Layne Waters

Lesson 1 Summary - Agate Creatures

We read the book Agate: What Good is a Moose. The author uses real gemstone as inspiration for characters in the story. She identifies key characteristics of the stone’s appearances and transforms them into animals with personalities of their own. Following this process, each student received two agates and worked to transform them into creations of their own. The students brainstormed some possible ideas in their sketchbook and made close observations about their stone’s unique aspects. Then students were introduced to a large white canvas where they could bring their creatures to life with paint. They were able to experiment with paint as an expressive medium - utilizing different colors, the mixing of colors, the fluid nature of the brush, a variety of washes, thick application and more! Students also began work on Creature Bios which were a writing opportunity for students to reflect on their original intentions for their creatures and strengthen their creature’s story by writing down ideas for their creatures name, personality, home, and other key details you would find in a written story about a character. We also touched on numeracy by planning what their creatures would look like and how to use aspects of the stones before starting the painting. Literacy was involved though group discussions and filling out the creature bio worksheet. Some students even went above and beyond and wrote out stories involving their creature. We used technology by showing the students the website we were making and a powerpoint of contemporary artists.