CLASSY CLASSIFYING OF ARTSY ANIMALS: PLAYING WITH ANIMALS 3,5

PLAYING WITH ANIMALS

CLASSY CLASSIFYING OF ARTSY ANIMALS: PLAYING WITH ANIMALS

Learning Description

In this project, students will write a fictional play around the premise of a zookeeper trying to solve the problem of “the zoo just received several new animals and no one knows where each animal belongs”. The play will incorporate science content that will demonstrate student knowledge of animal classification. Students will also create 3-D masks to represent the animals in their play. To culminate this project, students will dramatize their play to an audience in order to express the inner workings of the animal classification system.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 3,5
CONTENT FOCUS: THEATRE & SCIENCE
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can write a play that illustrates how animals are sorted into groups: Invertebrates, vertebrates, and vertebrate subgroups (mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians).
  • I can create a 3-D animal mask that demonstrates multiple design concepts.
  • I can dramatize a play by developing, communicating, and sustaining a role within the script.

Essential Questions

  • How can I develop a play that illustrates how animals are sorted into groups?
  • How can I create a visual artwork that clearly articulates the characteristics of vertebrates?
  • How can dramatizing a play help me to communicate and model scientific concepts?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 5:

S5L1 Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to group organisms using scientific classification procedures.
S5L1.a Develop a model that illustrates how animals are sorted into groups (vertebrate and invertebrate) and how vertebrates are sorted into groups (fish, amphibian, reprise, bird, and mammal) using data from multiple sources.

Arts Standards

Grade 5:

TA5.CR.2 Develop scripts through theatrical techniques.
TA5.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 3:

3-LS2-1. Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive.
3-LS3-1. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have inherited traits that vary within a group of similar organisms.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can create scenes and write scripts using story elements and structure.
Anchor Standard 3: I can act in improvised scenes and written scripts.


 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Vertebrate - An animal that has a backbone or spinal column, which is part of an internal skeleton that supports its body
  • Invertebrate - An animal that does not have a backbone or spinal column
  • Mammal - A warm-blooded vertebrate animal characterized by the presence of hair or fur, the ability to produce milk for its young through mammary glands, and (in most cases) giving live birth
  • Amphibian - A cold-blooded vertebrate animal that typically has a life cycle with both aquatic and terrestrial stages
  • Fish - A cold-blooded, aquatic vertebrate that lives in water and breathes through gills
  • Bird - A warm-blooded vertebrate animal characterized by feathers, beaks (instead of teeth), and the ability to lay eggs with hard shells
  • Reptile - A cold-blooded vertebrate animal that typically has scaly skin and lays eggs with leathery or hard shells
  • Insect - A small invertebrate animal that belongs to the class Insecta; Insects have three main body parts: the head, thorax, and abdomen
  • Classify - To organize or group objects, organisms, or phenomena based on shared characteristics or properties
  • Characteristics - The distinguishing features, traits, or properties of an object, organism, or phenomenon that help to identify or describe it
  • Organism - Any living thing, whether it's a plant, animal, fungus, bacterium, or microorganism, that exhibits the characteristics of life
  • Backbone - A flexible, column-like structure made up of individual bones called vertebrae
  • Warm-blooded - Refers to animals that can regulate and maintain a constant internal body temperature, regardless of the temperature of their surroundings
  • Cold-blooded - Refers to animals whose internal body temperature is largely determined by the temperature of their environment
  • Reproduce - The biological process by which living organisms produce offspring

Arts Vocabulary

Visual Art

  • Henri Rousseau - French post-impressionist painter; his subject matter was often ecosystems
  • Three dimensional - Having or appearing to have length, breadth, and depth
  • Media - Tools and materials used to create art
  • Relief sculpture - A type of sculpture where figures or objects protrude from a two-dimensional background, while remaining attached to it
  • Armature - Skeleton for a sculpture
  • Subject matter - Things represented in artwork
  • Texture - The surface quality, or "feel" of an object, such as roughness, smoothness, or softness. Actual texture can be felt while simulated textures are implied by the way the artist renders areas of the picture.
  • Balance - This is a sense of stability in the body of work. Balance can be created by repeating the same shapes and by creating a feeling of equal visual weight.

Theatre

  • Character - An actor or actress in a specified role
  • Dialogue - A conversation between two or more persons
  • Playwright - A person who writes a play
  • Setting - Place of action
  • Concentration - Actors must concentrate in order to keep their mind on the stage and in the imagined circumstances. Actors must also concentrate on what the other actors are doing and how their character would react to them.
  • Ensemble - The parts of a thing taken together, so that each part is considered only in relation to the whole
  • Stage blocking - The physical arrangement of actors on a stage that facilitates the performance of a play. Blocking can be determined by the director or indicated in the script’s stage directions.
  • Pantomime - Using gestures, facial expressions, and body movements to convey a story or narrative without speaking. Often includes pretending to hold, touch, or do something one is not holding, touching, or using.
  • Props - Items that actors use in a performance to depict real-life objects.  Props can also be used to help students brainstorm for their writing or character study.
  • Voice - Actors use their voice to be heard by the audience clearly. Actors must also apply vocal choices such as pitch, tempo, and volume to the character they are dramatizing.


