A bilingual art lesson: Drawing techniques (3rd or 4th grade)

  Katja Krenický  

  CO ON NT TE EN NT T C  

1.  General Background Information  2

2.  Content Objectives  2

3.  Methodology  3

3.1.  Process objectives  3

3.2.  Intelligences engaged skills needed  3

3.3.  Special needs  4

3.4.  Links to long-term planning  4

4.  Goals and Learning Objectives  5

4.1.  Artistic objectives  5

4.2.  Cognitive objectives  5

4.3.  Language objectives  5

4.4.  Affective objectives  6

5.  Lesson  6

5.1.  Introduction of lesson  6

5.2.  Exploration  6

5.3.  Practical work  7

5.4.  Closure  8

5.5.  Assessment  9

6.  Options  9

6.1.  Focus on texture:  10

6.2.  Focus on texture:  10

6.3.  Focus on class community and interaction:  10

6.4.  Focus on class community:  10

6.5.  Focus on background:  10

7.  References  10

8.  Schedule  11

1

The following work is a theoretical conception of a bilingual art lesson (English/ German) for primary level to introduce a unit based on drawing techniques.

Topic: Fantasy Animals & Wild Things Grade:

Subject:

Practical task:

Technique/ Materials:

1 ^st alternative:

2 ^nd alternative:

3 ^rd alternative:

4 ^th alternative:

Time required:

Animals as well as fantasy creatures play a fairly important role in young children’s lives. They grow up with them encountering them in several areas of their lives through pictures in books, television/ cinema (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings) and computer games, through descriptions in stories/ fairy tales and music. Many children can daily observe, smell and touch animals by keeping their own pets. A significant impact on children’s emotions, imagination and memory have also single authentic experiences such as a (puppet) theatre play, or a trip to the zoo or circus. In the latter they often are fascinated particularly by the huge exotic animals, as for instance lions, tigers, alligators and others. The topic may therefore concern the children personally.

Applying their prior knowledge about animals and fantasy creatures from their daily experiential environments to the art lesson they scrutinise different animals features and peculiarities thus extending their current knowledge. They become acquainted with the English names of different animals as well

as with an appropriate terminology to describe animals with regard to different body parts, texture, appearance etc.

The wide range of distinct characteristics in the animal kingdom provides a suitable starting point for a unit based on drawing techniques. In this context, various techniques may be used (see above).

3.1. Process objectives

According to the German National Curriculum in Art, in grade 3 and 4 the children are supposed to extend and differentiate their current repertoire of drawing techniques. It is therefore important to promote their natural growing interest for graphic phenomena. They should learn to draw a single formatfilling figure (human being, animal, plant) with all its distinct features and characteristics (different body parts, surfaces and textures, gestures, mimics…) using different drawing and writing tools on various undercoats and formats (compare the contemporary version the National Curriculum of the Ministry of Education, the Arts and Sports Baden-Württemberg).

The task to create an invented fantasy animal composed of parts and characteristics of several different animals stimulates the children’s imagination and fosters their creativity to find knew features.

Working with different drawing tools and materials the children improve their abilities concerning the use of these materials. They are also encouraged to experiment with the techniques thus ascertaining new possibilities of how to work with drawing techniques.

3.2. Intelligences engaged/ skills needed

The children should know and recognise various animals by their appearance. They need to be able to thoroughly observe animals ascertaining their distinct features, and also to recognise and apply those parts of their current knowledge that are required in the lesson.

Concerning the English language as a means of communication a basic lexical knowledge of nouns and adjectives regarding animals, body parts, types of texture and general descriptions of appearance is needed, as well as phrases for description such as It’s…, It has…, It looks…