Whole Earth Curriculum WEC
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Lesson 01 — Making with Many Materials

Learners explore several materials — paper, chalk, and loose found parts — and discover that any material can become art. Every mark they make is theirs.

D07 P3: Intellectual & Cognitive Awareness D07.S1 45 minutes Draft
Objectives

Objectives

  • D07.S1.K.01 Create art with different materials and describe what they made.

Essential question

What can I make with the materials around me?

Key vocabulary
materialpapermarkcolortexturemake
Materials

Standard materials

  • Paper (scrap or fresh) · several sheets per learner Any paper, including reused backs
  • Crayons, pencils, or chalk · per learner
  • A small tray of loose parts · 1 set Leaves, bottle caps, cloth scraps, string, small sticks

Low-tech / no-cost

  • A stick or finger Draw in sand, soil, or dust; no paper needed
  • Found natural bits Leaves, stones, petals, grass — arranged into a picture on the ground

Enriched / lab & device

  • A texture box · 1 set Fabric swatches, foil, sandpaper, cotton, bubble wrap for rubbing and pasting
  • Washable paint and brushes · per group Tempera or watercolor paints for a second material to explore
Works in different contexts
  • large-group Set out shared trays of materials around the circle so every learner can reach without crowding; call out one material at a time to explore together
  • multi-age Older learners can model holding scissors or tearing clean edges while younger learners focus on marking and pressing; pair a guide with a maker
  • self-directed A learner chooses three materials, makes whatever they want, and talks or points through what they did at the end
  • level-grouped Group by comfort with tools — some stick to finger and chalk, others add scissors or glue — then rotate so everyone tries a new material
  • outdoor-only Use what the ground offers — sand, mud, leaves, sticks, pebbles — to build and mark a picture right where you are
Six labeled cards show found materials — a leaf, a stone, a shell, a coil of string, a ball of clay, and a stick — and below them two hands of different skin tones press a leaf onto paper to make a green leaf print. Teaches that any found material can become art; the labels and shapes carry the meaning, so it prints clearly in grayscale.
Six labeled cards show found materials — a leaf, a stone, a shell, a coil of string, a ball of clay, and a stick — and below them two hands of different skin tones press a leaf onto paper to make a green leaf print. Teaches that any found material can become art; the labels and shapes carry the meaning, so it prints clearly in grayscale.

Lesson 1 — Making with Many Materials

Summary

Learners meet many materials and discover that anything — paper, chalk, leaves, or string — can become a picture or a shape. They explore freely, then share what they made. The point is the making, not a “perfect” result.

Objectives

  • Create art with different materials and describe what they made. (D07.S1.K.01)

Connection

Think of the last time you drew in the sand with a stick, or made a mark with your finger on a steamy window. People everywhere make things from what is around them — paper, clay, cloth, shells, leaves. Your hands can turn almost anything into a picture or a shape.

Materials

  • Paper (scrap or fresh)
  • Crayons, pencils, or chalk
  • A tray of loose parts: leaves, bottle caps, cloth scraps, string, small sticks

Preparation

  • Gather materials into easy-to-reach trays or piles.
  • Make space to sit and make, at tables or on the floor.

Facilitator note

This lesson is written to the learner (“you”) so it works in a classroom and for a self-directed learner. As facilitator, protect the freedom: there is no right way to use a material. Praise effort and curiosity, not “correctness.” Some learners will not want to talk about their work — that is fine; pointing or showing is enough.

Procedure

  1. Gather (5 min). Sit with the materials. Look at each one: paper, crayon, leaf, string. Touch them. Which feels smooth? Which feels bumpy?
  2. Try one material (10 min). Pick one material and make something with it — a mark, a line, a pile, a shape. There is no wrong way to use it.
  3. Try a second and third material (15 min). Swap materials. What happens when you press a leaf onto paper, or lay string in a circle? Make something new with two materials together.
  4. Share (10 min). Show a friend or grown-up what you made. You can say what it is, or just point to your favorite part.
  5. Close (5 min). Remember: any material can become art, and everything you make is yours.

Differentiation

  • Support: Offer just two materials and model one simple mark (“I made a line; now you try”).
  • Extension: Invite learners to combine three materials into one piece and name the feeling of each texture.

Assessment

  • Formative (observation): Does the learner handle more than one material and make a mark or shape?
  • Artifact (portfolio): The learner’s piece (or a photo of it) kept in the portfolio.

Home connection

Ask a grown-up at home: “What can we find around the house to make art with?” Make one small thing together from what you find.