SHORT TERM GOALS:

1. To introduce students to some essential concepts of art, such as form and color.
2. To provide students with a hands-on approach to learning about their sea monster by actually creating and forming their sea monster.
3. To provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate creative writing skills by creating poems relating to a sea monster.

TIME ALLOTMENT: 5 hours

CONTENT AREAS ADDRESSED:

1. Art
2. Language Arts
3. Social Studies

CONCEPTS ADDRESSED:

1. Poetry
2. Papier mache
3. Form and color (Art concepts)

MATERIALS:

1. Newspaper, magazines, construction paper, paper bags
2. Ross art paste, jug to hold the papier mache mixture, tray for the mixture
3. Cold water
4. Masking tape, scissors
5. Acrylic paint, paintbrushes
6. Wax paper, paper towels
7. Various poetry books
8. Loose leaf paper, pencils, pens

PROCEDURE:

1. Divide the students into pairs. The pairs will choose a sea monster they would like to create using the technique of papier mache. Students can double up on a particular sea monster if they wish. Examples of various sea monsters include the Loch Ness Monster, Kraken, Tessie, Nahuelito, Ogopogo, Champ, and Chessie. Students are also encouraged to create a sea monster from The Odyssey.
2. Once the students have chosen a particular sea monster, the groups should research information on their sea monster in order to develop an accurate portrayal concerning shape, color, and other features. A list of sea monster references is included at the end of this lesson.
3. To begin the papier mache portion of this lesson, provide each group with a variety of newspapers. Students can crunch, shape, and form the newspaper in order to begin creating all of the parts to their sea monster. Once the various parts of the sea monster have been created, students can use masking tape to tape the parts together. Encourage students to pay close attention to the art concept of form when creating their sea monsters. This newspaper base of their sea monster is called an armature.
4. Once the pairs have created their armatures, they can begin to papier mache the newspaper. For the papier mache portion of this lesson, provide the students with paper bags. Tear off the bottom of the paper bags and wrinkle the bags until they become rather soft. These wrinkled pieces should also be torn into smaller sections.
5. For teacher preparation, take the Ross art paste and mix it with cold water in a large jug. Shake the mix and water together. Once the paste is ready, pour some of the paste into a large tray for student use.
6. The students can dip their pieces of paper bag into the paste mixture. Students should only dip a few pieces at a time so the papier mache mixture does not dry out on their paper bag. Once the paper bags have been dipped into the mixture, students can start to papier mache by placing the small pieces onto their newspaper armature.
7. Continue to papier mache by overlapping the pieces of paper bag so there are no holes. Students are encouraged to add two coats of papier mache onto their armatures.
8. After the students are finished with the papier mache, the sea monsters will need to dry before painting the objects. Provide the students with a variety of acrylic paint colors, paintbrushes, and magazines. The students can use the magazines as an art pallet for their various colors of paint. Students can put on one coat of paint for starters.
9. While the first coat of paint is drying, the students are going to be creating poems about their sea monsters. Provide the students with a variety of poetry books and a variety of poetry examples. A reference list of poetry books is included at the end of this lesson. The students can create any type of poem they wish, such as a rhyming poem, a humorous poem, or a haiku. Students will be provided with time to research poetry, create their poems, and edit their poems.
10. Students can begin to paint a second coat onto their papier mache sea monster once the first coat of paint is semi-dry.
11. For the final part of the activity, the students will share their papier mache sea monsters and sea monster poems with the class.

NOTE: Information regarding the creation of the papier mache sea monsters was obtained from Kathleen Hackbarth, a St. Norbert College "Art Methods" professor.

ASSESSMENT:

1. Papier Mache Rubric
2. Writing Rubric
3. Group Participation Rubric
4. Observation Checklist

EXTENSIONS:

1. The students can compare and contrast their papier mache sea monsters with other groups creating the same monster. What are the similarities? What are the differences? Students should research and analyze the various descriptions of the sea monsters found within informational books and magazines to answer these questions pertaining to the various portrayals of the sea monsters.
2. The students can use one of the showcases at school to create a display of their sea monsters. The poems and basic information about each of the sea monsters can also be included within this showcase.

REFERENCES:

POETRY BOOKS:

Resnick, J. (1995). The classic treasury of silly poetry. Philadelphia: Running Press Book Publishers. [ISBN: 1-56138-486-0]

Schenk de Regniers, B., Moore, E., White, M., & Carr, J. (1988). Sing a song of popcorn. New York: Scholastic Inc. [ISBN: 0-590-40645-0]

Silverstein, S. (1981). A light in the attic. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.

[ISBN: 0-06-025673-7]

Silverstein, S. (1996). Falling up. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.

[ISBN: 0-06-024802-5]

Silverstein, S. (1974). Where the sidewalk ends. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. [ISBN: 0-06-025667-2]

SEA MONSTER BOOKS:

Baumann, E.D. (1972). The loch ness monster. New York: Franklin Watts.

[ISBN: 531-02031-2]

Beck, H.P. (1973). Folklore of the sea. Middleton: Wesleyan University Press.

[ISBN: 0-8195-4062-5]

Costello, P. (1974). In search of lake monsters. New York: Berkley Publishing Company. [ISBN: 425-02935-2]

Childcraft-The How and Why Library. (1995). Story of the sea. Chicago: World Book, Inc. [ISBN: 0-7166-0195-8]

Dipper, F. (1996). Mysteries of the ocean deep. Brookfield, Connecticut: Copper Beach Books. [ISBN: 0-7613-0469-X]

Ellis, R. (1994). Monsters of the sea. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

[ISBN: 0-679-40639-5]

Gelman, R. (1990). Monsters of the sea. Boston: Little Brown and Company. [ISBN: 0-316-30738-6]

Landau, E. (1993). The loch ness monster. Brookfield, Connecticut: The Millbrook Press. [ISBN: 1-56294-347-2]

Rabinowich, E. (1979). The loch ness monster. New York: Franklin.

[ISBN: 0-531-02274-9]

Steffens, B. (1995). The loch ness monster. San Diego: Lucent Books, Inc.

[ISBN: 1-56006-159-6]

Thorne, I. (1979). The loch ness monster. Mankato, Minnesota: Crestwood House Inc. [ISBN: 0-913940-83-6]

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Adopt-a-Sea Monster lesson

The Nature of Sound lesson

Table of Contents

St. Norbert College Ocean Voyager's Program