Materials

Mask-making:

  • Mask template - one per student printed on computer paper to use for planning
  • White plastic face mask or masks templates printed on cardstock for mask creation (one per student)
  • Newspaper/newsprint or paper towel and masking tape (for armatures to create snouts, horns, etc.)
  • Various materials to add texture, color, and pattern to masks:
    • tissue paper
    • feathers
    • faux animal fur sheets (or a bolt of cloth)
    • mesh netting
    • metallic paper or aluminum foil (fish scales)
  • Liquid glue and sponge for application of materials to mask (if using plastic mask) or glue stick
  • Markers/Sharpies
  • Optional:
    • Tempera paint or tempera sticks
    • Paint brushes for applying paint

Play:

  • Zookeeper hat (optional)
  • Paper and pencils


Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Teacher will lead students in a “Story Chain” activity with pantomime.
    • This activity may work best with groups no larger than six to seven students. (It is preferred that these groups be the same groups students will work in for the remainder of the project.)
    • The “Story Chain” activity begins with a one line prompt. This can come from the teacher or from a student. An example could be, “Pat walks into a forest”.
    • Another student will add the next sentence (ONE) detail to the story, making sure to remain in third person, as well as relate to the details mentioned before.
      • Good example: “Pat walks into a forest. He hears birds chirping.”
      • Bad example: “Pat walks into a forest. Pat sees a dolphin jumping out of the ocean.” This is not a good example because you would not see a dolphin in the middle of a forest.
    • As a student shares their one sentence detail, they will pantomime the verb(s) within the sentence.
  • The activity continues with each student in the group adding a new detail to the story, making sure to remain in third person, as well as relate to the details previously mentioned.
  • Debrief the activity by discussing what students had to do to be successful–listen to each other and build off of one another’s ideas. Discuss the word “collaboration” with students.
  • The goal of this activity is to get students listening to each other (they will have to do this when they collaboratively write their play), making ideas connect (their individual animal descriptions/details must connect within their play), and moving in ways related to what they are saying (in the play they will have to perform in the role they have chosen).
  • Disclaimer: Students can take the story in any direction they like; however, they just need to make sure the details lead them there. For instance, “Pat walks into a forest. Pat hears birds chirping. Now Pat is walking on the planet Pluto.” It is okay for Pat to end up on Pluto, the students just need to provide the details of how Pat gets there.

Work Session

Part I - Writing the Play:

  • If not done already from the activating activity, the teacher will place students into groups of six to seven students (group of seven will have an added animal group of invertebrates).
  • Teacher will preview theatre vocabulary with class (character, dialogue, playwright, setting).
    • Remind students what it means to collaborate with others.
  • Students will pick roles (if students cannot select on their own, write the roles on slips of paper and have students randomly select roles.): Zoo keeper (narrator), mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish, (optional invertebrate).
  • Each group will compose a rough draft of their play. To begin, each student within the group will write at least four lines for the play that includes at least three characteristics of the vertebrate subgroup they chose to portray (i.e., mammal, bird, etc.). The zookeeper should write questions to ask each animal character in order to help classify each animal. The zookeeper will need to work closely with each animal to ensure the zookeeper’s questions are answered by each animal. The zookeeper needs to be sure to “assign” each animal to a particular group in the zoo (which will be either the mammal group, bird group, reptile group, etc.)
  • The zookeeper can really take on a fun role by including the audience in the dialogue of the play. For instance, as the zookeeper discovers attributes of each animal he/she can ask the audience “yes or no” questions like “Hmmm, this animal has feathers. Does it belong in the amphibian group? etc.
  • As a group, students will decide the order the characters will appear and compose the final script.
  • Teacher will formatively assess students during the writing process using the Teacher Timeline Checklist to ensure students remain on task. At the completion of the play writing, the teacher will use Project Rubric (Task A) to summatively assess the written portion of the play.

Part II - Constructing the Mask:

  • The teacher will briefly introduce relief sculpture, armature, and balance to help students understand how to create their masks.
  • Students will design a mask of their selected animal using the mask template. Students will plan the color, shape, texture, and armature(s) (extensions) of the mask.
  • Give each student a plastic mask or masks template printed on cardstock.
  • Students can build the armature off the base mask to create features such as horns, fins, ears, snouts, etc. using newspaper, paper towel rolls, and masking tape
  • Students will use markers, glue, and texture materials to decorate masks. Students will include appropriate media for their selected animal (faux fur for mammal, mesh netting for reptile or fish, feathers for bird, etc).
  • Teacher will formatively assess using the Teacher Checklist and will also summatively assess using the Project Rubric (Task B).
  • Teacher note: If time is a concern, students can simply draw patterns on their paper masks to represent their animal’s physical features and texture rather than gluing materials onto the mask.

Part III - Dramatizing the Play:

  • Finally, each group will rehearse its play, focusing on their character’s voice and how their character would move. Groups will also need to focus on the ensemble and stage blocking of each character to ensure group collaboration. Discuss the concept of blocking with students.
  • Each group will dramatize the play for an audience. Discuss appropriate audience participation and etiquette prior to student performances.
  • Teacher will summatively assess using the attached Project Rubric (Task C).

Classroom Tips:

  • Allow adequate time for the creative process. (The unit is designed to be taught over three to five days; however, portions of the project could be left out or extended as the teacher sees fit.)
  • On the mask-creating day, prepare the classroom for easy clean up by covering tables and desks with butcher paper or newspaper. Have towels available for spills and for students to wipe hands at the conclusion of activity.
  • On the play dramatization day, designate an area in the classroom for students to perform.

