Jennifer Cava
Beth Wildermuth
Lesson Plan for Teaching a Leisure Activity
Lesson Title/Topic: Origami Week 1
Duration: 2 hours
By participating fully in this activity, student will be able
Learning
Objectives/Outcomes to:
 Students will learn the basic/ general history
of origami in an interesting and organized
way.
 Students will learn the basic folds and
structures of origami.
 Students will learn patience and structure
while learning a new leisure skill.
 Students will learn how to follow direction
and stay focused on the presenters while
demonstrating the task.
 Students will be able to take the skill and
use it when they are on their own and to
teach others.
Introduction/Warm
As an introduction to origami take a few minutes
Up
to discuss where origami came from and some of
its history.
 Start off by asking if anyone has either heard
or done origami before.
 Show crane finished product and explain that
this is what they will be learning how to
make once they learn the basics.
 Talk about the history: Origami originates
from Japan and mean folding paper. It began
in the “Leisure class” which was the monks
attached to the Buddhist temples, wives and
female children of the aristocrats. This craft
and art was largely a secret till after World
War 2 ended and did not become known in
the western world till the 1960s.
 Show some other examples of origami.
 Origami can range from easy to very difficult.
It can also range from using one piece of
paper up to ten pieces or even more.
Summary of
First we are going to teach basic folds of origami.
Tasks/Action
Origami figures can be created from each of
these three bases that we are going to show
you.
Supplies/Equipment
Square 8x8 in paper
Examples of origami
figures.
2-3 pieces of 8x8
Origami paper for
each student.
Jennifer Cava
Beth Wildermuth
The first base we are going to show you is called
the Waterbomb Base:
1. Fold paper in half hot dog style, forming a
rectangle. Sharpen the fold and unfold.
2. Fold paper in half the other direction,
froing another rectangle. The paper will
now be folded with four squares.
Sharpen the fold and unfold.
3. Turn over one side, placing the corner at
the bottom.
4. Fold in half having two corners touch
forming a triangle. Sharpen the fold, and
unfold.
5. Fold in half a second time forming
another triangle. Having corner to corner
touching.
6. Holding the top folded edge, bring your
hands down together, collapsing the
paper forming four triangular flaps.
7. Bring together two flaps on the right and
two on the left.
8. Flatten the Waterbomb Base, pressing
firmly on the upper folded edges as well
as the inner folded edges under the
vertical centerline.
Now that you have learned the Waterbomb base
we are going to teach you the Preliminary Base.
Open up your paper and lay flat on the table.
Preliminary Base:
1. Fold in half forming a triangle. Sharpen
the fold and unfold.
2. Fold in half the other direction forming
another triangle. Sharpen the fold and
unfold.
3. Fold in half forming a rectangle, hot dog
style. Sharpen the fold and unfold.
4. Fold in half the other direction, forming
another colored rectangle.
5. Holding the short side, bring your hands
together, collapsing the paper and
forming four triangular flaps.
6. Bring together two flaps on the right and
two flaps on the left.
7. Flatten the preliminary base, pressing
Example papers so
they can use pictures
to help them create
the folds and the
crane.
Jennifer Cava
Beth Wildermuth
firmly on the upper folded edges as well
as the inner folded edges under the
vertical centerline.
The third base we are going to show you is the
Bird Base. From this base we are going to make a
crane which will be your first figure you have
made out of origami.
Using a new piece of paper.
Bird Base:
1. Fold the front edges to the center,
forming a cone on the front. Crease very
firmly.
2. Fold the top triangle down along the top
edges of the cone, creasing very firmly.
3. Unfold the cone flaps, but leave the top
triangle flap in place.
4. Lift the front bottom corner only; the
paper will open to a large “yawning
mouth”.
5. Continue opening until the long side
edges meet at the center. Neatly flatten
all folds.
6. Turnover and repeat steps 1-5 on the
back.
7. The finished bird base has two wing flaps
at the top and a split at the bottom.
This fold will now take us into the crane with
only a few more folds.
Crane- from the bird base:
1. Fold the left side edge across on the first
layer so the point meets the middle line a
little above the center point and with the
edge not meeting the center line.
2. Do the same with the right side then flip
over and do on the other side.
3. Next take the left side that is pointing
down and invert the fold at the center
point to make the neck.
4. Do the same on the right to make the
tail.
5. To make the head invert the tip of the
neck.
6. Lastly take the wing in each hand and
pull them away from each other to
Jennifer Cava
Beth Wildermuth
expose the body. The crane is finished!
If finished and still have time:
Since we have time to spare we are going to do
another simple origami figure.
Fox:
1. Fold diagonally in half, bottom corner
forming a triangle.
2. Fold in half again and unfold. Turn over
3. Fold bottom corners up to the top
corner.
4. Mountain-fold the right triangle to the
rear and behind the left triangle.
5. Reposition the paper so that the eight cut
edges are at the bottom. Fold the eight
cut edges up to for a hull of a sailboat.
6. Tip the sail of the boat to the right, with
the hull pointing straight up, giving you
the beginning of the fox’s form.
7. Fold the tip of the tail to the paw corners.
Separate the two paw corners: Hold the
lower paw corner in place as you swing
the front paw corner to the left.
8. Lower the face so the nose tip touches
the vertical folded edge and flatten the
face with a squash fold. Unfold the tail
partially.
9. Stand your fox up and blunt the tip of the
nose.
The fox is finished!
A Bat:
1. Fold in half, bottom corner to top corner
making a triangle.
2. Fold triangle in half and unfold.
3. Fold the side corners up to the top
corner and unfold.
4. Fold the side corners inward to the
midpoint of the bottom edge.
5. Fold the long sloping edge of each
triangular flap to the outer side edges.
6. Turn over
7. Fold the outer side edges (all layers) to
the slanted crease lines.
8. Mountain- fold to the rear on the existing
slanted creases.
Jennifer Cava
Beth Wildermuth
Wrap-up/Reflect Closure
Adaptations (For
Students With
Disabilities):
Safety Considerations
9. Fold the double-layer top corner down to
the bottom.
10. Fold the same double layer corner up
past the top edge.
11. Mountain-fold the same double-layer
corner to the rear.
12. Flip-out fold: As you bring the
multilayered sloping edges to the center,
allow the wings flaps from the rear to flip
out and appear on the front.
13. Grasp the loose bottom points, and
separate then outward to the sides,
spreading the Bat’s wings. Turn over
The bat is finished!
After creating these figures and learning the new
folds talk with the students about their
Look at figures that
experience and what they liked.
have been made.
 What other animals/ figures would you
Look through books.
like to make in the future?
 What was the most difficult part of
creating the crane or making the base
folds?
 Would you like to do this on your own for
fun?
 Would you like to do origami with friends
and even teach them origami?
Using larger paper (such as scrapbook paper) can help students with
disabilities to make certain folds more precise. The bigger the paper the
easier the task of making origami is.
Giving students assistance when needed is also important when doing
origami. This is also important for students who do not have a disability.
Some potential Safety considerations are the use of scissors and paper
cuts.