what can line do for you?

This week is the first week of my "for real" rotations with classes. For the next 2 weeks I'll be working with my 2nd & 5th graders, the next 2 with k & 3rd, and then 1st & 4th.

I work through the elements with these rotations. This week the 2nd graders are looking at a few illustrations by designer/illustrator Luke Bott. I share some info about Luke from his website- did you know he HATES onions? Most of the 2nd graders do too:)

When looking at 3 animal illustrations Luke made, we talk about how he used line in a few different ways- to create the animal, to add details and texture to them, and to build patterns on the blankets in them. I write these points on the board for the kids to refer to later when they do their exit slips. We also talk about how the animals Luke chose all can thrive in dry climates. I ask the students if we live in a desert (no, but we're pretty darn close) and that we can see all these animals doing well over at the San Diego Zoo.

I have been rotating through the animals with each group I meet with, so that each class has 2 different animals to hang up in their rooms (I meet with half of 2 classes at a time to give the classroom teacher small group instruction time).

The lesson then goes something like this- we draw out the animal, cut it out, glue it pencil side down, to a colored paper of their choice (4 colors to choose from), add details with a color stick that matches their color, add patterns to the blankets, add a simple background, and do an exit slip.

Boom. Pretty direct, but kids do have choices to make along the way that allow for variety in their visual products.

 Classes that ran long with the project and did not have time for the full exit slip were able to complete an exit sentence on a stickie and leave it for me.