Kindergarten: Clay Boomerangs
Lesson plan is featured in the February 2008 issue of Arts & Activities magazine.

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Grade 1: Bark Painted Collages

Materials
• 9" x 12" black and brown construction paper
• 5" x 8" white drawing paper
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Oil pastel
• Acrylic paint
• Visuals of bark paintings
• Cotton swabs
• Glue

Learning Objectives
First-grade students will ...
• learn about the art of the Aborigine artists, specifically their bark paintings.
• create a pointillist artwork using cotton swabs and dots to make the outline of an animal native to Australia.
• work on fine motor skills as they tear and make marks to create a fun piece of artwork.

Procedure
1. Students see examples of actual Aborigine bark paintings, becoming inspired by the art.
2. Students draw a picture of an animal indigenous to the Australian outback. Many students drew snakes, koalas, kiwi birds and kangaroos.
3. Students paint their animal in using cotton swabs or the end of a paintbrush and acrylic paint.
4. Students outline the animal in oil pastel.
5. Students glue their animal onto a piece of brown construction paper.
6. Students tear the edges of the brown construction paper, giving the feeling of bark.
7. The final pieces are glued to black construction paper and exhibited in the Australian art installation.

Grade 2: The 3 Ks of Australia ... Koalas, Kiwis and Kangaroos

Materials
• 9" x 12" white drawing paper
• Permanent pens
• Prismacolor® Art Stix
• Watercolors
• Brushes
• Water cups
• Permanent black pens
• Colored construction paper
• Images of Australian animals

Learning Objectives
Second-grade students will ...
• learn about the continent of Australia, specifically the animals from the Outback.
• learn to do some direct observational drawing, researching the animal on a search engine in the computer lab and then drawing a composition based on the line and shape of the animal.
• learn to use mixed media to create an artwork.

Procedure
1. Students see examples of Australian animals found in the Outback.
2. Students are given a class period to attend the computer lab and research these animals, selecting one to research and draw from.
3. Students look closely at their animal and draw what they see using direct observational drawing skills.
4. Students add a background to create a strong composition.
5. Students outline their animal using a permanent black pen.
6. Students color in their animal using Art Stix.
7. Students watercolor wash their background.
8. Students then mat their art onto colored construction paper.
9. Students exhibit their animals in a class mural!

Extension
This was a strong lesson to use with our second graders as they were studying the Australian Outback in their social studies classes. They used these artworks to go with more in-depth research papers done in their classrooms.

Grade 3: Didgeridoos ... the Sounds of Art!

Materials
• 9" x 12" manila paper
• Pencils
• Cotton swabs
• Ochre color tempera paint
• Glue
• Neutral colored pencils
• Brown construction paper
• Actual didgeridoo

Learning Objectives
Third-grade students will ...
• learn about the continent of Australia, specifically the musical instruments of the Aborigines.
• learn to make a paper didgeridoo, while listening to the sounds of an actual didgeridoo.
• learn how art and music work together to create an aesthetic in our lives.

Procedure
1. Students learn about the art and music of the Aborigines. 2. Students look at a real didgeridoo and listen to the music and sounds it makes.
3. Students gently tear the edges of a piece of manila paper, giving it an aged look.
4. Students roll their paper to create the shape of a didgeridoo, larger on one side than the other.
5. Students figure out where the center is and create a drawing of an Australian symbol using colored pencils.
6. Students then do traditional dot painting, using cotton swabs and tempera, around their main design.
7. Students wait for these to dry and then re-roll their art and glue it down so that it becomes a cylinder shape, smaller at the top and larger at the bottom, again, creating a similar shape to the actual didgeridoo.
8. Students mat their art onto neutral-colored construction paper, perhaps using more dots to decorate the edges, and hang in an installation.

Extension
Students were so excited with this project! By making a piece of art to music and then having the opportunity to make music out of their art, a great extension would be to have a musical art show!

Grade 4: Collaborative Aborigine-Inspired Dot Paintings

Materials
• 18" x 24" construction paper
• Pencils
• Cotton swabs
• Tempera paint
• Oil pastels
• Images of authentic dot paintings

Learning Objectives
Fourth-grade students will ...
• learn about the continent of Australia, specifically the Aborigines and their collaborative dot paintings.
• work collaboratively to create a large dot painting of an Australian image.

Procedure
1. Students learn about the art of the Aborigines.
2. Students look at actual artworks of dot paintings and work collaboratively to come up with a pleasing composition using Australian images for their focal point.
3. Students get a piece of large construction paper and sketch out their composition.
4. Students discuss where the dots will be and where the blended oil pastel will lay.
5. Students paint their art using cotton swabs or the end of their paintbrushes and tempera paint.
6. Students wait for their painting to dry and then add blended oil pastel to create added texture.
7. Students then exhibit these large works in the Australian exhibit.

Extension
Students were thrilled to have the opportunity to work together on a piece of art. Although several students can tend to “take over,” the teacher can monitor to make sure all students contribute and become a part of the artwork. Collaborative stories about the artwork are always a fun way to conclude this unit.

Materials
• 9" x 12" white paper
• Pencils
• Prismacolor® Art Stix
• Permanent pens
• Transparencies
• Pop-out dots (3-Do’s®, Pop Up Glue Dots®, etc.).
• Visuals of the Sydney Opera House
• Neutral-colored construction paper

Learning Objectives
Fifth-grade students will ...
• learn about the continent of Australia, specifically the city of Sydney and the architecture of the Opera House.
• learn to layer their art to create abstract artworks.

Procedure
1. Students learn about the art of Australia, specifically the art and architecture of Sydney.
2. Students look at a PowerPoint slideshow of the creation of the Sydney Opera House.
3. Students get a piece of drawing paper and draw abstract and geometric shapes onto their paper, overlapping some shapes to create an interesting composition.
4. Students color these in using Art Stix, putting in value and showing depth in certain areas.
5. Students take transparencies and draw the shape of the Sydney Opera House onto the sheet, using permanent pens.
6. Students do some designing on the transparency using lines and shapes.
7. Students then adhere the transparency onto the background drawing paper using pop-out dots so that it appears to be three-dimensional.
8. Students mat their art onto neutral-colored construction paper and hang in the installation.

Extension
Students were so excited with this project that once completed, we segued into a perspective lesson, drawing and designing one of the rooms that might be in the Opera House.

Notes
• This lesson was a springboard from an original lesson created by Patricia Spencer. Thank you, Tricia, for your creativity and willingness to share. Our students are better because we work together!

• My fifth-graders also created clay boomerangs, like my Kindergarteners, and all of these were exhibited together. Upon reflection, it would be a great idea to have my fifth-graders actually teach this boomerang lesson to my Kindergarteners ... peer mentoring at its best!