Grade 7 Language Arts/Fine Arts

Prairie Mural Project

Grade 7 Language Arts/Fine Arts Activity

Lesson Introduction

In this activity, students will learn about the complexity and the species of the prairie by constructing a life-size prairie mural. In drawing this mural, students will learn to identify and draw different species and will consider the interaction of the species that share a prairie habitat. The mural will include examples of plants, amphibians, reptiles, insects and butterflies, birds and mammals.

Illinois State Goal Standard Learning Benchmarks

26 B 2d. Demonstrate knowledge and skills to create works of visual art and problem solving, observing, designing, sketching and constructing.

12 B 2b. Identify physical features of plants and animals that help them live in different environments.

12 A 2a. Describe various relationships among various organisms in their environments.

Lesson Objectives

The students will:

learn to identify different plant species in the prairie.
learn about the seasonal changes of the prairie.
create a three-dimensional model of the prairie environment.

Advance Preparation

Time Allotment

2-4 class periods of 45-60 minutes (could take longer, depending on how elaborate research and mural are)

Materials

measuring stick
tape
glue
large piece of heavy butcher paper or posterboard (at least 3' by 6', could be larger)
crayons and/or markers
paints in many colors
construction and other paper of many colors/textures
string
pipe cleaners or wire
glue and/or tape

PROCEDURE

Tap Prior Knowledge

1. Ask if any students have ever been to a prairie. What time of year were they there? What did they notice about the plants and animals? Ask students what changes they might imagine take place in the prairie as the seasons go by? How might plants and animals have to adapt to survive?

Share with Neighbor

2. Have students name any prairie plants, birds, animals or other inhabitant of the prairie that they might be familiar with. In small groups, have students brainstorm what a certain bird, plant or other creature they have named would need to survive. Have them explore different resources, like soil, water, sunlight, other plants or animals for food. Discuss their ideas as a classroom group. If possible, find pictures of prairies during different seasons of the year. What is different about the landscape during each season?

Hands-on Activity

3. Students are going to construct a large mural, which can be done as an ongoing project. The mural can be 2' x 6' or larger. First have the group choose what the season of the prairie mural will depict. 4. You will want to divide the students into groups, each group will choose up to five different prairie plants, butterflies, birds or other animals to represent on the prairie. It may be helpful to make a master list of the species you want to include and then divide those among the groups.

5. For a three-dimensional effect, you can have students attach only the base of a plant "leaf" or "stem" to the mural so that the rest of it curves out. Butterflies or birds can be attached with wire or pipe cleaners so that they project into the room.

6. When students have chosen the species they want, they can draw an outline of the animal or bird onto paper, then photocopy the outline onto a transparency. Using the overhead project and a piece of paper (large enough to fit the plant or butterfly at actual size) students can project the animal onto the paper, trace its outline, then cut it out and color it in. This will also be helpful if students want to include more than one of each animal on the mural. Students can also draw the plants and animals freehand.

7. Have students make labels to identify their animals and plants. These can be posted at the base of the mural. Have plants overlap and have several of each kind of plant.

8. When students have finished their prairie, have students examine from different distances, from up close, from the back of the classroom. Have them write about their impressions of the completed mural.

Introduce Scientific Principle/Environmental Issue

9. The mural project allows students to become very familiar with the elements of a prairie environment. What plants and animals live there? How do different plant and animal species interact? What changes take place in the prairie from season to season? Students will find that each of these questions has a scientific as well as an artistic answer that will affect their mural. Translating what they've learned about the science of the prairie into their mural will be part of the learning process for students.

Relate Activity and Concept

10. The mural project is great for teaching students the fundamentals of prairie plant and animal identification and observation. Students will also learn about the strata of the prairie, the understory, overstory and the subterranean layers of the prairie are all important for its health and survival. The prairie is as complex and has as much ecological diversity under the soil as the rainforest has in its layers in the forest canopy. This complexity is only now being studied in depth by scientists.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the lesson, the students will be able to:

identify several different kinds of plants and animals of the Illinois prairie.
will have experience drawing and writing about research into plant and animal behaviours and habitats.

Language Arts Extension

11. You can have students keep journals to record the process of gathering information for their mural. Have them record the names of plants and animals from their research. Also make sure they record any observations from field trips to prairies or information they find written historical accounts of prairies. Have students use journals to make sketches of plants and animals from pictures in books, magazines, online resources and encyclopedias. Have students also record any problems or obstacles to finding information and then how they and their team solved the problem.