Lesson Plan: Grade R Life Skills – Creative art activity

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  1. Lesson Plan Title: Grade R Life Skills: Creative Art Activity – An ‘Under the Sea’ Collage Experience

  2. Materials Needed:

    • A4 paper
    • Safety scissors
    • Non-toxic glue
    • Assorted scrap paper and materials in various textures (like bubble wrap, crepe paper, tissue paper)
    • Non-toxic washable paint
  3. Learning Objectives:
    • Learners will recall and identify different marine animals.
    • Learners will enhance fine motor skills through cutting and pasting materials onto paper.
    • Learners will demonstrate creativity and individuality by creating a unique art piece.
  4. Vocabulary:
    • Collage: An artwork made by gluing different type of materials onto a backing.
    • Creativity: The act of using imagination to create something new.
    • Texture: The way that something feels when you touch it.
  5. Previous Learning:
    • Recognition of basic colours
    • Previous knowledge on nature and animals, specifically marine life
  6. Anticipated Challenges and Solutions:
    • Inability to effectively use scissors: Ensure the use of safety scissors, provide clear guidance on usage, and closely monitor students.
    • Struggle with independent task completion: Encourage effort, provide constructive guidance rather than taking over the task, and foster peer assistance, if needed.
  7. Beginning Activities (10% – 5 minutes):
    • Introduce the ‘Under the Sea’ theme and exhibit a sample finished collage.
    • Review the names and appearances of different marine animals.
  8. Middle Activities (80% – 35 minutes):
    • Direct instruction: Demonstrate how to cut out shapes and how to use them to construct an image of a marine creature.
    • Guided practice: Assist learners through their initial cutting and pasting activities, providing suggestions on potential shapes and their placements.
    • Independent practice: Allow learners to select their own papers and materials to create additional marine creatures, and to elevate their underwater ambiance in their collages.
  9. End Activities (10% – 5 minutes):
    • Learners engage in a show-and-tell of their completed pieces, discussing their selection of textures and colours.
  10. Assessment and Checks for Understanding:
    • Conduct an informal formative assessment during the creative activities, focusing on their understanding and application of textures and imaginative thought.
    • During their show-and-tell presentations, check for the accurate identification of marine creatures.
  11. Differentiation Strategies:
    • For learners who require additional support, provide templates of shapes for them to trace and cut out.
    • Further challenge advanced learners by asking them to create intricate scenes or use a larger canvas for a broader scene.
  12. Teaching Notes:
    • Encourage creativity and individual expression over achieving the ‘perfect’ result.
    • Remember, the objective of this lesson is to cultivate expression, creativity and enjoyment while learning about marine life.
    • Facilitate inclusivity and celebrate diversity, both in art and life. Assert the uniqueness of everyone’s undersea collage as a reflection of the diversity and individual importance present in the classroom and beyond.