Here be Dragons!

Dragons, Dragons all over the school.  Loving what I've been doing in my art classes the last few weeks, especially my grade 4 dragons.

This lesson started out as a bit of a filler until we started the new unit last week, but actually I'd do it again and think it had really valuable learning outcomes.

3 steps:
1. They had to research dragons on their ipads and make sketches of them in their sketch books.

2. From their sketches they had to draw a dragon head and tail onto a separate piece of paper; colour and decorate that and

3. devise a way to connect the head to the tail making a body that could move (like Chinese dragon dances) using all manner of paper scraps (tape/glue/staples etc).

The kids LOVED this.  They could work individually or in groups.  They were not allowed to ask me for help (they had to problem solve on their own or with class mates).  I was blown away with the results.

 Here's just a few.  I have them all up on a board outside the classroom which I keep meaning to take photos of...

A group of girls working on a big one together...

Then, my grade ones drew dragons last week.  This one blew my mind a bit.

 And I was quite delighted during a free period this week to be asked by another teacher to come out and have a look at the dragon her 3rd grade class had made together..

 Ah yes, here be Dragons!