Students in Ms. Duran and Ms. Jackson’s First Grade class at Willow Creek Academy are transforming their classroom into a rain forest!
Ms. Duran is working through a project based approach, where the students are learning as much as possible about one topic. They have been learning about monkeys, anacondas, and more. With Ms. Brooke, the visual arts specialist, they are in the process of creating some of the set pieces that will be used for their rain forest play in a few weeks.
Essential Questions: How can I be a scientist and an artist? Why are rain forest plants and trees important? What do I NOTICE about them?
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- Students first OBSERVED the plants and trees in the habitat around the school. They sketched and made observations.
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- Drawings were traced onto transparency so they could be enlarged through the overhead projector.
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- Students OBSERVED images of trees and plants from the rainforest and drew what they saw.
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- Parent volunteers help to transfer the students’ drawings on transparencies onto the boards.
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- Reflection before painting: What do you SEE? What do you THINK? What do you WONDER?
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- Students are encouraged to make as many color variations as possible.
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- Students work together to collaborate on the mural and their color mixing. These boys are making the color brown.
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- A student makes as many reds and oranges as she can to paint her rainforest Corpse Flower.
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- Students looked at work by Master Artist, Mike Glier, who spent time painting the rainforest in Ecuador.
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