paint. After paint dries put the two sides together and stuff with wadded up bits of newspaper and staple edges. Attach fishing line to a U shaped wad of newspaper inside the bird before stapling closed. Hang from ceiling for a wonderful classroom sky scape.
Honoring our Ancestors Portraits
Honoring our Ancestors Curriculum Connections: History, social studies
When we learn about our ancestors, we also learn about history and connections over time. Some students might be unable to find out about their ancestors, so like Maya Gonzalez's portrait of her great grandmother, who imagines who her great grandmother might have been, students can imagine their ancestor or like my page they can include both blood relatives and spirit ancestors.
Because I was unable to find out much about my ancestry, my page has both blood and spirit relatives who helped make me who I am. Who do the students feel kinship with from history or their community? How can they honor these people? Nancy Hom writes about her father being like a super-hero. If the teacher has time, take photographs of local community members, who help make it a better or functioning place, that the children can honor by doing their portraits as super-heroes and display in the community.
Students make a portrait of an ancestor or an imaginary ancestor.
Draw their portrait and write about why they feel connected to them.
The book is full of bright colors, patterns, and textures related to the different artists' cultures. How can students make these cultural connections with their own ancestors?
For more inspirational community oriented projects see the Special Projects page : )
When we learn about our ancestors, we also learn about history and connections over time. Some students might be unable to find out about their ancestors, so like Maya Gonzalez's portrait of her great grandmother, who imagines who her great grandmother might have been, students can imagine their ancestor or like my page they can include both blood relatives and spirit ancestors.
Because I was unable to find out much about my ancestry, my page has both blood and spirit relatives who helped make me who I am. Who do the students feel kinship with from history or their community? How can they honor these people? Nancy Hom writes about her father being like a super-hero. If the teacher has time, take photographs of local community members, who help make it a better or functioning place, that the children can honor by doing their portraits as super-heroes and display in the community.
Students make a portrait of an ancestor or an imaginary ancestor.
Draw their portrait and write about why they feel connected to them.
The book is full of bright colors, patterns, and textures related to the different artists' cultures. How can students make these cultural connections with their own ancestors?
For more inspirational community oriented projects see the Special Projects page : )