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Camille and the Sunflowers

Encouraging Originality through Story-Telling





Created by Dayna Fujii
For 1
st
grade students

ITE 326
UH Manoa Outreach
College of Education

Overview

This unit plan is inspired and focused around the book, Camille and
the Sunflowers, because inspires individuality while providing an ideal starting
point and foundation to explore art and science, together. We will be specifically
learning more in depth about what makes each flower unique and what are the
essential parts plants need in order to survive. This unit will be implemented over a
weekend with my nephew Chasen who will be in first grade this coming school year.
I will also try to include other family members if they are available.

During this unit plan the main essential understanding to address
throughout is, What makes each flower unique and what parts of a plant is
essential for its survival? When you look at different flowers they might look the
same or completely different, but what are all these parts flowers have and why do
they have it. Flowers are everywhere, and there is a huge variety just here in
Hawaii. I feel that plants are almost overlooked by children, so I wanted to
integrate visual arts with science to make learning about plant structures
interesting and engaging.

I developed this unit plan specifically for my nephew Chasen who will start
first grade this school year. My unit plan consists of four lessons that build upon
each other to yield a final art piece, and provides students with the opportunity to
express their individuality while learning about important parts of a flower. The
students (Chasen) will get to explore a various array of art mediums, ranging from
oil pastels, watercolor paint, basic paints, pens, and tissue paper. He will be allowed
the freedom to express how own ideas and knowledge he took away from my
lessons.

In the first lesson students will be introduced to the essential question. We
will discuss flowers and I will gage where each students stands before my lesson.
This is where I will implement an informal pre-assessment just to get a general idea
of students previous knowledge. We will read a book about flowers while I explain
and describe the various parts of a flower that is needed for its survival. As a class
we will create a diagram of a sunflower together reviewing the important parts of a
flower, talking about the importance and the various shapes found on a flower.
Students will then have the opportunity to create their own basic diagram of a
flower from the provided books.

In the second lesson, I will read the book, Camille and the Sunflowers to the
students while engaging them in interactive reading by pausing to ask questions,
think out loud, address important information. I will have my students participate
in-group discussion talking about the stories message, characters, and flower(s)
they noticed in the book and in the paintings. Then in the third and fourth lessons, I
will introduce the various art mediums we will be utilizing for the final art piece.
Then using these art mediums I will guide students to create their own watercolor
sunflower art piece. After creating their art piece, I will hold a art walk where
students can admire each others work while displaying their newfound knowledge
on different art mediums and/or essential parts of the flower needed for its
survival.

I will use formative assessment at the end of every lesson through student
reflections/exit cards so students can gather their thoughts, questions, and
discoveries. Grading visual arts is subjective in my opinion, so that is why I
collaborated with my students to create a rubric together. This will give students a
sense of ownership and it will in turn motivate students to do their best work. At
the end of the unit plan, students will participate in an art walk where they will
display their masterpiece.



Hawaii Teacher Performance Standards

The Hawaii Teacher Performance Standards that are evident in the implementation
of this unit are

Standard 7. Planning for Instruction
The effective teacher plans instruction that support learning goals through
curriculum, learning styles, and scaffolding learning experiences that encourage
exploration, participation, and self- reflection.

I will provide a unit that integrates visual arts and science seamlessly for
students to actively engage in. I will utilize a variety of instructional
activities that allows for multiple learning styles to make concrete
connections and show it through the reflection process.

Standard 8. Instructional Strategies
The effective teacher consistently uses a variety of active learning strategies to
develop students thinking, problem solving and learning skills.

I will actively engage students in activities and energizers that will allow for
exploration of the art medium before we begin our final works. I will also
include the student(s) to create a rubric together in order to assess the
overall understanding of the lessons so that it meets their specific needs.



General Learner Outcomes (GLOs)

The General Learner Outcomes (GLO) is over-arching goals for the standards based
learner. These goals encourage students to become lifelong and dedicated learners.
The GLOs will also encourage students to become successful among their peers. The
following lists the GLOs that students will be displaying throughout this unit plan:

GLO #1: Self-Directed Learner
The students will exhibit the ability to be responsible for one's own learning.

