ARTE 342: Lesson Plan Eric Carle Paper

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1 Day Lesson /

Name: Laura Hulseberg

DAILY PLAN
Lesson Title: Eric Carle Paper
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Number of Students: 14
Time Allowed: 50-minute periods
Central Focus (Big Idea) Individual Development & Personal Identity
Skills (Visual Arts Standards, Common Core Standards):
Students will investigate painting with tempera paints, using various implements and found objects
learn, as well as how to use and care for materials properly.
(VA.Cr1.1.K Engage in exploration and imaginative play with materials.)

Students will experiment with applying tempera paints and manipulating wet paint surfaces with
implements and found objects.
(VA:Cr2.1.Ka - Through experimentation, build skills in various media and approaches to
artmaking.)

Students will be able to describe their own process of creating Eric Carle paper.
(VA:Cr3.1.Ka Explain the process of making art while creating.)

Engage in conversation about an Eric Carle book, answering questions about how they think the
artwork was made and discussing the story.
(CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1 - With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key
details in a text.

Overall Lesson Objective:

(On Day 1) Given time to discuss Eric Carle books and given artwork, paper, a variety of tempera paints
and mark-making implements, students will create their own original Eric Carle inspired papers. (Later Given a discussion on what shapes are seen in animals, students will collage shapes of Eric Carle paper
to create an animal invention.)
Blooms Revised Taxonomy of Educational Objectives
Technical Skill Objective Students investigate painting with tempera paints of many
colors.
Formal Qualities Objective Students experiment with making textures by inscribing wet
paint surface with various found objects and implements.
Conceptual Complexity Objective Students synthesize their experimentation with paint
and inscribing to create Eric Carle inspired paper. Students can explain how they made this
paper.
Essential Questions for the Day:
What new combinations of paint will you put together on one paper?
How can you be creative with the way you make marks in the wet paint?
Academic Language Illustrator, Collage, Texture, Tempera Paints, Inscribe

ARTE 342: Lesson Plan Eric Carle Paper

Assessment Criteria:

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Notes: 1) Link criteria to objectives, 2) Include rubrics, etc. as attachments .

Day 1

OBJECTIVE 1
Technical Skill

Investigation of tempera paints

OBJECTIVE 2
Formal Quality

Experimentation with texture

OBJECTIVE 2
Conceptual Complexity
Understanding of artistic process

Students engage in conversation

about Eric Carle images,
discussing what they see and
answering questions about how
they think the artwork was made.
(CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1)

HIGH
PERFORMANCE
Student actively
investigates tempera
paints by completely
filling multiple pages
with paint and
applying and blending
multiple colors.
Student actively
experiments with
making textures by
inscribing wet paint
with at least three
different found object
implements.
Student can explain
the materials and
describe the steps to
how he/she made the
Eric Carle paper.
Student actively
answers questions and
discusses ideas of
creative processes in a
highly creative
manner.

MEDIUM
PERFORMANCE
Student investigates
tempera paints by
applying multiple
colors to paper.
Does not fill the
page. Need a few
prompts and urging.
Student experiments
with making
textures by
inscribing wet paint
with at least one
found object
implement.
With prompts,
student can explain
the materials and
describe how he/she
made the Eric Carle
paper.
Student answers
questions and
discusses ideas of
creative processes in
a moderately
creative manner.

LOW
PERFORMANCE
Student does not
investigate
tempera paints
fully. Requires
urging and
direction or does
not paint at all.
Student does not
experiment with
inscribing on wet
paint.

Student cannot
describe the
materials or
describe how
he/she made the
Eric Carle paper.
Student does not
answer questions
or discuss ideas
about possible
creative processes.

Teaching Resources Needed to Support the Lesson: Note: All background materials, research
documents, and handouts should be listed below and included as attachments.

Various Eric Carle Books

PPT of Eric Carle by Laura
Websites:
http://www.eric-carle.com/slideshow_paint.html

Art Materials Necessary for the Lesson:

Paint Mats
Tempera Paints
Pencils to write name on back of paper
Paint Trays
Container for water
Paint Brushes
Various Implements for Inscribing
Paper Towels to wipe brushes on

ARTE 342: Lesson Plan Eric Carle Paper

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Teacher Activities
Introduction:
(Minute :01 - :10)
I have a picture that I want to show you! Do you want to
see it?
Slide 1 - An image from The Very Hungry Caterpillar
shows on the board. Class discusses if they are familiar
with the image. From where? Yes, its from a book. The
teacher shows Eric Carles many other books.

Student Activities

Students gather on the rug to look at the

images.

Vocabulary: ILLUSTRATOR a person who draws pictures

for books.
Vocabluary: COLLAGE gluing pieces of different
materials together to make artistic image
Ask students if they have any Illustrators that they love.
What books can you think of that you love because the
illustrations are so fantastic?
Slide 3 (Two picture slide) two different images from
different books. This slide shows the variety in how he
creates his papers, the colors and textures they have, and
the marks in them.
Vocabulary: TEXTURE the way something feels.
Vocabulary: INSCRIBE to write or carve into something.
Slide 3 Luna Moth Slide shows some blotting technique
to make moon. Inscribing in grass area.
Slide 4 Picture of Eric Carle to be up all class period
(Slide 5 Vocabulary Review to show at the end of class)

Development:
(Minute :11 - :20)
Teacher and students do a Demonstration Workshop
together to know how to clean brushes in between paints
colors and how to create Eric Carle paper.
Step 1 One color on the whole paper
Step 2 Second or third color dotted or swirled on top
Step 3 Use objects to inscribe into wet paint.
Vocabulary: TEMPERA PAINTS
Handout paper and rest of materials.
Students sign their work first.
(Minute :21 40)
Students experiment with paints and implements to
make as many Eric Carle inspired paper they can.
Implements get rotated around every 4-5 minutes.
When student finishes a painting, he/she places it in
designated location.

Students ANALYZE how the teacher is painting and

using implements in order to decide how they want
to make their own paintings.

Students EXPERIMENT with the tempera paints and

implements.

ARTE 342: Lesson Plan Eric Carle Paper

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Conclusion:
(Minute :41 - :45)
Clean Up
(Minute :45 - :50)
Students are asked to share how they made their
artwork.
How did you create TEXTURE? What did you use to
INSCRIBE into the paint?
Also, today we talked about how artists make the
pictures for books. What is the Word? ILLUSTRATOR

Critical Comments and Reflections:

(Problems, successes, and what to think about for next lesson)

I realized that even at the Kindergarten level, students have a difficult time letting go of making representational
images and painting color to create texture. In hindsight, I should have emphasized more about how we will cut
these painted papers up to do a collage.
The students did not make as much paper as I had hoped. We did three different sets of painting challeges, but
on average only made two paintings per student. I contemplated changing next weeks lesson, but I think that
they will engage with the animal inventions, so I will keep it the same. In the end, the kindergarteners will not
be able to cut as large of animals as I first thought they should do.
After demonstrating how to make an Eric Carle inspired paper, I should have then done a step-by-step painting
alongside students. This would not have hindered their creativity, because they still have free choice in color,
how to apply it and inscribe within the paint. This extra step would have allowed them to better understand
how Eric Carle makes papers (in a short amount of time) and then for the students to innovate from that.
I think that the students need larger brushes so as to inhibit the desire to do detailed drawings.
Because the lesson was exploratory, I should have taken LESS time in the beginning to talk about Eric Carle. We
can revisit Eric Carles illustrations the next lesson.
I need to explore a better way to do clean-up with paint.