Teacher name: Kirsten Ledbetter

Lesson title: Planters and imaginary Plants

Grade level: 1st and 2nd grade
Time frame: 1.5 hrs
Sequence Theme/Big Idea: Fact/Ficiton
Lesson Narrative: We will be creating imaginary plants- plants are very important in the world.
They clean our air and give us fresh oxygen to breath. Today were going to make colorful
creative plants that do not need the care of water and sunlight to survive, like most plants do.
These plants will be made by you from colorful paper and recycled materials. We will also be
growing our own seeds in class. These little seeds are real and require lots of time and attention
to survive and hopefully by the end of the 6 week session, they will be strong little plants well on
their way to producing their flowers. But our plants will bring colorful energy, like plants, into a
space, all year round.
Lesson Rationale: Student will learn about plants and traditional clay hand-building methods.
Students will learn about the importance of plants, in our world and the advantages of plants for
humans (possibly in home environment.) Students will learna dn incorporate the elements and
principles of design to create expressive impact in their work. Students will expand their
knowledge in the exploration of a variety of media.
Objectives:
Lesson 2 Objectives/Purpose:
The students will:
1. Explore and describe how a selected art object was made.(1:2PE)
2. Select and art object and describe its personal, functional or decorative purpose. (1:6RE)
3.

Notice and point out details and respond to expressive features in artworks. (2: 1PE)

4. Compare the form, materials and techniques in selected works of art using descriptive
language. (2:3PE)
5. Demonstrate increasing skill and craft in the use of art tools and materials with attention
to their diverse qualities. (2:1PR)
6. Describe how an artist uses the elements and principles of design to create expressive
impact in a work of art. (2:5RE)

Standards (Ohio Visual Arts Standards, Common Core when interdisciplinary lesson):
Students will be able to write two succinct statements about what they learned about plants from
this lesson. Students will produce a work of art inspired by plants, artists and traditional hand
building clay methods from in-class examples. Students will be able to describe how they made
the creative decisions that went into the final creation of their piece. Students will be able to take
note of and point out details and respond to various expressive features that vary in all of their
classmates work. Students will be able to demonstrate an increase in their knowledge in how to
work with the variety of materials that were used to make the final piece. Students will be able to
describe how they used the art vocabulary that was introduced, including elements and principles
of design to create expressive impact in their work of art.
Materials:
(25 students- cap of 30 students)
Sculpey Clay
Sculpey clay softening solution
Recycled cardboard- cereal box cardboard
Tempura paint
Scissors
Construction paper
Gesso or white acrylic paint
White glue
Floral foam
wire
Lesson Vocabulary:
Color
Shape
Texture
Space

Historical/Multicultural Exemplars:
Look at traditional hand building techniques from various cultures and various hand painting
decorating techniques- like matroshka dolls. Students work with the clay initially- hands on
engagement.
Visual Culture Component (this is often used as the hook for the lesson):
Students will look at 6 provided exemplars for inspiration/ a starting point of where to start
creating with their pieces. Introduce traditional pinch pot and hand building techniques as well as
introduce modern art, such as Lola Donoghue to show students the various colors, shapes and
patterns that can be used to inspire their pieces.
Procedure (Teacher modeling, Guided Practice, & Independent Practice):
Instructor will go over visual culture with students- introduce images of the abstract art pieces
and the traditional hand-building/pinch pot art pieces.
Instructor will regard exemplar again to get students to refocus and thinking about lesson, get
them to start thinking about what they want to create
Instructor will show students their materials and they will begin creating with their sculpey clay
Students will create their pot/planter with sculpey clay
Students will place finished pot planter in designated finished area for instructor (instructor must
bake sculpey clay project in oven to harden pieces and students will make sure to initial or
denote their individual piece some how. Maybe place piece on piece of paper marked with
initials? Create this before class so all legible?)
Students will begin designing their plants
Students will cut out, paint and construct their individual creative, abstract, imaginary plants
Students will write name on finished pieces and place finished plants in designated finished area
for instructor to collect.
Assessment:
Rubric/Checklist :
write two succinct statements about what they learned about plants from this lesson
produce a work of art inspired by plants, artists and traditional hand building clay
methods describe how they made the creative decisions that went into the final creation
of their piece.
will take note of and point out details and respond to various expressive features that vary
in all of their classmates work
demonstrate an increase in their knowledge in how to work with the variety of materials
describe how they used the art vocabulary that was introduced, including elements and
principles of design to create expressive impact in their work of art
craftsmanship

effort
focus and engagement in classroom discussion and activities

Classroom set-up (optional): The room will be split into two areas- one area for where the
actual creation of work takes place and the other area for where students will be engaged with
prior lesson stimulus to inspire them (video clips, circle discussion, viewing of
images/slideshow) ** remove all rolling chairs from room and replace with the red stools.

Example images of activity/project:

Resources:

http://www.thecraftedsparrow.com/2015/07/diy-cactusplants.html

https://www.bayeradvanced.com/articles/5-benefits-of-houseplants
https://www.bayeradvanced.com/articles/5-benefits-of-houseplants