1st Grade Visual Art Training
“Your Place or Mine”
http://www.tnaqua.org/kidsteachers/Animals_programs_list.asp
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry,
and narrow-mindedness, and many
of our people need it sorely. Broad,
wholesome, charitable views can not
be acquired by vegetating in one’s
little corner of earth.”
- Mark Twain
From Innocents Abroad, 1869
Three Visual Art Trainings
in 2009-2010
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October 27th
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October 28th
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Video-Conference: Tennessee Aquarium: Your
Place is Mine with Tyson Ledgerwood
ARTSY Training with Nancy Powell or Sandy Goad
January 27th
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1st Grade Level PLC with Denise Young
School Wide Art Show 2009-2010
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The winners of the individual school art shows will be framed
and displayed downtown at the Center for the Arts May 1.
“The word art, derived from an
ancient Indo-European root that
means “to fit together,” suggests
as much. Art is about fitting
things together: words, images,
objects, processes, thought,
historical epochs.”
- Jeffrey J. Schnapp
Director of Stanford Humanities Lab
Stanford University
Hour #1
“Hands On” Classroom Lesson #1
“Animal Blanket”
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Cut out the stencil
Trace shape with black oil pastel.
Add details with stickers: Eyes, toes spots etc.
Add big tissue paper squares to make a colorful
blanket.
Cut a frayed edge on both sides of the blanket.
Hour #2
Video-Conference
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Virtual Classroom Lesson
Questions and Answers from Presenter
Sign-up for Video-Conference in your
classroom.
Animals available for programs
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Turtles
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Snakes &
Lizards
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Corn snake
Ball Python
Leopard Gecko
Blue-tongue Skink
Amphibians
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Ornate Box Turtle
Alligator Snapping Turtle
Painted Turtle
Giant Marine Toad
Ornate Horned Toad
White’s Tree Frog
African Clawed Frog
Eastern Tiger Salamander
Invertebrates
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Curly Hair Tarantula
Emperor Scorpion
African Millipede
Amphibians at the Tennessee Aquarium
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Surinam toad
Green tree frog
Fire-bellied toad
Northern red salamander
Yonahlossee salamander
Hellbender salamander
Birds at the Tennessee Aquarium
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Macaroni Penguin
Gentoo Penguin
Hyacinth Macaw
Cedar Waxwing
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
Dark-Eyed Junco
Hermit Thrush
Tufted Titmouse
Ovenbird
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Wood Duck
Hooded Merganser
Eastern Bluebird
Crested Wood Partridge
Mandarin Duck
Yellow-breasted Chat
Eastern Towhee
Butterflies at the Tennessee Aquarium
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Butterfly
Butterfly Egg
Caterpillar
Pupa
Fish at the Tennessee Aquarium
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Epaulette Shark
Brown Banded Bamboo Shark
Sand Tiger Shark
Black Stingray
Southern stingray
Bonnethead shark
Brook trout
Red-bellied piranha
Great barracuda
Queen trigger
Smallmouth bass
Tangerine darter
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Arapaima
Black crappie
Barrens topminnow
Weedy sea dragon
Dwarf seahorse
Longsnout seahorse
Potbelly seahorse
Lined seahorse
Leafy sea dragon
Northern pipefish
Coral shrimpfish
Blue catfish
Paddlefish
Lake sturgeon
Beluga sturgeon
Invertebrates at the Tennessee Aquarium
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Giant Pacific Octopus
Pharaoh Cuttlefish
Giant Spider Crab
Emperor Nautilus
Moon Jellyfish
West Coast Sea Nettle
Reptiles at the Tennessee Aquarium
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American Alligator
Eastern Spiny Soft-shell
Alligator Snapping Turtle
Barbour's Map Turtle
Yellow-Blotched Map Turtle
Timber Rattlesnake
Copperhead
Black-Breasted Leaf Turtle
Yellow Anaconda
Eastern Box Turtle
Green Sea Turtle
Florida Red belly Turtle
Eastern Rat Snake
West African Dwarf Crocodile
Pig-Nosed Turtle
Eastern Mud Turtle
Mammals at the Tennessee Aquarium
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Otter
Aquarists
Herpetologists
Horticulturists
Aviculturists
Entomologist
Research Biologists
Veterinarian
Future Jobs for Students
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Aquarists: Aquarium Exhibit Maintenance
Herpetologists: Retiles and Amphibians
Horticulturists: Plants
Aviculturists: Birds
Entomologist: Butterflies
Research Biologists: Wildlife Research
Veterinarian: Wildlife Doctor
Hour #3
“Hands On” Classroom Lesson #2
“Spider Sculpture”
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Draw an X in the middle of your base.
