Art Integration Lesson Plan Template 1

Art Integration Lesson Plan Template

LTC 4240: Art for Children

Lesson Title & Big Idea: Animal Habitats in Community Grade Level: 4
th

Lesson Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to show children another form of community that they might not realize is
community through animal habitats. Also, students learn the effect on animal habitats due to negative human actions
like polluting and littering. Students are building on their knowledge of their own community with new knowledge about
animal communities.


Class Periods Required:
4
Key Concepts (2-3):
A community is a small place that shares common values.
Communities involve not only people but animals as well.
Different art mediums are used to portray a community like tissue
paper, construction paper, markers etc.
Littering, pollution, deforestation and other human behaviors take
away homes for animals, make the air unhealthy and harm our
environment.
Essential Questions (2-3):
1. What is a community?
2. What do different communities look like?
3. How are communities portrayed through art?
4. How does human behavior effect habitats and communities
negatively?
Lesson Objectives: (Excellent resource at http://www.teachervision.fen.com/curriculum-planning/new-teacher/48345.html?for_printing=1&detoured=1)
Students will create dioramas and learn from these creations to inquire knowledge about communities.
Students will explain through a persuasive writing how habitats are harmed by human behaviors and how if effects communities for animals
Students will creatively portray a diorama to express how habitats differ for different animals.



Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) (3-4) (http://dese.Commo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/GLE/)
Science:
Strand 4: 1A:
Identify and describe different environments (i.e. pond, forest, prairie) support
the life of different types of plants and animals
1D:
Identify examples in Missouri where human activity has had a beneficial or
harmful effect on other organisms (e.g., feeding birds, littering vs. picking up
trash, hunting/conservation of species, paving/restoring green space)
Literacy:
2B-4
Compose text with a clear controlling idea and relevant details/examples.
3A:
Missouri Core Academic Standards (Common Core State Standards)
(3-4) (http://www.corestandards.org/)
Literacy:
4.1B
Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details
4.2A
Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an
organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped to
support the writer's purpose.


Art Integration Lesson Plan Template 2

Compose persuasive texts using appropriate text features
Using appropriate format
Visual Arts:
Strand 1: 2A
Apply a variety of paper folding techniques



Integrated Content Areas:
1. Visual Art
2. Science
3. Literacy

Identify & define common vocabulary/concepts that connect visual art with
the non-art content area.
Diorama: a model representing a scene with three-dimensional figures, either in
miniature or as a large-scale museum exhibits.
Community: a group of people living in the same place or having a particular
characteristic in common.
Habitat: the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other
organism

Anticipatory Set (Gaining Attention):
Students will view a picture slide show of the artist Helen
Musselwhite and her work through dioramas.
Have them write down all the 3D aspects they notice about dioramas
-What sticks out to them?
-What mediums do they think were used?
-What is the diorama trying to portray?
Then, students will start by thinking of an animal and their habitat
they can recreate using a diorama.
Closure (Reflecting Anticipatory Set):
Day 4:
Students will present their dioramas to their classmates and review
any similarities the students notice about their habitats.

Lesson Activities & Procedure(s):
1. Day One:
After students participate in picture slide show of Musselwhites
work, students will brainstorm different animal habitats they could
represent with a diorama.
Students will participate in a discussion about what makes this type of
art stick out and look at the minor details.
-What sticks when you look at this diorama?
- How does this style of art benefit you as the artist over just
drawing the habitat on paper?
After brainstorming, students will individually pick a habitat they want
Lesson Texts & Materials:
-Construction paper
-Artist link
http://www.helenmusselwhite.co.uk/projects/holland-herald/
-YouTube link for instructions on how to make diorama
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFL3gpNECvY

-Different mediums such as tissue paper and felt

Art Integration Lesson Plan Template 3

to create to represent a community.
By the end of the class period, the students need to have a habitat in
mind
Day 2:
With the idea of what habitat they want to create, students will be
taught how to cut and fold a diorama for the base of their habitat.
Students will watch this video on how to cut the construction paper
to make the landscape of the diorama.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFL3gpNECvY
Students will complete diorama in class that day and dry over night.
See attached for what one would look like if a student did the
Rainforest.
Day 3:
A class discussion will start this day by grouping students with a
partner to think-pair-share about what we do daily that could effect
the habitats they built the class before.
Once they each have a behavior like polluting, littering, giving animals
food etc, they will write a persuasive paper explaining why humans
should stop that behavior and how it helps the community the made
in the diorama.
The paper should express how it negatively affects the habitat and
the animals living there.

