Drawing Lessons, Kindergarten 501

This is the last in my five-part series on learning to draw in kindergarten.  Why have I written so many posts on learning to draw?  Why is it so important to be able to draw something representational, something that looks "real" to others?  

There are many reasons to learn to draw.  It's a form of self-expression. It's a way to record observations as well as memories.  It's a way to communicate with others.  It's relaxing and therapeutic.

Many years ago--24 years ago!- in my first year of teaching kindergarten, a colleague of mine suggested we have our students contribute drawings to a coloring book to send to an orphanage in Mexico.  We did this project in the spring of 1996. The students looked at coloring books to notice how big and "open" the pictures need to be for others to enjoy coloring.  They practiced drawing "with their fingers" to make their pictures as large as possible.  (Nowadays, I'd have them draw on their whiteboards first.) . They drew their pictures with black markers.  We had each student tell us in a complete sentence what they had drawn.  Later, we typed up their words and (literally) pasted them to the pages.  We made several copies of the booklets and sent them to the orphanage.

I'm sharing this drawing project because I think it is a wonderful, worthwhile idea even now, maybe even especially now, 24 years later.  I also think it is a workable idea, meaning not too difficult for students or teachers to make it happen.

Maybe you know of (or have a connection to) an orphanage, refuge center, mission, relief agency, or a sister school.  Here are three links to such organizations:

unesco center for peace

playing for change foundation

ACES international

I'd love to know if you try this project to help make the world a little better place for all.

Drawing Lessons, Kindergarten 401

If you've been reading my last few posts, you know they are all about teaching kindergartners how to draw.  Digital drawing is the act of using a computer to draw. And, in this day and age, there are many ways to draw using a computer.  Common methods of digital drawing include a stylus or finger on a touchscreen device, stylus- or finger-to-touchpad, or in some cases, a mouse.

One of my favorite drawing programs "back in the day" was KidPix Studio Deluxe which was used to create the book cover you see above.  Nowadays, there are so many other creative drawing programs available for kids like Bomomo, Animah's World, and Chogger.  But whatever program you choose, I hope you consider making an On Market Street alphabet book with your students.

Start by reading what many consider to be a kindergarten classic by Arnold and Anita Lobel, On Market Street. This Caldecott Honor Book was inspired by seventeenth century French

engravings and it is a delight for adults and children, alike.  Anita Lobel has painted shopkeepers on Market Street, each composed of his or her "wares," each starting with a letter of the alphabet.  A little boy walks down Market Street, buying presents for a friend from each of the shopkeepers.

After reading the book, show the students one page for one letter of the alphabet which you have created using your selected digital drawing program.  KidPix offers the option of making a template which is what I used to create the outline of a human body.  My students then used the drawing tools to draw the facial features and a stamping tool to stamp the shopkeepers' "wares." They also typed their assigned letter in the top right hand side of their pages. Here are some examples of their work:

This W shopkeeper is wearing watches.

This O lady is wearing owls.

This P lady is wearing porcupines (ouch!)

This Z lady is wearing zinnias.

I bound the pages together as a class book.  I made the cover myself:  I didn't want to miss out on the fun and I also saved the cover from year to year!  I liked sending class books home with each student. So, I included a page describing the project, as well as a page on which family members could write their comments.  After circulating through all the homes, class books had a special bin in our class library.

I hope you will give your students the opportunity to use digital drawing tools to create this really fun class alphabet book!

Drawing Lessons, Kindergarten 301

This is the third in a series of five blog posts about teaching kindergartners to draw recognizable pictures.  Drawing Lessons, Kindergarten 101 offers my ideas and materials for a directed drawing center.  Drawing Lessons 201 shares how to help kindergarteners create a booklet where they transform shapes into common objects.  Today's post, Drawing Lessons 301, is similar to the last post in that I'm describing how students create a booklet based on shapes. 

My Yummy Lunch is a whole class, directed drawing activity where children learn to draw common objects from shapes.  It is also a lesson in brainstorming and categories.  In addition, children learn the concept of overlapping, always intriguing to young minds.