Starting in the middle of the X draw a Small, MediumSized, and Big Circles.
Trace all your lines with your Glitter Glue.
Let Dry.
Stick a Big, Medium Sized, and Small balls of clay on
your toothpick.
Add four legs on each side with joints and feet.
Add eyes.
Place on your web (base).
Resource Information
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The Tennessee
Aquarium website has
a printable information
on the website that
includes many pages
of activities.
The website link is:
http://www.tnaqua.
org/Home.aspx
What a 1st Grader Needs to Know
about Living Things and Their
Environments
Living Things and Their Habitats
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Do you recognize this big furry
fellow?
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He’s a polar bear.
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He lives near the North Pole.
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What’s weather like there?
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Brrr!
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It’s cold, cold cold!
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Look at what’s all around the
polar bear: ice, and lots of it.
Photo by Ken Whitman
Living Things and Their Habitats
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The polar bear lives
where it’s cold and icy all
the time, but he doesn’t
seem to mind at all.
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Look at him again.
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See his thick, furry coat?
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With all that thick fur, he
stays pretty cozy, even at
the North Pole.
Living Things and Their Habitats
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Now, imagine that the
polar bear decides to go on
a vacation.
Of course, you and I know
that bears don’t take
vacations, but let’s
pretend.
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He goes on a trip to
Hawaii.
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How do you think he would
like it?
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What would our big furry
friend think of sunny,
sandy beaches of Hawaii?
Living Things and Their Habitats
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Well, if you’ve ever been
to the beach, you might
like it.
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The polar bear can’t
take off his fur!
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He wouldn't enjoy a trip
to warm, sunny Hawaii.
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It’s a lovely place, but
not for him.
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It’s not his habitat.
Living Things and Their Habitats
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What’s a habitat?
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For an animal, a habitat is
the place where the animal
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Lives
Eats
Sleeps
Makes its home
Has babies
Gets along (mostly) with
other animals.
But it’s not just any kind of
place.
An animal’s habitat is a
special place suited to the
animal because the animal
is suited to it.
Living Things and Their Habitats
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The big furry polar bear
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Isn’t suited to the warm beach
He gets along fine at the icy
North Pole.
A fish that swims in the ocean
couldn’t possibly survive in the
mountains, could it?
Would a worm that crawls
through the moist, rich soil of
the forest be happy living in
the hot, sandy desert?
Living Things and Their Habitats
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Different animals live in
different habitats.
The way an animal lives
has a lot to do with its
habitat.
Let’s explore a few
habitats and get to
know some animals
living in them.
The Forest Habitat
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Imagine you’re taking
a walk through a
beautiful forest.
Oak and maple trees
stand tall around you.
Their highest
branches reach
upward and form a
leafy canopy, which
makes it cool and
shady for you as you
walk along below.
The Forest Habitat
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What’s that tap-taptapping sound?
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It’s a bird called a
woodpecker.
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Woodpeckers peck into
the trunks of old trees,
looking for insects to
eat.
The woodpecker lives in
this forest habitat.
The Forest Habitat
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A squirrel also lives in this forest habitat.
Squirrels build nests in the tree branches
and gathers acorns from the oak trees in
the fall.
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Pew! What could that awful smell be?
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It’s a skunk!
