I. Analyze Learners
Unit Title: Animals And Where They Live
Grade Level for Unit: Fourth Grade
Length of Class Period: 45 minutes
Beginning Date for this Unit: Monday, November 5, 2007
Ending Date for This Unit: Friday, November 9, 2007
Unit Overview: “Animals and where they live.” As the first day of class for these fourth
graders, they will be reintroduced to the rules, regulations and expectations. After
reintroducing them to the rules students will learn about the ‘word wall’ and they will
have classroom discussion on animals and where they live. After their discussion they
will be required to draw a realistic picture of an animal, discuss how scientists have made
animal discoveries and they will pretend that they are scientists and make their own
discovery of an animal, and finally they will then form this animal out of modeling clay
and place it in an environment (shoe box project).
II. State Objectives
Academic Content Standards Covered:
VA.O.4.1.01 compare the media, tools, techniques, and processes of a variety of
sculpture materials.
VA.O.4.1.02 use the additive, subtractive or assemblage process to create artwork, e.g.,
papier-mâché, found object assemblage, clay.
VA.O.4.3.01 explore architecture, nature, and/or figures as subject matter.
21C.O.3-4.1.LS.1 Student identifies information needed to solve a problem or complete
an assignment, conducts a search and prioritizes various sources based on credibility and
relevance, retrieves relevant information from a variety of media sources, and uses this
information to create an effective presentation.
21C.O.3-4.1.LS.3 Student, cognizant of audience and purpose, articulates thoughts and
ideas accurately and effectively through oral, written or multimedia communications.
III. Select Media and Material
Materials, Equipment, Resources, and Preparations:

Teacher Resources: Prewritten words and definitions for the word wall. Books (The
Berenstain Bears and the Missing Dinosaur Bone, Variety of Dr. Seuss Books Right
Foot, Left Foot), Pre-written/Pre-printed words and definitions for the word wall.

Teacher Supplies: Teacher example of a newly discovered animal and its modeled
form. Clay and clay tools for the demonstration. Teacher example of a newly
discovered animal.

Student Supplies (per class): 30 individual size model magic packets. 100 sheets of
sketch paper, 30 pencils, 15 boxes of crayons.

Safety Procedures: Remind students how to behave in the art classroom. Remind
students that model magic is not supposed to be consumed and that they should be
careful around other students model magic forms.

Technology: Computer that can access the internet.
http://hirshhorn.si.edu/education/animals/animals.html-have students look at example
artists and artwork
http://www.scottish-essays.com/animalart.html-read to students the importance of
animals in artwork, explain the history behind animals in artwork
http://clevelandart.org/educef/asianodessey/pdf/aniartel.pdf-examine pre-made lesson
plans to make lesson plan improvements…generate new ideas
http://ezproxy.marshall.edu:2536/sas/search?vid=1&hid=12&sid=245e61c3-b753-4113-a
470-9c8d2f52174c%40sessionmgr3-searchasaurus site, have kids look up definitions
from lesson plans
Modifications and Considerations:

Prepare for students with special needs. Have another handout of the lesson made for
each aid in the classroom.
For students with higher level art skills, have extra examples of how to make the project
better to help enhance the students sense of artistic quality.
IV. Utilize Media and Materials
Lessons and Descriptions

Day One
Title: Animals and where they live around us
Description: Discuss animals, how they look, where they live, and what animals we see
everyday. Introduce the book
Holly’s Farm Animals. Have students draw their favorite
animal and after they finish have them present to the class their animal have them tell
why it is their favorite.

Day Two
Title: Let’s Explore
Description: Talk about scientists, what they do and how they do it. Talk about dinosaurs
and how scientists discovered them, where they have discovered them, and the way they
name them. Introduce the book The Berenstain Bears and the Missing Dinosaur Bone
along with many Dr. Seuss books, look at the characters in them. Talk about how Dr.
Seuss uses his odd characters and the places they live. During this lesson students will be
encouraged to get interactive with websites about definitions used in class and about the
authors discussed.

Days Three and Four
Title: What is that?
Description: Have students come in prepared to make the animal they have imagined
that they have discovered and were the first to find. Have the students do a quick sketch
and then have them form their animal from modeling clay. This part of the assignment
will take two days to complete. Make sure to mention to students, after the second day of
clay modeling, that they need to bring a shoe box for the next class date.

Day Five
Title: Where did you find it…a shoe box?
Description: After you talk about your animals have students discuss where they found
their animal. Have students decorate their shoe boxes to show what type of environment
they found their animal in. Place student work on display after they finish and have a
classroom discussion.
V. Require Learner Participation
Keeping Students Interested: It is not always easy keeping students interested in their
projects, so I will have one computer designated to run student friendly websites that can
help students generate ideas to keep their project going. Also, by breaking my lesson
down day by day the students will have less trouble keeping occupied, because every day
is planned to the fullest with fun art activities.
VI. Evaluate and Revise
Performance Based Assessment strategies:
Students will respond to questions regarding clay, model, and the techniques used to
model clay. Students will be closely watched as they work with the formation of their
modeling clay into an actual animal model. Also students will form groups to discuss
their animal creates and each group will chose one member to speak in front of the class
about what their animal is, how they cam up with their animal, where it lives, and how
they made their animal.