Lesson Plan for Foundation - The Arts - Basic Shapes

### Lesson Plan: Basic Shapes in The Arts #### Grade Level: Foundation (Pre-K/K) #### Duration: 45 minutes #### Objective: Students will be able to identify and create art using basic shapes, including circles, squares, rectangles, and triangles. #### Materials Needed: - Construction paper (various colors) - Safety scissors - Glue sticks - Crayons/colored pencils/markers - Printed templates of basic shapes - Picture book featuring shapes (e.g., "Mouse Shapes" by Ellen Stoll Walsh) - Large poster board or butcher paper - Stickers or stamps in the shape of circles, squares, rectangles, and triangles (optional) #### Standards Met: - Students demonstrate an understanding of shapes and spatial awareness. - Students will use a variety of materials to create artwork. - Students will recognize and name basic shapes. --- ### Introduction (10 minutes): 1. **Book Reading:** - Read "Mouse Shapes" by Ellen Stoll Walsh (or a similar book) that emphasizes basic shapes. - Engage the students by asking questions about the shapes they see in the illustrations. 2. **Discussion:** - Display large cut-outs of a circle, square, rectangle, and triangle. - Ask students to identify each shape and discuss where they might see these shapes in everyday life (e.g., wheels, windows, books, rooftops). --- ### Guided Practice (15 minutes): 3. **Shape Hunt:** - Spread out pre-cut shapes around the classroom. - Ask students to find and collect these shapes. When a student finds a shape, they should return to their seat and draw it on their paper using crayons or markers. - Encourage students to share their shapes with the class, verifying they’ve correctly identified each one. 4. **Shape Sorting:** - Hand out a variety of printed and pre-cut shapes. - Have the students sort them into groups based on their shape. - Discuss why certain shapes belong together. --- ### Art Activity (15 minutes): 5. **Creating Shape Art:** - Provide each student with a piece of construction paper and safety scissors. - Instruct students to cut out basic shapes from different colored papers. - Demonstrate how to arrange the shapes on the construction paper to create a picture (e.g., a house made from squares and triangles, a tree made from a rectangle and circles). - Allow students to glue their shapes onto the construction paper to create their artwork. --- ### Conclusion (5 minutes): 6. **Art Gallery Walk:** - Have students showcase their artwork by placing it in a designated "art gallery" space in the classroom. - Conduct a gallery walk where students can view each other’s artworks. 7. **Reflection:** - Gather the students back in a circle and discuss what they learned about shapes today. - Ask individuals to share what shapes they used in their artwork and how they felt about the activity. --- ### Assessment: - Observe students during the shape hunt and sorting activities to ensure they can correctly identify and name the shapes. - Review students’ artwork to see if they have used various shapes accurately. - Gauge student participation and enthusiasm during discussions and activities. --- ### Extension Activities: - **Shape Collage:** - Provide additional materials for students to create a larger collaborative shape collage as a class project. - **Shape Scavenger Hunt:** - Prepare a shape scavenger hunt worksheet for students to complete at home with their parents, looking for objects in their house that match the basic shapes. - **Interactive Games:** - Use tablets or computers with interactive shape recognition games to reinforce the lesson. ### Note: This lesson plan is adaptable. Feel free to adjust the activities based on the students' engagement level and available resources.