Integrating Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) into Education: A Rainforest-Themed Lesson Plan for Second Grade

Introduction

Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) plays a crucial role in a well-rounded education, fostering creativity, critical thinking, and self-expression. Integrating VAPA into the curriculum, aligning with standards, enriches learning experiences for students of all ages. This article presents a detailed VAPA lesson plan designed for second-grade students, focusing on visual arts and integrating language arts concepts. The lesson uses a rainforest theme to engage students while teaching them about watercolor techniques, depth, and overlapping in art.

Understanding the Context

The lesson plan is tailored for a second-grade class of approximately 32 students (14 boys and 18 girls), aged seven or eight years old, from a middle-class socioeconomic background. These students enjoy outdoor activities and team sports and are becoming more aware of their skills compared to their peers. The teacher has some background in visual arts, having attended workshops promoting its integration into elementary classrooms. A key consideration is that some students may be self-conscious about their artistic abilities, which could pose a challenge.

Integrating Content Standards

This lesson plan aligns with the following State Adopted Content Standards:

Visual Arts 2.0 Creative Expression:
- 2.2 Demonstrate beginning skill in the use of art media, such as oil pastels, watercolors, and tempera.
- 2.3 Depict the illusion of depth (space) in a work of art, using overlapping shapes, relative size, and placement within the picture.
Language Arts: Speaking and Listening Standards:
- 1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

These standards are integrated across the curriculum to enhance the learning experience.

Academic Learning Goals and Objectives

After completing the activities, the students will be able to:

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Demonstrate beginning skill in the use of watercolors.
Illustrate depth and overlapping shapes on their art project with accuracy.

Key vocabulary for the lesson includes:

Rainforest
Depth
Creatures
Design
Overlapping
Patterns
Water painting

Specifically, students will learn how to use watercolor and illustrate overlapping and depth in their artwork, using common techniques.

Materials and Resources

The materials selected are all essential elements that will be needed to complete the piece of art. The students will use several commonly used tools such as markers and pencils; however, they will also have an opportunity to use more complex art skills like watercolor.

White paper
Pencils
Watercolor paints
Color markers
Small cup for each student
Water
Scratch paper
Teacher sample

Assessment Strategies

The assessment will focus on the students' ability to draw a rainforest, demonstrating depth and overlapping of objects. By placing trees in specific spots on their paper, the students will show that they have learned how to illustrate depth in their art work.

This evidence of learning is selected because by assessing each student’s artwork the teacher will be able to identify whether or not the student understood and paid attention to the lesson on rainforests and the art lesson.

Instructional Strategies

The teacher will use direct instruction to teach and demonstrate this lesson to the students. The first part of the lesson the teacher and the class will explore the environments and the animals that are found rainforests. The teacher will confirm that the students understood the lesson by asking questions that will help review and will prepare the students for the next part of the lesson. The teacher will demonstrate through direct instruction how the students will make a rainforest art piece. Before the students work individually on their project the teacher will make an example of the project the students will make. Specifically, the teacher will show the students how to illustrate overlapping and depth in their art creations.

Direct instruction is selected to teach this lesson because with this instructional strategy students will learn efficiently the content that is being taught. Direct instruction allows the students to learn through example making the learning process faster.

Student Learning Activities

The lesson is divided into two main activities:

Activity One: Watercolor Background

Step 1: Introduce and obtain background knowledge by saying “what do you it means to paint with watercolor? Painting with watercolor, also known as water painting, is using painting with water-based paint. This form of painting is used by many artists.”
Step 2: After a teacher demonstration on how to use watercolor, the students will paint the background (sky, green plains) of their rainforest. Students will have water color, small cup of water, and a brush to paint. The students will begin to dip the painting brush into the water cup and then into the paint. The students will paint their rainforest’s background by making long horizontal brush strokes with the green and blue paint. When they have finished they will put away their materials and will leave their painting on their desk to dry. While students wait for the class to finish, they will be encouraged to think about the plants, trees, and animals that lived in the rainforest; and if they have time practice drawing their animal of choice on scratch paper.
Step 3: The class will discuss some of the animals, trees, and plants that can be found in the rainforest. The students will be encouraged to use descriptive words to describe these items.