GLO #4: Quality Producer
The students will exhibit ability to recognize and produce quality performances and
quality products.

GLO #5: Effective Communicator
The students will exhibit the ability to communicate effectively with the teacher and
their peers.

GLO #6: Effective and Ethical Users of Technology
The students will exhibit the ability to use a variety of technologies (art tools)
effectively and ethically.

Students will be meeting all of these general learner outcomes throughout this unit
plan. Art is a personal experience, and in order to complete each task students will
need to be self-directed. In doing so, they will create quality pieces of art that is
meaningful to them. They will also be communicating ideas about their artwork and
the artworks of other and their peers in meaningful and creative ways. GLO Six is
included in hopes that students will become confortable using various art mediums,
from watercolor to oil pastels.


Hawaii Content & Performance Standard in Visual Arts and Selected Content

The Hawaii Content and Performance Standard, Benchmarks and Performance
Assessments in the Language Arts and Fine Arts, III, for 1
st
grade that are evident in
the implementation of this unit are

Standard 1: VISUAL ARTS: Understand and apply art materials, techniques, and
processes in the creation of works of art and understand how the visual arts
communicate a variety of ideas, feelings, and experiences.
Topic: How the Arts are Organized
Benchmark FA.1.1.1: Use various types of art media
-The student will use an extensive variety of types of art media ranging from
watercolors, to oil pastels, to tissue paper.

Standard 4: Life and Environmental Sciences: STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION IN
ORGANISMS: Understand the structures and functions of living organisms and how
organisms can be compared scientifically
Topic: Classification
Benchmark SC.1.4.1: Describe how loving things have structures that help them
survive.
-The student can identify how the various structures of a plant help it survive.

Additional Objectives
Students will be able to:
Identify and label the main parts of a flower (stem, roots, pedals,
pollen/seeds, fruit)
Understand that every flower does not look the same, and that goes for their
artwork also. Each flower is unique, and each art piece will be unique.


Assignment Strategies

-Assessment Tasks
During this unit of study the students will show evidence of learning by
Create a print/watercolor of a tsunami using art elements.
Communicate knowledge of tsunamis (warning signs and facts).
Describing their artwork during the art walk using art vocabulary.

-Assessment Tools
During this unit students will be assess through both formative and summative
assessments. The student(s) and teacher will collaborate to create a portion of the
rubric that will assess their artwork based on their previous experiences, as well as
new concepts introduced during the lesson. This allows for a fair and objective look
at art in any setting/group of students. I will also have my students demonstrate
their understanding of the unit during the art walk when describing their work.

Student Assessment Rubric

(Students
Name)
Labeling
flower parts
Media Types Collaboration
/
Participation
Art Walk
______
WB
Cannot label
any parts of a
flower.
Does not use
all media
types. Only
uses one.
Does not
participate in
the activities
or
discussions.
Does not
describe
their
artwork.
______

DP
Can label
only 1 part of
a flower
Utilizes only
2 of the 4
media types
provided.
Participates in
either the
activities or
discussion.
Describes 1
element of
their
artwork.
______
MP
Can label 2+
parts of a
flower
Utilizes 3-4
of the media
types
Actively
collaborates
and
Describes 2
or more
elements of
accurately. provided. participates in
activities and
during
discussions.
their
artwork.


