wild things.

I love sharing Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are with the kids at school. When I read it with the 2nd graders they get very into it and I get very into it. Howling at the moon. Making monkey sounds. Running in place.

Before we get into the book we talk about texture and what it is. Students give examples of different types of textures and then I ask them to look out for different textures and patterns in the illustrations of the book.

Using the presenter to share the book, I can zoom in on different textures that Maurice created with different line patterns. I love my presenter.

After reading the book we talk about how Max used his imagination to create this far away place and how Maurice used his imagination to create the book itself. I tell the students that they need to use their imagination to create their own wild thing. Palpable excitement ensues.

I point out that they need to create the wild thing and a setting to go along with it. Every character needs a setting.

Since we are focusing on texture students need to include at least 3 different textures/patterns to show that they are proficient in creating implied textures.

We also use actual texture in this project because it is done as a relief print on styrofoam. Students must alter the surface quality of the plate for their image to transfer effectively onto a piece of paper.

We use water soluble markers to color the plate. Before transferring the image I dampen the paper to make the marker color release a bit better onto the paper.

I allow the students to take the styrofoam with them so they can try it out at home again.