Closing Reflection

  • After performances, have students reflect on the process with the following questions:
    • How did the dramatization help you model the classification of animals?
    • How did creating the animal mask help you understand the characteristics/attributes of your animal group?
    • How did writing your character’s role in the group’s play help you communicate the characteristics/attributes of your animal group?
    • Is there anything about your group’s project you would like to change in order to make it better?
    • Name one “glow” and one “grow” for your personal contribution to your group’s performance.


Assessments

Formative

  • Teacher Checklist
  • Checking in with students as they are playwriting and creating their masks
  • Questioning during activities

Summative

Project Rubric

Differentiation

Acceleration: 

  • Provide students with the opportunity to include animal adaptation in the storyline of their script. Also let them consider writing an epilogue to their play. This would include writing about what happens to the characters “after” the story is resolved.
  • Classes could pair with a younger grade level to perform plays. At the conclusion of performances, fifth grade students can pair with younger students to complete reflection questions.
  • For an extension of this particular project, technology can be incorporated in many ways.  One way that technology can be incorporated is by using the apps of Dolnk, or Touchcast. These apps are green screen apps that the students can use to create and produce backgrounds if they chose not to perform the play production in a live setting. The students will record using an iPad or mobile device and the production can then be played back for other students at a later time.

Remediation:

  • Provide students with an example of an animal with the characteristics of both invertebrates and vertebrates. Direct students to act out each animal sound.
  • Limit the audience size for students reluctant to perform for a large group.


ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann (could also be used as an activating activity)

Credits

U.S. Department of Education- STEM + the Art of Integrated Learning

Ideas contributed by: Virginia Diederich and Sarah Weiss. Edited by: Jessica Espinoza. Edited by Dr. Carla Cohen.

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Revised and copyright:  June 2025 @ ArtsNOW

 

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CLASSY CLASSIFYING OF ARTSY ANIMALS: CREATE A CRITTER 3,5

CREATE A CRITTER

CLASSY CLASSIFYING OF ARTSY ANIMALS:CREATE A CRITTER

Learning Description

In this lesson, students will explore animal attributes by creating a one-of-a-kind critter using the art technique of “exquisite corpse”. The synthesis of knowledge of animal classification in this visual way is both engaging and memorable. Students will write a description of their critter detailing the characteristics of each animal group they integrated into their design. Students will name their animal and present their animal to the class via a “Wanted” poster.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 3,5
CONTENT FOCUS: VISUAL ARTS & SCIENCE
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can create a critter that integrates three different animal parts.
  • I can create an original name for my critter based upon the attributes.
  • I can create a “Wanted” poster for my unique critter that describes its animal characteristics.

Essential Questions

  • How can I apply my knowledge of animal classification to create a new critter using the “exquisite corpse” technique?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 5:

S5L1 Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to group organisms using scientific classification procedures.S5L1.a Develop a model that illustrates how animals are sorted into groups (vertebrate and invertebrate) and how vertebrates are sorted into groups (fish, amphibian, reprise, bird, and mammal) using data from multiple sources.

Arts Standards

Grade 5:

VA5.CR.1 Engage in the creative process to generate and visualize ideas by using subject matter and symbols to communicate meaning.VA5.CR.2 Create works of art based on selected themes.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 3:

3-LS2-1. Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive.3-LS3-1. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have inherited traits that vary within a group of similar organisms.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can use the elements and principles of art to create artwork.Anchor Standard 2: I can use different materials, techniques, and processes to make art.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Vertebrate - An animal that has a backbone or spinal column, which is part of an internal skeleton that supports its body
  • Invertebrate - An animal that does not have a backbone or spinal column
  • Mammal - A warm-blooded vertebrate animal characterized by the presence of hair or fur, the ability to produce milk for its young through mammary glands, and (in most cases) giving live birth
  • Amphibian - A cold-blooded vertebrate animal that typically has a life cycle with both aquatic and terrestrial stages
  • Fish - A cold-blooded, aquatic vertebrate that lives in water and breathes through gills
  • Bird - A warm-blooded vertebrate animal characterized by feathers, beaks (instead of teeth), and the ability to lay eggs with hard shells
  • Reptile - A cold-blooded vertebrate animal that typically has scaly skin and lays eggs with leathery or hard shells
  • Insect - A small invertebrate animal that belongs to the class Insecta; Insects have three main body parts: The head, thorax, and abdomen
  • Classify - To organize or group objects, organisms, or phenomena based on shared characteristics or properties
  • Characteristics - The distinguishing features, traits, or properties of an object, organism, or phenomenon that help to identify or describe it
  • Organism - Any living thing, whether it's a plant, animal, fungus, bacterium, or microorganism, that exhibits the characteristics of life
  • Backbone - A flexible, column-like structure made up of individual bones called vertebrae
  • Warm-blooded - Refers to animals that can regulate and maintain a constant internal body temperature, regardless of the temperature of their surroundings
  • Cold-blooded - Refers to animals whose internal body temperature is largely determined by the temperature of their environment
  • Reproduce - The biological process by which living

Arts Vocabulary

  • Surrealism - A 20th-century avant-garde movement in art and literature that sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind, for example by the irrational juxtaposition of images
  • Exquisite Corpse - A method by which a collection of words or images is collectively assembled (much like a collage)
  • Line - Curves or marks that span a distance between two points
  • Texture - The feel, appearance, or consistency of a surface
  • Shape - The form of an object or its external boundary, outline, or external surface, as opposed to other properties such as color, texture or material composition
  • Space - Any area that an artist provides for a particular purpose, this includes the background, foreground and middleground, and the distances or around, between, and within things
  • Subject matter - The topic dealt with or the subject represented in a work of art

 

Materials

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Show examples of exquisite corpse artwork using https://www.britannica.com/art/exquisite-corpse or drawings by Surrealist artists.
    • Lead students through the See, Think, Wonder artful thinking routine for one of the images. Instruct students to look at the artwork or object for a moment.
      • What do you see?
      • What do you think about what you see?
      • What do you wonder about?
    • Tell students that exquisite corpse drawings were a form of artwork where one artist would draw one portion of a figure, another artist would add another portion without looking at the first portion, and so on.
    • Exquisite corpse drawings were part of the Surrealist art movement.