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You must have scared it.
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A skunk sends out a stinky spray. To
defend itself against larger animals that
threaten to eat it (not that you would
ever eat a skunk!)
Skunks burrow into holes in the ground
or into rotten tree trunks.
They eat berries and insects and eggs
they steal from the nests of birds that
also live in the forest habitat.
The Forest Habitat
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Ooh, what’s that sticky stuff on
your face?
You’ve walked into the threads
of a spider web, strung across
your path.
Spiders weave their webs
where insects fly, hoping to
trap some bug for dinner.
Yummy!
The Forest Habitat
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Down on the forest
floor, the leaves fall
and pile up.
Snails and other
animals eat the leaves.
Along comes a raccoon,
which eats the snails
(and many other things
– raccoons aren’t very
picky eaters!).
The Forest Habitat
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Woodpecker,
squirrel, skunk,
spider, snail,
raccoon – all these
animals and many
more live in the
forest habitat.
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For their homes
and food, they
depend upon the
plants and other
animals that live in
the forest with
them.
The Underground Habitat
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Imagine what you
brought a shovel with
you on your walk
through the forest.
Take it out and dig
down under the twigs,
leaves, and mushrooms
on the forest floor.
What can you see?
The Underground Habitat
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A slimy brown earthworm
slithers deeper
underground.
A little white grub curls
up in the soil.
Soon it will grow into an
insect and creep among
the forest ferns and
mosses.
The Underground Habitat
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The worm and the grub live together in
the forest’s underground habitat.
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Even some furry animals, like moles,
live underground with them.
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Moles have long slender paws just
right for digging.
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They burrow underground, and they
look for things to eat: things like
roots, and and sorry little worm –
worms.
Actually, moles don’t really “look” for
things to eat, since they can’t see very
well.
Instead, moles find their way around
underground with a keen sense of
smell.
The Underground Habitat
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So moles have paws
for digging, and even
though they have
weak eyes, they
have a strong sense
of smell.
Do you see how the
mole is suited to its
underground
habitat?
The Underground Habitat
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Here’s a fact you know is true
every time your tummy
growls: animals need to eat.
Scientists use special names
for animals, depending on
whether they eat
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Plants
Meat
Both.
Let’s learn these special names
they’re big words, so get
ready!
What You are Called and What You Eat
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Do you eat both plants and
meat?
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Then you’re an omnivore.
An omnivore is an animal that
eats both plants and animals.
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Bears are omnivores.
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They eat berries, and they eat
small animals like fish.
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They also use their sharp
claws to rip open logs and eat
the insects they find there.
What You are Called and What You Eat
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Animals that eat only
plants are called
herbivores.
Some human beings
choose to eat only plants
and no meat.
Many animals, including
mice, cows and horses,
eat only plants.
Even huge elephants eat
only leaves, fruits, nuts,
and grasses.
What You are Called and What You Eat
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Some animals would
rather eat meat most of
all.
Can you think of any?
Dogs and cats, lions and
tigers, sharks and snakes
eat meat.
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They are called carnivores.
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A carnivore eats animal
meat.
The Desert Habitat
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Let’s look at the
desert, which is a
very different
habitat from the
forest.
Can you think of
some differences
between the forest
and the desert?
The Desert Habitat
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The forest is often cool.
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The desert is often hot.
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The forest is moist.
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The desert is dry.
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The forest is dark and
shady.
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The desert is bright and
sunny.
The Desert Habitat
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Sometimes it snows
and rains in the forest,
but it rarely does in the
desert.
Compared to the forest,
the desert is a very
different habitat for
plants and animals.
So do you think you’ll
find the same kind of
animals and plants in
the desert that you find
in the forest?
The Desert Habitat
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Lizards live in the hot
desert.
Their bodies do well in
the heat.
They like to lie on warm
rocks and bask in the
blazing sunshine.
Lizards match the
desert habitat.
The Desert Habitat
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Cactus plants grow
in the desert.