Lesson adaptations for challenged learners:
For kids that are struggling, they can print off clipart off the interest to use in
their habitat instead of making it all themselves. I understand where these
kids are coming from because when I was their age, I was defeated when it
came to art projects and lost sight of what the purpose of the project was for.
The clipart still portrays the habitat they want and they dont have to worry
about what other students are thinking about their work.
Lesson extensions/enrichments for gifted learners:
Students who are gifted can engage in many activities to further their
knowledge on habitats. For one, students can take look at this video, which
explains the concept of Tunnel Books. Tunnel Books would be another great
artistic activity for these students to explore a different habitat and compare
the negative impacts on each of those habitats.


Formative Assessment strategies:
After the students watch the video of how to make a diorama, and Helen
Musselwhites work, students should point out how there are objects that
seem to pop off the walls of the diorama. The students should be able to
identify the special features of a diorama and how these 3D characteristics
Summative Assessment strategy:
At the end of the lesson, I would collect both the diorama and the
persuasive writing on how our behaviors affect animal habitats. Students
need to accurately assess how we affect habitats with behaviors like littering
and polluting and persuade others to stop these behaviors for a better life
Art Integration Lesson Plan Template 4

make the diorama come to life. Their dioramas should also portray an
accurate representation of a habitat of an animal with the correct animal. If
not, the students may have to adjust their diorama accordingly.

for animals. They also need to use the diorama to correctly make their
chosen habitat and characteristics of that habitat such as what the land
looks like, if there is rain or sunshine etc.

What student prior knowledge will this lesson require/draw upon?
Some prior knowledge this lesson will draw upon would be different animals and what their habitats look like. Since students will be recreating the animals
habitat, they will need to know characteristics of that specific place they live. Also, students will need to know ways humans disturb the habitats of these
animals by knowing what pollution is, what littering is and other negative behaviors.

How will you engage students in imagining, exploring, and/or experimenting in this lesson?
Students will explore this big idea through an artist and their artwork. They will see that dioramas are a way to express an idea through art and making it 3D.
Then they will experiment on their own by making a diorama to portray the community of an animal and their habitat. Through this artwork, students will
find that habitats are affected in more than one way from humans and our daily choices of littering and polluting. I believe students will have to be creative
and imagine deeply for the not so obvious habitats like the Rainforest or the desert that are affected by pollution.

How will this lesson allow for/encourage students to solve problems in divergent ways?
I think this project is a lot more intricate than just drawing on a piece of paper because dioramas are 3D. I think students will have to be creative to find ways
to make the pollution symbols and littering symbols come to life on the diorama with also showing how it affects animals. Also coming up with what
characteristics of the habitat are 3D will be a challenge for some students. Having the students write about how we can help save their chosen habitat helps
them strategize ways they can be involved in their own community to help other communities.
How will you engage students in routinely reflecting on their learning?
This lesson asks students to write about how our behaviors disrupt living for animals and why we should be more cautious of these behaviors. This process is
a reflection too for the students to see what behaviors they could change in their own lives to help out their own community and an animals community. In
4
th
grade, the kids should be able to empathize for others and one way to do that is have them think of all the negative things humans do that could harm
others.

How will this lesson engage students in assessing their own work and the work of peers?
Since the students are sharing their work with the class, the students can individually compare their persuasion essays to their peers and see if there is
anything comparable. If they agree or disagree with the student, they can conference and improve on how to make that environment better for the animal.
What opportunities/activities will students be given to revise and improve their understandings and their work?
After the students make their diorama, they can add or take away parts before the next day begins. Student will have a night in between writing the essay
and make the dioramas so giving them an opportunity to fix it will also help their papers. Also, by sharing with the class at the end, students will be exposed
to many other ways they can help the community to improve their understanding.

What opportunities/activities will you provide for students to share their learning in this lesson?
Students will have the opportunity to share their diorama and why they picked the animal and habitat they did. They will also have a chance to pick out
Art Integration Lesson Plan Template 5

major points from their writing piece to share with the class on how we can be more proactive about the behaviors so we dont harm the habitats anymore. I
would hang these papers and dioramas around the classroom so the student and I can constantly be reminded about what we can do for not only our
community, but other communities around us.

Lesson Resources/References:
See Attached

References
Silverstein, L. B. & Layne, S. (n.d.). Defining arts integration. Retrieved from
http://www.americansforthearts.org/networks/arts_education/publications/special_publications/Defining%20Arts%20Integration.pdf











Art Integration Lesson Plan Template 6

Resources:

Example of what students would make