Work Session

  • Review characteristics/attributes of each vertebrate group (bird, fish, mammal, amphibian, reptile).
  • Tell students that they will be demonstrating their understanding of vertebrate groups through creating exquisite corpses.
  • Review procedures of working with groups and time constraints for the lesson.

Part I–Creating the Exquisite Corpse:

  • Show students how to fold paper so that there are three vertical sections.
  • Each student will roll a die. They will draw the body part according to the number they roll:
  • 1= bird 2 = fish 3 = mammal 4 = amphibian 5 = reptile 6 = invertebrate. For example, if “mammal” is rolled. the student could draw the head of a dog on the top section.
  • Students should focus on communicating the defining characteristics of that group of vertebrates, such as fur, a beak, scales, etc.
  • After a specified amount of time, the student will fold the paper so that only the middle section is showing (IMPORTANT–the student needs to continue the top part of the drawing slightly into the next section so that the next student knows where to start drawing) and pass to the next student. The students will again roll the die, and draw the torso of an animal that represents that group.
  • After a specified amount of time, the student will fold the paper so that only the bottom section is showing and pass to the next student. The students will again roll the die and draw the bottom (feet, tail) of an animal that represents that group.
  • The last student in the group will open the paper to reveal the three sections.

Part 2–Creating the “Wanted” Poster:

  • The student will take the created critter and develop a name for the critter using all three of the animals in the picture.
  • The student can now outline with markers if desired, add color and an environmental background for the critter.
  • Each section of the critter should be finished using different textures and colors accurate to that group of vertebrates.
  • This paper will then be turned into a “wanted poster”. The student will write a description using some characteristics of all of the animal parts. (E.g. Be on the lookout for a missing “Ligerdile” (lion, tiger, crocodile) that has escaped.  It has fur, is warm blooded and might be near the eggs it laid. It was last seen…..)

Classroom Tips:

  • Encourage students to consider placement and size of each body part; center each part; draw large enough to show texture and details, etc.
  • The teacher should emphasize that while the drawing does not have to be realistic, it should include enough detail to show characteristics of the vertebrate group.

Closing Reflection

  • Students should reflect on the following questions at the conclusion of the lesson. This can be done as a discussion or in written form.
    • From using the exquisite corpse technique, what did you learn about animal classification?
    • How realistic was this–does this sort of cross-breeding happen in real ecosystems? Can we brainstorm some examples of this?
    • What sort of adaptations could we envision these critters having? How would these help them survive in their ecosystem?

 

Assessments

Formative

  • Class discussion
  • Teacher should check in with small groups as they work on their critter to ensure they understand the attributes of each animal group
  • Questioning

Summative

Project Rubric for the “Wanted Poster”

 

Differentiation

Acceleration: 

  • Students can use ChatterKids to make their critters come to life and share their descriptions and characteristics that they wrote.
  • Students can create a three-dimensional model of the critter by molding aluminum foil for the body and gluing textured materials on the surface.
  • Students can do additional research on the different types of vertebrate groups prior to making their exquisite corpse critters.
  • Students can write a story in which their critter is the main character.

Remediation:

  • Students will be provided with different pictures of invertebrates and vertebrates cut up into three sections (the head, torso, and legs). They will create a creature by gluing down the parts of the pictures they choose. Students will roll a dice. They will paste down the body parts according to the number they roll:
    1= bird 2 = fish 3 = mammal 4 = amphibian 5 = reptile 6 = invertebrate
  • Writing Accommodations:
    • Label critter’s characteristics directly on the poster using a word bank provided by the teacher.
    • Students may type their critter descriptions in OneNote using the “Dictate” feature. Students can then copy the description to their poster. (OneNote > Learning Tools Add-in > Dictate).
    • Students can write a longer description including how their critter’s characteristics contribute to their ideal habitat.

 

Credits

U.S. Department of Education- STEM + the Art of Integrated Learning

Ideas contributed by: Sarah Weiss, Virginia Diederich, Abby Hernandez, Edited by Jessica Espinoza, Edited by Dr. Carla Cohen

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Revised and copyright:  June 2025 @ ArtsNOW

 

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CLASSY CLASSIFYING OF ARTSY ANIMALS: VERTEBRATE DANCES 3,5

VERTEBRATE DANCES

CLASSY CLASSIFYING OF ARTSY ANIMALS VERTEBRATE DANCES

Learning Description

In this lesson, students will work collaboratively to choreograph and perform dances that will communicate characteristics of different vertebrate groups. Audience members will use their knowledge of vertebrate groups to determine which dances represented which vertebrate group and how their movements represented that group’s characteristics.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 3,5
CONTENT FOCUS: DANCE & SCIENCE
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can use movement to represent the characteristics of a vertebrate group.
  • I can identify different animals using the five vertebrate group names (mammal, fish, bird, reptile, amphibian).
  • I can work collaboratively with a group to create a dance that communicates the characteristics of a vertebrate group using body shapes, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, and levels.

