Heather Stock

Painting Endangered Rainforest Animals

Grade level:

3

^rd

or 4

^th

Length:

one and half-hours (or two 45-minute periods)

Materials:

12×18 white or colored construction paper, tempera

or watercolor paint, brushes, water, water containers, newsprint

and pencils for sketching. Children books:

Discover Rainforests

by L.H. Baptista,

What’s in the Rainforest

by S. Ross,

Tropical


Rainforest: Around the World

by E. Landau

and

Animals of the Rainforest

by L. Stone. Also the interactive

CD-ROM entitled Amazon Trail by MECC is a worthwhile resource

that students would enjoy.

Performance Expectation:

The students will choose one animal

from the rainforest to paint and be able to discuss and explain

how and why their animal is endangered within a small group discussion

with their peers.

Procedure:

Introduction: Begin the lesson by telling students they are going

to apply some of what they’ve been learning about rainforests

and their animals in an art activity. Start the lesson by reading

one or more of the books listed above. Rainforest music should

be playing in the background to set the mood for the lesson (waterfalls,

animal cries, thunderstorms etc.). The room should be filled with

posters, pictures, books and magazines of rainforest scenes and

animals.

Development: Ask students to look around the classroom and think

about an animal they have studied or are interested in that they

would like to paint. Parameters for the assignment are: to paint

their chosen animal from the rainforest and be able to explain

to others where that animal lives and why they are endangered.

I will sketch an animal up on the board to give students an idea

of how detailed and large the shape should be. Students then break

up to walk around looking at the books and other materials. They

should try to pick their animal within five minutes and begin

work on their artwork. Thirty to forty minutes should be adequate

for them to finish the art projects.

Closure: For the next approximately thirty minutes students will

break into groups of four to five to share about their animals.

Specifics to discuss include: habitat, rainforest location and

endangered status. Students are finished when all the other group

members can attest that each has shared and can explain to others

what they have learned about all of the animals.

Assessment:

The students will be assessed during their

small group discussion after they have painted their animal. They

will be assessed if they have thoroughly explained to their peers

why and how their animal is endangered. This will be done by peer

partners conferencing with the teacher to explain each other’s

animals.

Adaptations/Extension:

Have students write a factual paragraph

about their animal and display it under their painting in a classroom

exhibit. Extra resources might be needed for some of the students

to learn more about their animal. These may include, CD-ROMs,

encyclopedias and reference books. Additional art skills such

as color blending, space and background can by improved during

this lesson.

References:

Heather Stock, 1997