Camouflage Collage

 

Fiona Black

Unit of Study: Art and Science

Subject: Art

Grade: 2nd

 

*Designed for 2nd grade but is flexible! I have used with 1st-3rd.

 

The Big Idea: 

 

Students will learn about animals that camouflage, and use their knowledge of patterns to hide their own animals into a collaged, patterned background.

 

Specific Essential Questions addressed in this lesson:

 

What makes a pattern? How do you know what will come next in a pattern? What does it mean when an animal is camouflaged? Why might animals need to camouflage into their environment?

 

Learning Outcomes/Expectations/Objectives:

 

As a result of this lesson, students will understand that patterns are created by repeating an element (in this case color and shape) in a predictable way.

 

As a result of this lesson, students will know that there are many animals that use camouflage as a way of protecting themselves.

 

As a result of this lesson, students will be able to create a pattern using shapes and colors, and be able to replicate that pattern with different materials by camouflaging an animal into that pattern.

 

Assessment of Student Understanding:

 

What products or performances will provide evidence of the desired understandings, knowledge and skills?

 

Finished student work will provide me with evidence that they have understood the project and information given. If students demonstrate the ability to recreate the background pattern and camouflage their animal into the page, I know they will have understood the lesson.

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Day 1 Learning Activities:

 

Introduction/Opening (5-10 minutes)

Begin by reviewing patterns with students. What is a pattern? What kinds of patterns can you think of? What kinds of shapes and symbols do you see in patterns? How might you know what comes next in the pattern? Use examples, ask students what will come next in a variety of patterns.

 

Demonstration (5 minutes)

For the demonstration show students how to use the paint sponges to stamp different shapes onto their paper. Remind students that they should be filling the entire page with the pattern they choose, and to keep their shapes close so they have the maximum amount of space to make their pattern.

 

Transition: Send students to seats to begin working.

 

Activity (20-25 minutes)

Student can work independently on this project during this time frame, the goal is to finish filling their page.

 

Cleanup (5 minutes)

Have students start to clean up, put their work on the drying rack and wash hands. 

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*Teacher prep between day one and two: Once the work is dry, cut each student's pattern into vertical strips 3-4 inches wide.

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Day 2 Learning Activities:

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Introduction/Opening/Demonstration (5-10 minutes)

Show students how each step of this project with work [see step-by-step whiteboard instructions with examples]. Explain how their work will be collaged together with other students' work. Show them how to use the foam brushes to spread glue onto one strip at a time, and place them down onto a new piece of paper.

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Transition: Send students to seats to begin working.

 

Activity (15 minutes)

Students work on glueing their pieces down during this time.

 

Closure (15 minutes)

Students clean up and put their work on the drying rack, then transition back to the whiteboard for an intro on the activity for next class. Show images of animals camouflaged in their environments, and ask students to come up to the board and try and find the animals (include a variety of animals and images with varying levels of difficulty in finding the animals). Show students how they will be camouflaging cutout animals into their new pattern paintings next class.

 

Day 3 Learning Activities:

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Introduction/Opening (5 minutes)

Brief review on camouflage and what it means. Which animals camouflage? Why?

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Demonstration (5 minutes)

Show students the different animal cutouts they can pick from, and how to cut them out. Then show them how to glue down their animal and start using crayons to camouflage them into the background. Remember what we learned about patterns: How will you know what comes next? How can you figure out what pattern is underneath your animal, so you can properly camouflage them?

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Transition: Have students pick an animal cutout and take it to their seat to begin cutting it out. While students cut, hand back their pattern work and hand out glue as well.

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Activity (20-25 minutes)

Students will work on cutting out and gluing down their animal. Then they will work on camouflaging it into their background.

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Have students come up and hang their work on the board when they think they are finished. Ask them to take a few steps back and see if they think their animal is camouflaged. Encourage them to ask a freind for feedback too!

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Closure (5-10 minutes)

Students will clean up, then return to the whiteboard to share their work with the class (if they would like). Students can try to find each other's animals in their work.

 

Materials needed for the lesson:

• stamp/paint stamp pads

• shape stamps

• large (~12x18) paper [2 sheets per student]

• printed images of the animal cutouts (a variety of each so students can choose)

• scissors (1 pair per student)

• foam brushes and liquid glue OR glue sticks

• crayons

 

Teacher Materials needed for demonstration:

• stamp/paint stamp pad

• a few shape stamps

• one large sheet of paper

• pair of scissors

• foam brush and liquid glue OR glue stick

• animal cutout paper

• crayons

 

Understanding Your Learners

 

What considerations have you made to create an equitable environment to support all students in reaching the objectives for this lesson?

 

Using images as well as text and verbal cues during the demonstration.

 

How will you modify the lesson for students with IEPs and 504s?

 

In order to reach a variety of learners I will provide images, text, and verbal instruction. Large stamps are preferred so students with impaired motor skills can use their whole hand to hold the stamp and only gently press to make a mark. If students are unable to hold scissors, teacher help can be provided. If students are unable to hold a crayon, they can use the stamps instead to camouflage their animal.

 

How will you modify the lesson for students with language learning needs?

 

Visual cues and instructions, and can provide key words for vocabulary if necessary.  

 

How will you enhance and extend the lesson for students that already demonstrate mastery of the objectives?

 

Because this lesson has so many steps and is a multi-day project, students who finish early on any given day can help put a friend, or be a teacher helper to hand out materials.