Activity Two: Depth and Overlapping

Step 1: The teacher with check for knowledge by asking, “does anyone know what depth is? Depth is the word that describes how objects look when they are a space behind other objects. Artistic use depth in their artwork to make their work appear more real. In our rainforest projects, we will also be showing depth. By drawing the trees of a rainforest in special spots and by drawing some trees bigger and some smaller, each of you will be able to show depth, like real artistic”. The teacher will demonstrate how to show depth.
Step 2: Next the teacher will say, “What does it mean to overlap? To overlap is to put one object over another. Did another notice that many things in the rainforest overlap? What are some of the things that overlap in rainforest? Some of the things that overlap are branches, leaves, and sometimes even the animals overlap some of the trees”. The teacher will demonstrate how to overlap the branches and animals in front of trees.
Step 3: Students will begin working individually on their art project. Students will gather the required materials. Using a pencil, the students will begin by drawing the trees with the directions given by their teacher on the paper that has the rainforest background on it. After drawing the trees, the students will draw with a pencil tree branches that overlap each other. Students may opt to draw an animal that overlaps the trees that they have drawn. Next the students will draw a variety of patterns on the trees. The students will use markers to outline and color their art project. Students finish and place art project in a safe place and they put away their materials.

Activity one will prepare students for activity two. They will learn what watercolor is and how to use it to an artistic watercolor technique. Additionally, the students will brainstorm to think of the things they know about rainforests. In activity two the students will learn about two artistic techniques that make artwork appear real. These are depth and overlapping. I selected these activities because they will review the week’s science lesson about rain forests and will introduce watercolors, depth, and overlapping objects to students. The students will accomplish the lesson goal and the standards by being able to paint their rainforest’s background with watercolor and by illustrating depth and overlapping objects in their art project.

Student Work

They will practice their vocabulary words by completing a handout.
Students will draw a picture of two objects that are overlapping.

As a home assignment, the students will complete a vocabulary word handout and will draw a picture of two things that overlap. The students will be encouraged to possibly use their favorite objects to motivate the students about this artistic technique.

Student Grouping

The students will be grouped in this lesson as one large group. This will allow the students to receive the instructions for activity one. After having received the instructions the students will work independently using water color to create their rainforest’s background. The students will share the art materials with one partner. For the second activity the class will again be in one large group. The teacher will demonstrate what the students will be doing and will review the instructions to ensure that each student understands the directions. Then the class will work in small groups of two. The students will work together to assist each other and to share the materials. Each student will work on their own art project.

For the purpose of this lesson, it is best to begin each activity as one whole group. This will allow the entire class to understand the art lesson and directions. After the teacher demonstration, the students may work in small groups of two. This will encourage students to develop social skills and will have the opportunity to ask their peers for clarification if it is needed.

Progress Monitoring

The teacher will check for understanding by asking the students questions. In addition, the teacher will walk around the classroom to monitor the progress of the students. The teacher will be able to informally assess the each student’s understanding of the lesson on rainforest, watercolor, depth, and overlapping by checking the work done by the students.

The students will be monitored by asking questions during the art lesson. Students will be asked to repeat instructions and the new vocabulary. Also check to see if the students understood how to illustrate depth and overlapping by walking by the students to watch their progress.

Anticipated Difficulties and Solutions

Vocabulary: Students might not understand the vocabulary.
Watercolor Technique: Students might add too much water to their paper when using watercolors.
Self-Concept: The students self-concept about drawing might be low causing them to feel discourage about drawing trees and animals.

To clarify the vocabulary terms that will be used during this lesson, the teacher will review the words to ensure that all students understand the vocabulary words. Students will receive more practice with the vocabulary worksheet. When the students begin to use the watercolors, the teacher will remind the students not to use too much water because if they use too much water their paper can ripe and it will take too long to dry. The teacher will encourage all students to try to make the animals, plants, or trees they are trying to draw. The teacher will also mention that the art projects will all be different.

Not understanding the vocabulary can be problematic because the students will not be able to understand what the teacher is referring to when speaking. Also, the students are not very familiar with watercolors, so they might add too much water to their brush which is problematic because it could ripe the paper or elongate the drying period. If students feel self-conscious about their drawing abilities, they might be discourage and attempt to avoid the activities.

Adaptations

Teacher will introduce vocabulary words to the students and if possible will have concrete objects that will help the students understanding the meaning of the vocabulary words. In regards to directions, the teacher will provide them in writing on the board and orally. The teacher will make hand gestures when possible to explain the directions.

ELD Learner

English language learners will be encouraged to participate in this activity since it will be portrayed as a simple and fun art project. However, these students will likely have difficulties understanding everything since the terms used in this lesson will probably be terms that the teacher has not used before. To assist the students in this lesson, the students that are English language learners will be paired with students that can speak both English and Spanish or students that often like to help others. The arrangements will depend on each individual ELL student’s English abilities.

These seating arrangements will encourage students that are English language learners to ask for assistance and to work with their peers to figure things out if they become confused.

Special Needs Learner

Special needs learners will be excited and interested in participating in this art lesson. For a successful experience the lesson needs to be plan with each student’s special needs taken into consideration. Students with special needs might not be able to wait patiently during the lesson.

VAPA Beyond the Classroom

VAPA activities are integrated into the curriculum, aligning with standards across academic areas. Through music, theatrical performance, and visual arts, students develop creativity, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them.

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