Lesson Plan

Title: Breaking Ground on the Worlds Greatest Zoo

Length: 3 class periods

Note: Before you plan and write art experiences; pre-assess your students based on the proposed concepts, enduring understandings, and objectives
of the unit/lesson(s). You may also gather this information from (previous) teachers, by reviewing already completed art work, consulting curriculum
materials, etc., to get a better understanding of what content students already know and what they will need to know to be successful.
Pre-Assessment:
This will need to be done prior to teaching your lesson. Outline the method you will use to determine the skill/knowledge level of your students based on the concepts/enduring understandings/objectives of the lesson.
(Hint: turn these into questions.) Be specific in describing what you would recognize as proficient skill/knowledge.

Students thought about the animal they wanted to make a habitat for during our last class.
At the beginning of class, gather into one large group and discuss their ideas for what they believe is important for every enclosure creator to
consider while making their animal exhibit. Activate their prior knowledge by asking questions about what is important to them about their own
environment and how that these things relate to their animal enclosure. For example, if a student wants to make an environment for polar bear, see
how much they know about their current environment, and how that environment influences what it eats, how it looks, and its overall behavior.
Performance:
What will students accomplish as a result of this lesson? This can be presented to students in the form of a story. In this narrative the students take on a role and create a learning product about a specific topic for a
certain audience. (RAFT Role / Audience / Format / Topic)

You are a zookeeper that just came across a plethora of exotic animals! You need to figure out how to best create a habitat that keeps the animals
happy and healthy while being able to be seen by the public. Your job is to gather as munch information as you can about your animals daily needs.
Keep records of important information in the form of sketches and notes in your sketchbook
Concepts:
List the big ideas students will be introduced to in the lesson. These ideas are universal, timeless and transferrable. Examples of concepts used in art might include: Composition, Patterns, Technique, Rhythm, Paradox,
Influence, Style, Force, Culture, Space/Time/Energy, Line, Law/Rules, Value, Expressions, Emotions, Tradition, Symbol, Movement, Shape, Improvisation, and Observation Look for concepts in the standards, content
specific curriculum, etc.

Prior knowledge, choices, origins, symbol, observation, expressions, perspective, texture, investigate/discovery, context
Enduring Understanding (s):
Enduring Understandings show a relationship between two or more concepts; connected with an active verb. The best enduring understandings not only link two or more concepts; but demonstrate why this relationship
is important. Like concepts, they are timeless, transferrable and universal. Align Standards, Prepared Graduate Competencies (PGCs) and Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) to Enduring Understandings.

Choice is effected by interpretation of observation

Prior knowledge is expressed through creative decisions made during the creative process
Investigation of an idea influences the way it is expressed in artwork.
Problems of personal interest are solved through expressive choices made in artistic production.

Standards: (All lessons should address all standards.)

1. Observe and Learn to Comprehend
2. Envision and Critique to Reflect
3. Invent and Discover to Create

4. Relate and Connect to Transfer

Objectives/Outcomes/Learning Targets:
Objectives describe a learning experience with a condition behavior (measurable) criterion. Aligned to: Blooms Standards GLEs - Art learning and, when appropriate, Numeracy, Literacy and Technology.
Should be written as: Objective. (Blooms: _____ - Standard: _____ - GLE: _____ -Art learning: _____ -Numeracy, Literacy, and/or Technology)

Students use their sketchbooks and drawing utensils to record information that they can apply to their work to better express their concepts/ideas.
(Blooms: Knowledge - Standard: 3 - GLE: 1- Art learning: Historical/Multicultural Content
Viewing artists sketchbooks/planning process students can identify important steps in creating a plan for a work of art. (Blooms: Analysis Standard: 1,4 - GLE: 1 - Art learning: Historical/Multicultural Content)
Using their plans and ideas students will be able to create a sketch for their creature. (Blooms: Synthesis - Standard: 1 - GLE: 2 - Art learning:
Historical/Multicultural Content)
Students choose their subject and make conscious decisions on how to interpret the information discovered into their artwork. (Blooms:
Application- Standard: - 1 GLE: - Art learning: Conceptual/Ideation/Personal grounding)
Through collaborative brainstorming students identify most important components of big idea. (Blooms: Evaluation- Standard: 1 - GLE: 1 - Art
learning: Conceptual/Ideation/Personal grounding)
Students evaluate themselves using a checklist provided by the teachers as a way to organize their facts. (Blooms: Analysis- Standard:2 - GLE: 2 Art learning: Assessment/Evaluation)
Differentiation:
Explain specifically how you have addressed the needs of exceptional students at both end of the skill and cognitive scale. Describe the strategies you will use for students who are already proficient and need growth
beyond what you have planned for the rest of the class, as well as modifications for students with physical and/or cognitive challenges. Students must still meet the objectives.