Individual Lessons

-Lesson One
Energizing Experience What shapes do you see? Game 5 minutes
The teacher will
Pass out a variety of pictures/silk flowers to students
The students will
Discuss with their partners what shapes do they see in the flower


Prep Activity Interactive Reading Flowers 15 minutes
The teacher will
Read 2 flower books to class while pausing to ask questions/point out
important facts
Explain the important parts of flowers that is needed for their survival
Assess student engagement during my interactive reading


Discussion Activity Class diagram/follow-up 10 minutes
The teacher will
Ask students what they learned from the book
What parts of a flower is needed to survive?
As students answer, draw the part and label

Focus Activity Explore and Draw 15 minutes
The teacher will
Provide students with various flowers to choose from (pictures, fake/silk
flowers)
Circulate to observe students

The students will
Choose a flower of their choice to elaborate on
Explore their flower and locate the necessary parts
Draw with black pen their flower

Closure Exit Pass 5 minutes
The students will
Turn in their drawings to me

-Lesson Two
Energizing Experience Silent Doodling 5 minutes
The students will
Doodle flowers or their current feelings in their journal log silently

Focus Activity Camille and the Sunflowers 20 minutes
The teacher will
Read book while engaging students in an interactive reading
Ask questions, model thinking out loud, pause to point out important facts

The students will
Listen, be engaged, participate

Discussion Activity Heads together 15 minutes
The teacher will
Write questions on board
Group students
Ask each question then give students 4 minutes to discuss each question in
their groups
Ask for a volunteer group to share what they discussed after each question -1
minute

The students will
Actively participate and contribute during heads together activity

Closure Exit Pass 5 minutes
The students will
Write down 1 thing for each of these categories together in their group
o Message, character, flower(s)


-Lesson Three
Energizing Experience Silent Doodling 5 minutes
The students will
Doodle about the book we read yesterday or their current feelings in their
journal log silently

Prep Activity Introducing art mediums 15 minutes
The teacher will
Introduce oil pastels and watercolor paints
Demo basic techniques

The students will
Try it themselves

Focus Activity Watercolor Resist Sunflowers 25 minutes
The teacher will
Provide instructions written, verbal, and using visuals
Circulate around classroom

The students will
Create their own sunflower portrait, including necessary parts
Outline and color flowers and pot with oil pastels
Paint over with watercolor paints

-Lesson Four
Energizing Experience Last minute touch-ups 5 minutes
The students will
Finish up their watercolor resist sunflowers
Apply tissue paper pieces

Prep Activity Clean up 10 minutes
The teacher and students will
Rearrange tables
Put away materials
Clear off desks
Get snack table ready!

Focus Activity Art Walk 20 minutes
The teacher will
Walk around to each art piece and ask students about it
o What did they learn, name necessary parts of their flowers

The students will
Walk around to observe their classmates art pieces
Ask 1 question/make 1 positive comment on each classmates artwork

Closure Self-reflection 5 minutes
The teacher will
Gather students in a circle
Ask students to share 1 thing they liked about someone elses artwork/which
on stood out to them/what do they appreciate about it


Exhibition Idea
When students completed their final artwork, I want to laminate their work to
display around the classroom. I would also want to engage my students in an art
walk along with their family so we can all admire their creativeness and hard work.

Materials
Construction Paper (multi-colors)
Watercolor Paint
Oil Pastels
Black Permanent Pen
Camille and the Sunflowers book
Various books about Flowers


Resources

Mettler, Rene. (1993). Flowers A First Discovery Book. Boston, MA: Scholastic Inc.

Anholt, Laurence. (1995). Camille and the Sunflowers. Portland ME: Reed Business
Information, Inc.

Whitehouse, Patricia. (2002). Flowers. Chicago, IL: Reed Educational and
Professional Publishing.

Hawaii Content & Performance Standards Database III. (n.d.). . Retrieved July 11,
2014, from
http://165.248.30.40/hcpsv3/search_results.jsp?contentarea=Fine+Arts&gradecou
rse=2&strand=&showbenchmark=benchmark&showspa=spa&showrubric=rubric&
Go%21=Submit

Learner Outcomes. (n.d.). . Retrieved July 11, 2014, from
http://www.hawaiipublicschools.org/TeachingAndLearning/StudentLearning/Lear
nerOutcomes/Pages/home.aspx

Teacher Performance Standards. (n.d.). . Retrieved July 11, 2014, from
http://www.htsb.org/standards/teacher/

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