The second graders drew a bug of their choice on white paper. I had photos for reference and showed them how to use the pencil to create shading and how to blend it with a blending stub. (I call them “smudgy sticks”). Later, they cut out their bug and glued it to another background page.
The students looked at this image by Louise Bourgeois and answered some discussion questions about the artwork.
Then, they filled out a sheet which prompted them to detail their experiences with insects or spiders. What is a memory they have of an insect? What would they do if they were an insect? How do they feel about insects? Have they ever had a dream about an insect? If they had no answer, they could leave it blank. They used watersoluble crayons to color a background page. Using markers, they drew images related to insects, bugs and spiders on top of the background. They could illustrate the prompts they responded to or create new imagery of their own. Then, the pencil drawing was glued on top.
