ANIMALS IN WINTER – Clay, Texture, Space

Students create a triarama that shows the habitat of a Canadian animal in winter. Then they use air dry clay to sculpt the animal and place it in the setting.

Required Time

180 Minutes

Grade Level

Kindergarten to Grade 3

Subject

Language Arts
Mathematics
Science
Visual Arts

Vocabulary

background colour cylinder foreground form habitat hibernate migrate proportion score sculpture shape slip sphere texture

Materials

Crayola air dry clay Bristol Board 30 cm x 30 cm (12"x 12") Crayola Acrylic Paint Crayola Tempera Paint Cotton Balls Crayola Glue Sticks Paint Brushes White Glue Scissors Water Container Fork

Shop Crayola Products

Air Dry Clay 1.13 kg White

Steps

Step One

Begin with a square of Bristol board 30 cm x 30 cm (12" x 12").

Step Two

Fold the Bristol board in half diagonally from one corner to the other. Make a firm crease.

Step Three

Open the Bristol board up and fold it diagonally in the opposite direction. Make a firm crease.

Step Four

Make a dot in the centre of the Bristol board where the two folds meet. Cut along one of the folds and stop at the dot.

Step Five

Mark an X on one of the flaps. This side will be tucked under the other. Do not paint on this flap.

Step Six

Fold the Bristol board up and let one flap go over the other.

Step Seven

Notice what will be the background of your setting – the two vertical sides, and what will be the foreground – the flat horizontal part . Open the Bristol board up and do your painting on it while it is flat.

Step Eight

Divide the space on the large flat triangle into middleground, background and sky. Use Crayola tempera paint to paint each section mixing colours to create contrast. From time to time fold the triarama up so you can be sure it looks right. If you want to make your snow scene look more realistic use an old tooth brush to splatter white paint onto it to make it look like it's snowing.

Step Nine

To make a cave for your animal cut a strip of Bristol board about 10 cm x 5 cm. Make short cuts along one of the long sides.

Step Ten

Gently fold the Bristol board so it curves around into a semicircle.

Step Eleven

Cut a small semicircle out of Bristol board and glue it on top of the tabs to hold the curved strip of Bristol board in place.

Step Twelve

Remember the glue stick goes on blue but it dries clear. Place the cave into the triarama.

Step Thirteen

Add some cotton balls to make it look like snow is covering the cave. Your habitat is ready.

Step Fourteen

Now it's time to make your animal! You will need Crayola air dry clay. In this example we are making a bear. Use the same general ideas for other animals and just change the shapes you make depending on your animal. As you work, remember to think about the scale – the size of your bear in relation to it's cave, for example. Roll the clay into simple shapes. You will need one large cylinder for the body, 4 small cylinders for the legs and one sphere for the head. Remember that your animal will be lying down.

Step Fifteen

Score and slip each piece of clay before you attach it to the body. To make slip, take a small ball of clay and mix it with enough water to make a mixture the consistency of heavy cream. You will use the slip like glue to help hold your pieces together.

Step Sixteen

Use a fork to score or scratch the clay to make it rough. Then apply a small amount of slip. This will help the pieces to stay together.

Step Seventeen

Smooth the pieces as you join them together.

Step Eighteen

Allow the finished sculpture to dry for several days.

Step Nineteen

Paint your animal with Crayola acrylic or tempera paint and allow it to dry for about 20 minutes.

Step Twenty

Place your animal in the cave.

Step Twenty-One

Put the final touches on your triarama by adding more cotton and/or some found objects to make your scene look realistic.

Learning Goals

Students will be able to:

Create a triarama showing a Canadian animal in winter in its natural habitat;
Accurately show what this animal does in winter – hibernate, stay active or migrate to warmer climates;
Use simple three dimensional forms and clay hand-building techniques to create their chosen animal;
Use paint and found objects to accurately represent their animal's habitat; and
Demonstrate technical accomplishment and creativity.

Extensions

Have students create and share an oral presentation about their chosen animal with the class.
Have students write an imaginary story about their animal's life and adventures.
Have students write an acrostic poem about their animal to share with an audience.

Prepare

Prior to this lesson, teach students about the various habits of animals in winter introducing them to terms including hibernation and migration.
Take students on a winter walk encouraging them to look for animals and birds or signs of their presence such as footprints etc.
Download some images of animals that hibernate from the Internet, for example,
Grizzly
Black Bear
Squirrel
Groundhog
Download some images of animals that migrate from the Internet, for example,
Caribou
Robin
Monarch Butterfly
Canada Goose
Download some images of animals that adapt from the Internet, for example,
Chickadee
Cottontail Rabbit
Blue Jay
Mouse
Have students sort pictures of animals according to how they spend the winter.
Generate lists showing animals that hibernate in winter, animals that migrate to warmer climates and animals that stay active all winter.
Encourage students to select one animal from all the catagories and complete further research on it.
Make grade appropriate books about animals available, encouraging students to gather information about their chosen animal and its habitat.

Introduction

Have students create small drawings of the kinds of things found in their animal's habitat.
Ask them to think about the kinds of materials they could use to recreate the habitat, for example, small twigs, pebbles, cotton balls.
Introduce the challenge

Activities

The Challenge

Create a triarama showing a Canadian animal's natural habitat in winter.
Accurately show what your animal does in winter – hibernate, stay active or migrate to warmer climates.
Create a clay sculpture of your animal.
Use paint and found objects to accurately represent your animal's habitat.
Demonstrate planning ability, and technical accomplishment.

The Process

Ask students to imagine the setting for their scene. Where might their animal be?
Remind them that this triarama is meant to show one of the following; an animal that hibernates all winter, an animal that migrates to warmer climates in winter, or an animal that remains active all winter.
Encourage them to think of the kinds of details they will need to add to the setting to make it effective.
Make sure everyone understands the challenge.
Encourage students to use their research information and any pictures they have found to help them with details they will need to include in order to make their animal and its habitat look realistic.
Remind students about the importance of accurate scale and proportion.
Guide students through the steps outlined in this lesson plan.
Observe students as they work.
Provide individual assistance and encouragement.

Sharing

Once all the models are complete ask students to work in small groups taking turns sharing their work with each other.
- Look closely at the models.
- Share thoughts about the work.
During the discussion include references to:
- detail – how it has been used to make the setting look realistic
- texture – how different materials add a variety of textures to different areas in the model making it more interesting to look at
- technique – how clay techniques have been used to make the animal look realistic
Once students have had a chance to share their work in small groups ask for volunteers to share something interesting they learned with the whole class.

Assessment

Observe students as they work – thoughtful focus, discriminating, seeking more information, elaborating, experimenting
Observe students as they discuss the art works – active listening, insightful contributions, supporting ideas with evidence found in the artwork and from personal experience.
Use a checklist to track progress. (Download - ANIMALS_tracking.pdf)
Have students use the self-assessment form to evaluate their work. (Download - ANIMAL_self-assessment.pdf or ANIMALS_Gr3_self-assessment.pdf)