Essential Questions

  • What are the characteristics of the different vertebrate groups?
  • How can movement be used to communicate defining characteristics of the different vertebrate groups?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 5:

S5L1 Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to group organisms using scientific classification procedures.
S5L1.a Develop a model that illustrates how animals are sorted into groups (vertebrate and invertebrate) and how vertebrates are sorted into groups (fish, amphibian, reprise, bird, and mammal) using data from multiple sources.

Arts Standards

Grade 5:

ESD5.CR. 1 Demonstrate an understanding of the choreographic process.
ESD5.CR.2 Demonstrate an understanding of dance as a form of communication.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 3:

3-LS2-1. Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive.
3-LS3-1. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have inherited traits that vary within a group of similar organisms.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can use movement exploration to discover and create artistic ideas and works.
Anchor Standard 2: I can choreograph a dance.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Vertebrate - An animal that has a backbone or spinal column, which is part of an internal skeleton that supports its body
  • Invertebrate - An animal that does not have a backbone or spinal column
  • Mammal - A warm-blooded vertebrate animal characterized by the presence of hair or fur, the ability to produce milk for its young through mammary glands, and (in most cases) giving live birth
  • Amphibian - A cold-blooded vertebrate animal that typically has a life cycle with both aquatic and terrestrial stages
  • Fish - A cold-blooded, aquatic vertebrate that lives in water and breathes through gills
  • Bird - A warm-blooded vertebrate animal characterized by feathers, beaks (instead of teeth), and the ability to lay eggs with hard shells
  • Reptile - A cold-blooded vertebrate animal that typically has scaly skin and lays eggs with leathery or hard shells
  • Insect - A small invertebrate animal that belongs to the class Insecta; Insects have three main body parts: the head, thorax, and abdomen
  • Classify - To organize or group objects, organisms, or phenomena based on shared characteristics or properties
  • Characteristics - The distinguishing features, traits, or properties of an object, organism, or phenomenon that help to identify or describe it
  • Organism - Any living thing, whether it's a plant, animal, fungus, bacterium, or microorganism, that exhibits the characteristics of life
  • Backbone - A flexible, column-like structure made up of individual bones called vertebrae
  • Warm-blooded - Refers to animals that can regulate and maintain a constant internal body temperature, regardless of the temperature of their surroundings
  • Cold-blooded - Refers to animals whose internal body temperature is largely determined by the temperature of their environment
  • Reproduce - The biological process by which living organisms produce offspring

Arts Vocabulary

  • Locomotor - A movement that travels through space
  • Non-locomotor - A movement that does not travel through space
  • Levels - One of the aspects of movement (there are three basic levels in dance: high, middle, and low)
  • Body shape - Refers to an interesting and interrelated arrangement of body parts of one dancer; the visual makeup or molding of the body parts of a singular dancer; the overall visible appearance of a group of dancers (they may be curved/angular, symmetrical/asymmetrical, positive/negative)
  • Choreography - The art of designing and arranging sequences of movements, steps, and gestures to create a dance piece


Materials


Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

*Prior to teaching this lesson, students should already have knowledge of each animal group’s characteristics/attributes.

  • Begin by explaining the difference between locomotor (moving from one place to another) and non-locomotor (moving in place) movements.
    • Provide students with a few examples:
      • Locomotor: Walking, hopping, skipping, sliding
      • Non-Locomotor: Bending, twisting, swaying, stretching
    • Play some upbeat music with a steady beat.
      • Call out a locomotor movement, and encourage students to move around the space using that movement.
        • Sample locomotor movements: Walk, skip, gallop, jump, slide, tiptoe, march
      • Every 10-20 seconds, pause the music and call out a non-locomotor movement (e.g., “bend” or “stretch”).
        • Sample non-locomotor movements: Bend, twist, sway, reach, shake, stretch, wave
      • Repeat, alternating between various locomotor and non-locomotor movements.
      • Next, add body shapes. Tell students that body shapes in dance are frozen shapes that they can make with their bodies. When the teacher says, “Freeze”, students should freeze in a body shape. When the teacher says, “Unfreeze” students will go back to locomotor and nonlocomotor movements.
      • Finally, introduce levels: High, middle, and low.
        • High level movements - fully standing
        • Middle level movements - somewhat crouching
        • Low level movements - low to the ground
        • When the teacher says middle level non-locomotor movements, the students should do a middle level nonlocomotor movement; when the teacher says low level shape, the students should make a frozen body shape at a low level, etc.
      • Gather the class together and briefly discuss what types of movements they enjoyed the most.
        • Ask questions such as the following to reinforce understanding:
          • “What was your favorite movement?”
          • “How can you tell when you’re doing a non-locomotor movement?”

Work Session

  • Post pictures of various animals from different classification groups around the classroom.
  • Have students stand with the image of the animal they would most like to be.
  • With the other students who chose the same image, have students write down characteristics of that animal such as what its external texture is like, is it warm-blooded or cold-blooded, etc, what habitat does it live in, is it born in an egg, etc.?
  • Let this discussion lead into a discussion about the different ways animals are classified: Invertebrates and vertebrates and vertebrate subgroups: mammal, fish, bird, amphibian, and reptile.
  • Tell students that they will be using dance to express the different types of vertebrates.
  • Divide students into small groups. Assign each group one type of vertebrate group.
  • In their groups, students will brainstorm body shapes and movements that will represent characteristics of their vertebrate group.
    • Students may need to do additional research on their vertebrate group to prepare for this step.
  • Once students have ideas for how to use movements and body shapes to represent their group, they will choose three to five movements and body shapes to include in their dance. Each movement should represent a different characteristic of their group.
    • For example, students who are representing amphibians might include movements to represent the aquatic and terrestrial stages, the egg, and being cold-blooded.
    • Provide the following requirements for student dances:
      • Must include locomotor and non-locomotor movements
      • Must include different levels
      • Must include frozen body shapes
      • Must represent at least three characteristics of that vertebrate group
      • Must include at least five movements and body shapes total

Students should plan and rehearse their dances.

