Monster Stomp

Third Grade Art Lesson
4 Day Lesson

Monster Stomp, Third Grade Art Lesson

Day 1:
On the first day of this lesson, students participated in follow along instruction on how to draw a landscape with one building in one-point perspective.  Our goal for day one was in have the vanishing point, road, sidewalk, building and horizon line in place.

Day 2: 
During our second day of this lesson, students reviewed the vocabulary that was used the previous class (one-point perspective, horizon line, vanishing point, horizontal line, vertical line, diagonal line, parallel lines).  Students added trees to their composition and then were shown through follow along demonstration, how to place windows and doors in the correct perspective in their building.  Students were allowed to use their creativity to incorporate extra details such as mailboxes, air planes, signs, etc. to their composition.

Day 3:
We began this class with a discussion on shading.  This is the first grade that I begin to discuss shading techniques with students.  I had students start with a practice worksheet on hatching, cross-hatching, and stippling.  Students practiced creating a value scale with these techniques as well as with a number 2 pencil and a charcoal pencil.

After the practice worksheet, students spent the remaining classroom minutes to shade their compositions using any of the techniques we discussed in class.  I informed them that I would be looking for multiple value ranges within their compositions.

Student working on shading composition.

Example of project at the end of Day 3.

Day 4: 
For an added twist on our one-point perspective drawing unit, I thought it would be interesting to add a pair of monster feet stomping into our landscape.  I planned out several monster feet patterns for the students to use, however they were also allowed to create their own if they were so inclined to do so.  Details were added to these feet once they were glued into the composition.

I did discuss with students that if one foot was higher than the other in the composition they should include the shadow of where the foot was about to stomp.  You may also want to remind students that the top of the monster's legs need to be flush with the top of their paper, so it looks like the monster is stepping into the composition and not magically appearing without a body.

Student planning for the addition of monster feet for her composition.

Student Examples: