Lesson Plan for Animals is Art (Horse Bas-Relief Sculpture)– 4th and 5th Grades
Starting October 15th
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Contact your teacher and find dates/times that work with your teacher to come into the classroom
Please ask your teacher if there can be an extra table that may be set up or used for painting (during the
lesson only) and also space to let dry for the day (in the classroom)
Contact your assistants and determine what time works for them as well
E-mail Ellen ([email protected]) or Liz ([email protected]) to let us know the date and time you
will be headed in to do your art awareness (this is also so you don’t double up on the times)
Day before scheduled presentation
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E-mail your teacher and assistants to confirm your presentation time and meeting place prior to
presenting
Ask teacher to have students in art smocks as well
Please ask your volunteers to bring their own “adult” scissors as well as they may come in handy helping
students with their projects
Day of presentation
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Get to the school at least 10 minutes early
Grab supplies from the art awareness room
Supplies will be in the box labeled Art Awareness 4th or 5th Grade and grab the “shared bucket” – please
take the bucket that corresponds with the grade you will be teaching
Check that you have the following:
o Multi-color scrap paper to TEAR or cut – a few for each child/multiples for the table
o 9x12 variety colored background paper (20-30)
o Miscellaneous paint colors - (3 pallets of color – use paint sparingly paint please!!! –see color
wheel attached), 4 cups of water for rinsing brushes between colors, paper towel for drying paint
tools between colors.
o Painting tools - brushes, sticks, sponges
o Toothpicks, popsicle sticks
o Corrugated cardboard (6x9in piece for each student), some cereal box cardboard and toilet paper
rolls if needed
o Miscellaneous sticks, raffia, leaves, pine needles, jute (string), cardboard, textured recycled
objects and material
o Half sheet hand-out for students to take home (20-30) with the finished dry project – recap sheet
to send home with kids about what they did today called Art Awareness Half Sheet
o Students will use their own scissors to cut
o Students will use their own Elmer’s glue to glue
o Demonstration on “teacher example” to show students step by step and examples of sculpture
and texture techniques
Presentation (Main Presenter)
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Turn on PowerPoint presentation – have students sit in circle while assistants get things set-up at the
tables (and separate painting table set up - no students will be sitting there)
Minutes 0-10, discuss sculptures and history from power point
Minutes 10-15, go through the directions for the project
 Demonstrate how to quickly sketch studying a picture (with a contour line-line around
outside edge of body- no details) picture of a horse with pencil right onto the corrugated
cardboard. While students are sketching onto cardboard, assistants will help cut if need
be when drawing is done. Trace the cut out horse onto a cereal box and cut this layer
out. Flip horse to the clean side and continue. The main purpose for making two cut-outs
is to allow the students to put items in between the layers and be able to move the horse
around on their background to determine where the horse fits best!
 Demonstrate the “bas Relief” sculpting techniques on top of cardboard (layers or details
may be built up with other materials- students can cut paper towel tubes and glue to
build a layer, trace 1st cardboard onto another piece of cardboard to build another layer,
or make an accordion folded paper to put in between layers which would actually create a
little movement in the piece). Leaves may be added, or raffia sandwiched in between 2
layers of cardboard for hair, saddles, reins, etc.. Remind them as they are making a “basrelief sculpture” with texture that will help create the MOOD of the horse.
 Demonstrate the various ways 1-2 recycled materials can be incorporated into sculpture
after main form of horse is established. Glue layers together with pencil side facing
down. The texture of the corrugated cardboard when it is torn is nice too, so don’t feel
like it has to be perfect!
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While the horse is drying, they will begin the background for where the horse will live.
Make sure students put their names on the back. The final artwork should have at least 3
different materials throughout. Remember color will help the mood of the overall artwork
and more clues in background will help tell the story of your horse. Try tearing paper for
ground area, or for a race track. Use torn cardboard or crumpled paper bag or leaves,
string in a creative way and plan out where it will be glued down to 9x12 background
paper. Then last step is going to the paint table (probably 6 students at a time standing)
little paint or oil pastels if they want. Be respectful of paint pallete everyone is sharing (if
you mix all the colors you will not get to paint), rinse brush and dry before mixing any new
colors. Keep an orange spot, green, and purple spots. Then glue all pieces together.
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Minute 15-20 - Stop the PowerPoint and instruct the students to select a background color (9x12”) from
the assistants as they go back to desks and quickly sketch a horse for 5 minutes – be sure to have students
put their names on the back of large background paper then begin sketch on thick cardboard.
Minutes 15-25, work on projects - use the PowerPoint to guide students – allow them to be creative in
their bas relief sculpture – just remind them to stick with the MOOD their horse is posed in and add 1-2
different materials into the layers of cardboard for horse-glue in. What MOOD is their sculpture trying to
convey? Sad? Playful ? Proud ? While kids are working, the art team is walking around with extra scissors
if students need help cutting.
Minutes 25-35 – Please warn students that they have about 10more minutes before cl time and they
should be done with horse and working on backgrounds now. Last step is a bit of paint in certain areas to
help background with paint and (should have 3 or more textures thru picture before painting). Don’t
forget the colors and shapes in your background are helping create the overall mood and the story of your
horse.
Minutes 35-40, students finish gluing the last pieces on to their background. Those finished may be
organizing left over natural and recycled objects to collection bag for other classes to use. Put art works
in designated space to dry for the day.
Minutes 45-55, clean-up and discussion questions as time permits. At the very least, allow each table to
take a turn to stand and pose like your horse is posed. If time permits- show the last slide of the
presentation and ask the questions. Review vocabulary with questions “ who remembers what the art
word is that describes how something feels, bumpy, slimy (TEXTURE). Etc. Projects should be dry by the
end of the day or the next day and then they can take it home with ½ sheet info page.
Leave “half sheet –Art Awareness” for students to take home with finished, dried project.
55-60 Thank homeroom teacher for their time and make sure floors and desks are all cleaned up.
Presentation (Assistants)
While the main presenter is going over the power point and students begin working please do the
following:
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Clear off tables
Put newspaper out to protect the tables
Give each student 1 piece of 6x9” corrugated cardboard and thin cardboard
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Lay out a few horse photos for students to study while sketching
Lay out recyclables and natural materials to incorporate into cardboard.
Set one table up just for background painting with tools such as sticks, sponges, brushes, etc. and
a pallet of variety of colors and 4 cups of clean water and paper towels and glue bottles.
Once students get back to their tables, make sure they put their name on the back of paper and
quickly choose a horse picture to sketch onto cardboard.
Circulate around the room helping by tearing recyclable materials up, or watching the painting
table keep their pallete “clean” by rinsing in the water cups in between colors.
Help remind students to use a variety of TEXTURE in their sculpture and their background.
Once finished, help the students think of a “title” for their artwork and print neatly at bottom
edge of background paper with name. (ex “ After the Race” or “Quiet Sunset” by Liz Beutel)
Help lay sculpture someplace to dry.
After presentation
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Keep recyclables in “brown recyclable box” and full sheets in the bin as other students can use those in
the future.
Collect newspapers and throw in the trash, unused please return to area in art awareness room
Place paint containers upright and closed in 4th or 5th grade box.
Clean out brushes, palletes and dry before putting in box or bucket
Make sure you have all oil pastels back in their containers
Return materials to art awareness room/bucket as you found them please.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Ellen at [email protected] or Liz Beutel at
[email protected]
Thanks again for your help! Feel free to provide us with any feedback that you think would make art awareness
easier in the future!!! The feedback sheets and box are located in the art awareness area!
Also, if you enjoyed your time volunteering, please consider volunteering again either as a presenter or assistant
in your child’s class or another classroom as we always need volunteers!