Closing Reflection

  • Students will perform their dances for the class. Remind students of appropriate audience participation and etiquette prior to performances.
  • After each performance, ask the audience if they can determine which group was represented and to identify which movements represented which characteristics of that group.
  • Finish the lesson with a reflection for students. Ask students:
    • How did your movements communicate your animal group’s characteristics (use content specific and dance vocabulary in response–levels, body shape, locomotor/nonlocomotor)?
    • Is there anything you would do differently if you could choreograph your dance again?


Assessments

Formative

  • Student identification of characteristics of different vertebrate groups
  • Student planning for dance/choreography planning guide
  • Student activator to demonstrate understanding of locomotor/non-locomotor movements, levels, and body shapes

Summative

  • Student dances:
    • Include locomotor/non-locomotor movements, levels, and body shapes
    • Accurately represent at least three defining characteristics of their vertebrate group
    • Have at least five movements and body shapes total

Students can explain how their movements communicate their animal group’s characteristics using dance and content vocabulary.

Differentiation

Acceleration: 

Instead of representing one vertebrate group, students can create choreography to contrast two different vertebrate groups in one dance.

Remediation:

  • Provide plenty of visuals to support comprehension of vocabulary.
  • Provide a graphic organizer for students to record characteristics of each vertebrate group. Students can add drawings to help support understanding of each characteristic.

Credits

U.S. Department of Education- STEM + the Art of Integrated Learning

Ideas contributed by: Katy Betts

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Revised and copyright:  June 2025 @ ArtsNOW

 

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CAN YOU BALANCE? GOLDBERG’S NOT-SO-SIMPLE-MACHINE 3-4

GOLDBERG’S NOT-SO-SIMPLE-MACHINE

CAN YOU BALANCE?GOLDBERG’S NOT-SO-SIMPLE-MACHINE

Learning Description

In this project, students will engage in the engineering design process to create a Not-So-Simple-Machine demonstrating force and motion! Students will create a drawing of a Rube Goldberg Not-So-Simple-Machine and create a kinetic sculpture, or working model, of that machine. In this project, students will demonstrate how simple machines can be combined in a complicated way to perform a simple task.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 3,4
CONTENT FOCUS: VISUAL ARTS & SCIENCE
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can demonstrate how a simple machine works.
  • I can revise and refine my plans as I experiment with my creation.
  • I can create a working model from a sketch.
  • I can represent a three-dimensional model by a two-dimensional drawing.

Essential Questions

  • How do balanced and unbalanced forces relate to simple machines?
  • How can simple machines combine to affect the balance of forces?
  • How can simple machines combine to affect motion?
  • How can simple machines make a task easier/harder?
  • How do we sometimes make things more complicated than they need to be?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 4:

S4P3. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the relationship between balanced and unbalanced forces.

a. Plan and carry out an investigation on the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on an object and communicate the results. b. Construct an argument to support the claim that gravitational force affects the motion of an object. c. Ask questions to identify and explain the uses of simple machines (lever, pulley, wedge, inclined plane, wheel and axle, and screw) and how forces are changed when simple machines are used to complete tasks.

Arts Standards

Grade 4:

VA4.CR.2 Create works of art based on selected themes.

VA4.CR.4 Understand and apply media, techniques, processes, and concepts of three-dimensional art.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 3:

3-PS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 2: I can use different materials, techniques, and processes to make art.

Anchor Standard 7: I can relate visual arts ideas to other arts disciplines, content areas, and careers.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Force - Any interaction that, when applied to an object, can cause it to change its motion or shape
  • Balanced forces - Two or more forces acting on an object in such a way that they cancel each other out, resulting in no change in the object's motion
  • Unbalanced forces - Two or more forces acting on an object are not equal in size or are not opposite in direction, causing the object to accelerate (change its speed or direction)
  • Gravitational force - The force of attraction that pulls objects toward each other due to their mass
  • Motion - The change in the position of an object over time
  • Mass - A measure of the amount of matter in an object or substance
  • Simple machines - Basic mechanical devices that make work easier by altering the direction or magnitude of a force; the building blocks for more complex machines
  • Rube Goldberg - An American cartoonist, engineer, and inventor best known for creating elaborate, humorous illustrations of complex machines designed to perform simple tasks in overly complicated ways
  • Inclined plane - A flat surface that is tilted at an angle
  • Lever - A simple machine consisting of a rigid bar or beam that pivots around a fixed point called the fulcrum
  • Wedge - A simple machine that consists of a triangular-shaped object, often with a sharp edge, which is used to split, cut, or lift objects
  • Pulley - A simple machine consisting of a wheel with a groove around its edge, through which a rope, chain, or belt can pass
  • Screw - A type of simple machine that consists of an inclined plane wrapped around a central shaft or core
  • Wheel and axle - A simple machine that consists of two circular objects—a larger wheel and a smaller axle—that are connected and rotate together

