Lesson 3 - DIY Stan
The children's ideas go on two journeys in this third lesson:
- They decide on Stan's next adventure (is he going into space? becoming a gangster? a pop star? or going on a holiday and lying on the beach?)
- They learn two techniques for making their design drawings clearer: drawing the figure from more than one viewpoint and doing blow-up drawings of small parts e.g. face, belt details etc.
| Resources | |
| To show to whole class at start of lesson: | Examples of children’s work from last week which illustrate use of drawing as journey. |
| The Container / Journey metaphor diagram (see side menu) on OHP, flip chart or white board | |
| For each child: | Paper for planning drawings. |
| Choice of bases for body. Suggestions - paper ball, cork, plasticine, plastic cup plus two clothes pegs... | |
| On each table to share between approximately 6 children: | Tray of materials containing a variety of types of and colours of both and paper and card, fabric, wool, cord, cotton wool, beads, small buttons, etc for his clothing |
| Match sticks, lolly sticks, etc. for his legs and arms. | |
| Suitable round objects for his head - child-sized yogurt or fromage frais cups work well. | |
| Felt pens, coloured pencils, glue, scissors, sellotape (in a variety of colours if possible). | |
Preliminary explanation
Talk to the children about design drawing first, before introducing the topic or their ideas will be away on the topic and they will not take in the explanation about drawing techniques.
Show the children the container / journey diagram once more and get them to explain it to you. Then show them some of the best examples from last week's ound Stan lesson. Especially commend the way they have developed ideas about the materials to be used as well as developing ideas about what he is wearing.
Some children may have used different viewpoint drawings or blow-ups of small detail areas spontaneously in either of the two previous lessons. These can be used to good effect as examples of these techniques. Children always gain more confidence to try things that they can see another child has already done. If you have no examples, demonstrate the techniques yourself. This does not need to be complicated. A simple side and front view of a figure to show how drawing both can clarify our ideas about what we want to make. Drawing a whole set of boots large scale can help us to focus just on the boots and take our ideas on a journey about boots without having to redraw the whole figure.
The task
Explain that this time they are going to make up their own adventure for Stan and make him dressed up ready for this next adventure. Hopefully, this will generate a buzz of discussion of the "I'm going to..." variety. Allow this to continue until a useful exchange of ideas has occurred. Then ask, "Would someone like to share their ideas with all of us?" After several children have shared their ideas (hopefully lots of them will want to), check that everyone has at least one idea to start off with by asking, "Is there anyone stuck for an idea?" Ask others to suggest some to them.
The children can then be briefly reminded about the two techniques shown today as useful ways of developing design journeys, as well as the things they have learned to do over the last two weeks - brainstorming and progressing ideas as a journey across the page, recording ideas about materials and colours.
They should now be able to go to their tables and complete the task.
Extension - across the curriculum
From here the children could write stories about their Stan's adventures. They could get together with a partner or in small groups and devise a play (aurally or written) in which the Stans meet up. This could then lead on naturally to making a puppet theatre from a cereal box, complete with stage and curtains. (Lolly sticks stuck on to the backs of the Stans easily make them into puppets.) Performances to each other could be given. Posters, flyers and tickets could be produced with the help of ICT.
Join the Flat Stanley Project in Ontario, Canada for even more ideas and a chance to join up with other schools worldwide. The project focus is on encouraging literacy through sending Flat Stanley figures and diaries to other schools across the world