Lesson 2 - Round Stan

The story on which this lesson is based is not part of Jeff Brown's "Flat Stanley" canon, but was the brainchild of my husband, Ray.
See side menu for a synopsis of "Round Stan"

Aim
To take the ideas that they had last week, and to take them on a journey into a new situation. The temptation for the children will be to think, "I know what Stan looks like," and not to explore and take ideas on a journey beyond the destination at which they arrived last week. The introduction of the lesson is thus designed both to remind the children of the Container / Journey way of thinking about designing, and to encourage them to take their ideas a stage further.

Preliminary explanation

Have the children seated so they can see clearly, as last week, and have the Container / Journey diagram on display.

Begin by asking / reminding children about the diagram and showing some good examples from last week. These examples should show how children have taken their ideas on a journey across the page. (Look at the features of Progressive Use of Drawing on the Purpose of Drawing Grid on the Assessing Design Drawing page.) Within reason, do not exclude drawings that are not particularly neat and tidy - genuine thinking drawings are frequently very scruffy. Children who are too concerned about the appearance of the design drawing are less likely to be using the drawing as a thinking tool, and more likely to be thinking of it as a presentation item.

Tell the children that this week we are going to take our ideas on the next stage of their journey. Stan has another, different, adventure. They are going to make a model of what he looks like after this adventure. Recount the story of Round Stan.

Show the children one of the card tubes and explain that this is his body. They will need to make his arms, legs and head, as well as his clothes. They will need to look carefully at the materials available to think about what it is possible to make.

Teacher demonstration

Show, as well as tell, children how to -

• draw how they would like Stan to look (which may take several drawings, because our ideas can travel quite long way just thinking about that)
• have a look at what you could use to make him
• try drawing him, full size, as if you had already made him out of those things, to see if you think you will like him. Have several goes, take those ideas on another journey
• write the name of the things you are using next to the right part of his body, so that you don't forget. So, if you want to use lollysticks for his legs, write "lollysticks" next to his legs on the drawing, and join the word to the legs with a line or arrow. Now you are using your drawing as a container.

Explain to the children that they may want to go on a further journey and change some things. That's fine. Each time you do a drawing of your ideas it is like putting your thoughts in a bag or container and each time your ideas race on from there, you are going on the next stage of the journey. But don't throw away any of the containers. You might have put a really good idea in one of those drawings which you want to remember later.

The task

The children can then go to their tables and begin work. The "continuing journey" must be stressed because the children are very likely to regress to Single-draw when designing Round Stan. They think they are just repeating last week's figure in the round. If they do, then stop the whole class and reiterate the journey of ideas which they are supposed to be undertaking.

Be really strong on this. Do not accept any Single-draws. The children must take their ideas further than they did last week. The point of this lesson is to move the journey on to include the materials of production.

This Year 2 boy has attempted to draw his plasticine-bodied figure from the side as well as the front. Although this drawing looks crude, this is a planning drawing. He is recording a mental image of his planned figure, not copying something he has already made.