They can grow for a
long time without
any rain at all.
They like heat and a
lot of sunshine.
Cactus plants do well
in the desert habitat.
The Desert Habitat
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But not many
animals or
plants live in the
desert.
In fact, the
desert is almost
deserted –
which is how it
got its name.
Water Habitats
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Can you name some animals that live in water?
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Fish live in water, such as
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Ponds
Lakes
Streams.
They eat smaller
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Fish
Plants
Insects.
Water Habitats
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Think of the ways that a fish is
suited to its water habitat.
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Fish don't have feet, because they
don’t walk.
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They live in a water habitat, and
so they swim.
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You can’t breathe underwater, but
fish can because they have gills.
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But a fish out of water is in
trouble!
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A fish can’t survive outside its
water habitat.
Water Habitats
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Have you ever heard the saying
“like a fish out of water”?
Since fish can’t breath out of
water, people use this saying
to mean that someone is very
uncomfortable in a new
unusual situation.
For example, a shy child who is
asked to sing a song in front of
the whole school might think,
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“I don’t want to sing in front of
all those people.”
“I've never been on stage
before.”
“I’d feel like a fish out of
water.”
Water Habitats
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Many other animals do best in a
water habitat, too.
Some live all their lives
underwater like oyster and
starfish.
Some live part of their life
underwater and part on land, like
frogs and salamanders.
Some live on the land near the
water, like herons and hermit
crabs.
All of these animals depend upon
the water, the plants and the
other animals nearby.
Water Habitats
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Not all water habitats are the same.
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Ponds, lakes, and rivers are different
from oceans.
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Do you know why?
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If you’ve ever played in the waves at
the ocean, you know how that water
tastes: very salty.
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Oceans contain salt water.
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But most ponds, lakes, and rivers
contain fresh water.
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What’s the difference?
Water Habitats
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Here’s an experiment to
answer that question.
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Fill a glass with drinking
water.
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Take a sip.
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It tastes refreshing.
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That’s the kind of water
found in most lakes and
rivers.
Water Habitats
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Now stir in two teaspoons full
of salt.
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Take a sip – a very small sip.
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Yuck!
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You wouldn't call that
refreshing.
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Would you?
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That glass contains salt water,
like the water in the ocean.
Water Habitats
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You may not like the taste of salt
water, but many plants and animals
depend upon it to live.
Clams, oysters, and jellyfish live in
the salty ocean, along with the plants
such as seaweed.
Whales, dolphins, sharks - all the
animals that live in an ocean habitat
– need salt water.
If you put them into water without
salt, they wouldn’t survive.
Each water animal and plant needs to
be in the kind of water habitat to
which it is suited.
The Food Chain
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As you’ve learned about different habitats,
you’ve heard a lot about animals and what
they eat.
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You’ve got to want to live.
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Not just you, but every living thing needs
food to survive.
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Plants make their own food out of
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Sunshine
Air
Water
Nutrients from the soil
But animals can’t do that. Animals eat
other living things, including
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Plants
Other animals.
Big animals may eat little ones.
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And when the big animal dies, it may be
eaten by little animals.
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All this eating is called the food chain.
The Food Chain
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Let’s see how it works.
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Imagine a green plant growing by
the side of a river.
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A caterpillar comes along and chews
on the leaves.
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Later the caterpillar grows into a
flying insect.
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The insect flies across the river,
when suddenly, swoosh, a fish leaps
out of the water and swallows it.
The Food Chain
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The fish splashes back
into the water, feeling
full and happy – but not
for long.
A big bear reaches into
the river and grabs the
fish in his paw.
The bear has caught a
tasty supper.
The Food Chain
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Later that year the bear dies,
and through the winter its
body rots away.
The rotting body turns to
nutrients that soak into the
soil by the side of the river.
When spring comes, the
nutrients help green plants
grow.
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One of those green plants
grows by the side of the river.
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A caterpillar comes along and
chews on the leaves and …
The Food Chain
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Do you see?