Arts Vocabulary

  • Assemblage - An artistic process in which a three-dimensional artistic composition is made from putting together found objects
  • Kinetic sculpture - Three-dimensional art that is designed to move
  • Craftsmanship - Skill in producing expertly finished products
  • Sketch - A rough drawing, often made to help make a more finished product
  • Variety - The differences in a work, achieved by using different shapes, textures, colors and values
  • Two-dimensional art - Art depicted on a flat surface
  • Three-dimensional art - Art that has height, width, and depth

 

Materials

  • Goldberg’s Not-So-Simple-Machine Rubric
  • Mousetrap game by Hasbro (or a video of the game being played)
  • Notecards with simple machines written on them
  • Copy paper (1-2 sheets for each student for sketches)
  • Drawing paper (9"x12")
  • Paper storage boxes
  • Safety goggles
  • Materials for constructing matches, such as:
    • Dominoes
    • Marbles
    • Ping-pong balls
    • Trains tracks
    • Cars tracks
    • LEGOs
    • Wooden blocks (e.g. Jenga)
    • String
    • K'nex pieces
    • Mini-pulleys
    • Masking tape
    • Rubber bands
    • Glue
    • Paper towel rolls
    • Cardstock

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Divide students into small groups.
  • Human Simple Machines: Each group will choose a card with the name/picture of a simple machine. The group will act out the simple machine for the class to identify.
  • Encourage students to think about how they can creatively use their body to work together and become the various parts of a simple machine

Have the Mousetrap Game set up and choose a group of students to demonstrate to the class how it runs. Explain to students that they will be using their creativity to design an unnecessarily complicated machine to do a simple job. Alternative: Show a video of the game being played.

Work Session

  • Tell students that they will be designing a machine inspired by Rube Goldberg. It will be a complicated machine to complete a simple task.

Part I - Planning:

  • Students will work in small groups to:
    • Research Rube Goldberg machines.
    • Brainstorm ideas for possible purposes of a machine they will create.
    • Brainstorm uses for materials provided.
    • Experiment with various materials.
    • Decide on a goal for the machine.
  • Show students a list of the materials that are available to them.
  • Individually, students will sketch an initial design with pencil on copy paper. Tell students that they should include six or more individual steps, using four or more simple machines.
  • Remind students that they should use as much variety as they can and try to include a "Wow!" factor.
  • Students should compare their designs and choose which to build or combine ideas into one final idea.
  • Students should label their sketch with the materials that they will use.

Part 2 - Creating:

  • Students should work in their small groups to create their machines.
  • Students should create one piece of the machine at a time and combine components as the test whether they work.
    • Teacher tip: If creating takes more than one class period, at the end of class, take photos of the machines created in each group and disassemble enough to store. Machines can be stored in storage boxes.
  • After the machines are finished, students should test run the machine three to four times for evaluation.
  • Finally, students will sketch their final machine and label the simple machines that they used.

Classroom Tips:

Divide students into groups of three to four. Students who are having difficulty might start with the last step and work backwards. One student in each group should take pictures of building progress at the end of each class period before the machine is disassembled and stored. Each group should have a labeled box for storing partial products.

Closing Reflection

  • After completing their machines, have students reflect on the following questions:
    • How did you choose the job you wanted your machine to do?
    • What would have been the simplest way to do the job without the machine?
    • Why was it important to plan before trying to build the machine?
    • How did your drawing change from your first sketch to the final copy?
    • What would have made the process simpler?

 

Assessments

Formative

  • Teacher will observe the students experimenting to determine whether they understand how simple machines work.
  • Teacher will question students on the functions of their simple machines.
  • Teacher will observe cooperation and participation.
  • Teacher will periodically assign each group a different simple machine to act out for a neighboring group to identify.

Summative

 

Differentiation 

Acceleration: 

  • Students can document the process through video.
  • Students can create a cartoon of their machine in the spirit of Rube Goldberg.

Remediation:

  • Preview the key vocabulary with pictures listed beside each word on an anchor chart, word wall, or flashcards. The teacher and students will define words together. This may be done in small groups the day before the unit begins.
  • Group students heterogeneously and assist the group to help find appropriate contributions for each step of the project based on individual strengths.
  • Allow students to proofread their responses by dictating their reflections in OneNote (OneNote > Learning Tools Add-in > Dictate).

 

Additional Resources

 

Credits

U.S. Department of Education- STEM + the Art of Integrated Learning

Ideas contributed by: Mark Thompson, Edited by Jessica Espinoza, Dr. Carla Cohen

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Revised and copyright:  June 2025 @ ArtsNOW

 

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CAN YOU BALANCE? BALANCING ACT–CALDER MOBILE 3-4

BALANCING ACT–CALDER MOBILE

CAN YOU BALANCE?BALANCING ACT–CALDER MOBILE

Learning Description

In this lesson, students will use their knowledge of balanced and unbalanced forces to design and create a mobile inspired by the artist, Alexander Calder. A mobile is a sculpture of three to five levels that has various materials attached to wire that must be balanced upon completion. Students will use their critical thinking skills to utilize the materials provided to create a piece of artwork that incorporates the scientific concepts of gravitational forces, as well as balanced and unbalanced forces.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 3,4
CONTENT FOCUS: VISUAL ARTS & SCIENCE
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can identify and compare balanced and unbalanced forces.
  • I can create a balanced mobile using unbalanced forces.
  • I can analyze how forces affect balance and revise my plan as I design.
  • I can communicate my understanding of forces by reflecting upon my construction of my Calder mobile.