Differentiation:
(Multiple means for students to access content and
multiple modes for student to express understanding.)

Extensions for depth and complexity:

Access (Resources and/or Process)

Expression (Products and/or Performance)

Tracing paper. If students need help finding shapes

within a subject they are trying to draw.

Students can illustrate a creature with as much

complex features as they are comfortable with.

Access (Resources and/or Process)

Expression (Products and/or Performance)

Students research scale of animal and map out how

big the enclosure needs to be for the comfort of the
animal while taking habitat features into
consideration. Ex: The tiger needs this much room
to move around freely, when I add this big tree I will
need to add this much more room to the enclosure.
Or, a Pegasus has wings and likes to fly, how can an
enclosure be created that will give it room to fly
with out letting it escape?

Students can draw the scale in there sketch book or

pick something from real life and take a picture of
it to put it in their sketchbook.

Literacy:
List terms (vocabulary) specific to the topic that students will be introduced to in the lesson and describe how literacy is integrated into the lesson.

Scale, perspective, Zoo, ecology, functionality, enclosure, artist vs. designer, proportion, balance, form, scale, names of plants depending on
animal, climate zones (temperate, arctic, arid, marine), botanical illustration, Aesthetic, Humanity, classify,
Materials:
Must be grade level appropriate. List everything you will need for this lesson, including art supplies and tools. (These are the materials students will use.) List all materials in a bulleted format.

Tracing paper
Drawing/writing utensils
Books
Sketchbooks
Clay
Colored sticky notes
(maybe cardboard boxes for standardized exhibit foundation)
Resources:
List all visual aids and reference material (books, slides, posters, etc. Be specific; include title, artist, etc. Make reference to where the material can be found. (These are the resources used by the teacher to
support/develop the lesson.) List all resources in a bulleted format.

Books/magazines from the library

Preparation:
What do you need to prepare for this experience? List steps of preparation in a bulleted format.

-Reserve library
-have clay just in case students finish research early and want to start experimenting with materials
Safety:
Be specific about the safety procedures that need to be addressed with students. List all safety issue in a bulleted format.

Scissors
Use materials properly (dont throw clay, make sure its off the carpet)
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Action to motivate/Inquiry Questions:

Describe how you will begin the lesson to stimulate students interest. How will you pique their curiosity and make them interested and excited about the lesson? What inquiry questions will you pose? Be specific
about what you will say and do to motivate students and get them thinking and ready to participate. Be aware of the varying range of learning styles/intelligences of your students. Some ideas might include: telling a story,
posing a series of questions, role-playing, etc.

Grab their attention by showing porcupine clip from movie We Bought a Zoo. This is used to show importance of knowing understanding an
animals behavior
Questions like:
What is the most important part of your own personal natural habitat?
Regardless of animal, what do we all need to consider about our animals while creating the exhibits?
Does the environment your animal live in reflect upon why you chose your animal?
What is the most important quality of your specific animal that needs to be considered?
What does the word zoo mean to you?
Are zoos important to have in society? If so/ not, why?
Ideation/Inquiry:
Ideation is the creative process of generating, developing, and communicating new ideas, where an idea is understood as a basic element of thought that can be visual, concrete or abstract. List and describe inquiry
questions and processes you will engage students in to help them develop ideas and plans for their artwork.

*How does function/purpose influence artwork?

How do ones experiences influence artwork?
* How do artists generate ideas?
* How does art reflect knowledge in other disciplines?
* How do choices for subject matter, symbols and ideas communicate meaning in artwork?
* Why is the exploration and application of materials, tools and techniques important in visual art?
* Whats the difference between a thoughtful and a thoughtless artistic judgment?
* How do underlying structures unconsciously guide the creation of art works?
Procedures:
Give a detailed account (in bulleted form) of how you will present the lesson logically and sequentially Be sure to include approximate time for each activity and instructional methodology: skills, lecture, inquiry,
etc. Include motivation and ideation/inquiry where appropriate.

Day
1

Instruction - The teacher will... (Be specific about what concepts,

information, understandings, etc. will be taught.) Identify
instructional methodology.

1. Greet class and allow them to get settled

2. Take attendance
3. Show video clip from the movie We Bought a
Zoo
Why was it important he knew about the animal
before going into its enclosure? What
information about animals do you have to take
into consideration when building a zoo?

Learning - Students will... i.e.: brainstorm to generate ideas; describe

detail to develop observation skills, etc. (Be specific about what will be
the intended result of the instruction as it relates to learning.)

1&2. Establish routine for students so they become more

comfortable working with and opening up to visiting art
teachers
3. Catch attention of students and create relatable connection
between familiar reality and project topic. Practice
observation skills. Begin to look at the importance of prior
knowledge and research to decision making.