It’s a cycle, starting
over, and going
round and round
again.
It’s a cycle of one
creature feeding
upon another, a
cycle of life and
death and life again.
The Food Chain
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People call this cycle the food
chain because it seems to link
together the plants and animals in
nature.
Animals eat plants, and these
animals are sometimes eaten by
other animals.
Plants and animals die and rot,
which returns nutrients to the
soil, which helps more plants
grow.
It’s all a part of the food chain
that keeps nature alive, and it all
starts with plants growing from
sunshine, air, water, and
nutrients.
Animals and Plants Need Their
Habitats, So Be Careful
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You’ve seen that there are many
different kinds of habitats, and
many different kinds of animals
and plants in each one.
Different plants are suited to
different habitats: an oak tree
does fine in the forest but could
not grow in the desert.
Most animals are so well suited to
living in one kind of habitat that it
would be difficult for them to live
in another.
They might not be able to find the
right kind of food, or the right kind
of water, or the materials they
need to make a home or nest.
Animals and Plants Need Their
Habitats, So Be Careful
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Sometimes people can mess up a
habitat.
People cut down forests to get trees
for lumber or to make space for new
houses and office buildings.
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People bring water to the desert so
that they can make more farms.
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People fill in ponds with dirt so that
they can build houses.
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What happens to the animals and
plants when their habitat is
destroyed?
Sometimes they die.
Animals and Plants Need Their
Habitats, So Be Careful

In one habitat, the world's rainforests,
many animals and plants are in danger.
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That’s because people are cutting down
too many trees in the rainforests.
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Rainforest are tall, dense green forest that
grow in the hottest parts of the world.
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They are called rainforests because there
is always moisture in the air and it drips
off the leaves as if it were always raining.
Not many people live in the rainforests,
but thousands of different plants and
animals.
We need to be careful not to hurt this
precious habitat or we will lose even more
of the animals and plants that live there.
Animals and Plants Need Their
Habitats, So Be Careful
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When a habitat is
destroyed, plants and
animals die.
When something happens
that causes all of a certain
kind of plant or animal to
die off, then we say that
kind of plant or animals is
extinct.
Which means it no longer
exists anywhere in the
world: it has died off,
never to be seen again.
Animals and Plants Need Their
Habitats, So Be Careful

You may know about some very
famous extinct animals: the
dinosaurs.

They became extinct – no one knows
exactly why.

But extinction is not just something
that happened a long time ago.
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Today many different kinds of animals
and plants are endangered, which
means that there are not many of
them left in the world and they are in
danger of becoming extinct.
They are sometimes endangered
because of things that people do to
hurt their habitats: things like cutting
down trees or polluting the land and
water.
Animals and Plants Need Their
Habitats, So Be Careful

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If people make problems,
they can also solve them.
Many people today
understand that it is not a
good thing to destroy the
habitats of plants and
animals.
These people are working
to make sure that we find
ways to protect the
different habitats and the
living things that depend
on them.

You can read more in depth information
about Living Things and Their Environment
in your
Core Knowledge Teacher
Handbook on pages 318 - 332.
Story time
“Art is the cleverness of Odysseus; the intimate
knowledge of materials in a sculpture by
Renaissance master Benvenuto Cellini or a dress
designed by Issey Miyake; the inventive genius of
a Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison, or computer
visionary Douglas Englebart; the verbal craft in
everything from an aphorism (“Time is Money”)
to an oration (“Four Score and seven years ago,
our fathers brought forth on this continent a new
nation”) to a commercial slogan (“Just Do It”).
In short, art isn’t to be found only in galleries and
museums; it is woven into the warp and woof of
an entire civilization.”
- Jeffrey J. Schnapp
Director of Stanford Humanities Lab
Stanford University
References
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Text:
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“What a 1st Grader Needs to Know” by E.D. Hirsch Jr.
Images:
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Many pictures of the animals are from the Tennessee
Aquarium website and our listed in your 1st Grade Pictures.