Essential Questions

  • How can gravitational forces affect the balance of objects?
  • How does proportion affect balance?
  • How can you identify balanced and unbalanced forces?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 4:

S4P3. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the relationship between balanced and unbalanced forces.

a. Plan and carry out an investigation on the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on an object and communicate the results. b. Construct an argument to support the claim that gravitational force affects the motion of an object. c. Ask questions to identify and explain the uses of simple machines (lever, pulley, wedge, inclined plane, wheel and axle, and screw) and how forces are changed when simple machines are used to complete tasks.

Arts Standards

Grade 4:

TA4.CR.2 Develop scripts through theatrical techniques.

TA4.PR.1Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.

TA4.RE.1 Engage actively and appropriately as an audience member.

TA4.CN.1 Explore how theatre connects to life experience, careers, and other content.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 3:

3-PS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can use the elements and principles of art to create artwork.

Anchor Standard 2: I can use different materials, techniques, and processes to make art.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Force - Any interaction that, when applied to an object, can cause it to change its motion or shape
  • Balanced forces - Two or more forces acting on an object in such a way that they cancel each other out, resulting in no change in the object's motion
  • Unbalanced forces - Two or more forces acting on an object are not equal in size or are not opposite in direction, causing the object to accelerate (change its speed or direction)
  • Gravitational force - The force of attraction that pulls objects toward each other due to their mass
  • Motion - The change in the position of an object over time
  • Mass - A measure of the amount of matter in an object or substance

Arts Vocabulary

  • Balance - This is a sense of stability in the body of work. Balance can be created by repeating the same shapes and by creating a feeling of equal visual weight.
  • Proportion - The size relationships between different parts of an artwork. It determines how each element relates to the others in terms of size, scale, and placement.

 

Materials

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

Optional: Choose a book to explore as a class from the below list:

  • Alexander Calder: Meet the Artist by Patricia Geis
  • Sandy’s Circus: A Story About Alexander Calder by Tanya Lee Stone
  • Alexander Calder and His Magical Mobiles by Jean Lipman
  • Show students an image of one of Alexander Calder’s mobiles from the following site: https://calder.org/archive/all/works/hanging-mobile/.
    • Engage students in the 10x2 Artful Thinking Routine. Instruct students to do the following:
      • Look at the image quietly for at least 30 seconds. Let your eyes wander.
      • List 10 words or phrases about any aspect of the picture.
      • Repeat Steps one and two–Look at the image again and try to add 10 more words or phrases to your list.
    • Ask students what they think the artist had to think about when he designed and created the mobile (i.e. how much do materials weigh, how strong is the structure, etc.?).

Introduce the artist Alexander Calder to students and use this website to introduce students to the concept of mass: http://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/experimental-balancing-sculptures.

Work Session

  • Facilitate class discussion on gravitational force. (http://study.com/academy/lesson/gravitational-force-definition-equation-examples.html)
  • Tell students that they will be challenged to create a balanced mobile using unbalanced forces.
  • Divide students into small groups of two to three students.
  • Students should plan their mobiles:
    • Students should begin by sketching a design for their mobile.
      • Determine the number of levels for mobile (should be between three to five).
    • Determine the lengths of wires they will use.
    • Determine other materials for use and label them on the sketch.
    • Predict how the sculpture will balance.
  • Students should then present their sketches to another group to get feedback on their designs.
  • After making any needed revisions, students can begin creating their mobiles.
    • Students should begin by attaching materials, such as foam/cardstock/beads, to the ends of the wires.
    • Students should check for balance and re-check as needed as they construct.
    • Students should record in their journals how they balanced levels–did they have to omit materials, change materials, ect.?

Classroom Tips:

  • Review safe work procedures.
  • Review classroom rules.
  • Review peer interaction regulations.
  • Teacher will be in charge of cutting wire.
  • Other materials can be divided into kits or bags.

Closing Reflection

  • After completing their sculptures, students should reflect on the following:
    • How did you visualize your mobile?
    • Did your original plan work?
    • What did you have to revise?
    • If you positioned levels differently, how would your final product change?
    • If you changed materials, what would have changed? Why?

 

Assessments

Formative

  • Teacher will observe the students to determine if they understand gravitational force.
  • Teacher will observe the students to determine if they understand balanced and unbalanced forces.
  • Teacher will observe the students’ use of proportion in relation to balance.
  • The teacher will check for student’s communication of deeper thinking throughout the project (specifically checking for understanding of how proportion and gravitational forces affect balance).

Summative

  • Calder Sculpture Rubric
  • Have students respond to the following reflection questions after the creation of their artwork:
    • How are balance and gravitational force related?
    • How did you plan to balance your mobile?
    • How did you determine the material used to balance your mobile?
    • How did gravitational force affect your plan?
    • What did you have to rethink while attempting to balance your mobile?

 

Differentiation 

Acceleration: 

  • Increase the number of levels required in the design.
  • Have students write instructions on how to build their mobile for a classmate to follow.

Remediation:

  • Modify the number of levels required.
  • Provide a graphic organizer with levels for students to draw and visualize materials to attach to each level.
  • Give sentence frames for reflection questions.
  • Provide opportunities for peer checks so students can get feedback on their project.

 

Additional Resources

 

Credits

U.S. Department of Education- STEM + the Art of Integrated Learning

Ideas contributed by: T. Renee Manuel, Edited by Jessica Espinoza

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Revised and copyright:  June 2025 @ ArtsNOW

 

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