Time
1.

5 min

2.
3.

5 min
10min

4.

10min

4. Discuss important factors that they believe need

to be considered in every enclosure and what that
means for research, write ideas on smart board.
Narrow down list to the 5 most important factors
that need to be considered in every enclosure
(space, food, temperature, social habits, light,
water/land). Leave list on smart board/encourage
them to write it down in sketchbooks.
5. Present example of creating habitat for one of
teachers. Show examples of how they can take
notes by drawing pictures instead of writing
words. Ex. while observing Melanie in her
natural habitat I noticed that everything on her
desk was the same color blue so I drew pictures
of her blue pen, blue backpack, and blue
notebook. I noticed that Melanie is always cold so
I drew a picture of a sweater she could wear when
she gets cold and a picture of the sun because she
likes to live in warm places. Melanie is 5 feet tall
so I drew her standing next to a car so that I know
how big she is. EMPHASIZE THAT ALL
CREATIVE DECISIONS NEED TO HAVE A
REASON BEHIND THEM.
6. Bring students (and drawing materials) to library
and ask them to start researching their animal.
Ask them to keep referring back to the list of
important factors they created. After they have
addressed all 5 important animal factors,
encourage them to find out and record more
details they feel are important to their specific
creature.
7.

Reflect on research findings. Ask students to

identify defining characteristic of their creature.
Ex. Mammal, reptile, marine, has hooves, can fly,
cave dweller. Class discussion lead by questions
listed below

4. Collaborative brainstorming to look at the bigger overall

picture (conscious creative decision making, relationship
between form and function). Practice making connections
between the bigger picture and personal context
5.

10 min

6.

2 min

7.

35 min

8.

4 min

5. Students will make connections between their own

personal habitats and the habitats they are creating for their
creatures. Introduced to the idea that personal understanding
of a topic is communicated through decisions made during
creative production. Transfer knowledge/understanding of
concrete idea to the expression of a more complicated,
abstract thought

6. Students will practice justifying creative decisions with

factual information. Students will be prepared to talk about
reasoning behind their decision making process. Students
will make connection between natural world and creative
expression. Inference based on observation.

7. Connect back from smaller personal context to bigger

picture by making connections from their own work to the
work of their peers. Transfer individual understanding of an idea to an
understanding of patterns/trends within a larger body of thought.

9. 3 min
10. 15 min

-How are the animals in a normal zoo organized?

-Why are the lion enclosure and the zebra enclosure on
opposite side of the zoo?
-Why are all the swamp animals kept in one building?
What about desert animals?
-Looking at all of our creatures, what are some things
that some of them have in common?
-Based on what characteristics should we separate our
animals into 3 groups?
8. Break into 3 groups and discuss animals in further 8.Continue to practice identifying commonalities between
detail and continue to make connections between individual work and the work of their peers based on
characteristics of each animal.
observation.
9. Clean up. Have students put all drawing material
back in original box and place them in the white
tub. Stack sketch books on round table by the
blue couches

Student reflective/inquiry activity:

Sample questions and activities (i.e. games, gallery walk, artist statement, interview) intended to promote deeper thinking, reflection and refined understandings precisely related to the grade level expectations. How will
students reflect on their learning? A participatory activity that includes students in finding meaning, inquiring about materials and techniques and reflecting about their experience as it relates to objectives, standards and
grade level expectations of the lesson.)

What did you learn about your animal?

What did you learn about its environment?
What surprised you about your animal?
What characteristics/features does your animal have and how do they relate to the environment it lives in?

Post-Assessment (teacher-centered/objectives as questions):

Post-Assessment Instrument:

Have students achieved the objectives and grade level expectations specified in your lesson plan?

How well have students achieved the objectives and grade level expectations specified in your lesson plan?
Include your rubric, checklist, rating scale, etc.

Did their sketchbooks show visual discovery of their creatures and

environments?
Did the students fill out the guiding facts sheet provided by the
teachers?

Library Scavenger Hunt

Can you find information on your creature about
Where they live?
What is the climate like?
What else lives/grows there?
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Their personality?
Does it have friends?
Enemies?
What does it eat?
How does it eat?
How big is it?
What does it look like?
What color is it?
Does it have fur/scales?
Self-Reflection:
After the lesson is concluded write a brief reflection of what went well, what surprised you, and what you would do differently. Specifically address: (1) To what extent were lesson objectives achieved? (Utilize
assessment data to justify your level of achievement.) (2) What changes, omissions, or additions to the lesson would you make if you were to teach again? (3)What do you envision for the next lesson? (Continued practice,
reteach content, etc.)

Appendix: Include all handouts, prompts, written materials, rubrics, etc. that will be given to students.

8/9/14 Fahey