Here are images of all the pages for an old copy of the booklet, My Yummy Lunch.  

You can click here for a downloadable, printable version of the entire booklet.  As you can see from this photo of the cover, it is a MUCH more professional-looking version, thanks to the modern-day wonders of Google Drawing!

The lessons for My Yummy Lunch can take place over the course of a week.  Start on Monday by reading a favorite book about lunch.  Here are a few of my favorites:

After reading and discussing the book, share YOUR copy of the booklet, My Yummy Lunch.

Yes, I do think you should share a completed copy of the booklet so the students have an idea of what they will be doing.  However, you'll want to explain that they will each be able to choose what kind of foods they illustrate and write about.  Here are some ideas, if the brainstorming needs some "lightning bolts:"

square: different kinds of sandwiches like cheese, turkey, ham, pb and j or maybe a bento box! Please notice how some of the sandwich "filling" peeks out around the perimeter of the bread.

circle: different kinds of round fruits like apples, oranges, peaches, plums, kiwi. I also have had students suggest bowls of applesauce, fruit cocktail, yogurt, and pudding.  Cookies are obvious possibilities.

triangle:  different kinds of tortilla chips, crackers, a slice of pizza, wedges of watermelon or cake.

beverage:  milk or water (nothing to color but ask them to draw a striped straw, maybe?), juice, chocolate milk, lemonade

I always proceed by having the children complete the two pages for the square-shaped food on Monday.  I have them carefully trace the square on page 1, modeling for them how to make "sharp corners." Then, on page 2, have them brainstorm the sandwich ideas as a class before choosing their crayons to color the "fillings."

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, continue to have the children complete the two pages pertaining to the next shape.  These sessions might only take 15 minutes of class time.

On Friday, the children can complete their booklet by coloring the last page to correspond with their own food choices.  I like to keep the front cover as is (no coloring) because it doesn't reveal what the book is all about.  This is a good literature concept for the class: sometimes the cover of a book makes us wonder what's inside!

Drawing Lessons, Kindergarten 201

In my last post, Drawing Lessons, Kindergarten 101, I wrote about how I used directed drawing materials in a kindergarten center.  In this post, I want to share a whole class lesson in directed drawing which results in a booklet individual students will create.  This was a very successful project used for many, many years by at least one of my colleagues and me.

The first few pages of the booklet, entitled Drawing Lessons, are pictured above.  Here are images of the second, third, and fourth series of pages:

If you click here, you can download a template for photocopying.  In this way, you can photocopy the booklet for each of your students to complete!

This is a fun booklet to work on over the course of one week.  Here's how:

Start on Monday by reading a book such as The Shape of Things by Dayle Ann Dodds, so that the students can begin thinking how common objects are formed out of basic shapes.

After reading the book, show the children your sample copy of the book. (Yes, you will want to go ahead and create your own version so they can envision the end product.  This is directed drawing, after all!)

Still on Monday, have the children follow clear directions to color and add features to the first series of three pages, the series, "A circle can become a face." 

On Tuesday and Wednesday, proceed in the same manner to complete the series of pages, "A square can become my house," and "A rectangle can become my tree."  On Thursday, depending on the needs of your class, you might brainstorm objects other than a cookie which are formed from an oval.  If your students are capable, they might be able to work independently to create a dog with an oval body or an oval plate or an oval balloon, etc.

On Friday, discuss with the class how illustrators often choose their favorite picture from the book to be the one they copy on the cover.  Have the students illustrate the cover in this way.  Ask them to complete the dedication page, too, with the name of someone in their family who would appreciate the dedication.

My next post will feature yet another directed drawing booklet!  I hope you will continue reading!

Drawing Lessons, Kindergarten 101

This, of course, is an absolutely wonderful kindergarten drawing of a happy little girl holding hands with her smiling teacher.  But how many times have you looked at a child's drawing and asked yourself, "What is this?!"  

There are many resources which help children to develop their ability to draw something.  In recent years, directed drawing has become a popular kind of lesson.  There are numerous youtube videos where real artists teach students to draw popular animals, historical figures, and characters from children's literature.  Here is a screenshot from one such video showing how to illustrate Martin Luther King Jr.:

You can have your students follow along as a whole class
watching the smart board and drawing on whiteboards and/or paper
OR in centers using tablets or laptops.

You can also download free and inexpensive directed drawing resources from Teachers Pay Teachers which students can use in centers.  In fact, my most popular, favorite center for many, many years was my drawing center. Here is how it worked:

I purchased one of the many step-by-step drawing books like this one available on Amazon right now:

Here's the link, if you want to buy it.

Then, I cut off the bottom half of each page and laminated the tops to be task cards like this:

Next, I created a paper like this one below which is your freebie download:

As a class, the children learned how to work in the drawing center. I took out one drawing task card and projected it on the smart board side-by-side with an "I can draw a _____" paper.  Each child had her own copy of the drawing paper. Students wrote their names and copied the name of what they were drawing at the tops of their papers.  Then, we had to learn what each of the symbols represented: a pencil, a crayon, a colored pencil and a marker. While I demonstrated on the smart board, everyone took out a pencil and followed the step-by-step directions to create the drawing projected on the task card. Then, they repeated the same steps to create the drawing with the other tools (crayon, colored pencil, and marker.) 

After several practice sessions, the kindergartners were ready to use the task cards and drawing papers independently in the drawing center.  My centers were typically 15 minutes in length and most students would complete a couple of drawing lessons each time they visited the drawing center.

I have a few other favorite lessons for teaching children to draw more representationally so please look forward to the next blog posts for other ideas for drawing lessons!

I'm 100 Days Smarter! (what does that mean?)

It will soon be the 100th day of school! Many teachers will distribute crowns or certificates or stickers proclaiming, "I'm 100 Days Smarter!"  It is the perfect opportunity to teach young children what it means to be smart and to build everyone's self-esteem.

Back in the 1980s, Dr. Howard Gardner of Harvard University, formulated and advanced his theory of multiple intelligences.  Multiple Intelligence (MI) theory suggests that there are many different kinds of intelligence that we all possess in varying degrees. Then, in the early 2000s, Dr. Carol Dweck of Stanford University, developed her Growth Mindset theory.  Growth Mindset theory is the idea that intelligence isn't a fixed capacity but, rather, one that can be increased. Taken together, these two theories are good news for educators who are willing to work creatively and energetically to help all children learn.

Here is a chart that I've created to help you visualize MI in kindergarten-friendly images and words.  If you want to download a copy, click here.

If you work in a private or parochial school, you may be able to create an activity
to practice "question smart."

In my classroom, for many years, I would start the 100th Day by telling the children that there are many, many ways to be smart. I'd project a chart like this one and we'd discuss the images and terms for the different kinds of "smarts."  Click here to get your own copy.

Although I am not particularly "Music Smart," I kind of enjoyed pretending to be MisterRogers and sang my version of one of his most popular songs, "There are Many Ways to Show I Love You."

"There are many ways to show how smart you are.

There are many ways to show how much you know.

Many ways, many ways, many ways, many ways,

To be smart."

Then, I'd explain that today we would be participating in an activity for each of the different ways to be smart.  After each activity, each child would be able to reflect (think about) whether or not they liked being smart in that way.  They would each be able to mark their own " Many Ways to be Smart" chart to show their feelings.  Here are two copies of the chart for you to download and photocopy. If you want to create your own activities, click to download version 1. If you want to do my same, easy, tried-and-true 100th day activities for the multiple intelligences, click to download version 2.

Version 1: you can program it with your own questions about the 100th day activities.

Version 2:  My students and I had a lot of fun with these activities over many years.

My students always loved reflecting on the different ways we are all smart.  It was easy to reinforce the terminology the rest of the year:  "Marisol, you are growing very math smart today as you count the beans carefully."  "Javon, you are growing so nature smart the way you are sorting the different kinds of seeds."  And you'll really love it when you hear a child exclaim about a friend, "You are growing so people smart 'cuz you asked me to play with you!"

P.S. Here's another freebie from my files, useful if you can't celebrate the 100th day for some reason but are in school on Day 101!